Initial club meeting

After so much interest we have decided to set up a Taranaki Dive Club based at our Dive Centre in Port Taranaki.

Divers have told us they would like a place to meet with other likeminded people to

• discuss all things diving
• meet likeminded people
• hook up with new dive buddies or crew
• join group dives
• go on dive trips away
• learn from other divers

and much, much more…….

Taranaki Goes Diving is being set up for you the diver so please come along to our first meeting and let us know what you want from a Dive Club.  And then together we will try our best to make it happen

TUESDAY 28 MARCH @ 7.30PM

At Oceans Alive Diver Training Centre, 35A Ocean View Parade, New Plymouth

Please RSVP by phone, text or email so we know how many to expect

 

Oceans Alive New Zealand, like most dive shops recommend that your regulator and BCD should be serviced at least annually.  This is just as important if you only use your equipment infrequently over summer or are an obsessed diver and do hundreds of dives each year. 

There are some divers out there who openly question the need for annual servicing and the costs involved.  Some points to consider when choosing when to get your gear serviced are;

1. Your life.

Remember this is your life support system that we are talking about! Your regulator is delivering oxygen rich air to your lungs to keep your body functioning.  Your BCD is controlling your buoyancy while your gauges and computer ensure you are aware of your air supply, the depth and the safe diving limits.  Would you dive with a regulator or dive equipment you didn’t trust to perform flawlessly even under unanticipated emergency conditions.

2. How often you dive.

• 1 – 50 dives a year - service your Regulator and BCD annually
• 50 – 100 dives a year - service your Regulator and BCD annually and definitely do not wait two years.
• 100 + range - get your regulator serviced at least two times a year if you can afford it.

3. Where you dive

This can also have an impact on your dive gear so ask your service tecnician.  For example are you diving mostly in fresh water, chlorinated pool water or salt water?

4. New equipment

The warranty of the manufacturer should be considered when making a servicing decision for all new equipment.  Check your user manual because in most cases an authorized technician must verify the correct operation of the equipment every year (or every 2 years, or every 100 dives, or after 200 dive hours etc.) in order to maintain the manufacturer’s warranty.

5. Your cylinder

In NZ the WorkSafe requirements mandate, that dive shops must not fill scuba cylinders that haven't been tested within twelve months.  This testing removes from use any unsafe cylinders that have cracks or imperfections that would cause a failure that could severely injure the tank filler (or you).    

6. Gas mixing

With enriched air or custom fills over 40 percent you are required to have your tank oxygen serviced, this includes cleaning of the valve and inner tank to avoid an oxygen explosion.

7. Your BCD

While your Regulator is in for service, you may as well bring in your BCD as you can’t go diving.  Your BCD is just as important as your Regulator and you want it to perform correctly under all circumstances.  A neglected sticky inflator/deflator button could very easily result in a dangerous runaway ascent causing serious injury or even death.  Your BCD’s inflator/deflator is taken off, inspected for any cracks, cleaned and parts replaced as necessary. We check that all dump valves are working as well as checking for leaks and performing an air tightness test.

8. How well you look after your equipment - Self-maintenance

How well you look after and store your dive equipment will have a major impact on how it performs and how long it lasts.  The golden rule is to rinse all equipment as soon as possible after use in fresh water and then allow it to drip dry in the shade.  Store your equipment in a dust, rodent proof environment that is protected against rapid fluctuations in temperature.

Diving is a very gear intensive hobby and the consequences of inadequate care of your gear can be catastrophic.   If we don’t want to risk the unnecessary expense of having to purchase something twice, or hurting ourselves or others we need to learn correct pre- and post-dive care procedures.  This user maintenance means that you have to visually inspect, clean and properly handle all the equipment, before and after each dive.  By doing this you will be insuring that  your gear is always safe and ready-to-dive.

Here is a rundown of how to care for and check over your equipment.  Note that a rinse is a quick dunk whilst a soak means to leave fully submerged for a longer period of time.

• Mask – Fresh water soak, inspect silicone strap for nicks which can lead to complete tear
• Snorkel – Fresh water soak, inspect the purge valve for nicks and cuts
• Fins – Fresh water rinse or soak,   if you have rubber straps check around the buckles for wear or discolouration, spring straps
• BCD – Fill Bladder with Water and Rotate for an even rinse, drain and inflate to dry
• Regulator – If you have a yoke regulator rinse the 1st stage and hang over edge of rinse bucket, and soak the second stages for an hour or so. If you have a DIN regulator, you are likely to have a water proof cap, if not, get one, and soak entire regulator for an hour or so
• Computer – Soak in sink, do not leave over night or your battery life run down
• Other Accessories – Can all be soaked, Lights, Knives, Lift Bags (rinse inside) and Reels etc.
• Wetsuits – sanitise and clean by soaking in a using a wetsuit wash is best to remove unwanted odours or bacteria.
• Dry Suits – Rinse outside, especially valves and make sure they are functioning properly

If you have any specific enquiry about how to care for your dive gear, please feel free to contact us.

CONCLUSION

Dive gear is incredibly dependable in providing you with the life support system you need to venture into the underwater world.  If you service all of your gear annually and clean and store it correctly, then you should have no problem with any of it.  But you still need to be aware of the possibility of gear failure and how to deal with each scenario.  Our dive courses are designed to help you to dive safely and effectively deal with emergency situations if they arise.   If you want to be a better and safer diver then please consider signing up for some of our ongoing education programmes.

If at any time you are in doubt about how well your gear is working or have picked something up during your regular self-maintenance checks, then come and see us for a FREE inspection.  We are more than happy to test your equipment and give you advice.

Our service technicians have many years’ experience and have undertaken manufacturer’s approved technician’s courses for most of the popular brands of dive equipment.  If you have any specific query about your particular brand of equipment and how best to care for it, please feel free to contact us.

We know that consumers now have many choices of where to shop, both locally and internationally. The internet is packed full of “bargain dive gear” but we hope you will choose us because we provide more than just a quick sale.  We want you to have a safe and enjoyable experience every time you go diving. It is our goal to maintain a high quality one stop Dive Shop to support local divers in and around the Taranaki community.

Some key reasons to choose your local Dive Shop instead of the internet are:

All the PADI Diver Training is done locally – learn to dive in the environment you will be diving in.  There is a world of difference between the pristine warm conditions in the Islands compared to our rugged coastline.  If you have been trained in Taranaki you will be best equipped to dive anywhere in the world. Courses are available for   beginner’s right through to experienced divers.

Local knowledge and advice – our instructors work onsite in the retail store when they aren't teaching so can give you the best advice on what gear works in the local conditions.  They are local divers and dive locally so know the dive sites and conditions.  Dive Shops are often located close to the boat ramp and talk to many returning divers so know what the conditions are like on a daily basis

Our “big girl” the Ingasoll Rand 23cfm high pressure compressor – without your dive cylinder filled with compressed air how much Kai Moana can you gather on one breath.  The retail store subsidizes the running cost of our compressor so that we can provide you with fast, extensively filtered and tested air while you wait.

Wide Selection - We have a comprehensive selection of products.  Let us do the hunting, chasing and researching so you can sit back and relax knowing that the products we choose have been tried and tested and recommended by us. We won’t stock anything that we wouldn’t personally use ourselves. Plus we also have all the accessories and replacement parts you will need to keep your SCUBA, snorkelling or spearfishing equipment in good working order

Hands on experience – you can touch, feel and try on the products to ensure you get the best and most ​comfortable fit possible                                                                                                         

Support your Local Economy - By shopping at your local Dive Shop you will be supporting local families, freight providers and the Taranaki economy and help keep our province strong. We use local couriers, suppliers and employ local staff.

Comprehensive support and service on site – our suppliers are good, keen Kiwi Divers and like us they stand behind their products 100%.   If you have a problem with anything you have purchased form us then bring it back and we will have a chat with the supplier and between the two of us do our best to fix, replace or refund. 

We service dive equipment - on site and also test cylinders in store.  You only need to go to one place to get everything ready for diving.

Hire equipment – if you need an extra cylinder or have forgotten an essential piece of equipment then not a problem – we can rent you almost everything you need excluding gloves and catch bags which can be purchased in store.

Plus we can Ship it – we can ship out just about anything in store straight to your home if you ring or email out us your request. This means you still have the advantage of many of the key benefits above but you don’t need to drive all the way to New Plymouth.

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL DIVE STORE