Diving is all about safety. After all, the equipment we wear is designed to let us humans go safely into an environment that we otherwise could only stay in for maybe a minute (or seven minutes if you’re a trained free diver).  Following good, safe diving practices and having the right safety gear makes our diving experiences that much more enjoyable.

Diving with a stuffy head is unsafe. When your head is congested, you will have a problem clearing your ears and sinuses while descending. Also, you are at a higher risk of getting an agonizing reverse squeeze.

When you can't equalize the pressure in your ears, it's easy to rupture an eardrum or cause other serious injury. In addition, injury to the mucous lining of your sinus passages can cause serious bleeding. These conditions can happen while ascending or descending.

When a cold or the flu has settled in your lungs, it can interfere with diving. Breathing the chilly, dry compressed air can cause respiratory irritation and coughing, which in turn increases your chance of losing your regulator or inhaling water. The added stress can lead to an increased chance of a panic attack, a rapid ascent and a life-threatening arterial gas embolism.

The fever that can accompany colds and flu increases your body's metabolism, causing you to use up air more quickly, and possibly cause you to feel disoriented.

Not a good idea when diving. You should not dive while taking certain medications, either. Use caution when taking medication.

Checklist: Should I Dive?

Unless you can answer "yes" to all of these questions, you should not dive. Know the symptoms of a cold or flu. No dive is worth your health, safety or life. Stay healthy.

·  Can you breathe easily through both sides of your nose?

·  Have you gone at least two hours without having to blow your nose to clear it?

·  Can you equalize your ears with minimal effort on land?

·  Has it been at least a day since you have had fever, chills or sweats?

·  If someone asked you to engage in a physical activity, would you feel up to it physically?

·  Have you gone at least two hours without coughing?

·  If you are taking medicine, will it last until at least two hours after the dive is scheduled to end?

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  What kind of club is South Florida Divers?  We are a dive and social club.  We have diving and social events almost every week.  There’s more diving in the warmer months, but we have trips every month of the year.

  What about social events?  We enjoy get togethers such as beach picnics, dinner on the town, bike rides, Holiday boat cruises, things like that.  We also have three parties each year: a pig roast in the spring, a seafood party in September and a holiday party in early December.  We usually have 80+ people in attendance; they’re always a great time. 

  Where do you dive?  Most of our diving is in the Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach area, where we do boats and shore diving.  We get down to the Keys several times each year, and we also do two or three out of country trips.  This past year we had trips to Turks and Caicos, Bimini, and Papua New Guinea.

  What about club meetings?  We have a monthly meeting, the first Wednesday of the month, at the Ramada Inn on SR 84.  The meeting starts with a 30 minute social from 7:00 to 7:30 then the business section from 7:30 til 8:00, a short break, then the program or speaker.  We’ve had some very interesting speakers this past year, covering everything from the CSS Hunly to updates on important ocean environment issues.

  How does the club organize all these events?  South Florida Divers is a volunteer organization, so it’s a club member that does each event.  Each event, social or diving, has a trip leader and a sign-up sheet.  We go over the calendar at each club meeting, plus, it’s in another section of this website. The sign-up sheet has the details about the trip, location, time, cost {if any}, trip leader.  We have a table set up with the sign-up sheets and a table for the treasury if funds are required.

  What about membership?  Membership dues cover each calendar year and are $55 for individual and $65 for family.  There is a one time set-up fee of $5.  We ask that you be a member before participating in club events [other than the club meetings]. 

  What do I need to do to join?  We have three requirements: You are a certified diver, you have and maintain diver insurance, and you pay your dues.   You can join at any club meeting, the membership table is just inside the door, or you can mail in the application.    

  What’s the best way to get involved in the club?  Become a member and join in the fun and events.  Members are always welcome to help with club work, lead a trip, organize a beach picnic, or participate on the board.