To be a good skin-diver it is not necessary to be a first-class swimmer.If you can swim quite well, use good equipment and take normal safety precautions, a whole new underwater world can be yours to explore.
The normal basic equipment required consists of fins and a snorkel tube, a mask and (if desired) a noseclip. The fins, which are made of rubber or plastic, give additional power to the legs. This increases the speed of the swimmer under the water, and also enables the hands to be left free for carrying such things as an underwater camera or spear gun.It is particularly important that the fin3 should fit well to prevent them slipping off while in use.
The mask is perhaps the most important part of the skin diver's equipment, for it enables him to see clearly everything about him under water. A good mask --particularly for beginners -should cover both the eyes and the nose; some divers, however, prefer to use a nostril clip together with a mask, which covers the eyes only. The mask is fitted either with unbreakable glass or plastic win- dows.
The snorkel tube (which can be made of metal or plas-tic) is also important, for it enables the diver, while swimm- ing on the surface and looking down into the water, to brea- the freely without having to lift his head.An additional benefit is that in choppy water it not only prevents water from entering the mouth but also saves the diver from tiring himself by having to keep his head clear of the water.
With this equipment a lot of pleasure can be had just by swimming on the surface in quite shallow water, watching the sea life below, but sooner or later there will be the desire to dive down into deeper water.
The time for which one can stay under water is limited almost completely by the period for which one can hold one's breath. Great care must be taken not to go so deep that distress is felt in returning to the surface. In general a depth of not more than 20 - 30 feet should be attempted.
For skin-diving at greater depths than this, special aqua-lung equipment is needed. With this, divers can go rather deep and stay under water for quite a long time. With an ordinary aqua-lung depths of 350 feet have been reached, and may be exceeded.
