February 2010- Volume 20 Number 2

THE COVERS	Articles & Editorials	February 2010 • Volume 20 Number 2
Photos by Joseph C. Dovala	For most folks, a lot of questions have to get answered before a perfectly good land-dwelling, air-breathing mammal feels at ease taking his first breaths underwater. This month’s cover feature, “Are You Ready for an Underwater Adventure?: A Nondiver’s Guide to Scuba Diving,” is the perfect primer for the yet-to-be diver.

FEATURES

20	An Ounce of Prevention: How to Avoid Running Out of Air As amazing as it may seem, it’s not all that uncommon for divers to run out of air. What makes that statement even more incredulous is that a good portion of a diver’s training is devoted to learning how not to run out. So what gives? The author provides some out-of-air insight.	By Alex Brylske
30	A Long Way From the ‘Early Days’: How Innovation has Transformed the Diving Experience As you are probably aware, scuba diving is still a relatively young sport. But still, it’s come a long way since its infancy. The author takes a look at how improvements in equipment, training and our knowledge of the undersea realm have added to our safety and enjoyment of the sport.	By Marty Snyderman
40	On a Moment’s Notice: ‘Staying Ready’ for Diving Most divers experience the ebb and flow of skills and knowledge. At times when we’re diving or participating in training programs, we are really on top of our game. At other times, when life’s demands preclude our pursuit of happiness in the underwater world, our skills degrade from lack of use. Here’s how you can stay “dive ready” all year long.	By Robert N. Rossier

COMMENTARY

8	Editorial: The More Things Change	By Alex Brylske
10	Buddy Lines: ‘Carbon Dioxide Retainer’
12	Dive Observer: In CO2-Rich Environments, Some Ocean Dwellers Increase Shell Production	By Gene Gentrup
80	No Dumb Questions: Initiating the Predive Discussion: Questions from our readers	By Alex Brylske

DIVE EXPLORATION

64	Global Dive Exploration Map A geographical guide to great dive destinations across the globe
66	Exploring the British Virgin Islands: Where Diversity is the Norm Dozens of islands to explore	Ruth and Barry Guimbellot
77	Passport: Dive travel deals from all over	Compiled by Gene Gentrup
78	Diving USA Dive travel opportunities across America

EVERY MONTH

53	Scuba Skills: Scuba Skills: ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Buddy’:Donning the Scuba Unit Using the Buddy Lift Technique Many hands, light work	By Linda Lee Walden
57	Instructor Tips: Head in the Clouds: Teaching Your Students Situational Awareness How to help them stay focused	By Greg Laslo
60	Always Learning: Picture Progress: A Photographer’s Struggle to Keep Up On embracing new technology	By Marty Snyderman
84	Dive Shop	Compiled by Gene Gentrup
86	What’s That?: Cannibal Diving: The Undersea Life of Indonesia’s Komodo National Park It only sounds scary	By Marty Snyderman
91	Premier Classifieds
92	Behind the Lens: Shooting Silver, Going for Gold Tips for capturing shiny subjects	By Marty Snyderman
93	Dive Training Classifieds
97	Dive Training Quiz Test your knowledge of the information in this month's issue
98	Final Check: What It Looks Like When…Your BC is Overinflated Don’t bloat	By Linda Lee Walden