Safe Scuba Diving Techniques

février 4, 2010 à 4:22 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé ,

There seems to be an influx of accidental diving deaths in the media these past few weeks. An experienced instructor drowned in her own trainining pool, a renowned diver lost his life to the Andrea Doria in Massachusetts, as well as Ashley Mauldin, who’s family lost her on a dive trip in the Bahama’s. If you are a new diver or a seasoned veteran, you should never skip corners on safe diving practices. Below is an outline of common safe diving procedures. By all means, feel free to add your own, but our sport never allows for subtraction.

Dive Buddy

Always dive with a buddy. Enough said.

Physical Fitness

Though diving is not an olympic event, it still requires a great deal of physical prowess. If you are the typical male doing a beach dive you will most likely be carrying 65-70lbs of weight on your back. If you are diving with your wife or girlfriend then that weight jumps to over 100lbs (you are carrying her tank right?). Either way, make sure to always warm-up with a light jog, or just put on your wet-suit, and then a good stretch. If you have enough notice before the dive make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes of cardio each day prior to the dive. Not only will these techniques help get you to and from the beach dive safely and wearing a smile, it will also keep you happy underwater–> Cramps anyone?

Physical Health

For pete’s sake stop smoking! D.A.N. has researched the effects of smoking and diving, and it has shown that smoking does increase your risk of getting the bends. Smoking also decreases the effective lung size which means you are breathing harder and burning far more air than your cleaned lung buddy. Do yourself, the fish, and your mom a favor. Stop smoking.

If you know you have asthma or any other heart problems this may not necessarily preclude you from diving. Make sure to have a thorough, and honest, talk with your doctor before continuing diving. Many of these problems can be fixed, but you definitely do not want an asthma attack at 100 ft.

Equipment Care

Many dive accidents could have been prevented if the diver’s equipment was taken care of properly. This means to rinse your gear with fresh water and an odor absorbing agent like sink-the-stink after every dive! Annual service repairs for your regulator by the manufacturer is also recommended. They will typically replace all the o-rings and service any problems. This will keep you breathing happy for years. Always make sure to hang your BC and regulator after rinsing them. Your will not want your labrador puppy leaving a present for you in your BC pocket.

The last thing is to keep all your gear as far away from demon-sand as possible! Sand is the number one, sure-fire way to send you straight to no diving land, or even worse a dive emergency at depth. I have seen countless students with their wet-suit, BC (with tank), and regulator on sitting on a sand dune at the beach. On their right side, their regulator is completely coated with sand. On their left side, their computer has sand coming out of every hole possible. Don’t think that the sand won’t creep inside either. Sand has a way of going places water never thought possible.

Plan

The last, but certainly one of the most important, components to diving safe is to plan with your dive buddy (you do have one don’t you?). You always want to scope out the site together before putting on any gear, making a note of the wave cycle and height. Ask yourself, and your buddy, if it is a safe day to dive and if there are any apprehensions. After acknowledging that you will be diving, make sure you have close access to a phone in case of an emergency. Know the address and location of your dive site for emergency personnel. After putting on your equipment, check your buddies equipment while he checks yours. Look at his BC, do you know how to get it off in an emergency, can you locate all of the quick releases? Can you work his inflator hose? Do you know how to release his weights (weight belt… weight integrated?)? Does your buddy have an octopus? Is your buddies air turned on? Is your buddies pressure gauge working? Check everything!

Once you have done all of these steps make sure you and your dive buddy know at what pressure to start heading back, and at what pressure to start ascending. Once doing all this, keep an eye on your buddy during the dive and make sure that he is watching you too!

Have a Great Dive!

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Scuba Diving With Sharks

février 4, 2010 à 10:21 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé ,

Anyone who is considering going scuba diving in the deep seas should be prepared for encounters with sharks. They have ruled the oceans for millions of years and have adapted to the environment over the ages.

While going through your diver training, you should be taught how to deal with sea creatures and how to experience the wonders of the oceans without causing any harm to them. There are various places around the world, and specifically in Europe, which has large aquariums where there are tanks where you can participate in encounters with sharks.

Nurse sharks and Sand tiger sharks are the kinds, which are usually kept at these aquariums. The Sand tiger sharks are night feeders, so that they seem to be swimming around and not feeding when people see them in aquariums during the day. They look quite hostile and have a lot of sharp teeth, which stick out. Nurse sharks are the type, which mostly rest at the bottom and are immobile, unless they get a choice piece of squid handed to them, which they take and eat.

If you want to be a diver, it is of prime importance that you are trained in what you should do in case you have an encounter with a shark by going to these shark tanks. It will help you deal with the situation when you dive in seas and oceans. You have to build up a calm attitude and a reasonable understanding of how to treat sharks, which will be advantageous for you, if you have to deal with one in the open ocean.

These shark dives in the tanks teach you that these huge creatures of the sea can and will get very close to you. You should not panic but gradually back away from it and give it space. This sort of training is essential to developing diver awareness.

A group of people who took part in one such shark dive in an aquarium had a few encounters with sharks both during the day and night. They saw white tip reef sharks and blue sharks. This dive gave the group a great understanding of how to handle themselves in such encounters, and learned to move away and act calmly. Since they had experience of a shark encounter, an actual dive in the open sea was easier for them to handle.

Aquarium shark dives will teach you how to be composed and unperturbed when you meet them. If you panic, then your nervousness will convey itself to the sharks. Being able to keep yourself calm is one of the major ways in which you can feel a lot safer when diving in areas where there are many large sharks.

Instead of letting your fear of sharks stand in the way of your exploring the deep, taking part in an aquarium dive will take the fear out of you and leave you free to enjoy yourself.

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Fine Jewelry – Keeping Your Jewelry Safe From Burglars

février 4, 2010 à 4:20 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , ,

It is very important to keep your fine jewelry in safe places so as to prevent burglars from taking away your precious pieces. There are lots of households who just leave their fine jewelry lying around on the dressing tables, which they are ruing the pain of losing them so easily to burglary.

So what can you do to keep your jewelry safe from burglars? Let us discuss here:

One good idea is to keep your jewelry in « real items » such as can, books, and even electrical outlets. These places are too obvious for the burglars to take note of. The burglars will most likely think that your jewelry should be hidden in a safe or jewelry boxes, whereby they will usually rush through and look through the obvious spots rather than opening every books on the bookshelves or shaking every can in the fridge.

If you are deciding to use soda cans to hide your fine jewelry, make sure that you stuff enough tissues with your jewelry into them so as to prevent them from producing rattling sounds when shake.

A burglary will usually take place in the dark and the burglar will most like need to rush through to avoid detection. The likelihood of them finding a hidden compartment among electrical outlets or soda cans will be very slim, which explains why these places are the best choice when comes to hiding your fine jewelry.

Always be prepared, you will never know when a burglary will occur even though the security nowadays is better than the past.

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Silver and Gold Charms Are a Great Sentimental Gift

février 3, 2010 à 10:19 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , ,

Almost all civilizations from Chinese to the Greeks and the Egyptians have recorded documentation about gold and silver charms and their popularity. Initially these were worn to ward off the ghosts, spirits and the evil eye. With the passing of the centuries, people started wearing charms in different styles. Today, charms are not just ornaments but they are also great sentimental gifts. The best part about them is that they are gifts forever. So every time the person looks at the charm, they are reminded of your feelings towards them.

Even today people wear and them as gift for luck and love. These charms are generally figures, which can be studded with gems or simply made. Charms that are gifted with love and sentiments are known to bring luck to the wearer. It really doesn’t matter if the receiver believes in charms or not. People always like presents that have some element of good luck associated with them.

Now days they have become a great way of expressing your feelings for your loved one, friends or family. Silver charms look great on bracelets and chains. Moreover, they are a great gift for all kinds of events and happenings including weddings, birthdays, Valentine’s Day and even Friendship day. Both gold and silver charms are available in wide range of styles and themes; hence you can choose a charm that complements the personality, taste, style or a hobby of the person. If a person loves a particular sport or place or anything else, you can gift a charm associated with that. You can even gift a silver charm that can depict the depth of your feelings for the person.

These days shopping for charms is so much fun and enjoyable since you get to see so many different patterns, designs and shapes and sizes. You can get all kinds of designs that fit your budget perfectly. Since there are a plethora of choices, here are pointers to choose the right charm for your loved one:

What does the person like? Does he like gold charms or silver charms? If they like gold charms, then there are many varieties like white gold, yellow gold or even studded gold to choose from. Try to find out their preferences. You need to choose a charm that is easy to remove but is sturdy as well. A charm with usable and sturdy clasps should be chosen.

Gold and silver charms are perfect gifts for those occasions where you want to express your sentiments to the person you love. It can be your mate, friends or family or even your neighbor. It can an occasion like Valentines, Christmas, birthdays or even no occasions where you just want to express your feelings towards the person.

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Review of Zenith Limited Edition Vintage 55 Men’s Wristwatch

février 3, 2010 à 4:18 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , , , , ,

Zenith, the renowned French owned but Swiss based watch manufacturer since 1865, is among the beloved watch brands. This review is about a new member of its growing Vintage collection. The new Zenith Limited Edition Vintage 55, as the name shows, evokes feeling of the past. Only 100 pieces are available all over the globe.

The new timepiece features simple but finely built. It is among the models of showing the brand’s decision to change for new direction. It features a 40mm wide 18k rose gold round case with matching hands and hour markers, and chocolate brown for the dial and leather strap. Its designers really perfectly combine these two colors. The compared brown not only boasts vintage appeal for those who like simple design, but also gives it a trendy and contemporary look. Only one arabic numeral is used at 12 o’clock position. Inside, there is a thin (4mm thick) Zenith caliber 689 automatic in-house made movement and it’s COSC chronometer certified. It has double AR-coated sapphire crystals and is water resistant to 30 meters. Besides, it is powered by the automatic Zenith in-house caliber 689.

To be honest, as the first sight, it reminds me of the similar design from brands such as Chopard, Union Glashutte, Patek Philippe. Nevertheless, based upon the classic retro look, it looks somewhat trendy with a now « in » vintage look and brown dial.

Nevertheless, the watch really leaves a deep impression of understated elegance. If you are searching a classic timepiece with new trendy look, look no further than the Zenith Vintage 55.

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Wood Can Make Fine Jewelry

février 3, 2010 à 10:17 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé

Who would have thought that natural materials like rocks, native string and woods would be used for jewelry today? Way back hundreds years ago, our natives used to have body accessories made of these native materials. Aside from shells found in rivers and seas, wood was also abundant during this period.

Wearing jewelry can improve one’s personality, self esteem and general positivity. The evolution of gold, silver and metals used as a material for jewelry completely engulfed the needs of the people and native jewelry somewhat vanished due to lack of expert hands to craft natural products. Now, experts have discovered a way to surpass the struggle and can now produce wooden jewelry and make them into fine pieces.

Wooden jewelry can be mixed with glass, plastics, beads and other affordable materials, shaped and painted to produce tremendous fashion styles. We owe these fashions to the expertise of jewelry companies and homemakers.

Among these wooden jewelry types are wooden bracelets having a floret design, made of beads and glass; flowered wooden dress clips; wooden beaded pins; multi-colored wooden coin purses; wooden beads and leaves necklace and wooden brooches. Native jewelers designed and handcrafted this wooden jewelry and other accessories using sometimes laminated materials in various color integrations and mixed-up. Synthetic gemstones and light weight jewelry combined with woods are made for many people.

You might worry about the durability of this craftsmanship but jewelers provide excellent value guarantees and offer superior quality – provided you choose carefully.

Bracelets are composed of laminated pieces of wood, handcrafted and mixed with beads and gemstones, wired with 14 karat wire and clasped with sterling silver or gold plated material. Other wooden jewelry is made of colorful veneers, laminated dangles made of woods and wooden beads. Small and large hair barrettes are sometimes made of French back designs.

Wood can also be useful in making hair sticks. Laminated colorful veneered hair sticks provide durability and strength. They can be purchased individually. You can create many versions of hairstyles out of a single hair stick.

As with other jewelry, these superior handmade wooden jewelry types are ideal for anniversaries and birthdays.

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Scuba Diving in the Virgin Islands

février 3, 2010 à 4:16 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , ,

When it comes to scuba diving, the United States is sorely lacking in popular dive destinations. Aside from one living coral reef scuba diving site stateside, the US really has very little to offer unless you count the US Virgin Islands. The US Virgin Islands include 50 islands located in the Caribbean all of which offer unique and breathtaking scuba diving experiences.

The numerous islands and scuba diving locations of the US Virgin Islands make it impossible to see everything that this area has to offer during one vacation. You could literally spend years in the US Virgin Islands and still not discover each and every secret kept by the watery depths, secrets that are revealed on e by one to adventurous souls who go scuba diving in the warm Caribbean waters surrounding the US Virgin Islands.

While there are numerous islands that make up the US Virgin Islands, many vacationers to this area focus the bulk of their scuba diving activity directly off the shores of one of the main three islands which include St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. All three islands offer numerous snorkeling and scuba diving sites for novice divers and advanced divers alike. The sites feature pristine, beautiful corals inhabited by numerous critters of every variety imaginable. Here is a brief overview of the three main islands of the US Virgin Islands:

St. Thomas – St. Thomas has several prime scuba diving locations featuring shipwrecks, brightly colored coral, and an abundance of marine life. One of the most notable shipwrecks in all of the US Virgin Islands, the General Rogers, can be accessed by a boat trip to Pillsbury Sound. The General Rogers, formerly used by the US Coast Guard, was intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef. Today it is covered with bright sponges and coral and is home to angelfish, grunts, and goatfish. Another great scuba diving site of St. Thomas can be reached by simply walking off the beach. Coki Point, as it’s called, is home to damselfish, Sergeant Major, and parrotfish.

St. John – More than half of the island of St. John is dedicated as a National Park. This means that the dive sites off of this island are in top shape and protected by the government. Here you will turtles, swarming silversides, cruising reef sharks, and waving sea rods at Carval rock and stingrays at Congo Cay.

St. Croix – The largest of the US Virgin Islands, St. Croix has more than 20 dive sites featuring vertical walls, pinnacles, ledges and caverns. Not only is this island home to some of the best scuba diving locations in the world, it also has a lot to offer those seeking dry pursuits.

The endless variety of the US Virgin Islands is what keeps many people coming back to the area to enjoy scuba diving year after year. Here, you could spend a lifetime of vacations and still not get to experience everything that these Caribbean islands have to offer.

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Collecting Costume Jewelry for Profit

février 2, 2010 à 10:15 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , , ,

While costume jewelry is all the rage right now and can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of fine jewelry alternatives, vintage pieces can be worth serious money in today’s marketplace. Initially, this fine jewelry alternative made an appearance in the states following the conclusion of World War I. Initially purchased in French boutiques by gi’s preparing to return home after winning the war, the inexpensive jewelry became the new fashion sensation. Demand for the high quality imitation pieces reached incredible heights during the « roaring twenties » and a host of new manufacturers rushed to meet the surging demand, including: Florenze; Trifari; and Weiss.

Vintage costume pieces are classified as any ring, necklace, or other type of jewelry not prominently featuring any precious metal or gemstone and made in relatively large quantities. It is literally cheap if compared to their fine jewelry counterparts. Essentially, the imitation pieces are the rock bottom alternative to the far higher priced fine jewelry.

When released initially, authentic fashion jewelry could easily be found in the one to five dollar range prior to World War II. The Great Depression and poor sales caused some of the jewelry manufacturers to go out of business but a surprising number did manage to hang on. The height of popularity was reached in the late 1950’s through the late 1960’s. Today, high quality costume pieces are more popular than ever and make great gifts for young girls, teenagers, and even adults.

While originally quite inexpensive, authentic costume jewelry manufactured between 1920-1970 has appreciated greatly in value in many cases. There are three main things that help determine the value of authentic vintage pieces: Availability; Quality of Materials; Craftsmanship

While there were several manufacturers, they produced jewelry in varying quantities. It is well known that giants like Trifari, Florenza, and Coventry produced thousands of pieces each season. On the other hand, there were DeMario, McClelland, and Barclays who only produced small batches. Therefore, they are both rarer and have greater value when other variables remain constant. A Florenza bracelet will typically be worth less than a similarly designed DeMario bracelet. There are always exceptions so be sure to research pieces carefully because sometimes the larger players purposely produced some designs in small quantities making them more valuable than typical pieces from the company.

Without question, stone quality is a large variable when it comes to assessing the value of a piece of vintage jewelry. One place renowned for using exceptionally high quality stones and gemstones is Eisenberg so finding a piece that is not already high-priced is difficult but it is still possible to find a cheap unsigned one.

Currently, vintage costume jewelry made by companies like Weiss, Hollycraft, and Bogoff tend to be under-priced on the market and thus make a better investment. In addition, vintage pieces made from bakelite are worth major money in today’s market so be on the lookout for this hidden gem that sometimes appears at flea markets!

Besides the materials used, the quality of metal, stone, and/or gemstone play large roles in determining the value of a piece. Manufacturers known to consistently craft superior pieces were: Monet; Kramer; and Danecraft. These pieces tend to be more durable and therefore make to the marketplace in better condition thus making them more valuable.

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Tag Heuer to Keep Tiger Woods

février 2, 2010 à 4:14 · Classé sous Seiko Articles

Despite his new found reputation as a womanizing, adulterous, not so nice guy, the Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer has decided to keep Tiger Woods on as ambassador after a relationship of 7 years that’s had Tiger as the watch brand’s face du jour since 2002. At the same time, since people are hilarious and ridiculous, sales of Tiger’s preferred Tag designs are burning up the replica watches shelves as people aim to get that sly Tiger style. I guess the saying that « there is no such thing as bad publicity », that any and all publicity is good publicity.

It’s been a troubled month for Tiger Woods. With both Gilette and Accenture announcing they would suspend their Tiger Woods endorsement campaigns indefinitely, his sponsors are the latest fallout of last month’s bizarre lawn crash. Already Tiger has announced an open ended break from golf, and his wife has confirmed she’d seek a divorce-now his sponsors. However Tag Heuer has announced that Tiger’s personal life is « none of their business » and that Tiger is still « the best in his domain ». I’ll assume by that they mean golf and not love making, though he clearly has a skill for both. Maybe the question is which is he better at? Although I am sure that most of us would prefer not to think about it and just hope that the answer to that question is his golfing.

Meanwhile Tiger’s trademark Tag Heuer Link watch with his name on the dial have been keeping replica watches vendors busy like nothing else. More proof that people love controversy and controversy loves to shop.

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Fashion Beaded Bracelets – Inexpensive Gift Giving

février 2, 2010 à 10:13 · Classé sous Seiko Articles ·Taggé , , , ,

Making fashion beaded bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry pieces have become very popular over the past few years. From young to old, making beaded jewelry is fun, unique, and is a way to show off your creativity.

It is a great way to find a hobby that you can do with family and friends, allowing everyone’s imagination to go wild. Making fashion beaded bracelets, you will need to purchase the proper tools and supplies to create fashionable jewelry.

Most all craft stores will carry the tools that are needed to make the jewelry. They will also have an assortment of different beads that will be needed. The array of colors and shapes will be overwhelming at deciding on what to purchase.

If it is your first time at making fashion beaded bracelets, it is best to just try to stick with the less expensive beads when you are starting out. The sales people in these craft stores are enthusiastic about crafts, so always feel free to ask questions, because they can give you good advice.

When you are first starting out making fashion beaded bracelets, its always best to just purchase the basic tools. If your interest grows more for beading, you can always add to your collection. You will need the basics of wire cutters, a pair of craft scissors and jewelry pliers.

These are the tools that you will need to start out with for jewelry making. When you have decided on your beads, you then will have to make a decision on the material that will be used to string your beads together.

One of the best materials to start with, is elastic or stretch string. All that is needed to make the bracelet is to knot the one end of the string, and slip the beads on to the string, and then knot the other end.

You might have to place a small dab of glue at the knot for extra security of the beads. You can also use bendable wire, if you want your bracelet to be sturdier and flexible. A solid bracelet, you will need just regular wire to give more of a chain effect.

To fasten fashion beaded bracelets together, you can either tie the ends together or purchase a clasp. The clasp is much more stronger and gives a better finish to the bracelet. There are different clasps that you can purchase, some are more expensive then others.

A toggle clasp is very attractive, but can be a bit pricier to purchase. When it comes to making fashion beaded bracelets, you can use your imagination and make whatever style and design that you prefer.

Jewelry making can become very addictive, making this a hobby that you can spend hours at enjoying. It is a great way to give a beaded bracelet as a gift that comes from the heart and is inexpensive to make.

Everyone loves a gift that you have taken the time to make and have used your own creativity with the person in mind that you will be giving it to.

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