Safety Tips that will help you make the most of
your time diving around New
Zealand's pristine coastline.
As well as observing safety aspects of diving and snorkelling, the following
offers some tips to protect and preserve the marine environment:
If you haven't dived for a
while, do a local dive or refresher course with a reputable dive company.
Dive within your limits and don't push your depth or bottom time limits.
Never dive alone. Always dive
with a buddy. If you're inexperienced always dive with an experienced
'buddy', and if you're snorkelling don't stray off alone.
Practice and maintain proper
buoyancy control and avoid overweighting.
Stay warm in and out of the
water, drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and use sunscreen
between dives.
Avoid flying for at least 24
hours after your last dive (to avoid decompression sickness) and also
avoid driving from sea level to altitude (above 150m) immediately after a
dive.
Never drop boat anchors onto
a reef.
Avoid touching living marine
organisms with your body and equipment, and resist the temptation to
collection any souvenirs, even from shipwrecks.
Take great care in underwater
caves, archways and ledges, which can be especially dangerous during heavy
surges.
Secure gauges and the octopus
regulator so they're not dangling - they can damage reefs and become
entangled in kelp.
