New for 2019, the SCUBAPRO Go Sport fin is an update of the Tester’s Choice-winning Go fin model that impressed SCUBALab divers in 2017. The compact-but-powerful Monprene® blade with rail-mounted power bars is mated to the revised Ergo3 foot pocket that’s been re-engineered for use with booties. Interchangeable skegs, minimize sideslip and maximize stability.

The new SCUBAPRO Go Sport Fin is designed for traveling. Lightweight, comfortable, durable, and a fast and nimble performer, the Go is the ideal fin for divers, snorkelers and swimmers that travel a lot or have to carry your fins for work. 

Lightweight: When it comes to premium fins, nothing compares to the Go when integrating high quality with lightweight. This translates into convenience and weight savings on the road, and comfort and ease of use in the water. 

Super Comfortable: The Go Sport design combines the fitment benefits of an open heel fin. The replaceable self-adjusting bungee heel strap allows for a versatile fit — one diver can wear multiple sizes. The strap also makes it easy to don and doff the fin, and it fits comfortably against a booted heel. 

Ultra-Durable: While extremely comfortable, the Go Sport is also virtually indestructible. Its durable 100% Monprene construction avoids the problems of de-lamination, broken blades and torn foot pockets that tend to plague average thermoplastic fins. This enables the Go Sport to stand up to long-term, heavy-duty use. 

High Performance: The Go fin excels in strength, comfort, and convenience, but where it shines is in kicking performance. The Go is built with a 25° pre-angled blade with a central power panel that provides longitudinal rigidity and creates a channeling effect. Power bars on the underside of the rails prevent over-flex; this helps maintain the optimum angle of attack under high load conditions. The result: you get a lightweight fin that delivers speed, power, stability, and maneuverability with a minimum of effort.

They pack exceptionally well due to an innovative piggyback stack system. An interlocking tooth on one fin blade hooks into the second fin, then the bungee strap from the second fin hooks the heel of the first fin into place. It’s a snug pairing that makes packing easier. The perfect addition to the SCUBAPRO fin range, the Go Sport dedicated travel fin is lightweight, comfortable and virtually indestructible. The Go Sport Fins are available in multiple sizes. Sizing profile is the same as the Seawing Nova

 I first used these fins for the first time last summer. It was for a drift dive, and I didn’t think they would be able to push my fat-a$$ around. I am 6’.2” and 225lbs. I have used the Go fins for surface swimming and love them. However, I have never tried using them diving. I was amazed at how well these fins work. They are my go-to fin now for everything I do. I can’t say enough good things about them.

Chafing is normally not a common issue when it comes to diving but throw in a long boat ride or running around on the beach after you have swam to shore and have to do a recon and you have not or don’t plan to change out of your wetsuits. Add in some sand from swimming thru the surf and this is when chafing can occur. Generally, you will not notice it until you are a couple hours in. Chafing causes an uncomfortable, sensitive patch of skin or a rash in areas where sand has gotten into your wetsuit or where seams/ edges are in continuous contact with the skin. 

To help prevent this you should try and get thru the surf as fast as posable. I know that is easier said than done, but the longer you are in the surf the better change you have of sand getting where you don’t want it. A dive skin or rash guard will help but it is not the end all answer you can do all this and still get chaffing. I have heard of people wearing pantyhose (you can also use them on your gun to help keep sand out) for this. Make sure your wetsuit, has good seams on the inside of the suit and the edges of the neck, arms, and legs. Many wetsuit manufacturers employ methods such as taping or blind-stitching that prevent the rough edges from coming into contact with your skin. I know most anyone that has had to run after being wet and sandy know how to stop chaffing. You can also use some of the anti-chaffing stuff that is out there for runners and surfers. Both can used together to help fight this.

It is important to take off your wetsuit as soon as possible after you get out of the water. Also don not pee in your suit. Be sure to always rinse your wetsuit in freshwater right after the dive as this will help get the salt out of it and the help avoid bacteria buildup that can lead to skin irritations down the road. If you are diving or swimming in water that is really bad (like say a cove in the Hampton roads area) you will want to soak your wetsuit in a betadine solution to help kill whatever might grow in there.  

If you are already suffering from chafing there are a number of topical solutions that can help reduce the discomfort, like anti-Monkey butt( for the long zodiac rides), Butt-paste, and body glide to name a few. Be careful not to leave some of the paste on it you have to go back thru the surf as it will just help sand stick to it or even products designed for infant diaper rash.

Presented by SSD Sponsor SCUBAPRO.

Good communication is crucial when diving with someone you never have dove before with. You can always use Dräger talk, but sometimes that doesn’t work that well. There are universal hand signals very similar to the hand and arm signals when patrolling.  

There are a lot of different hand signals, used by divers especially in different fields of diving. However, with some basic hand signals, you can dive with anyone in the world.  

Going Up or Down

Use a thumbs up signal to indicate that you are going up, or a thumbs down to indicate the opposite.

I’m Okay

Place your thumb and forefinger together forming a circle and leave the other three fingers extended upright. This is the same as you would say OK as you would above water.

Stop

Signal your dive buddy to stop by holding up one hand; the same as you would in any other instance. You can also use a closed fist like being on patrol.

Changing Direction

Just like with up and down, point your thumb (or your index finger) to indicate which direction you’re heading. You can point again like on land

Turn Around

To let everyone know it’s time to turn around, put your index finger up and rotate in a circle. Similar to rally-up.

Slow Down

Place your hand in front of you with your palm facing down. Wave your hand up and down to indicate that you need everyone to slow down a bit.

Level Off

To indicate that you want to level off once you’ve reached a certain depth, put your hand out in front of you, palm down, and wave it back and forth.

Something’s Wrong

Place your hand out in front of you, fingers spread and palm down. Wave your hand back and forth in a rocking motion. It is similar to the hand signal maybe.  

Help!

Wave your entire arm from outstretched by your side to over your head. Repeat the motion as long as you need to.

I’m Low on Air

It takes practice to be able to make your air last. Clench your hand into a fist and pull it in toward your chest. Repeat as much as you need to indicate how urgently you need to resurface. When diving a rebreather, you should point at the pressure gauge. With some of the newer rebreathers, you can pull your gauge out and show it to your dive buddy if needed.  

I’m Out of Air

If something has gone wrong with your equipment, signal quickly and repeatedly. Place your hand, palm down in front of your throat and move back and forth in a cutting motion.

You can always pull on your buddy-line to get your buddies attention, and once you have dived a couple of times together, you will start to understand what each other wants and needs. Diving at night or in low-viability is way different than diving in the day time in clear water. Sometimes diving in real lousy visibility in the day time is worse than diving at night. So, knowing how to communicate is very important. Bottom line is as long as you and your dive buddy understand what you are saying to each other you should be good. So, make sure you at least talk to the person your diving with to have the basic’s down.

I wanted to have link to the Movie, The Fighting Sullivan’s in honor of ST Patrick’s day and I couldn’t find it. So, then I looked for The Fighting 69th, again can’t find that one also. The Fighting Sullivan’s is my favorite movies of all times. If you ever want to teach someone about brotherhood and loyalty. That is the movies to watch. Well and The Boonedock Saints.          

                 “Everyone is Irish on St Paddies Day”

                                      Happy St Patrick’s day.  

Dive masks are one of the most basic, and most important pieces of equipment you have for your dive. If your mask falls it makes for a very long and painful dive. To ensure your mask stays in good condition, you must take care of it like the important piece of equipment it is. If you can’t see beneath the surface, what’s the point?

Just as you would always care for your regulator, so should you always remember your mask. This maintenance needs to be a regular routine for your dive trips. Follow the tips below to keep an easy system flowing for your scuba mask care regime.

Pre-Dive

When a SCUBA mask is made it leaves a lot of film and residue on it. If not cleaned off properly you will never get your mask to stop fogging. You can search the Internet for lots of different ways to clean your mask. I am going to walk thru one of the easiest and safest way to do it. With some of the other way, if not done right you can break your mask glass or damage your frame.

Check your mask for any damage that’s occurred. Look for small cracks in the rubber of the strap or on the skirt. Test the elasticity of the strap, replacing as needed, don’t wait until you are on the dive boat to try test this. Make sure you check the clips as well.

Inspect the skirt on your mask for wear and tears. Also look at the frame of the mask where the glass is seated for imperfections. 

Post-Dive

Always rinse your mask with freshwater. Let it dry properly out of direct sunlight. You can clean it with toothpaste or a mask cleaner. Let your mask dry out completely to prevent mold and mildew growth.

Storage and Proactive Care

Mask care includes smart storage. Keep it in a hard-covered case for the best protection from moisture, dust, and impact. If it came with a hard case, make sure you store the mask in that. Plastic parts can stay oddly shaped if crushed or folded down when incorrectly stored for long periods of time. Also make sure it has good airflow to make sure it doesn’t get moldy.

Basic gear maintenance will allow you to keep your gear for a long time and also help it not fail you when it is needed most.

Movies have played a significant roll in and for the military world. From taking your mind off of things like Dumb and Dumber (and giving you great things to say” WE LANDED ON THE MOON?!”) or getting people to join the military. Some do better than others. The Green Berets by John Wayne was made to get people to believe in the Vietnam war.  It fell way short of that, but still a great movie, and it had a number one hit song “The Ballad of the Green Berets” by SSgt Barry Sadle, and it had a UDT/ Frogman playing one of the best parts in the movie. Sgt Muldoon was a Frogman in WW2 and yes a west coast guy. Apocalypse Now made as a protest movie against war, did a lot more to get people to join than any other film of that time.

The Frogman got more people to join the Navy than any other movie of its time. All and All it is an excellent movie for its time. You have to love going to war with a dive knife and a mask.

Maybe someday they will make moves like this again. Movies that talk about the thing that happened many years ago.