SCUBA Diving Safety

Scuba diving at Lake Havasu is accessible from the beach or by boat for certified divers. Visibility ranges throughout the year from 10-50 feet, with water temperatures from the mid 50°’s to as high as 85° in the peak of summer. Lake Havasu is home to some of the best scuba diving in Arizona, with more than 30 dive sites featuring attractions such as shipwrecks, underwater geology, and fish habitats. Note that Scuba Diving is prohibited in the Bridgewater Channel.  Top Five Dive Sites in Lake Havasu

New divers can learn quite a few “good-sense” tips from other divers. This helps to prevent injuries and mishaps, and it illustrates the camaraderie of teamwork so widespread among divers.

Not all good-sense tips are scuba safety rules or guidelines, but they generally relate to basic principles every diver should know. The Divers Alert Network has assembled a collection of goo-sense tips based on expert insights over many years of experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

S-A-F-E D-I-V-E

If you’ve been diving for a while, or if you’ve just learned how to dive, there’s a lot to learn — and remember — about diving. You can start by remembering that each dive should be a SAFE DIVE, directly related to:

• Self-reliance
• Attitude
• Fitness
• Experience
• Diving skills
• Involvement
• Variety
• Equipment

Be Self-Reliant

Diving, like life itself, is an experience best shared. You are responsible for your own dive experience. Self-reliance is a skill your safety depends upon, topside or underwater. While divers are trained to use the buddy system to improve safety and reduce risk, you should be able to make informed decisions about your safety during any dive, without relying on someone else to think for you.

Following a dive leader or your buddy into an environment, condition or depth that you are not trained for, not comfortable in or is outside your experience is an invitation to disaster. Being self-reliant means knowing your limits — and those of your equipment.

• Take care of your equipment. Keep it properly serviced and maintained. Do not modify your equipment outside of the manufacturer’s original design.
• Check it out. Always use a checklist when packing equipment for a dive outing. If you get to the dive site and are missing an essential piece of equipment, consider renting or buying a similar model. If you’re not comfortable with these options, you may want to cancel the dive.
• Suit yourself. You need to wear all of the required equipment for the type of dive you’re making.
• Stop, Breathe, Think, Act. If you’re experiencing a problem underwater remember this: if you’re still breathing, you have some time to deal with the problem. Bolting for the surface is dangerous.
• Pause and refresh yourself. If you haven’t been diving for awhile (six months or longer), attend a refresher course.
• Learn to say NO. “A ‘good’ diver is not the person with the most gear, or the one who dives the deepest,” says DAN Medic Eric Schinazi. “It’s the one who can make a mature decision that they should not make a dive.”
• An ancillary maxim is that good buddies respect this decision.

Air Supply

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most recreational divers begin an ascent with about 700 psi or 50 bar of breathing gas left in their scuba cylinders. While this reserve pressure is practically an industry standard for shallow recreational dives, it may not be sufficiently conservative for every diving scenario. In some situations, a diver may wish to use the rule of thirds for his gas management.

What Is the Rule of Thirds?

The rule of thirds for gas management states:  A diver can use up to one third of his breathing gas to reach his furthest point, one third of his gas for his return trip, and will keep one third of his gas as an emergency reserve.

In What Scenarios Do Divers Use the Rule of Thirds?

• Dives that require navigation to reach a location and then return to a starting point. One third of the breathing gas is used for navigation to the point of interest, one third is used to return to the starting point, and one third is held in reserve.

How to use Rule of Thirds

Take the starting pressure of the cylinder and divide by three. Then subtract that number from the total pressure. When the first diver uses their first third the entire buddy team turns around and heads back at the same pace.

Example:  80 cubic foot tank starts at 3000 psi

3000/3 = 1000   (1/3rd)

3000-1000 = 2000 this is when you turn around.

The rule of thirds when followed will ensure a diver does not run out of air and allows for a safe underwater aquatic experience.

 

 

Dive Flag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A red flag with white diagonal stripe is recognized as a diver flag

Arizona law states : 5-362. Diver flag

A red flag with white diagonal stripe from staffhead to opposite corner shall be recognized as a diver flag and shall be displayed when a person or persons are actually diving below the water surface and are equipped with apparatus to allow such person or persons to breathe under water.

This is reiterated in The Boater’s Guide of Arizona (2003 Edition) published by the Arizona Game and Fish Department:  Scuba divers and snorkelers must display a “diver down flag” that marks their diving area. The flag must be displayed whenever someone is diving below the surface.

For more information on diving in Lake Havasu seek out local knowledge from the city’s experts.

 

 

 

 

 

Scuba Training and Technology Inc.
2150 Kiowa Blvd N.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406
928-855-9400  M-F 11-6 S 10-4 Closed Sunday
www.scubatrainingandtechnology.com
Instruction, Rentals, Equipment Service

Captain John’s Dive Charters
Licensed Captain and Instructor
42′ R/V Explorer vessel
928-412-0688  cell/text

Havasu Divemaster
Tom Hansen, Dive Master
Dive Guide Services
808-344-4476
www.havasudivemaster.com