Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Switching Attitude GearsDiving as a LifestylePursuing Your Own InterestsA Realistic Assessment of RiskA Realistic Assessment of CostChapter 2: EquipmentMasks, Fins, and SnorkelsDive KnifeRegulatorsBuoyancy CompensatorsDepth GaugesDive ComputersExposure SuitsTanksWeights and Weight BeltsDive BagsChapter 3: Gear MaintenanceMaskRegulatorSubmersible Pressure GaugeComputerBuoyancy CompensatorTanksChapter 4: Gadgets That Work, and Good IdeasHose and Gauge RetainersClip SystemsDive LightsDive SlatesPlastic TiesClip-On WeightsSpare AirMoldable MouthpiecesSafety SausagesDry BoxesDry BagsMedical Dive InsuranceDive Equipment InsuranceChapter 5: How to Buy EquipmentBuying New GearBuying Used GearPersonalizing Your GearChapter 6: Kindred Spirits and First TripsFinding Dive BuddiesWhere to GoChapter 7: An Introduction to Mother Ocean: Water Weight and DensityThe Characteristics of Ocean WaterHow Water Density Affects LightHow Water Density Affects SoundChapter 8: The Weather: Wind and Waves, Storms, Tides, and CurrentsWind and WavesThunderstormsCurrentsChapter 9: The Marine EnvironmentOrganization of the OceanThe Four Life-FormsAnatomy of a Coral ReefSpooky and Potentially Hazardous Marine AnimalsChapter 10: Going DivingDiving from Charter BoatsDiving from Privately Owned BoatsDiving from ShoreDrift DivingNight DivingChapter 11: Staying Out of TroubleUnderwater NavigationBuddy ProblemsChapter 12: When a Good Thing Goes Bad: Basic Rescue Procedures and Diver ProblemsRational-Patient Surface AssistPassive-Patient and Panicky-Patient Surface RescueUnconscious-Patient Surface RescueUnconscious Patient on the BottomDecompression SicknessLung Overpressure InjuriesSome Problems of Breathing under PressureHypothermiaHyperthermiaChapter 13: Diving in the United StatesRoad TripThe Gulf CoastThe East CoastThe Great LakesThe West CoastInland USA: A Place Near YouChapter 14: International Dive TravelGetting ThereWhere to GoAppendix: Underwater PhotographyResourcesIndex

About the Author

Clay Coleman has been scuba diving since 1973. He's been working as a freelance photojournalist for national magazines since 1994. The publications he has worked for include: Sport Diver, Scuba Diving, and Boating Life. Additionally, he has written for The Louisiana Conservationist, a bi-monthly publication of the Louisiana State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. His exploits as a Gulf diver and spear fisherman were included in the recently published The Helldiver's Rodeo, by Humberto Fontova (M. Evans & Co., 2001). A member of the Louisiana State Bar since 1979, Clay is a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, LA, where he lives with his wife and two sons. HOMETOWN: Baton Rouge, LA