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Educational activities for children – with a diving focus!

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Self isolation definitely isn’t fun. While I don’t have any any young children of my own, I know of the challenges of finding fun, exciting and educational activities to occupy the kids during this Covid-19 crisis, and we at STEPDive want to help!

Below you’ll find a fantastic list of resources about our amazing underwater world, all that can be accessed from your living room. We’ve included reading and visual materials to inspire, documentaries that share environmental challenges, but also potential solutions for ocean preservation, coloring in materials and much more!

Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Stream


Take a (virtual) field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! This Californian aquarium has setup livestreams so students can observe ocean creatures in real time. Play with the sea otters, check out the jellyfish, or even swim with sharks! The aquarium also has fact sheets about its inhabitants, curriculum plans, and lots of other activities.

National Geographic’s Ocean Education Collection


National Geographic has designed a range of cool activities for young learners (K through 12). Create your own living room adventures to understand the parts and sizes of waves, demystify the Mariana Trench, explore why people live near the coast, or even size yourself up against a blue whale!

STEPDive Coloring In Drawings


Feel free to download these great coloring in activities! There’s 3 to choose from:

Where Wild Microbes Grow by Kevin Kurtz


These freely downloadable eBooks are part of the International Ocean Discovery Program, funded by the US National Science Foundation. Where the Wild Microbes Grow: The Search for Life Under the Seafloor is just one of the freebooks created by Kevin Kurtz, an award-winning children’s author, and Alice Feagan, an award-winning illustrator.

Netflix Documentaries


Chasing Coral (YouTube Trailer): A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling adventure to document the disappearance of the world’s coral reefs.

Mission Blue (YouTube Trailer): Follows world renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle on her personal mission to save the ocean.

Journey to the Bottom of the Ocean


This interactive site lets visitors dive deeper than any human has before! As you scroll down the page, the ocean “depth” increases; the blues turn to black and an array of deep water animals appear. Start on the surface and work your way towards the wreck of the Titanic!

US NOAA Educational Resources for Children


Visit the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) educational resources for a range of fun activities. Kids can learn about the Sea Level Rising, or even play a whale migration e-board game found in the NOAA’s game center. There are also plenty of worksheets using NOAA data to keep students occupied!

Amazon Prime Video Documentaries


Beneath the Sea (YouTube Trailer): a celebration of marine life from around the world by Emmy Award Winning Cinematographer, Howard Hall.

Galapagos: Realm of Giant Sharks (Vimeo Trailer): the whale shark is the largest fish in existence, yet so little is known about them.

Secrets of the Ocean Realm Activities by PBS


These fantastic exercises will help your children learn all about the ocean environment, from coral reef preservation to diver decompression. Designed for 10-14 year olds, these classroom activities include background information, activity plans and discussion topics – helping to build our ocean advocates of the future!

Our hearts and wishes are with everyone right now, so please stay safe and healthy.

See you underwater (after the crisis)!

:: Darren

Discover a world of night diving

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The idea of diving at night can be scary, especially if the underwater darkness amplifies fears of safety, or brings sensationalised movie ideas together (if you’ve recently seen ‘Jaws’ or ‘Open Water’). However the good news is that in reality, it is very different!

Night diving usually involves kitting up after sunset and entering the water just before dusk, giving you natural light for both gear preparation and initial directional assistance. But once you’re in the water, a completely new world of activity can be discovered: one of brightly colored corals standing out of the darkness, nocturnal creatures such as octopus and crustaceans hunting and if you’re comfortable turning your flashlight off, sparks of bioluminescent plankton firing around you!

Whilst night diving is accessible with regular SCUBA, currently it’s not possible to take children younger than 10 years of age. STEPDive can change this paradigm by giving families the opportunity to dive together at night, whilst still ensuring industry standards are met.

Of course, whether you’re diving with STEPDive or regular SCUBA, you should always have a compass and backup source of light, but with our optional night diving attachment, you can:

  • Dive with a broader base of ambient light, that can be individually configured the way you want;
  • Have an effective surface marker, recognisable underwater and to boats (should they be operating); and
  • Dive with complete confidence (provided through the additional safety of the raft and by gaining a better feel for the surroundings).

Let your family experience the thrill of diving at night with STEPDive – I highly recommend it!

See you underwater!

:: Darren

Underwater Cleanup World Record

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A record-setting 633 divers came from across the world to participate in a huge underwater cleanup, resulting in at least 1,626 pounds (737.5 kgs) being removed from Deerfield Beach, Florida!

Whilst the official weight of the marine debris removed is still being tallied, ocean conservation group Project Aware estimates that the result could be twice as much!

Supported by the Deerfield Beach Women’s Club and Dixie Divers, it was the 15th time this event has been held and lasted for approximately 2 hours.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. Hopefully events like this will continue to raise awareness for the prevention of plastic and other human produced waste!

For the full article, please visit CNN. Pictures courtesy of CNN – no copyright infringement intended.

See you underwater!

:: Darren

Diving Training Tips: Towards Perfect Buoyancy – Breath Control

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The search for perfect buoyancy is in every diver’s mind. Whether you’re new to the sport, or a certified professional, we all strive to continually demonstrate this skill. But is this ‘skill’ really within the reach of newly certified divers…? In my opinion: absolutely!

Buoyancy within regular SCUBA diving comes down to five key factors:

  • Breath control,
  • Proper weighting,
  • Balanced equipment,
  • Correct BCD usage, and
  • Anticipation and action.

And for this particular post, we will focus directly on breathing technique.

Within the PADI system, it says: “Underwater I should breathe slowly, deeply, continuously and never hold my breath.” In my opinion, the ‘slowly’ and ‘deeply’ create problems, as your buoyancy is greatly affected by how much air is in your lungs, and the duration to which it is ‘held’ there.

So instead, I have found the following ‘thirds’ model to be far more effective. Imagine your lungs being divided into thirds (it would look something like this):

  • Empty Third: When you deliberately expire and hold less air than what is comfortable.
  • Middle Third: Normal breathing.
  • Full Third: When you breathe in more deeply and hold more air than normal.

Whilst diving, try to always breathe normally and stay within your middle third. If you want to go down, try exhaling a little more than normal and temporarily visit the ‘empty third’ of your lungs. Upon reaching the correct depth, go back to breathing normally within the ‘middle third’. The opposite is also true, so when you wish to go up, try breathing more deeply and temporarily visit the ‘full third’ of your lungs (but never hold your breath whilst ascending). With practice, you will soon realise how easy it is to modify your depth, purely by using breath control.

Of course, at some point you will be more positively or negatively buoyant (overall) and will no longer be able to maintain your position just by using your breath. If so, adjust your BCD to achieve neutral buoyancy once again. But, if you always remember to breathe first and use your BCD second, you will begin to rely less on your BCD and focus more on your position; greatly improving your air consumption and ability to maintain perfect buoyancy.

See your underwater!

:: Darren

STEPDive: A new discovery experience

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Learning to dive is a thrilling yet somewhat daunting experience. After all, resisting our basic survival instincts to complete entry-level skills such as breathing underwater, mask removal/replacement and basic buoyancy can be quite challenging.

Predicting whether or not student’s will conquer initial fears or even enjoy diving thereafter is difficult, and often part of the reason for them not committing to a full scuba course. Of course, time, money or perceived complexity of the equipment also play a factor. But all of this can change!

Imagine not having to complete so much pre-dive theory or wear such heavy equipment. You simply strap on a harness and go snorkelling – but with a SCUBA regulator! Almost the same experience is offered, but without the complexities, weight or stress and in a completely safe and secure environment. Perfect right?

Depending on the dive center and surrounding water conditions, STEPDive can be offered in many cases as an excellent intermediary program; especially for families who want a shared underwater experience. With STEPDive’s unique and patent pending Variable Depth Control, instructors and students can have full confidence knowing that:

  • Everyone begins on the surface and as divers grow in confidence, can progressively go deeper;
  • Divers practice the same introductory dive skills (signals, breathing rules, equalisation techniques, regulator and mask clearing, etc);
  • Students are depth limited (STEPDive is fully adjustable between 0 – 5m); and
  • Even students younger than 8 can give it a try (but only at the surface – see Children and Diving: Are they ready? for more information).

So whether you’re a potential diver wishing to make an informed decision about a full certification course, or a business owner who is keen to streamline their shop’s discover experience, see how STEPDive could work for you.

See you underwater!

:: Darren

Children and Diving: Are they ready?

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Often I hear from enthusiastic parents who want their children to learn to dive, but have some concerns regarding the difficulty of the training or their child’s safety in open water. Because of this, I’ve put together the following overview of the considerations that you will need to make as a parent, before taking your children underwater!

Whilst there is no actual legal restriction that prohibits children from diving, agencies such as PADI or SSI have self-regulated training standards, developed through paediatric medical recommendations from research institutions worldwide. These are designed to ensure children reach a level of maturity, before venturing too deep underwater and are as follows:

PADI Diver Age Restrictions
AgeDepthProgramAfter Certification
< 70mDiscover SnorkelingN/A
8 – 9Maximum of 4m / 12ftBubblemaker / Seal TeamN/A
10 – 11Maximum of 12m / 40ftJunior Open Water Diver (JOWD)Must dive with a Parent/Guardian or PADI Professional
12 – 14Maximum of 18m / 60ft (JOWD)
Maximum of 21m / 70ft (JAOWD)		Junior Open Water Diver (JOWD)
Junior Advanced Open Water Diver (JAOWD)		Must dive with a certified adult diver
15+As per training levelN/AN/A

Disclaimer: Standards are subject to change. Please consult the PADI website for further information. STEPDive is not a representative of PADI.

SSI Diver Age Restrictions
AgeDepthProgramAfter Certification
< 70mSnorkelingN/A
8 – 9
Maximum of 5m / 15ftScuba RangersN/A
10 – 11Maximum of 12m / 40ftOpen Water Diver (OWD)
Advanced SCUBA Training		Must dive with a Dive Professional or certified adult diver
12 – 14Maximum of 18m / 60ft (OWD)
Maximum of 21m / 70ft (Adventure Deep Dive)		Open Water Diver (OWD)
Advanced SCUBA Training		Must dive with a certified adult diver
15+As per training levelN/AN/A

Disclaimer: Standards are subject to change. Please consult the SSI website for further information. STEPDive is not a representative of SSI.

However, these training standards are written without real explanation as to why these depth and age limits have been chosen. So after some detailed research, I came across the following list of key consideration factors taken from a paper titled Scuba diving in children: Physiology, risks and recommendations, published by the Spanish Society of Paediatric Pulmonology:

Physiological and anatomical factors to be considered in children engaging in underwater activities


  • Pulmonary development until the age of eight (underscored by childhood asthma).
  • Higher pulmonary closing volume (volume of lung inflated when small airways in the dependent parts of the lung begin to collapse during expiration).
  • Reduced pulmonary compliance (higher risk of barotrauma).
  • Higher number of respiratory infections and ORL.
  • Functional immaturity of the Eustachian tube opening mechanism (canal connecting the middle ear, controlling pressure).
  • Unfavourable body surface : weight ratio (risk of hypothermia).
  • Incomplete bone development.
  • Limited ability to understand mathematical and physical laws.
  • Emotional instability.
  • Limited ability for self-care and the care of others.

Applying these considerations, agencies thus use age as a generalised measure of physical strength, emotional and intellectual maturity. But applying depth restrictions to children based on their age does not guarantee safety either. Some of the most devastating diving accidents can occur in water less than 5m deep, largely due to panic. This reason alone is why I am such a strong advocate for STEPDive as it:

  • Builds proficiency, before depth – even children younger than 8 can learn how to ‘snorkel’ with a SCUBA regulator as we can effectively ‘lock’ their depth at 0m.
  • Allows age appropriate or even smaller limits to be set (dictated by student confidence and ability) up to a maximum of 5m.
  • Provides a strong foundation in safety knowledge, behaviours and techniques.
  • Is safe and simple to use.
  • Gives families or groups the chance to experience the underwater world together in a fun and rewarding way.

And once children have reached the appropriate age and maturity level, we fully encourage them becoming Junior Open Water Divers! If you’d like to read more about this topic, the Divers Alert Network (DAN) has published a terrific article about Children and Diving, which includes detailed opinions from industry experts.

See you underwater!

:: Darren

STEPDive at the DEMA Trade Show 2018

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The annual DEMA Show is the largest trade-only event in the world for companies doing business in the scuba diving, ocean water sports and adventure/dive travel industries. It attracts hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of dive and travel industry professionals from around the world each year.

STEPDive was proud to be an exhibitor this year, with much interest generated by our product.

Several articles have since been written and if you’d like to check them out, please visit the following links: