With the
tail end of monsoon season approaching, Andrew Drummond Law prepares for the
East Coast SCUBA diving season.
It is an exciting feeling of anticipation and impatience that
I’m feeling.
Monsoon will soon come to an end and the Peninsula’s East
Coast SCUBA season begins.
The most popular destinations for Malaysia’s divers are
Pulau Tioman, Perhentian, Redang and Lang Tengah.
Driving to the Mersing and Merang boat jetties from Kuala
Lumpur on a Friday night, or very early Saturday morning, is the beginning of
your typical East Coast dive trip.
After a 45-minute boat ride to your resort, within the hour
you can be exploring Malaysia’s underwater treasures.
A good dive trip is all about planning, preparation, and
safety.
I usually begin the season by dusting off my full-length
neoprene wetsuit, checking it still fits, after all the excesses of Christmas
and Chinese New Year.
If it is too tight, I’ll have problems donning it, and it
probably means I’m out of shape.
Next I ensure all my kit has been serviced properly. My
buoyancy compensator (BC) dive jacket must be checked and serviced by a qualified
technician from my local dive store.
The BC helps keep me afloat on the surface before and after
the dive. It also helps me attain neutral buoyancy when underwater.
The deeper you go, the more you must inflate it with air,
preventing you from plummeting to the sea bed, as the greater pressure makes
you sink like a stone.
Next is the SCUBA regulator set, with the high-pressure valve
and two hoses that are attached to the air tank. Rubber mouthpieces must be
replaced, O-rings checked and greased. And your depth and air supply gauges
tested.
Your fins and facemask must all be in good functioning order,
and checked for broken straps.
Finally, check the battery and functionality of your dive
computer; essential safety kit if you are doing multiple dives for consecutive
days.
It calculates for you the length of the surface interval
period between your different dives, reducing the likelihood of decompression
sickness.
This year is very special for me. I haven’t dived for nearly
four years.
Following a major lung operation, my level of physical fitness
and stamina went south. And I gained ten kilos in weight.
I have a seven-inch long scar on my side where the surgeon
operated on my right lung from behind. A middle and entire lower section of my
lung were removed.
Post-surgery I was unable to even lift my right arm above
shoulder height for nearly a year, and could not walk normally for nearly five
months.
Regaining dive fitness and my self-confidence has been a real
struggle. Knowing that our lungs are compressed and then expanded by the changes
in pressure when diving, how will my smaller, scarred, right lung cope?
A high level of cardio-vascular fitness is key to safe
diving. If you become out of breath quickly, you will use up your air supply
faster, and at depth, could be in real danger. Look after your heart.
Upper body strength is another necessity when you are
carrying ten to 12 kilos of equipment on your body, including your BC jacket
and air tank on your back.
I won’t try too many dives. It has been a very long recovery period, but I
have managed to lose seven of the ten kilos I gained the past three years, and
improved my fitness level considerably.
A refresher course to brush up on my dive skills set will also
be necessary. Essential safety gear is the final box to tick on my must-do list.
A torch, to illuminate nature’s underwater beauty, but also to
help signal my location to the boatman during poor light conditions.
A brightly coloured safety sausage will signal my location
when underwater doing my safety stop, and the boatman can follow my location,
despite the sea’s currents. And a loud
whistle is key, alerting your pickup boat to your location in low visibility
situations.
Service your dive gear. Make sure you’re fit to dive. And
carry the right safety gear. All are critical preparation to enjoying this year’s
east coast dive season. Safely.
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