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Jul 11
0

Best Prime Day Scuba Deals 2017

By | Scuba News | No Comments

Hey Scuba Fans!

If you haven’t heard, today is Prime Day on amazon.com
That means they have deals at unheard of prices all day long, but only for the day. This is the 3rd year for prime day, and since amazon has upped their game, we wanted to make sure to do a post with the best SCUBA related prime day deals.

Scuba Sumo hasn’t tested these products, so be sure to read the reviews before making a decision. Also, all the links below are affiliate links, which means I make a little if you purchase, but it is at no cost to you.

Innovative Scuba Concepts Buoyancy Compensating (BCD) Device Makai Integrated Weights Back Inflation Bag

Cressi Minorca Short 3mm Boot

Scuba Choice Carbon Fiber Travel Spearfishing 2 Pole Spear 3 Prong Paralyzer Hawaiian Sling, 7-Feet

OTS Guardian Full Face Mask with Buddy Phone

Dec 15
0

Last Minute Gifts for Scuba Divers

By | Scuba Gear Reviews | No Comments

Christmas time is already here, and nearly gone.  As I write this, it is December 15th.  If you are like many people, myself included, you aren’t nearly done with all of your Christmas shopping for this year.  The malls are already crowded, every trip to a shopping center includes a fight for a parking spot and long lines to get through the checkout.  If you have a scuba diver or two that you still need to purchase gifts for, this list will hopefully help.  Nearly everything on the list is available on Amazon, and for the most part, items should make it by Christmas.  Be sure to check details before ordering to ensure that there aren’t any expected delays.

Our list contains 8 awesome gifts for scuba divers that will be great as stocking stuffers or gifts.



A great coffee table book with beautiful pictures showing some of the greatest places on earth to dive. How many have you been to? Plan your next dive destination with this great book.

Every diver needs a scuba ornament for her Christmas tree.

Woman’s shirt that Game of Thrones fans will get more appreciation. If your favorite mermaid loves wine in addition to diving, this is a great gift.

Luggage tags are typically drab, and blend in with everyone else’s suitcase. Let your luggage POP with these dive flag inspired luggage tags.

Fan of Breaking Bad? Love Scuba? This shirt will show off a love of Scuba with a subtle hint back to Breaking Bad’s styling.

Everyone has a yeti now, this protective rambler skin makes it clear you are a diver.

Did your favorite scuba diving couple just have a baby? Buy this adorable bib to remind everyone that they too will one day brave the depths.

Oct 28
0

Ten Items For Your Scuba Vacation Packing List

By | Scuba Travel | No Comments

After getting Scuba certified, one of the greatest things to do is plan a dive trip.  Dive trips are great because have the opportunity to travel and meet new people and see some fantastic marine life in new locations. Traveling for scuba diving vacation; however, will take a bit more packing than just a vacation to the beach. There will be more gear to include and equipment to take along that cannot be forgotten. These are ten of the most important pieces of equipment to make sure you have on your scuba diving vacation list.  Don’t Forget them!

 

1. Travel BCD

This is recommended as it will provide you all the feature of the traditional BCD but is much lighter. There are several good options on the market that offer you a fold-down model which is smaller and will save you room in packing.

 

2. Lightweight regulator and Octi

There are great travel regulators on the market that are lightweight and will maintain high quality. The braided hoses will help cut down on weight and make them more flexible to allow you to pack them easier than the traditional hoses.

 

3. Pressure and Depth Gauges

Your full sized gauge consoles can be heavy, adding weight to your luggage and bulky, taking up space for other items you need. When you travel with smaller pressure gauges you can save a lot of weight and space in your luggage.

 

4. Fins

Check the local retailer to purchase fins designed for traveling. There are fins specifically designed to fit into carry-on sized luggage.

 

5. Mask and Snorkel

Some equipment can be rented but having your own mask is a much better idea. You want a mask that fits properly and many rental masks will not give you that perfect fit you have with your own. This could ruin your whole trip and is not worth the risk. You should make sure you have your own personal mask with you.

 

6. Dive Computer

This is another piece of equipment you should not trust to rentals. You do not want a piece of equipment that you are unfamiliar with and end up guessing on alarms or settings.  Additionally, most dive computer now keep a history of your dive, so you don’t want to miss this.

 

7. Wetsuit

Leaving your wetsuit at home may take up a bit of space; however, the benefits of having your own suit that fits you comfortably will make your scuba diving experience more enjoyable.  Make sure to check the water temps and bring the appropriate wetsuit.

 

8 Underwater Camera

Don’t forget your gorpo or other underwater camera.  You will be making memories you will not want to forget.  It is also great fun to get to share videos of your best shots with friends and family when you get back home.  Along with this, do not forget your SD cards, batteries, underwater case, and any mounts that you may need.

 

9. Mesh Bag

Transporting your gear from where you are staying to the boat is much easier if you carry it in a mesh bag.

 

10. Surface Signaling Devices

The surface signaling device will help the boat captain find you if you decide to rest before your group is ready to.

 

Bonus: Don’t forget your passport if you are leaving the country!

 

Airlines have reduced what they allow passengers to take through weight and size requirements. You will have to consider these when deciding what scuba diving equipment you want to take along on your vacation. Having some of your personal equipment along; however, can have an impact on whether or not your trip is successful.  Knowing your own personal items work and knowing how to work them will make a big difference while scuba diving, and make your trip more enjoyable. Investing in having quality travel scuba equipment with you will make it worth your while even if it takes up some of your packing space.

 

Oct 27
0

Five Benefits of Scuba Over Snorkeling

By | Scuba Diving | No Comments

Scuba Diving vs Snorkelling:

Although some snorkelers will never get it, there are many things that make Scuba more enjoyable than snorkeling.

Scuba diving is when a person is able to swim right into the environment of some of the most unusual life forms that can never be observed on dry land. Snorkeling will provide a ‘birds-eye’ view of these environments, but never allow you to become a part of it.  There are different benefits or differences between these two hobbies. Let’s look at five benefits scuba diving has over snorkeling.

 

Purpose of the two hobbies

The main purpose of both scuba diving and snorkeling is the recreational value of these as hobbies. With scuba diving, you are able to explore wrecks that have occurred and sunk to the bottom of different bodies of water. There are also numerous underwater caves that can be explored.  Besides recreational scuba diving, it can also have a professional purpose. Civil engineers often have to use scuba diving to perform underwater inspections or welding, police departments often need scuba divers to look for evidence of crimes, and there are also military purposes that scuba divers need to perform. These are just a few occupations that scuba divers are necessary for that snorkeling cannot perform.
Snorkeling provides a recreational value of being able to observe fish, algae, and coral reefs from above but does not allow one to investigate them. This hobby can only be done in bodies of water with minimal waves where the water is warm.  To my knowledge, there are no jobs that snorkeling is a necessary skill.

 

Difference of techniques

 

When you scuba dive, your whole body will be submerged under the water. Most of the time, snorkeling has only your head and nose under the surface, although skilled snorkelers can dive down as long as they can hold their breath.  When you scuba dive, your eyes are covered by a diving mask allowing you to observe your surroundings and all the life forms under the surface and on the floor of the body of water. You cannot breathe through your nose unless you have a full face mask on. Normally breathing is performed by inhaling from a mouthpiece. When you snorkel, you will use a snorkel tube which can flood with water when you go under too far, and this water can only be cleared by returning to the surface.

 

Duration to stay underwater

 

While scuba diving, you will be able to stay under water as long as your oxygen tanks provide you a breathing supply. You do not hold your breath, you are provided oxygen to breathe the entire time you are diving. Snorkeling will require you to hold your breath if you decide to go below the surface of the water, or further under then your snorkel tube is long.

 

Mobility of the two hobbies

 

With scuba diving, you are totally submerged under water. This gives you the freedom of turning a full 360 degrees to observe the life forms or environments under the water. You can go as deep as is safe and have the opportunity to explore over 70% of the planet earth. Snorkeling will keep you in shallow waters and can be done without any training. You will only need to know how to swim and breath to snorkel.

 

Risks of scuba diving and snorkeling

 

While there may be some adverse effects of breathing compressed air while scuba diving, snorkeling can be dangerous because you are hard to spot on the water with only the snorkel tube protruding. This makes you hard to spot by jet skis and other recreational water crafts using the area.  In both hobbies, there is also the danger of coming into contact with poisonous coral, hyperventilation, dehydration, and other health hazards. Snorkeling exposes you to the sun which can cause serious sunburns if you stay exposed to long.

 

Scuba diving has been reported to provide great health benefits which snorkeling will not give you. Choosing scuba diving over snorkeling will allow you to put your body in situations that are not possible to duplicate on land. This allows you to exercise in ways you simply cannot perform anywhere else. Scuba diving will not only open a whole new world to you, it will help you stay healthier.

Aug 24
0

Beginning of Scuba Sumo

By | Scuba Diving | No Comments

Greetings, thanks for stopping by!

This is the beginning of our site at ScubaSumo.com!  We hope you will find the scuba gear reviews and travel information useful, and it will get you in the water more often.

Dive Safe, and leave nothing but bubbles!