Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

Scuba Diving is an inherently dangerous activity that could result in serious injury or death. Proper training and equipment are vital to have before even attempting a dive.

You could go ahead and do a solo dive, enjoying the peace and serenity offered, but diving with a buddy provides an opportunity to share your experience, which many have found more satisfying than diving alone. Diving with a buddy heightens the safety of any dive, as well as the pleasure. When diving with a partner, you can watch out for one another in a way that makes scuba diving far safer and secure for both of you.

However when choosing a scuba diving partner, the better choice is to dive with someone similar to you in size and physical ability. This allows you both to consume air at a comparable rate, and have a compatible pace throughout the dive. Before setting out on your dive, discuss with your buddy the entry and exit points to use at your chosen dive site. Agree upon a maximum duration for the dive, or a minimum air pressure.

Never leave your buddy. No matter how intriguing the hidden mysteries may be it's never worth swimming off and getting separated, even for a moment. Keep your diving buddy in frequent and consistent view, this way will allow you to pick up of your buddy's situation. If you decide to stop, change your course, always alert your buddy of your intentions. Establish a contingency plan in case of different kinds of emergency. i.e.: If the two of you get separated, agree to search for no more than one minute and then surface.

Before your dive, review the communication signals you will be using. Particularly important because it will be impossible to verbally explain yourself when you're under water! If you intend using some of the more advanced communication equipment, for safety purposes, it is still advisable to recognize the more common hand signals and be prepared to use them, you never know when and if equipment might fail.

A good place to view illustrations of common hand signals is Breakaway's Scuba Signals or visit 'Active Divers Association' website. It is always a good idea to periodically review the hand signals shown in your diving certification material.

If you need to get your partner's attention during your dive, rap on your tank with a rock or with the end of your dive knife. Another technique is to 'scream' lightly into your regulator. It sounds really interesting, and it will carry for quite a long distance underwater.

When it's time to dive, help each other suit up. This not only makes things easier for you both, it will also builds camaraderie and trust. Both important in scuba diving. After your dive, spend a little time talking about the dive and sharing experiences. Not only will you enjoy going over the highlights, but you and your partner will be able to get and give feedback which will enhance safety and increase the satisfaction of your next dive.

Red, with a white stripe from upper hoist to lower fly, usually square. The red and white diver-down flag, is intended to protect divers themselves. The flag is often referred to as unofficial or voluntary because it is not mandated by the international or inland rules.

The flag is supposed to fly above a bouy that is anchored to the bottom or sea anchor, in the area of the diver's work allowing the diver to surface near the buoy/flag and not be in danger of being struck by boats.

I have a diver down: keep well clear at slow speed. Two flags are mandated for display in most parts of the United States and Canada when a boat or ship has divers in the water.

The use of the diver down flag is required by state law or regulation in virtually every state of the U.S., as well as by various Federal Agencies exercising jurisdiction over waters where diving takes place, as well as by the Canadian Occupational Safety and Health Regulation and in many other countries. The laws or regulations on the use of this flag require divers to display the flag and to remain within a specified distance of it when they are near the surface. This often means the flag is best mounted on a float or buoy near the actual dive point rather than on the boat. Restrictions vary from state to state, but typically include a zone around the flag where no other boats are allowed and a second, larger zone in which their speed is limited. A number of states also prohibit the display of the diver-down flag when a diver is not actually in the water.

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