There are currently 10 million certified scuba divers in the United States, and 1.5 million new divers are certified annually. Of all the people who go through all of the time and money to become certified, an estimated 60-80% drop out of the sport within the first two years of their training. For many, the checkout dives for their certifications are the only dives they ever make. Why? Because prospective scuba divers tend to romanticize the activity. They envision themselves as true explorers of the oceans and waters of the world. They imagine themselves discovering treasure or going where no one has gone before. Unfortunately, after their training, these newly certified divers discover that all of these adventures they read about in magazines and books take a heck of a lot of time and more than a month's pay to make a reality. Discouraged, they stop diving. This book is for them. The Certified Diver's Handbook is a real world guide to utilizing a new certification and enjoying it to its fullest. Loaded with tips, advice, how-to, and 'back-yard' where-to, this definitive guide will encompass everything a certified diver would ever need to know in order to get up, get out, and do it - and on any kind of budget; time or money. For example, this book will inform the reader on: renting versus owning equipment, where to buy, how to buy and what to look for, dealing with various ocean environments, dive planning, hazards of diving alone (or with a buddy), rescue procedures, types of sickness, shore diving, night diving, wrecks, reefs, spear fishing, cave and cavern diving, drift diving, kelp diving, fossil and artifact diving, local diving, international diving, and much more. From general concepts to the obscure, like the trick to buying a spare BC valve for next-to-nothing at your local dive shop, this handbook is designed to have something for all types of newly certified divers. Ninety percent of the diving books on the market are devoted to exotic (and expensive) scuba adventures all over the globe. Then there are several books on the market that cover basic scuba instruction and several that cover certification instruction and some advice on where to dive, but there is not a book on the market that presumes the reader is already certified and is simply wondering where and how to go diving either without an instructor and a large group or without spending a fortune. The Certified Diver's Handbook will be their motivation and how-to manual.

Table of Contents:
AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Switching Attitude GearsDiving as a LifestylePursuing Your Own InterestsA Realistic Assessment of RiskA Realistic Assessment of CostChapter 2: EquipmentMasks, Fins, and SnorkelsDive KnifeRegulatorsBuoyancy CompensatorsDepth GaugesDive ComputersExposure SuitsTanksWeights and Weight BeltsDive BagsChapter 3: Gear MaintenanceMaskRegulatorSubmersible Pressure GaugeComputerBuoyancy CompensatorTanksChapter 4: Gadgets That Work, and Good IdeasHose and Gauge RetainersClip SystemsDive LightsDive SlatesPlastic TiesClip-On WeightsSpare AirMoldable MouthpiecesSafety SausagesDry BoxesDry BagsMedical Dive InsuranceDive Equipment InsuranceChapter 5: How to Buy EquipmentBuying New GearBuying Used GearPersonalizing Your GearChapter 6: Kindred Spirits and First TripsFinding Dive BuddiesWhere to GoChapter 7: An Introduction to Mother Ocean: Water Weight and DensityThe Characteristics of Ocean WaterHow Water Density Affects LightHow Water Density Affects SoundChapter 8: The Weather: Wind and Waves, Storms, Tides, and CurrentsWind and WavesThunderstormsCurrentsChapter 9: The Marine EnvironmentOrganization of the OceanThe Four Life-FormsAnatomy of a Coral ReefSpooky and Potentially Hazardous Marine AnimalsChapter 10: Going DivingDiving from Charter BoatsDiving from Privately Owned BoatsDiving from ShoreDrift DivingNight DivingChapter 11: Staying Out of TroubleUnderwater NavigationBuddy ProblemsChapter 12: When a Good Thing Goes Bad: Basic Rescue Procedures and Diver ProblemsRational-Patient Surface AssistPassive-Patient and Panicky-Patient Surface RescueUnconscious-Patient Surface RescueUnconscious Patient on the BottomDecompression SicknessLung Overpressure InjuriesSome Problems of Breathing under PressureHypothermiaHyperthermiaChapter 13: Diving in the United StatesRoad TripThe Gulf CoastThe East CoastThe Great LakesThe West CoastInland USA: A Place Near YouChapter 14: International Dive TravelGetting ThereWhere to GoAppendix: Underwater PhotographyResourcesIndex