SMUX Diving Team | SMUX Divers | SMUX Diving Team

So while the rest of the school was smugging away, a group of us decided to spend our week 10 wisely at Pulau Tioman with the marine life instead!
It was definitely the right decision because I’ve been deprived for so long and the diving season has finally opened! I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously during this dive trip; from the creatures seen underwater, to the silly things we did on land and the awesome time spent with the uber cool fellow divers. I can only say that we are total camwhores and big eaters (we whacked RM$214 worth of snacks!)

I went to get my Advanced certification, which includes 5 compulsory dives (Peak performance buoyancy, navigation skills, night dive, deep dive and the drift dive) and 1 leisure dive – the wreck dive! Each dive was unique in its own way and my most memorable dive would be the Deep dive, which we went to as deep as 20+ meters. It was my favorite dive because I finally get to see the sea turtle! Guess what? The poor turtle was actually trapped in some rattan string and was struggling to get out! Thankfully we saw it and our instructor saved it yay! Definitely a moment to remember! There were schools of fish and we actually get to feed them too! Wicked cool

I enjoy diving because it is like entering another world, where worries are non-existent and all you feel is euphoria (just not to the extent of nitrogen-narcosis) Underwater, there is no such thing as uncooperative group mates or project deadlines to meet. That’s why we say it’s just more fun underwater.

Now that I’m back on land, I better start studying and wait patiently for the next dive trip, whale sharks please!

~huijun

Have you wondered why your dive leader used a weird frog-style kick instead of the flutter-kick? Do you stir up so much silt that visibility drops to hantu-level when you “lift-off’? Turning underwater is awkward and unglam?

Now that you’ve mastered buoyancy control, it’s time to do something about your finning methods!

Standard Flutter Kick
The kick we grew up with, the one kick to rule them all! Forward thrust is provided by the downwards strokes. It’s most effective when legs are kept more or less straight, but it seemed that new divers tend to do a bicycling movement rather than a standard long upward and downward stroke. Learn to do it the right way!

Modified Flutter Kick
In confined spaces, the knees can be bent at right angles (thighs parallel to the ground), strokes shortened and propelled using mainly the ankles.

Pros
Powerful and fast (esp. against a current)
Good on the surface
Cons
Stirs up silt when near a silty/sandy bottom
Might destroy corals and other marine life

View the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caYhiy5Cjv4&feature=related

Frog Kick
The underwater equivalent of the breast-stroke kick. Thrust is provided by twisting the fins, propelling water backwards.

Modified Frog Kick
Similar to the modified flutter kick, the knees are bent, and propelled using mainly with calves and ankles. This modified frog kick is preferred by cave, wreck divers and photographers. Good practice to follow, especially when diving on sites with a sandy bottoms.

Pros
Don’t stir up silt; very little downward wash (very important advantage!)
Rest muscles used by flutter kick
Cons
Not enough when prolonged speed is needed
Can’t be used on the surface

View this video to find out how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt1jJk9lN5E&feature=related

Helicopter-turn
A more advance finning method. This method is the most useful for doing a zero-radius turn. It is designed to rotate about the horizontal plane without paddling with your hands. It is essentially a modified frog kick on one leg.

Pros
Allows you to turn on the spot!
Cons
Not much…

View this video to find out how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPk_VHI6J2E&feature=related

Backwards kick
A more advance finning technique. Fins are not meant to be used backwards, so this technique is very unglam and not very refined. The technique is a reverse of the frog kick.
Technique
1.    Fins are turned out and as square to the leg as they can go.
2.    The legs are then spread out and the knees bent to scoop the fins forwards with respect to your body, pulling you backwards in the water.
3.    Fins are rotated sideways to the water so that they can be moved back to the starting point without pushing you forwards again and undoing all the work.
4.    The scooping is done with the upper surface of the fins, bending them downwards relative to your feet.

Pros
For situations where you need to move backwards and you can’t turn (think the reverse gear in a car)
Cons
Can’t be used when you want to move forward (duh!)

View this video to find out how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgEkBn35TAE&feature=related

Note: Finning methods can be only mastered after your horizontal trim is good. Take a look at how to improve your trim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btgcJXUNCY0&feature=related
Practice makes perfect! Keep practicing!

Ref: http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?id=5453&sc=&ac=d&an=

As promised, here are some of the AMAZING underwater creatures that we found!

Frilled Sharks

Giant Stingray

Golden Ray Mass Migration

Albino Whale Calf

And lastly for the ultimate coolest marine creature:

Albino Whaleshark!

Why do we want to maintain neutrally buoyant?
1.    More time underwater by conserving air and energy
2.    Reduces stress on a dive
3.    Hovering a necessity for photographers!
4.    Staying off the bottom and in the current on a drift dive
5.    Safety stop
6.    Differentiate yourselves from the others. Be the pro!

How do we maintain neutral buoyancy?
Buoyancy compensator (BC), hands and fins, and the mostly important and crucial control – the air in your lungs.
For example, there are two ways to get into a location to peer under a ledge on a coral reef. Bore straight in with arms, legs and everything else flapping. Or gently ease down like a tiny submarine. The second option is preferred from a diver’s point of view, and for environmental considerations.

How do we use breathing to control movement?
Correct breathing is needed for good buoyancy control. A diver with neutral buoyancy will rise on the inhale and sink on exhale; so a diver must breathe the right amount of air at the right moment. To hover, breathe in as the negative buoyancy from the exhalation takes effect; and out, just before the inhalation changes the buoyancy to positive.
However, this breaks the golden rule of diving: “don’t hold breath on scuba”. So these techniques must be used while fully aware of what is happening to prevent problems such as an air embolism.

For example…

a diver should breathe out to get down to the coral, then take in enough air to reach the neutral point and hold. Final adjustments are done with the hands, not fins. It should be possible to settle beside the ledge with no stirred-up sand. Use one or two fingers on a dead patch of coral for final stability. This technique should ensure anything under the ledge will still be there.

When seen enough, breathe in to get upward movement, push off with the hands and rise off the reef. Once clear of the bottom, the normal breathing cycle can start again. Keep the fins still to avoid stirring up the bottom. Fan with the hands until far enough from the sandy bottom to start using the fins.

It is easy to spot a relaxed diver who has mastered this art. They will have hands nonchalantly tucked in their weight-belt like an old time gunslinger or behind their back. Whenever they venture near the bottom they always leave it with little stirred up sand so the next diver also gets the benefit.

Reference: http://scuba-diving.suite101.com/article.cfm/scuba_diving_buoyancy_control

Click here for a video of a perfectly neutrally buoyant diver with good horizontal trim and fin control.

The diving team recently came back from a diving trip to P. Sipadan, located off the coast of East Malaysia. How was it? Seow Yong, one of our divers has this to say…

“The sun, the sand and a floating heaven. That would describe our dive resort and home for 4 days, the Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort. At the sight of it, all ‘worldly’ worries including the hefty price tag paid for this dive holiday and the impending release of results went straight out of my mind. The clear blue waters made all of us just want to jump in immediately. Thankfully, we did not have to wait long. After a delectable buffet lunch, we started our diving adventures.

The visibility was great and the corals and other marine life were even better. The highlight came with a dawn speedboat ride to Sipadan Island where things got really exciting. 4 dives with many great sights. White tip sharks, giant sea turtles resting on the coral bed, bumphead parrot fish and schools of jacks and barracudas. None of us would be able to forget such magnificent sights ever.

Accommodation was a water bungalow for 2. It had a breathtaking view of the sea and many resident fishes and rays right at our doorsteps. Meals were a buffet spread which everyone enjoyed in the dining hall. If we were not diving, we would chill out on the deck chairs, soaking up the sun and the cool sea breeze.

In the end, we were all reluctant to leave this ‘floating heaven’ but it was inevitable. This year end mega dive trip to Sipadan was simply, Great Fun, Great Dives and even better company. A must go for all true blue dugongs and everyone else.”

Jacques-Yves Cousteau the world-famous French explorer has remarked, “I have seen other places like Sipadan… 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art.” Sipadan has also been listed in the Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List of The Top Dive Destinations in the World, sharing its top spot with two other diving destinations known for the amazing diversity of their marine life - the Galapagos Islands and Truk in Micronesia. ( http://paradise-diving-islands.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-makes-sipadan-island-one-of-top.html )

Such a dive destination should be on any diver’s top 10 dive sites to visit!

We sincerely hope to see you there! (:

PHOTOS ARE UP! pls click on the photo tab above to access the photos.

We’re trying a new way of sharing photos to ensure everyone gets their fair share of memories! (:

Say hello to our new bosses! (: including 2 of our very own! To those who didnt get in this time round, dont be disheartened! Everyone is responsible for the growth and success of the SMUX family. (: for the time being, let us look to our new leaders for guidance and direction

Hello all!

As you all know, SMUX election is on. and we have a trio of our very own (among others) running for crew.

namely,

1) Goh Ching Soon

2) Michelle Tan An Qi

3) Xander Leong Jia Wei

Visit smuxtremistseclection.blogspot.com for more details on the elections and agree or cringe at their answers to the firing squad. If any wishes to pose a question, do so! (with further details on the blog)

On a separate note… We’re celebrating oktober fest the smux diver way! Join us, Tomorrow for some german sausage and beer loving time! (: reply to the email tread!!

ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT NOTE: week 7’s almost over!!! hang in there loves!