Learning to Scuba Dive is one of the most challenging sports to master.

Not only do we have to learn all about the equipment, how it works, how to maintain it, (and also hardest of all for some of you ladies out there) how to set it all up before we can go diving.

Then we have to learn all about the physics and physiology of scuba diving.

• Pressure relationships under water at different depths.
• How the Underwater environment affects what we hear and see.
• Environmental conditions and dive planning.
  

But most important, lets not forget those wonderful dive tables that I know we all love!!!

Now, if you found your dive course a mental and hopefully not to much physical of a challenge, let us all stop and congratulate some of our bravest divers that are under the age of sixteen. Then I think that the divers under the age of twelve need a special “ UBS BIG OK ”

All Junior Certifications include all the skills and dive training that adults receive in the Open Water program. They complete the same vigorous tired diver tows and equipment removal and replacing and they also must pass all the quizzes and final exam. A lot of extra study for all those hard questions on the final for kids in the fourth grade!!!

As most of us know the certification limit was changed last year and there have been a lot of discussions about the age and maturity of kids wanting to dive. All young divers have to complete the same performance requirements as adults. They do use smaller tanks but exactly the same equipment as adults which we all know is cumbersome at best. I have found that the kids prove that they want to be divers by sticking with the course when they are burdened with all these extra challenges

They also see the underwater world in a different way from us, as the whole world is new to them it is always refreshing and a pleasure to see the determined appreciation of the next generation of Scuba Divers.

Question: When and how should a properly weighted diver complete a buoyancy check?

Tony will be giving a TONY’S TIP on buoyancy in our next Scuba News

All of you, who send in the correct answer, will be listed on in the next UBS Scuba News. Good luck?

As always, I am trying out new things in the shop.

This year I am going to get some fun new shirts and may be changing the design of the original UBS T’s and Polo’s. Any fun ideas would be welcome!

If any one wants to pick up a couple extra before I sell out drop me a line .

Here are some of the photos that you sent us.

Summer time is supposed to be our ‘ quiet time ’.
It’s when the tourist season is at is lowest point and we try to be tourists ourselves, so this is what we did!

This year Jai went on his holidays (vacation) first. On a cruse ship of all things!!

Katie had a wonderful time in the UK with her parents and brother (who was in from leave with the Royal Navy)

Scott had his parents and brother visit the BVI from Canada, and they all went sailing on a Trade Wind Yachts boat. (Busman’s holiday for Scott)

Tony – well he held down the fort!!!! Hopefully Kate and Tony might get a week somewhere together before the start of the new season.

The extension of the runway at Beef Island has been a long and arduous project for everyone involved. This Summer Tony spent most of his time down there in the mud and grime. UBS has been doing a lot of diving with regards to the landfill. We have been involved in laying the pipeline that the sand was pumped through and laying a fabric called geo textile that allows the water to run out of the man made pond and keep in the sand.