Scuba Diver Life

Cozumel is the kind of dive destination where the ocean does the work. Instead of finning against a current, you relax, hang in the water and let a warm Caribbean flow carry you along a wall of sponges and coral while the boat follows your bubbles. It is relaxing, it is addictive, and it asks for a few specific skills.

A shark dive can be the highlight of a diving life: calm, quiet and full of respect for an animal that has been misunderstood for generations. It can also be a muddle of crowded boats, rule-breaking and poor buoyancy. What separates the two is mostly preparation and manners, on the part of both the operator and you. Here is what to e...

A whale shark gliding out of the blue is one of those moments that rearranges your sense of scale: a spotted fish longer than a bus, moving with no hurry at all and taking no interest in you. Seeing one is a highlight of a diving life, but the animal is endangered, the best encounters depend on the right month, and how you behave in ...

The safety stop is the quietest ritual in recreational diving: three minutes hanging at 5 metres (15 feet) at the end of a dive, with nothing much to see and a computer counting down. It is easy to skip when the cylinder gauge is low or the boat is waiting, and just as easy to do badly. Here is what the stop is for, what the research...

Ear trouble is the most common injury in scuba diving, and the good news is that most of it is preventable. Equalising is a skill, and like any skill it gets easier with practice, patience and a few habits you can start before you ever get wet. This guide walks through what is happening in your ears, the techniques that work, and wha...