A surface marker buoy, or SMB is an essential piece of kit for a diver, especially one who dives regularly from boats. As with any skill, using one should be regularly practiced, and as with all things diving, it isn’t as easy to deploy from 30 meters with gloves on as you think it’s going to be!

If you’re carrying an SMB, always agree with your buddy on the procedure for deploying it prior to the dive and as part of the briefing. You should be adept at using the buoy yourself, but it is always easier with someone else’s help. If you’re intending to make it a two person job, agree clearly on the surface who is doing what.

Isn’t it funny how you often don’t see the great dives coming? I suppose that’s because they’re often spur of the moment dives, that aren’t too heavily planned. I had one yesterday. There wasn’t anything spectacular to see, we didn’t break any depth or time records, it was simply a great combination of superb conditions, a buddy I trust totally and everything working exactly as it should. So here’s the story:

We had decided to dive at Charco del Palo in Lanzarote, the weather was perfect – cloudless, stunning blue skies and almost no wind. As it has been like this for few weeks, we knew the visibility would be excellent and the sea temperature a pleasant 21 degrees, even at more than 30 meters. We had been concerned that there may be a current, but in the event it was gentle and we swam into it on our way out and drifted back with it.

It was a relief to drop into the water – the air temperature was around 30 degrees, so the walk down to the rocks was a warm one. We swam out a little way on the surface, then dropped down to 8 meters to check the current. We’d agreed to follow the long finger of lava to the left at Charco at around 8-10 meters to conserve air – we were on 12 liter cylinders and we normally use 15’s.

Playa Chica is the “standard” dive site in Lanzarote, and the most dived area of the island. That’s because entry and exit are easy, there’s plenty to see, and the dive sites are all quite well sheltered meaning even when the sea is rough, diving is still safe and visibility remains good.

You can enter and exit either via the steps in the harbor wall, or by using the gently sloping sandy beach. There are also boats from the harbor to take divers out to the two wrecks which are too far to swim out to.

For some, being a dive guide might seem the ultimate job. Being paid to dive every day! Here are some facts about the job:

Aussie Diver, a regular writer on this blog, told us a few weeks ago about a dive being canceled as there were loads of “Bronzies” in the water at the dive site. So I decided I should research this creature so we all know what it was he was talking about.

The Bronze whaler grows to about 3.25 meters and fully grown, weighs in at a hefty 300 KG. They are found in The Atlantic, The Pacific, The Mediterranean and The Gulf of California. They don’t often wander inshore, and are migratory, travelling north in Spring and back south in autumn.

I recently “road tested” the AV2, along with Medical Mick, and I have to tell you, it’s fantastic fun! The AV2 is not like a conventional scooter that pulls you along, you effectively “ride” it.

Once in the water, you place the Tornado upright on the sand, with the prop side down. You then “sit” on the black plastic section and grip the throttle in your hand. By gently increasing the throttle you are slowly lifted off the sea bed and start to hover. The hard bit, much like the Harrier jump jet, is the transition from hovering to forward flight. To do that you need to lean forward and allow the unit to start pushing you. Once you’ve mastered that part of it and have a bit of speed up, you can stretch out, relax and enjoy the ride, as the unit, now firmly between your legs, pushes you along.

Badlies Cave is so called because a bunch of us, who are all lacking in the hair department, actually discovered the cave! It’s at Charco del Palo, which is a small village near Mala on the coast of Lanzarote. As you drive into the village, take the first turning on the right, and then the third on your left. This is a dead end so park at the bottom of the road.

From here you can see the beach area, which is where you’ll be entering the water – this is the first fun part! You can only do this dive at high tide, as the exit from the beach has a narrow channel which only exists at high tide. If the waves are running, it can be quite hard to get out against them, but coming back is hilarious. More on that later.

All divers experience fear, and probably more often than they’d care to admit. From the sickening moment when you’re gear catches on something in a wreck to a full blown problem with a buddy, any of us who have dived a fair bit will have been through these situations.

Then there’s the fear that you experience when you first start to dive. Will you use your air too fast? Will I remember to do all the things I’m supposed to do? Where’s my buddy gone? On any dive, you have to be able to multi task, and in the early days this just doesn’t come naturally.

The Dive Flag, or to use it’s full name “The hand held emergency location pinpointer” is one of those products that someone should have come up with years ago, and one which every diver simply must have.

If you’ve ever surfaced from a boat dive, in even a gentle swell, you’ll know that sickening feeling when you can’t see the boat. Equally, you’ll know how hard it can be to spot a surfaced diver, even with an SMB, from a boat.

To most swimmers, jellyfish are horrible things to be avoided, but to divers, protected from stings in our wetsuits, jellyfish are a thing of beauty as the glide through the water.