For Some Divers It’s a “Drinking Problem”
As a full-time dive Instructor and tour guide, I often
hear about how tired divers are after a dive, or how
tired they are during it. Diving is a physical activity
and most divers understand that. What many seem
not to understand is that is also an aerobic activity.
The diver maintains an elevated heart rate and burns
more fuel (and water) over a sustained period of
time. An average dive will burn 400-600 calories.
That’s a five-mile jog! If the body uses too much
water, dehydration will result. With dehydration
there is less blood flow through the body forcing the
heart to work harder and pump faster leading to
decreased endurance and increased fatigue.
Dehydration also affects the body’s ability to off-gas
nitrogen resulting in a higher risk of DCS. The
solution to dehydration?
Simply drink water, lots of water. Drink throughout
the day rather than all at once. Avoid caffeine and
have a sports drink prior to your dive. Some divers
don’t drink water to avoid having to pee in their
wetsuits. And you know what they say about divers
who pee in their wetsuits, most do and those that
don’t, lie. If you fall into the latter, remember the
words of the great philosopher, George
Costanza, “It’s not a lie if you believe it.”
For Some Divers It's a "Drinking Problem" was written
by Chris Shorden. To read about Chris and the rest
of our staff, visit the link below.
OEX Staff
Quick Links...
|
|
So here it is finally! OEX’s inaugural scuba
newsletter that you all have been anxiously awaiting
(or so we’d like to believe). Hold onto your chair,
amigos, because this ought to be interesting for
several reasons. Authors of articles here are divers
to the core and out in the water every day that the
weather will allow. BUT they are amateur writers at
best, so have fun tearing apart their grammatical
errors and spelling snafus. For those of you that
know the crew at OEX Dive Center, you know that
the characters here would make for a great reality
show. All think of the ocean in La Jolla as their
backyard and all know it probably better than
anybody because it’s their lot in life. Also, we
recognize diving is not a competitive sport. It’s
supposed to be fun! And though it’s not
a competition, we guarantee we have more fun
working than most do on vacation. So sit back,
enjoy, and let us help you get as stoked on the
diving here in San Diego.
Cast of regular characters, OEX Dive Team:
- Jim- IDC Staff Instructor, resident photographer
and judge for this month’s photo contest
- Chris- MSDT Instructor and shop staple
- Wesley- Divemaster, Kayak Instructor, fun-time
guy
- Tom- Hard-working Divemaster with crazy late-
night stories
- Lauren- Divemaster chick, kayak guide and UCSD
student
- Karma- Divemaster chick
- Jesse- Operations manager in La Jolla and captain
of UCSD’s water polo team. Tall.
- John- General Manager and gets in people’s way
when they try to work
- Duncan - Manages the Mission Bay shop
- Craig - All around tech guru and future
divemaster
Good diving and see you at OEX! More to come!!!
|
|
La Jolla Kayak Diving
|
|
There have always been divers searching for new
ways to enjoy the sport, the excitement of the next
product innovation, or the thrill of sharing a great
diving story. After the first time Kayak Diving was
introduced to me, it became my preferred diving
adventure.
There is no better place for a kayak dive than La
Jolla Shores. The boat launch makes for less walking
with all the necessary gear, and the surf is
notoriously small which allows you to get past the
breaking waves with 60 pounds of equipment
strapped to your kayak. Also, there is an
overabundance of dive spots that are not easily
accessible from a surface kick but a quick paddle
makes it easy to get to these coveted dive sites.
In future issues, I will be reporting on what works for
me in my quest to perfect this whole kayak diving
experience. And if there are any questions or
suggestions you may have, e-mail Tom.
Good diving!
|
|
Chick’s Gear Review
|
|
There was a book published a while back called Men
are from Mars and Women are from Venus. Well,
they may have been onto something, folks. Back in
the old days few women would strap themselves with
a bunch of lead and jump into the abyss. Diving has
evolved, however, into a recreational sport that is
becoming more appealing to men and woman every
day.
When buoyancy compensators are designed, they
seem to be based on the average frame of the
human body, without taking into account gender
specific factors. Well, hallelujah, all you woman
divers out there, I think we may have a
breakthrough. Zeagle has just come out with a
brilliant design to fit the unique curves for women
with the new Zena BC. No more bruised hips from
that clunky weight belt, and ‘streamlined’ will soon be
your middle name should you decide treat yourself to
this amazing invention.
The greatest difficulty in properly sizing a woman's
Buoyancy System is the fact that women's bodies
have a defined waist where a waistband must fasten
in order to secure the BC. Also, women tend to have
both a shorter torso length and a lower center of
buoyancy. The Zena's twin waist and hip band
system provides a way for women to securely
position the weights and buoyancy below waist level,
around the body's center of buoyancy.
This is by far the most comfortable BC I have ever
been diving with. It fits smoothly in all the right
feminine places, and makes for easier diving. Women
today are stronger and more active, but our body
shapes are just as they have always been. Thank
you Zeagle. More info on the new Zena BC for
women by Zeagle can be found at OEX Dive & Kayak
Centers La Jolla shop - ask for Karma!
|
|
A New Boat’s Coming to Town
|
|
A new boat’s coming and it’s gonna rule! Tons of
space, cool crew, good food, and all the stuff that
makes diving in San Diego fun. We’ll be making trips
out to the wrecks, down to the Nods, over to the
kelp, and even on up to the Channel Islands. It’ll be
a 46’ foot Newton with a 16’ beam that will cruise
well over 20 knots. Arrival date is scheduled for April
2007 so mark your calendar and get yourself a spot
reserved. We can’t wait and we invite you to enjoy
some time out on the water with us. Ahoy!
|
|
Photo Contest
|
|
Because this is our first newsletter, we don’t have
any actual photo-contest entries. So we’ll just say
that Jim won this month to make him happy.
The image featured here is Jim's work and more can
be found on the diving pages of our website.
Next month’s prize for best photo: Winner will receive
a Museum Quality Poster Size Print of the winning
photo provided by KB Wideformat.
Jim judges based on beauty, uniqueness of species,
lighting, and any other criterion he sees fit. Good
luck! E-mail your entries in jpeg format and any
questions on the subject to Jim. Winner
will be chosen from all
entries received by October 31st.
|
|
Did you know?
|
|
The black right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
has a brain that weighs 8.8
pounds and testicles that weigh 2,200 pounds...
Free airfill card for the best punch line. E-mail your
punch line here by
October 31st.
|
|
|
