Archive for February, 2011
I read a heartwarming story the other day about Tinley Park Police Sgt. Bill Devine who raises money for the Special Olympics through participating in a polar plunge. Sgt. Devine has been involved with the Special Olympics for 16 years, and it is all the more meaningful for him now since his four-year-old son was born with Down syndrome. In 2010 Sgt. Devine raised $9,000 for the Special Olympics Illinois by participating in the Super Plunge.
The Super Plunge is a Polar Plunge that takes place at Lake Michigan. Each participant jumps in the frigid waters once an hour every 24 hours in just their swimsuits and scuba boots. This year Sgt. Devine hopes to raise $10,000 for the Special Olympics. Sgt. Devine told reporters, “It’s fun, it’s cold, but it’s worth it.” Bravo Sgt. Devine!
Last January, my girlfriend and I went on a Caribbean cruise. We had read prior to the cruise that two of our stops, Roatan and the Bahamas, had excellent snorkeling opportunities. Rather than rent snorkeling gear from the cruise ship or a tourist trap, both of which can be expensive, we decided to buy and bring our own snorkels.
Unfortunately, we went for cheaper price at the sacrifice of higher quality. The snorkels worked at first, but after a half-hour the breathing apparatus on my girlfriend’s pair started functioning improperly. I found that the face mask on mine did not have a tight seal. This resulted in me having to come up more frequently than I liked to clear the mask of water. Next time we’ll have to do better research before purchasing snorkels or any other underwater gear.
Regular maintenance of your self contained underwater breathing apparatus and its air regulator is vital to keeping the equipment up to par. There are several steps to cleaning a diving regulator. First, you need to make sure the dust-cap and seal are completely dry before you place the regulator in a rinse tank. If the seal is damaged in any way you may need to get a new regulator because you don’t want to risk water getting into the second stage regulator, cause corrosion which in turn would damage your lungs.
Once you have ensured that the dust-cap and seal of the diving regulator are sturdy and dry, soak the sealed gear in a rinse tank. Swish the diving regulator around a bit to knock off dirt particles. Move the levers back and forth to loosen any dirt that may have stuck on, but be careful no to push the purge button. When you are satisfied that you have removed as much dirt as possible, take the regulator out of the rinse tank and place it under a stream of water. Dry the regulator with a towel, not in direct sunlight as that can damage the regulator material.