AKSCUBA.COM NEWS

July 31, 2010

SITE MAINTENANCE Our old server was limiting and slow. In order to accommodate our changing needs, we have decided to move to a new address. Welcome to it! Unfortunately, the move has interfered with certain of the site's features, including the most popular feature (the forums). Please bear with us for the next few days as we work out some kinks and reenable these features.

When it's cold on the surface, soak your neoprene and regulators in warm water for a few minutes just before pulling it on, gearing up, and getting in the water. Combined with other good habits, it will keep your regs from freezing on the surface, and it makes donning gloves and hoods less unpleasant.

Diving in Alaska means diving in cold water. Thus, dry suits are generally not optional, at least for salt water diving. You should plan on getting some dry suit training.

That said, dry suit diving is not so different from wet suit diving that your training has to be tremendously formal, and you certainly don't need a plastic card to confirm that you can dive dry. Take a dry suit "adventure dive" if you are already an accomplished diver, or just do your open water dives up here if you aren't yet certified. You'll know what you need to know about diving in a dry suit, and the rest you'll pick up comfortably just by practicing.

Other Training

Alaskan diving may require other training, depending on what you want to do. For instance, hunting crab is not like hunting lobster, I'm told. And shooting fish can have a different meaning when the fish run to 300 pounds or more. Besides, you'll want to know how to prepare what you catch! Check with a trustworthy LDS to see what they suggest you do, then ignore it and buy a book.