Posts Tagged ‘safety’

We are ever conscious of the high number of tragic accidents that occur to scuba divers. In our opinion it is probably the extreme sport that claims the most lives and yet some would argue that it is not even extreme.

You may have a point but what is so often forgotten is that an underwater environment is totally alien to us mere mortals. So if something does go wrong you have very little time to make amends. We cannot emphasize enough how imperative it is to take every precaution possible when using SCUBA.

We are therefore pleased to tell you about a new gadget which will help. It is called the exit point navigation system and this important and life saving technology was notified to us by www.uberreview.com

Exitpoint is an interesting piece of concept diving technology, which could potentially reduce one of the biggest dangers that inexperienced divers face, getting separated from their buddies. It provides divers with real-time information as to the location of their buddies and the exit point and works by triangulating the positions between divers and the boat. An alert is issued if a diver starts to stray out of range.

Without doubt a great device and one you would be well advised to acquire as too often it is when you loose your diving buddy and become disorientated, especially if inexperienced, that an accident could happen.

• neutral buoyancy
• detaching and re-attaching a side-slung deco cylinder
• regulator swap
• switching to deco gas
• deployment of an SMB
• twin-set shut-down procedures

OK – somewhat different to the ocean but take in how controlled and ordered are the procedures.

This frightening video from adamwuk clearly demonstrates why it is vital that when mountain biking it is imperative to be in 100% control for 100% of the time.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsDjh7oAAP0]

Another example from bakewhore of why control on your MTB is essential.

[youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wWvSxhfa4Uc]

Having viewed the above and should you be thinking of taking up this ever increasingly popular sport we thought it might be helpful if we gave you some guidelines. Thanks to www.thaimarathon.com for this useful advice.

Anyone who knows how to ride a bicycle can enjoy mountain biking. There are some dangers to mountain biking, when it is compared to the standard bike ride. It is for this reason that mastering the following beginner mountain bike skills is a necessity prior to taking off for your mountain bike excursion.

These skills can all be practiced by heading to any school, local park, around your house, or on a bike path. The key to the right location is if it has a steep hill for you to practice on.

The pedals are an important part of a mountain bike. You can practice getting a feel for the pedals by doing the following:

• Release and Replace your foot while pedaling around;
• Sit and spin for position with the following;
• Adjust the seat height so that the leg is a minimum of 70% extended at the bottom of each pedal cycle;
  Bend arms slightly;
  Keep the body as relaxed as possible, a position should never occur that requires you to lock your elbows or knees.
• Sit on the Mountain bike and pedal;
• Practice shifting gears ;
• Make sure you know the differences in gears on your bike;
• Try a high gear-it is harder to pedal, but rides at a faster speed;
• Try a low gear-easier to pedal, particularly useful while on hills;
• Try shifting gear prior to reaching the hill – it is easier to overcome a shift before the hill than it is while on the hill;
• Practice coasting and;
• Practice this while standing on the pedals, not sitting on the bike seat;
• Do not lock your knees;
• Keep arms slightly bent;
• Attempt coasting while shifting the body towards the rear of the mountain bike;
• Practice pedaling while standing;
• Try pedaling standing up in different ways, once you have become comfortable with standing on the pedals;
• First pedal while standing in a high gear on flatter grounds;
• Then pedal while standing in a low gear on hills;
• Practice dropping down a curb;
• Locate a curb in the area, using a moderate speed, practice coasting and standing off the curb to the lower level from the upper level;
• Continue this at different speeds until you are comfortable with it and it is like second nature.

The above practicing techniques are important because they will give you the feel of the mountain bike trail, without having to be on one while you are training.

Basic stuff but important and the only thing we would add is that it is imperative to take your time in learning these skills – do not rush.

In the YouTube video above you have some great coaching on ‘how to’ jump whilst out on your mountain bike. It is very much a case of getting your balance right and you do this by the correct positioning of your arms legs and body as you approach the jump, as you are making the jump and as you are landing. Watch Chris Duncan of bikeskills.com explain the process, then watch it again and again so you don’t miss any of the finer points – like his safety tips, his checking out the jump prior to launch and of course his instruction concerning body part positioning as you execute the jump. Thanks ikrtolica for the video.

So now you know how to jump on your mountain bike? Yeah – but to get to the degree of expertise of the dudes in the video below (thanks colley1991) you will have to practice for hours and hours and then days, weeks and years – and thats not all – for extreme jumps likes the ones shown here you also have to be probably a little bit more than just plain crazy – enjoy!

Here are some suggestions on what kit to purchase if you are getting into kite surfing. We would like to emphasize that you should rent or hire the kit for as long as possible before launching into what can soon add up to significant expenditure. Make sure that you are committed to the sport and the initial enthusiasm does not wane. Further you will find that as your competency increases so does your appetite for newer and better equipment. It is therefore better to learn using someone else’s kit – until you have a proper understanding of the exact kite and board that will suit your level of skill.

I’ve also included a video by genocide696 of world champion Aaron Hadlow strutting his stuff on a Flexifoil – which just goes to show that even world champions take a few tumbles in getting to be a world champion. Thanks also go to Dan Doubleday of 2Atricles.com for the article on what kit to buy.

You have done a kite surfing course or two and understand the danger. You have been out on a few day trip by yourself and rented the equipment. Now it’s time to sort yourself out with your own gear but with the initial high cost you want to break it down into affordable chunks, so how should you buy your kite surfing gear?

Any purchase you make should first be selected on safety and quality. Failure of any kite surfing gear while racing across the sea at high speeds is never what you want. The order of gear listed here is only a suggestion in which you should purchase the stuff you need. Obviously getting the lot at one time could save you money, by asking for a discount in the store, but you should also consider looking at used gear. Sometimes you could save a large amount of cash on an item and the saving opens up your choice on another item.

The first item you should look for is a Wet suit. You can spend long periods of time in the water sorting out your lines or you may lose your kite and have to either swim to shore or to the kite both of which may be a long way off. A wetsuit not only provides add thermal protection in can also provide extra buoyancy. When looking for your wetsuit also look about for some water shoes for added comfort on cold days.

Most kite surfers now wear crash helmets when trying out new locations or stunts. If you are unsure of what is exactly below the water surface this piece of equipment could save your life. If you are surfing close to rocks, same thing and if you are trying out something you have never done before there is always a possibility your board will attack you.

Depending of your level of skill or even the location your are kite surfing you may want a life jacket to keep you afloat and help while swimming for your kite, or to the shore.

You will want a board-leash very early in your purchasing list as this is the only thing that keeps your board on your feet should you fall off it. This will save you watching your board sail off into the sunset while you sit on the beach!

All kites should have a safety release system attached, never buy a kite with a working safety release system. This is a strap that’s attached around your wrist and to the control bar. A safety release can be 2 or 4 line and will disable the kite when you stop holding the control bar. The systems have a safety leash attaching to your left wrist (or harness) to allow you to retrieve the control bar.

Once you have all the safety gear you can focus on the big stuff: a kite and board.

Your choice in what kite to buy will not be an easy one and you should research it well. You will want a kite that you can launch, or re-launch, from the water. A kite that can provide enough lift to allow you to perform jumps and stunts and also good power control. Inflatable kites, single skin framed kites and ram air foil kites can all be launched from within the water, but offer different performance and power controls. There will be kites more suitable for the beginner and offer more safety and control features than others and their will be kites for the professional competition kite surfers that know how to get every last ounce of energy of them. Your choice in kite is not one you should rush into. Talk with your instructor and some other Kite surfers before choosing yours.

Your final piece of kite surfing gear is the board. Similar to the kite you should do some research about the best board for you, but unlike the kites most boards have similar features. They should be rigid and have a harness for your feet to keep the board under you! The board leash will has been recommended above.

Kite surfing is an extreme sport that requires professional training and good equipment for your safety. Never rush into a purchase and always research the various makes and models available to you. The longer you leave buying kite surfing gear the more chance you may have of trying out different systems before you buy them.

After the near fatal tragedy off southern Taiwan earlier this week I thought I should give you diving enthusiasts some information to help make your dive a success in every sense. This comes courtesy of ‘Try Diving.net’ to whom I am very grateful.

18 Practices to Make You a Responsible Diver

• Make sure that you plan all your dives before you get into the water.
• Make sure that your deepest dive of the day is also your first dive of the day.
• The deepest part of each dive that you plan should be reached at the beginning of your dive.
• Try to avoid exerting yourself during your dive. You should also avoid physical activity for half an hour after your dive has finished.
• Check your dive computer and/or guages often throughout your dive.
• If you are diving in cold water or after strenuous activity, make sure that you begin your ascent before you reach your no-decompression limit.
• Always act in compliance with the ascent rate that is indicated by your dive computer.
• Always carry out a 3-minute safety stop between 20 feet (6 meters) and 10 feet (3 meters).
• Try to avoid decompression stop dives and be absolutely certain not to dive deeper than 130 feet (40 meters) unless you are a specially trained deep diver.
• When you are doing a decompression dive, prolong the decompression stop nearest to the surface.
• After all of your decompression stops, ascend to the surface very slowly.
• Always make sure that you are not “yo-yo” diving (repetitively ascending and descending under the water).
• Do not carry out any dive until the desaturation time, as dictated by your previous dive, has passed.
• Avoid repeatedly diving to a single depth deeper than 60 feet (18 meters). N.B. Repeated diving to the same depth is known as ’square diving’.
• Be sure to separate any repetitive dives by at least a 2 hour surface interval.
• If you are planning repetitive dives for a number of consecutive days, be sure to take at least one day off from diving each week. The recommended number of consecutive time diving should not exceed 3 days i.e. take 1 day off every 3 days.
• Be certain that you do not go mountain climbing or take a plane flight for at least 12 hours (preferably 24 hours) after a dive.
• Finally, never try to exceed the limits of your experience and skill.

So there you have it – I can certainly relate to the second last tip – some years ago after diving in the Indian Ocean off of Pemba Island, Tanzania I stupidly climbed into a light aircraft to fly to Nairobi, Kenya. It had been a beautiful dive, incredible visibility and the most wonderful fan corals 5 metres across and then the flight past Mt. Kilimanjaro was equally inspiring – but boy oh boy did I regret that flight. We landed at Wilson Airport where I collapsed with an excruciating headache. To cut a long story short – I recovered – but take note – you have been warned. The only other thing I would add, which I’m sure our Taiwanese diving friends would endorse, is do be aware of the winds and currents in the ocean and make sure in your dive plan that the rendez vous on the surface is agreed and understood by all. This is after all an extreme sport which involves risk but with careful planning this world of a different dimension can and should be enjoyed by all.