Hello! This is Totti, the owner of the shop.
Today I've written an article aimed at beginners. First of all, did you know that the sea of Miyakojima is famous for its "geographical points"? Please read the article below to learn more about these points.
Must-see! A comprehensive guide to Miyakojima diving spots and seasons
Miyakojima has a unique underwater landscape that is different from other areas. If you know what it's like beforehand, you can enjoy it even more.We have compiled a list of things to be careful about and highlights so that even beginners can enjoy this ``breathtaking terrain point.''Please feel free to read it without putting too much pressure on yourself.
We want to guide even beginner guests to famous spots!
The above are the things you should keep in mind when reading this article. In order to guide you, it contains some complicated content, such as common mistakes made by beginners and things you should keep in mind, but
Don't worry! Let's go to the famous spots together!
Of course, most beginners will join without reading this article, and we will provide thorough support on site.The most important thing is to have the desire to "I want to dive there!" and a slight question of "So what should I do?"
I hope you will read this with a light heart and think, "Oh, I see." So today, I would like to introduce some terrain points that even beginners can enjoy, as well as some points to be aware of.
The topographical points require a relatively high level of diving due to the depth and ups and downs of the course, but that's okay. Even beginners can enjoy it! Today, I would like to introduce you to the "strategy" for diving. It will be a bit long, but please bear with me.
Definition of Beginner
Before you read this article, I would like to explain the definition of a beginner before getting to the main topic. However, there is no clear definition, so I will roughly classify them based on the perspective of diving in topographical points.
- First fun diving after getting license
- Experience is less than 15 years, and years of experience are not relevant
- Less than 20 years of experience and more than 2 years of experience
- No experience of depths of more than 25m
I will proceed under the assumption that if you fit the above criteria, you are considered a "beginner." Here, the keyword "years of experience" appears, but this refers to the period from when you obtained your license to the present.
For example, let's say there are two people with 15 dives under their belts, one with one year of experience and the other with three years. You get the idea, right? The longer the experience, the longer the span of time between dives. That's what it means.
Diving regularly over short periods of time will give you more experience.
Beginner stress and symptoms
Failure: Not listening to what is being said
Humans are very delicate creatures who, when they become nervous or their mental state becomes unstable, are unable to do things that would normally be easy.
Therefore, even if we "clearly inform" people during the briefing before departure or before diving that "after entering, please gather at the front of the boat," it is common for them to wait at the back of the boat or ask "Where should we meet?"
Signs of nervousness include becoming extremely quiet or, conversely, talking excessively. Guides' explanations are long, aren't they? I get it. It's understandable that they get bored.
However, it's best to carefully select the important things and the things you can just ignore. If you don't understand something, feel free to listen to it again and again until you do! It's all for the sake of having fun.
Failure story: I don't really understand, but I'll just dive in and figure it out.
Even if you notice that you are acting differently than usual, it is not easy to control your mind.
And without realizing that I am leaving things I don't understand unanswered, I act haphazardly and end up failing. I often fall into this pattern in my daily life as an athlete (lol).
And this is an example that is overwhelmingly more common among men. It's also a way to show off your cool side to your girlfriend! (lol) Please check the steps carefully and try to visualize them in your head. If you don't understand, please feel free to ask again and again.
6 Strategies – Just remember these and you'll be fine!
Breathing and mental health are inextricably linked - Owner
First of all, the most basic premise is that diving is a leisure sport that is all about being relaxed. By eliminating all unnecessary tension, you can achieve a breathing technique that is like taking long, slow, deep breaths, which will calm your mind and give you more space.
As a result, your perspective will broaden, you will have more time to think, and you will be able to enjoy yourself to the fullest. That's the logic. The number one secret to enjoying diving is to "make it as easy as possible."
If you can always intentionally create this state, you will have so much air left that you won't have to worry about it running out, and you'll have more time to observe and imitate skilled players, or just have fun.
Good divers are already in the state described above. However, beginners need to use a little ingenuity to achieve this state. I would like to introduce 6 strategies for achieving this state.
- Breathe
- 耳抜き
- Increase the time it takes to reach the bottom
- Neutral buoyancy
- Swimming height
- briefing
1. Breathe
The minimum goal to achieve is to maintain a cycle of inhaling for 4 seconds and exhaling for 4 seconds throughout one dive. The distance between each exhaled bubble is 1 meters.
Breathing is closely related to your mental state. If you breathe quickly, you will feel anxious. Conversely, if you breathe slowly, you will feel calm. There is a certain amount of stress in the water, so if you dive without thinking about anything, it is natural to breathe heavily. That is why it is important to be conscious of this.
Anxiety causes you to lose your normal thought process, making it difficult to do things that would be easy if you were calm. Stress builds up and eventually leads to panic.
On the other hand, if you breathe slowly, you will be able to deal with minor stress yourself, report it to your guide before it gets worse, or take some other action, so you will not panic.
There are no exceptions to this logic. This takes priority over any other skill when it comes to diving, and even beginners who can do this can achieve almost the same mental state as advanced divers. And those who can do this will improve quickly.
Try inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds right now. It's a slower pace than you might imagine. Don't worry. Let's practice together when we get there.
2. Clear your ears
Minimum goal to achieve: Always hold on to the rope while descending. Carefully equalize your ears every 1 meter.
Data shows that 9% of people who have difficulty equalizing their ears "don't have enough ear equalizing strength." I thought this made sense, but what does it mean?
Very few advanced players have difficulty equalizing their ears. Many beginners have difficulty equalizing their ears. When you consider the trends you have noticed in the field together with the data above, the answer becomes clear.
The biggest difference between advanced and beginners is the speed and depth of breathing, and the conclusion is as follows.
- Advanced: Less stress means slower, deeper breathing → You can use all your strength to equalize your ears
- Beginners: Breathing is fast and shallow due to stress → Less force is put into equalizing the ears
As a result, even beginners can surprisingly achieve ear equalization if they focus on breathing slowly from the time of descent. When talking about ear equalization, what we come to realize is the importance of breathing.
Tips for clearing your ears (in order of priority)
- Take a deep breath and exert yourself
- Do this frequently, once every 1m of diving
- Rope descent is required, free descent is not allowed
- Tilt the ear that is not coming out upwards
- If you still can't remove it, increase the water depth by 1m and try again.
The reason why free descent is not recommended is that, although it's hard to notice, if you stay in the middle layer, you're constantly going up and down. If you manage to equalize your ears, you'll have to start again if you suddenly float up. Also, if you tend to sink, the water pressure will be so strong that you won't be able to equalize your ears fast enough, which will cause pain and you'll end up using more force than necessary.
If you hold on to the rope while descending, it's easier to maintain and control your depth, and your breathing will also become more stable. You can concentrate all your energy on clearing your ears without using any unnecessary force, so you can reach the meeting point in the shortest time possible.
3. Intentionally increase the time it takes to reach the bottom
Minimum goal to be achieved: Reach the bottom in all situations except when swimming while moving.
The advantage of bottoming out is that it cuts out all unnecessary movements and stabilizes your breathing and mental state.
If your neutral buoyancy is not yet sufficient in your skill level, you will inevitably sink. In order to avoid sinking in this state, your body will tend to stand up and you will flutter your feet downwards, and doing this for 40 minutes is, in a sense, the same as doing 40 minutes of light running.
This causes your breathing to unconsciously speed up, your field of vision to narrow, and fatigue to hit you after the exit.
Maintaining neutral buoyancy while breathing slowly is not easy at first, so intentionally increasing the time you spend on the bottom will give you a chance to rest.
Just by being conscious of this, you can greatly improve many things, such as your breathing pace, air retention, stress level, fatigue, and even the ability to look around and enjoy yourself. It's extremely effective, so please give it a try.
Basic posture for bottom landing
It's difficult to stop completely in the water because of the swaying motion. You lose your balance and end up flipping over and over. First, the basic position is "kneeling," and if you can't stop there, you can lie flat on your stomach. Give it a try. Just eliminating this flapping motion will save you a lot of air.
4. Neutral buoyancy
Minimum goal to be achieved: Properly control the amount you want to add when you want to add it, and the amount you want to remove when you want to remove it using BC operation.
The quickest way to improve your diving skills is to master using a BC. First of all, not understanding the true value of neutral buoyancy and not using a BC is the source of a vicious cycle.
The value of BC operation is that the more air you put into your BC to the right amount, the fewer fin kicks you will need. Experts kick far fewer times, with large, slow, effortless kicks. Beginners kick more times, with powerful kicks each time.
However, it is difficult for beginners to master 100% neutral buoyancy right away, so it's okay to start with 50% neutral buoyancy! Gradually improve your accuracy from there. Once you learn how to inflate and deflate, you'll be good to go! Marine Diving WEB - Emergency BC OperationPlease read it.
5. Swimming height
The minimum goal to achieve: Always maintain the same water depth as the guide. If the height is off, correct it quickly and frequently.
The basic principle of diving is to be at the same height as your guide. Let's say you're at 50% neutral buoyancy. Even if you think you're at the same height as your guide, you'll suddenly realize that your guide is way above you. That's right. You're sinking.
So what's wrong with being deeper than your guide? The answer is that the deeper you are, the more air you use up.
For example, if you compare the same person in the same tank at a depth of -10m and a depth of -20m, the person at -20m will consume 1.5 times as much air. In other words, when a diver at -10m consumes 40 air, a diver at -20m will consume 60 air.
The guide will plan the route, depth, duration and air consumption of each dive with plenty of time in advance, but if they run out of air, they will have to cut something short.
In other words, the only way to adjust is to shorten the time you spend at sightseeing spots or to spend less time looking at fish and taking photos.
If you are aware that you are using up air quickly, be especially careful as this can be prevented if you are aware of it.
6.Briefing
The minimum goal to achieve: Try to imagine the situations that the guide will announce and need to be careful of. If you don't understand, check.
The briefing is not just a place to talk about the highlights of the dive spot. It also includes important points to note. It explains the secrets to conquering the dive spot for beginners. This method is used because it is more effective when it is given just before diving.
We are serious about guiding you to the spectacular views that are right there in front of you. However, there will be some obstacles along the way to see the views, so we will let you know in advance so you don't get stuck there and avoid unnecessary trouble. This is the very purpose of the briefing.
※Points to be especially careful of
The biggest challenge is "the first one in a long time"
Statistically, about 90% of beginners feel more comfortable on their second run and are able to challenge more difficult points. However, on their first run after a long time, they are all over the place. If they make a big mistake, it's on their first run after a long time.
For example, forgetting to hold the regulator in your mouth before entering the water and drinking water. Not being able to sink the water makes you panic and flail around, consuming a lot of air. Loose fins come off mid-dive. Water gets into your mask and doesn't drain properly, etc. There's nothing wrong with being too careful. We'll take good care of you, so please stay calm.
Amazing terrain that even beginners can enjoy
Irabu Island
W Arch - Depth 16m
0 point
Snake Hole - 13m deep
0 point
Shimojishima Edition
Nakanoshima Channel - Depth 18m
0 point
Marine Lake - 14m deep
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Once you get used to it, you can go! A top-notch, "even more amazing" terrain point
Irabu Island
Cross Hole - 25m deep
0 point
Shimojishima Edition
Demon King's Palace - 25m deep
0 point
Summary
The diving spots listed above are just a few examples, and there are many more spots you can go to if you pay attention to the things you need to be careful of and get used to the water.There will be fewer points where you can't go.
If you feel like you've forgotten too many things, we recommend the PADI Skills Checklist to refresh yourself!
We will be responsible for planning the dive and setting up and adjusting the equipment. Also, compass skills are not used in fun diving. Just remembering and imagining what it was like can make a big difference in practice.
I hope that beginners who are unsure of what topographic diving in Miyakojima is like will be able to see that you can go to spots like this! It's not easy at a level where you can let go, so the excitement when you come across an amazing view is even greater.
We look forward to your challenge!
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