Autor: dmartincastro

ENG I´m a dive instructor teaching at Windhoek Underwater Club, in Namibia. I have ample experience on teaching, from Open Water to Technical Diving, including most specialties, creating even one of my own (Limited Visibility Diver). After diving for years I found that some basics of diving are unknown for most divers. This blog intends to help divers, experienced or not, to understand better some aspects of diving. ESP Soy un instructor de buceo que enseña en el Windhoek Underwater Club, en Namibia. Tengo una amplia experiencia enseñando todos los niveles, desde básico hasta buceo técnico, incluyendo la mayor parte de las especialidades. Incluso cree la mía propia (buceo en visibilidad limitada). Después de años de buceo he observado que la mayor parte de los buceadores desconocen algunos básicos del buceo. Este blog pretende ayudar a los buceadores, con experiencia o no, a entender mejor el buceo

What do I carry when I dive? / Qué llevar en los bolsillos de tu jacket en todas tus inmersiones

20 marzo, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés Quite a good number of students have asked me what do I carry on my pockets when I dive. After years of changing, adding, removing, etc. I end up with a set of equipment that I consider necessary for most dives. This equipment may be carried on … More What do I carry when I dive? / Qué llevar en los bolsillos de tu jacket en todas tus inmersiones

When is it time to do the Advanced Open Water Diver course (PADI)? / ¿Cuándo es el momento de hacer el curso de Advanced Open Water Diver (PADI)?

14 marzo, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés The answer to this question varies a lot depending on your instructor and the specifics of the students. Some dive schools consider the AOW should be done just after the OW course, since it would allow divers to enjoy more diving spots, it´s easy and fast. However, … More When is it time to do the Advanced Open Water Diver course (PADI)? / ¿Cuándo es el momento de hacer el curso de Advanced Open Water Diver (PADI)?

Basics of diving: Freediving for scuba divers / Básicos del buceo: Apnea para buceadores

7 marzo, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés Freediving is gaining in importance lately, with more and more people interested in learning it´s principles as an activity. You may have even thought about doing your own freediving course and I strongly recommend to do so. However, this post is not about freediving. There are lots … More Basics of diving: Freediving for scuba divers / Básicos del buceo: Apnea para buceadores

Dry suit as a buoyancy device in recreational diving/ El traje seco para el control de la flotabilidad en buceo recreativo

29 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras texto en inglés If you read your Dry Suit Specialty course book it recommends that you use your dry suit as your primary buoyancy system, leaving your BCD as a backup in case the dry suit gets flooded. However, in more than one occasion you would have felt uncomfortable with all … More Dry suit as a buoyancy device in recreational diving/ El traje seco para el control de la flotabilidad en buceo recreativo

Navigation at mid waters without reference points/ Navegación en aguas medias sin referencias

26 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras texto en inglés. As we discussed in a previous post, sometimes you need to use your compass to dive at midwaters with no reference (low visibility environment, long distance to the bottom, cold thermocline, too much surface movement, etc.), then you would realize that it´s not so easy. People is use … More Navigation at mid waters without reference points/ Navegación en aguas medias sin referencias

Deep normoxic dives and the selection of gases / Buceos normóxicos profundos y la selección de gases

21 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés For full trimix divers, planing a normoxic dive is normally considered easy, provided they are not very long. Normally, the gas selection is straight forward (most divers would use 2 deco gases, a 50/? and O2 -or 72%) and the bottom mix is decided by depth (normally … More Deep normoxic dives and the selection of gases / Buceos normóxicos profundos y la selección de gases

Which course should you do if you are an underwater photographer/videographer? ¿Qué curso deberías hacer si haces fotosub o videosub?

18 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés I know it sounds kind of presumptuous to tell someone which course should he do if he is a photographer, mostly because I can teach everything except underwater photography (I’m the worst photographer ever), but I guided quite a good number of photographers while working as a … More Which course should you do if you are an underwater photographer/videographer? ¿Qué curso deberías hacer si haces fotosub o videosub?

U- Turn search pattern in low visibility/Cómo hacer una busqueda en forma de U en baja visibilidad

14 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés As you have been taught in your search and recovery adventure dive (or specialty) and in your rescue diver course, a U turn search pattern is composed by long and short legs (1 long, turn 90 degrees, 1 short, turn 90 degrees, 1 long…). Normally, depending on … More U- Turn search pattern in low visibility/Cómo hacer una busqueda en forma de U en baja visibilidad

Snorkels: choosing one also for rescue/ El tubo en buceo: como elegir uno, teniendo tambien en cuenta situaciones de rescate

11 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras el texto en inglés I´m sure you know why the snorkel is not longer. There would be a excess of dead air spaces. You would be breathing your own exhaled gas, so you would get too much CO2. That´s one of the reasons, another one is that the turbulences provoked by … More Snorkels: choosing one also for rescue/ El tubo en buceo: como elegir uno, teniendo tambien en cuenta situaciones de rescate

Drift diver course: it depends on where you do it / Curso de buceador con corrientes: todo depende de donde lo hagas

8 febrero, 2016

English, Español sigue tras texto en inglés. I know, I know, there is not much to learn when the only thing you have to do in the course is holding a buoy… And the theory, even though it uses it´s own book, is not much more than the one in your Advance Open Water book. … More Drift diver course: it depends on where you do it / Curso de buceador con corrientes: todo depende de donde lo hagas