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Diver Fashion: Why You Should Suit Up in Color

Recently we verified that almost a third of divers are female and an increasing percentage of women are being certified yearly. You would think with the growing number of ladies trading in their heels for fins, we would see some pink wet suits, and other styles we recognize from fashion magazines. Whether you’re part of the one third of female divers or part of the other two-thirds, you may want to reconsider that black wet suit and fins.

Picture This

You’re on a boat, getting suited up for your first ocean dive as a beginner diver. You’re nervous but excited as you slip into your black wet suit. You don’t know what to expect and you definitely don’t want to get separated from your group, so you ask your instructor, “Hey, what color are your fins?”

Your instructor responds, “Black.”

For a second you pause and notice, “Everyone’s wearing black!”

ScubaTubeSocks

This was Suuz Martines of ScubaDoRags experience on her first open water dive. After searching high and low she couldn’t believe no one had yet created a line of identifying products for diver visibility and safety. So she decided to create one herself.

What initially started as a solution for a safety issue turned into a full-blown variety of colorful custom scuba gear to deck divers out from head to fin! From her first ScubaDoRag to her ScubaTubeSocks, Suuz wanted to minimize diver distractions while diving. She also wanted divers to have the option to express themselves and have fun with what they wear!

The ScubaDoRag

The ScubaDoRag

The ScubaDoRag is a patented head covering that serves scuba divers as a hair wrap. It contains and holds hair away from the face (and gear) during underwater activity. Made of high performance fabrics in vibrant colors and distinctive prints, it provides high visibility at great depths and on the surface of the water. The ScubaDoRag even contains a hidden pocket for storing charms, I.D., a room key etc.

Suuz and her quirky alter ego, CoCo Cheznaynay, are revolutionizing diver fashion -understanding the power of colors and the importance of individuality. “Color is very powerful, it can even change your mood,” Suuz tells us. Her ultimate goal is to have every diver express his or her unique and colorful personality while exploring the just as remarkable ocean.

What Others Are Saying About the ScubaDoRag

Here is what Larry Wilson from Joelton, TN says about the ScubaDoRag: (that’s right, guys love em too!)

“I recently returned from the Bahamas where I went diving for the first time. What an amazing experience! At the suggestion of a friend, I had purchased a few ScubaDoRags for the trip.

I wore one while snorkeling (saw a HUGE Barracuda) and it prevented any burning to my head (the hair is starting to get a little thinner these days).

Larry in his ScubaDoRag

Your ScubaDoRags are well worth the money and I will be getting more of your products as I go for my open water certification! I just wish someone here in Nashville carried them!”

There’s more to diving than meets the eye. Colorful reefs and gorgeous hidden treasures are waiting to be seen and discovered and every diver is just as vibrant and unique. Suuz and CoCo invite you to trade in the black for a pop of color and embrace the sea.

For more on Suuz and CoCo Cheznaynays ScubaDoRags and other dive fashions click here.

 

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Up Close & Personal: the Galapagos

Courtesy of David Espinosa from sportdiver.com

Courtesy of galapagosislands.com

Ever wish you could leap into the pages of your favorite diver magazines? You encounter breath-taking photos of sites you wish you could ditch work for on a daily basis. Accompanied by these photos are fascinating stories about close encounters with friendly marine life and the itch to put on your wetsuit grows.

This is EXACTLY how we feel about the Galapagos and SportDiver.com’s David Espinosa could not have enticed us more. Giving us the top 6 spots in the Galapagos to dive with hammerheads and sea lions, schools of fish craving your attention and interaction, and of course beautiful beds of coral.

These 6 spots are definitely going to the top of our bucket list.

For Full Article and the 6 Must-Dive Spots Click here.
Want to experience the Galapagos yourself? Click here.

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Reef Safe Skin Care Products

Courtesy of scubagearreports.com

Look and smell good in eco-friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable skin products that are as good for you as the ocean, say what?

Reef Safe

Divers and ocean enthusiasts have always been conscious of their impact on the ocean and marine life. Never messing with reefs down below or spear fishing more than what they would eat for dinner – it only seems fitting to take this lifestyle one step further.

Reef Safe skin care products offer a variety of items including body wash, lotion, SPF and even jellyfish sting relief gels and sprays!

Click here to read more on Reef Safe.

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Wonder what the top Five PADI specialty courses are?

It’s the start of the summer SCUBA diving season and many previously certified divers are looking to expand their diving knowledge and try some new experiences. One sure way to do this is through advanced or specialty courses.

According to PADI, the world’s largest scuba diver certification organization, there are a large number of scuba diving specialty programs. Here’s a look at the top five:

Photo Courtesy of PADI

Enriched Air Diver: This is also commonly referred to as “Nitrox” diving. The concept is actually pretty simple – “nitrox” divers breathe a different mixture of air and nitrogen than what we all breathe on land. By changing the composition of the gas the diver puts in his tank, there is less risk of decompression sickness (also known as the bends). A side benefit of enriched air diving is that scuba divers can spend more time under the water and often the “Nitrox” in their tanks can make divers feel less tired and more energetic following a dive.

Photo Courtesy of PADI

Dry Suit Diver:Dry suits allow divers to explore more challenging dive sites. The special  combination of a rubber outer shell seals out the colder water, keeping the diver not only warmer, but dry! This specialty teaches divers about using the right cold water scuba diving attire, which allows for the generally better visibility offered during the winter months especially at inland dive sites such as quarries, lakes, sinkholes and caves etc.

Deep Diver: Normal scuba diving training is designed to allow divers to dive safely to depths up to 60 feet. Anything deeper than that is typically considered a “deep dive”. The Deep Diver course is designed to train divers to safely explore depths of between 60 and 130 feet. The course covers a variety of procedures and skills including how to manage your depth, deal with nitrogen narcosis, plan safety stops and deal with situations that can occur in deeper waters.Wreck Diver: Many divers who complete the “deep diver” course also choose to take the popular “wreck diver” specialty course. This course helps divers explore the fascinating world of underwater wrecks and submerged structures. The course teaches how to select the proper equipment for diving on wrecks, how to safely explore and enter wrecks, research and plan these popular dives. Wreck diving is quickly becoming one of the more popular activities in the United States due to the increase in the number of artificial reefs being created.

Photo Courtesy of PADI

Wreck Diver: Many divers who complete the “deep diver” course also choose to take the popular “wreck diver” specialty course. This course helps divers explore the fascinating world of underwater wrecks and submerged structures. The course teaches how to select the proper equipment for diving on wrecks, how to safely explore and enter wrecks, research and plan these popular dives. Wreck diving is quickly becoming one of the more popular activities in the United States due to the increase in the number of artificial reefs being created.

Photo Courtesy of PADI

Night Diver: It may sound scary or intimidating at first, but scuba diving at night has some very appealing features. The behavior of the marine life underwater changes at night. Critters that are darting back and forth during the day are suddenly more subdued and easy to observe. Some creatures come out ONLY at night. The course teaches proper use of dive lights, ropes, signal devices and how to safely scuba dive at night.

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