Blue Ventures Belize Dive-Kit List

Last updated May 2014

Contents

Introduction ...... 1 Essential Items ...... 2 PADI Manuals & Materials ...... 2 Open Water Course ...... 2 Advanced Open Water Course ...... 2 EFR ...... 2 ...... 3 ...... 3 Log Books ...... 3 Mask ...... 3 ...... 3 Fins...... 4 Dive Boots/booties ...... 4 Timing device ...... 4 Delayed Surface Marker (DSMB) ...... 4 Reel ...... 5 Dive slate (A4) and pencil ...... 5 Knife or line cutter ...... 5 Recommended (but not essential) Items ...... 6 ...... 6 Control Device (BCD) ...... 6 Regulator ...... 7 ...... 7 Dive Torch ...... 7

Introduction

We realise that for new divers the array of dive equipment available can be slightly daunting! The following section should help you choose dive gear that is suitable for your time at Blue Ventures, without going overboard.

Whenever purchasing equipment the most important factor to consider is comfort, if the equipment does not fit correctly it may not function properly. Money may be an issue, but regardless of your financial position conduct a little bit of research prior to buying, don’t be afraid of asking questions in the shop and remember a lot of sales assistants make a commission on the items they sell you.

Essential Items

PADI Manuals & Materials – essential for anyone doing any PADI courses - In order for our PADI instructors to teach you any PADI or EFR course, you must bring with you up-to-date course materials for each course you will be taking on site. If you are already certified to PADI Advanced or higher and will not be doing any dive training you only need to remember your proof of certification and your log book.

What you need to bring is explained for each individual course below but essentially you must bring your own copy of the relevant manual, second hand, photocopied or out of date manuals are not acceptable. We appreciate books can be bulky and you have limited luggage space but we cannot provide these on site so it is essential that you purchase these at home and bring them with you. This requirement is set by PADI and it will not be possible for us to certify you without proof that you have all the required materials. You can buy these at your local dive shop, direct from PADI.com or from many online retailers.

Open Water Course – you will need a PADI Manual*. You will also need an RDP or an eRDPml (a table which we use to teach you how to plan safe dives) with the associated instructions for use booklet OR a dive computer and the PADI How to Use and Chose Dive Computers book.

*Please note, PADI are in the process of amending the PADI Open Water Diver course. The updated manuals will be available early 2014. Until all training materials have been released globally by PADI for this course, Blue Ventures will be using the course structure so please bring PADI Open Water Diver Manual 2013.

Advanced Open Water Course – all volunteers must be certified to Advanced level before taking part in science training. To complete this course you need to bring with you the PADI Adventures in Diving Manual. Please ensure your manual has a plastic slate in the packet called the ‘Adventures in Diving Deluxe Data Carrier’ as you will also need this slate.

EFR – You need to bring the Emergency First Response Participant Manual in order to complete this course. This manual covers both the primary and secondary care aspects of the course. Ideally please also bring some spare bandages, gauzes and latex gloves for practice. Rescue Diver – You need the PADI Rescue Diver Manual and the PADI Diving Accident Management Work Slate, this should be provided with the manual so check before you buy. Additionally please bring with you a pocket mask for providing in water rescue breaths.

Divemaster – Often sold as a ‘Divemaster Crew Pack’, the required materials for this course are; the PADI Divemaster Manual, a PADI Instructor Manual, an RDP or eRDPml with the instruction for use booklet, the Encyclopaedia of , a set of up-to-date PADI Dive Master Slates’, a Log Book, and a PADI decal sticker- this sticker is essential and must be sent to PADI with your Dive Master application, please ensure it is present in your pack when purchasing and please, please keep it safe!

Log Books - essential if doing any dive courses with us and recommended to all divers to keep a record of all your exciting diving adventures. A number of different types are available, any diving log book is sufficient.

Mask You need to have your own mask, and a spare is recommended. Different masks have different features, which your dive shop will explain, so make your decision and make sure it fits properly. To do this, place the mask against your face as if you were wearing it without the strap, and inhale through your nose. You should feel it sucking onto your face. Now shake your head about a bit, without out, and if it has a proper seal then it should not fall off. Before you use your mask, get rid of the wax protection seal that manufacturers coat the inside of the lenses with by gently rubbing toothpaste into the surface of the lenses, inside the mask. Leave it on overnight, then wash it off in the morning, and you should find this helps prevent your mask fogging up during dives.

Snorkel A snorkel is a standard part of dive equipment, which is useful during diving in case of surface swims, mandatory during PADI dive courses, and essential if you want to go snorkelling, which is a great way to explore the lagoon and shallower parts of the . Cheap, bog standard tube snorkels are fine, but as a rule the more you pay the easier the snorkel is to clear and less water gets in the snorkel from waves providing a better experience. You may want to consider a ‘dry’ snorkel; these don’t fill with water even when you duck dive, thanks to a system of valves and floats inside the snorkel. Remember the watch words are comfort and easy to use.

Fins There are two main options with regards to fins; either full foot fins (which you wear without dive boots) or half cup fins (which you strap on around your dive boots). Full foot ones are light to use, easy to slip on and off but can rub so dive socks, or regular socks solve this problem. Full foot fins are fine for warm water, however if you plan to use your fins in cold water too, then your feet are likely to get very cold. Half cup fins are used with booties, and stay on by an adjustable strap which goes behind the ankle, these are heavier to transport and use. The water is warm enough for most people in full foot fins but if you are susceptible to cold consider the half cup fins.

Dive Boots/booties Dive boots are only essential if you choose the half cup fins but otherwise some other form of footwear (old pair of trainers) which can get wet is essential as there are shells and rocks which you might stand on in the shallows.

Timing device You must have a timing device in order to dive and those without one will not be able to dive. The best option is to purchase a dive computer, especially if you plan to dive regularly. Dive computers/bottom timers start at about £125 UK. However this may not be an option for everyone and any watch that is tested to 100m is sufficient (ones that only say 50m have, in the past, broken, even though the maximum depth Blue Ventures dive to is 30m). Either a digital with a countdown timer, or an analogue with a bezel will be adequate.

Delayed (DSMB) DSMB’s are a safety requirement and you must have one, individuals without a DSMB will not be allowed to dive. There are a few different types, however Blue Ventures requires one that unrolls into a long inflatable sausage, which is open at one end. If it is does not open at one end you will not be able to deploy it from depth and therefore it is of no use while you are with Blue Ventures. You will want a medium sized one which will roll up small and fit into a BCD pocket. We also recommend that you purchase a double ended clip so that you can easily attach your DSMB to your reel.

Please don’t get them confused with a static SMB which is permanently inflated and carried on every single dive as a safety measure, it allows the boat team to keep an eye on the position of the dive group during the dive. A DSMB which is taken deflated in the pocket of your BCD on every dive is in case of an emergency. For example, you and your buddy become separated from the main dive group with the static SMB, you follow safety procedures and look around for a minute then ascend to five metres and conduct your safety stop. During your safety stop you would attach your DSMB to your reel and inflate using your alternate regulator, it then shoots to the surface marking your position, which alerts the boat team that the dive group has split and divers are returning to the surface.

Reel A reel is a standard piece of safety equipment and is used with a delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB). There are two varieties: full reels with locking mechanisms, which are more expensive and bigger, these are designed for static SMBs and unless you are careful during deployment of your DSMB may get jammed. ‘Thumb reels’ which are basically bobbins with no locking mechanism are smaller, cheaper and lighter. Thumb reels will fit into BCD pockets without much hassle whereas normal reels are generally worn attached to the BCD and may dangle and get in the way.

Dive slate (A4) and pencil In order to conduct the scientific surveys you will need an A4 dive slate to write down the information and either a proper dive pencil or a normal pencils, bring a few spares. Special dive pencils are made of a plastic rather than wood and therefore do not rot and will last until you either run out of lead or lose them! Normal pencils will last a while, but eventually, over a couple of weeks, will start to rot and disintegrate, so you will need to bring a supply of these to last for your stay. Some slates come with a dive pencil attached via a piece of rubber tube, if your slate does not consider buying one as pencils are easy to lose.

Knife or line cutter We ask all divers to dive with a dive knife (in a sheaf) or line cutter, throughout their time with Blue Ventures as a safety requirement. A small knife is more than sufficient and generally cheaper, as the most common use for dive knifes is as a pencil sharpener there is no need to invest a lot of money, larger knifes are often more cumbersome, but it is up to you what type you buy. We recommend that if you choose to buy a knife over a line cutter, you purchase one which you can secure around your leg. The variety, which clips onto BCDs are not practical here unless you have your own BCD as you will not always have the same BCD. Recommended (but not essential) Items

Wetsuit A wet suit is a great way to stay warm in water, depending on your susceptibility to the cold and the time of year you may or may not choose to bring one.

Please find below some seasonal advice on what thickness of wetsuit to bring, please remember that these are approximate ranges based on worst case scenarios and fluctuate from year to year.

Jan – mid Feb Water : drops to 25◦C. Wetsuit; 3mm long should be adequate, however 5mm is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

Mid Feb – end of March Water temperature: 25◦C-27◦C. Wetsuit; 3mm long should be adequate, however 5mm is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

April – mid May Water temperature: 26◦C-28◦C. Wetsuit: a 3mm short should be adequate for everybody at this point, 3mm long with a thermal rash vest underneath, if you particularly feel the cold. A lot of volunteers, however, find they do not need one at all at this time and swimming where and a rash vest is satisfactory.

Mid May – mid Nov Water temperature: 29◦C. Most people will be comfortable in a rash vest and board shorts, however a 3mm short is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

Mid Nov – Dec Water temperature: 25-26◦C Wetsuit; 5mm long for most people, 3mm if you are hardier. If you are particularly sensitive to the cold a thermal rash vest and hood may be advisable for underneath your suit.

Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) A BCD can simply be described as a waistcoat with a bladder inside that you can inflate and deflate in order to adjust your buoyant during the dive. Blue Ventures has enough on base for volunteers to use, however it may not always be possible to provide you with your exact size due to demand. If you want to bring your own then they are available at most dive shops, they are relatively expensive, and will add considerable to your baggage (some airlines offer a diving kit extra baggage allowance, check with your airline in advance). Only purchase if you are going to dive regularly but remember they are available for hire cheaply in pretty much all diving locations.

Regulator Blue Ventures has enough regulators for everyone to use but like the BCD, if you are planning on taking diving up as a regular hobby then it is a necessary piece of equipment but remember they are available for hire cheaply in pretty much all diving locations. If you do choose to buy your own, there are many different options, make sure you do some research and factor in the cost of servicing your equipment (depending on use, you should service it at least once a year). One choice you will have to make is whether you want a yoke or a DIN first stage, your dive shop and independent research will outline the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. Blue Ventures Belize is able to support both models. Blue Ventures requires all divers to have a , which will either be located on the regulators or on a wrist computer (all Blue Ventures regulators have depth gauges), an alternate air source (‘octopus’), and use the standard size BCD inflator hose connectors.

Dive Computer If you are planning to take diving up as a hobby the most useful piece of equipment you can buy is a dive computer. Regulators and BCDs can be hired inexpensively at all dive shops around the world but a dive computer makes diving simpler and safer.

Dive computers come in two basic varieties: gauge computers attached to your regulator, not all regulators have them; they are an optional replacement for the standard analogue pressure and depth gauge, known as a Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG).

The second, and most common, option is the wrist computers. A dive computer gives your bottom time, current depth and your maximum depth, as you increase the number of features you increase with price. Blue Ventures requires all divers to have a timing device but remember a water resistant watch is perfectly adequate, so consider your financial capabilities and whether you plan to continue you diving when deciding whether to invest in a computer.

Dive Torch Blue Ventures Belize does not currently have the capabilities to conduct night dives. If you are undertaking the Divemaster course, documentation of a night dive is required so if you have never done one you will have to before course completion. Dive torches can still be a useful especially when hunting down invertebrates in cracks and crevices.

If you do have any questions, please do get in contact with us in the London office, on +44 (0)207 359 1287 or email us at [email protected]. Happy diving!