While diving deep under the water comes with its risks, the equipment has been tried and proven to be safe. All one needs to do is to follow the proper diving regulations to be safe.
Yet compressed air kits try to marry scuba diving with snorkeling. While this is a great innovation, without the proper dive training it may be more dangerous in the process.
Using compressed air kits without dive training can lead to serious problems like exploded lungs, exploded ear, decompression sickness, and even drowning. While it’s designed to be used just a few meters beneath the water’s surface, it doesn’t come with the proper gauges that inform you what depth you’re at. The only gauge it has is how much air is in the tank and its pressure.
In addition, it also asks you not to use the tank under a certain temperature. Yet there’s no gauge to tell you what the temperature of the water is. As a result, you could be heading for disaster without even knowing it.
So are compressed air mini dive kits like the Scorkl safe? Yes, with proper dive training and some extra equipment (depth gauges) or setting maximum dive depths, compressed air kits can be safe.
4 Reasons Why Compressed Air Kits Are Dangerous
There are many reasons why compressed air kits aren’t a safe activity without proper training.
Here are a few of them.
1. Can Cause Lung Explosion
One problem that compressed air kits have is that it’s advertised for divers who haven’t gone through training. It’s supposed to be a device that anyone can pick up on a whim and use on vacation. Yet understanding how to descend and ascend when diving is vital to your health. Without the supervision of an instructor, there’s a good chance you can hurt yourself.
One of the ways in which you can hurt yourself is by suffering from burst lungs. This occurs when you ascend while holding your breath. The pressure inside of your lungs becomes too intense. As a result, they burst.
In cases of using some compressed air kits in the swimming pool, incidents of burst lung were noted.
There are a few ways that you can help ensure you avoid burst lungs. The first is to never hold your breath while you’re ascending. You have to breathe normally. Secondly, don’t ascend too quickly. Most diving instructors suggest that you should wait around 40 seconds per meter as you ascend.
Another issue with a compressed air kit is that it isn’t recommended for those with pre-existing lung conditions. This is likely due to the fact that their lungs can’t cope with the incremental changes in pressure for diving. Because a compressed air kit is supposed to be available for everyone, regardless of training, those with lung problems may place themselves in danger without even realizing it.
2. Can Cause Ear Bursts
Another issue that a compressed air kit can cause is burst ear. This occurs when the pressure in your ears builds too much. If you don’t alleviate the pressure, then your ears may burst. Not only is this painful, but you may also lose your sense of hearing.
A few ways to ensure you don’t experience ear bursting is to continue to equalize your ears throughout your dive. You can do this by lightly blowing your nose which you pinch at the same time.
This should be done whenever you feel the pressure growing in your ears or at every meter. One of the most important aspects of ear equalizing is that you don’t do it forcefully. This can cause the ear to burst on its own.
3. Oxygen Content
One of the seeming perks of a compressed air kit is that you can pump the tank with air from a standard hand pump. Not only is this exhausting, but it means that the oxygen inside of the tank likely isn’t good quality. Typical air tanks found for divers is made of rich oxygen. Those that supply the oxygen spend tons of money on high-quality compressors and filters to ensure their oxygen supply is clean.
Breathing in unfiltered oxygen, like you will with a compressed air kit, means you could be filling your lungs with carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants found in the nearby environment. Even dust can cause the device to fail and make breathing difficult.
4. Can Cause Decompression Sickness
Compressed air kits brand themselves as a way to quickly and easily dive under the water. Yet all divers know that the more often you go into the water and dive, the more likely you are to suffer from decompression sickness. Even if you’re not diving in a deep depth, which a compressed air doesn’t recommend, the continued use of a compressed air kit over a short time is essentially the same as diving at a deep depth.
You should always make sure that you stay off of a plane or avoid going to high altitudes for at least 12 hours after using a compressed air kit.
Scorkl And Compressed Air Kit Training – Does It Help?
Before you try a compressed air kit, you should undergo dive training and compressed air kit training. Both of these training regimens will teach you how to safely dive. You’ll learn the regulations and practices for how to safely ascend and descend into the water. You’ll also learn when you should start to ascend in regards to the air left in your tank.
Because the tank sits right up to your face, it’s also important that you know factors that can cause a compressed air tank to fail. Learning about how temperature and depth influence the pressure inside of the tank is vital.
How To Safely Use Compressed Air Kits
Compressed air can be seriously dangerous. It’s important you understand how to handle it properly. Here are a few tips.
1. Never Point it At Anyone
Whether you’re filling it up or emptying it, you should never point the tank at someone. It can blow out an ear or even an eye right out of its socket. That’s just on low pressure.
2. Understand Pressure Ratings and Limitations
Never overfill your tank. It’s an explosion waiting to happen. Pay close attention to the pressure gauge as you fill it.
3. Always Use Filters
Your compressor should have a filter attached to deliver pure oxygen.