The sport of SNUBA

[Damselfish]

nm.

 

[Ron Brandt]

Make sure you get a good briefing. I know a DM in Cozumel that used to help run a SNUBA operation(not on Coz). It's all about money as it's cheaper for the operator than scuba and the price is about the same as scuba intro.

You are still working the the physics and physiology as scuba and the operator should make you aware of this...you can still have a lung overexpansion injury.

Yes,the tanks have air....O2 is used as a decompression gas only.

Ron

 

[Drew Sailbum]

All the risks of lung overpressurization injuries with none of the training to prevent them.

Run away. Run far, far away.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Whilst on holiday in Bulgaria at a water park, there was a seperate pool for people to introduce and spread news of new water sports. I gave it a go and it was amazing.

Basically there is a small inflatable on the surface carrying an oxygen tank, with the pipe leading down to th reg on you obviously, this is to save the hastle of weights, tank etc etc and must be so much easier. From what i got told, you can extend the lead to 15 metres underwater, and so has it advantages in coral, shallow areas. If you get a chance some time i would advise you take it up, quite an experience.

This is nothing more than a variation of an older idea; a compressor was used rather than an air tank.

 

[spectrum]

So can I march in to a dive shop with a cylinder and get it filled by saying it's for SNUBA diving?

I can see where it might be neat in certain situations but without certification (structured training) I agree with Drew Sailbum, all of the risks are there. In fact with entanglement, lack of instrumentation, lack of redundancy and dive skills in general I think you can get into a whole lot more trouble.

First they dumb down the training then they do it to the gear. I don't get it.

Pete

 

[Starstruck*]

I looked at some videos of SNUBA and could see there was briefings going on. I didnt actualy realise it was air and not O2 when i tried it out. I had experience of using regs and what not before the dive, but looking back and from what you have all saidm it would have been nice for a better understanding and safety. All he told us was what SNUBA is as a sport, no precaution briefing at all. However i am sure that this was just this one guy, and that other centres for SNUBA will obviously go through was is needed to go through.

-Pat

 

[ScubaTexan]

I've seen SNUBA demonstrated in Hawaii on the Travel Channel. They don't throw you in without training and the line is only 20 feet long from the surface, so you can't go any deeper than that. It looks safe enough to me. I don't think they would demo it on television if it wasn't.

 

[reeldive]

They use these damned things to poach conch, fish and lobster on the Cay Sal Banks and Cay Lobos in the Bahamas. Although it is illegal to harvest any sea life with the use of scuba or surface suport system SNUBA or Hooka is used for this. they can be seen towing the reg behined thier boats while underway. If they see a bahamian defence vessel or other authority ,they simply cut the hose and deny that the equipment is used for anything under water.


Report game and fish violations!! Poacher are stealling from all of us!!

 

[Starstruck*]

Thats bang out of order!! so SNUBA stands for

S cuba
N icking
U nder
B ahamas
A uthority

Plus if the line is only 20 ft, its hardly hard to free dive at that depth... freaking puffs.

-Pat

 

[Scubagolf]

Every Snuba operator website hypes the "fact" that in 3.5 miilion Snuba dives worldwide there have been no reported injuries.

I wonder if they have bothered to read the following case from 1995: McClenahan v. Paradise Cruises, Ltd., 888 F. Supp. 120, 122 (D. Hawai'i 1995) This was a federal district court case involving a diver who received ear injuries during a "Snuba" dive in Hawaii in 1995.

Or, perhaps they are simply unaware of the Honolulu Coast Guard Diving Safety Fact Sheet published in June of 1999 referencing a Snuba injury in 1998.