Planning Your Next Scuba Diving Trip? 4 Things to Know before Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is one of the most satisfying and adventurous sports provided all necessary safety precautions are observed before the diving trip. All the instructions for safety have already been explained in the open water diving course. It is essential for all divers to follow the safety precautions in order to enjoy scuba diving, and to plan your diving activity well in advance. Some of the aspects of your planning should include:

* Know the Scuba Diving Site Well

The first and foremost thing to do is to gather maximum information about the site where you intend to go for your dive trip. You can gather a wealth of information about the sites from the Internet. The information that you need to know is the current conditions, the tides and hazards for diving.

Besides the Internet, the ideal place to get all this information is the local dive shop. The best local shop on Catalina Island is Catalina Divers Supply. Founded in 1957, this shop is the oldest and most popular diving supply location on the island. Currently, Catalina Divers Supply has brought on new, exciting and amazing updates to dives, tours, guides and gear as the shop is under new ownership and management. As the shop is already over a half of a century old, this new team is making history for the second half! The experts at Catalina Divers Supply will be able to tell you about all the under water attractions and the places that you can enjoy.

The team at the scuba shop will also help you have an amazing diving experience with guided diving tours. To make the most of your time on the island, experience a majestic kelp forest shore dive under the guidance of a trained professional. Our scuba tour Instructors know every detail of the Avalon Underwater Park and will make your dive a memorable experience for novice and expert divers alike.

Boat dives are also available where you can visit the wrecks, the mini-wall, or just relax and let the fish come to you. We offer refresher dives for those who have not been submerged for a year or the full SCUBA Tune-Up program. This is a great opportunity to improve your diving skills and knowledge base.

In addition to knowing the topography of the sites you should be aware of the hazards the sites are likely to pose. This can be anything from an abrupt change in conditions (i.e. direction of currents) to native poisonous fish and other marine life. This knowledge will help you to be prepared for emergencies in the unlikely event they occur.

* Know Your Capabilities

It is best to remain within the limits of your own certification. In case you wish to dive further, or expand your skills, it is advised you do an advanced diver training course. The course will help you to further your knowledge for diving deeper, navigation skills, and buoyancy control. It also involves additional expenditure in terms of time and money. If you are already an Advance Open Water diver you can take Specialty classes that will provide you with a more in depth look at the practices of wreck diving, digital underwater photography, search and recovery, night diving, or fine tune your navigation skills.

* Well Fitting Wet Suit for Scuba

Another factor that will make your scuba diving trip successful is your Wet Suit. A well fitted scuba suit containing panels of spandex and titanium fibers will give you adequate insulation and flexibility. Besides giving you protection it will also give you buoyancy. It is very essential to have a properly fitted suit. For the colder waters of California a 7mm suit is the most commonly used. In the winter months hooded vests are typically worn as well to increase warmth.

* Prepare Your Gear

Maintaining your diving gear properly is a must. The regulators, gauges and other pieces of equipment tend to gather salt crystals. After the day's diving all gear should be rinsed thoroughly in fresh water to prevent corrosion and damage to the gear. It is recommended that you have your regulator and your BCD serviced annually. Regular maintenance of equipment will help you in the long run when planning your next scuba diving trip!

If you want to rent your gear on the island, Catalina Divers Supply offers equipment rentals. You can call ahead at 800-353.0330 and reserve your gear and tours. We'll have everything ready for you to go when you step off the ferry and onto the island after planning your next scuba diving trip.

Find out more scuba diving planning options at http://www.CatalinaDiversSupply.com