Sail Rock, Koh

Welcome
Tao

to your
OPEN
WATER
COUR
 SAM

ORIENTATION PARRISH
Sam.in.the
.sea
Introductions

MySSI App

What you need

Do’s and don’t’s

Your SCUBA journey

Contact and questions

BENEFITS OF DOING
YOUR OPEN WATER
COURSE
• Dive anywhere in the world
• Valid for the rest of your life
• Up to 18-meter certification
• Confidence when diving
• Globally recognised agency
•
OBJECTIVES
◦ Experience weightlessness 6 Academic review sessions
Master the skills 6 Pool / confined sessions
◦ Be a confident and competent 4 Open water training dives
diver Create thinking divers
◦

◦ THE TRAINING IS
BOUGHT,
A CERTIFICATION IS
 COURSE OUTLINE
Day Day 2 Day
08:30 Orientation 09:00 Academic Session 07:30 Ocean dives 3+4

1
09:00 Academic Session 2 3
12:00 Debrief, log dives

1 11:00 Mask workshop 12:30 Certification and

11:00 Setups, swims and 11:20 Exam photos

floats 12:00 Lunch

12:00 Lunch 13:00 Ocean dives 1+2

13:00 Pool session 17:00 Log dives and

17:00 Debrief debrief

OPEN WATER
DAY 1
THE DIVER
DIAMOND
WHAT EVERY DIVER
SHOULD KNOW

Knowledge
Skills
Equipment
Experience

COMFORT THROUGH
REPETITION
RESPONSIBLE
1. Dive competently

DIVER CODE
2. Maintain appropriate diver
health
3. Utilise a dive plan
4. Be a responsible diving
partner
5. Inspect my equipment
6. Diver awareness
7. Maintain proficient scuba skills
8. Respect the environment
9. Plan for emergencies
10. Accept responsibility
 HISTORY OF
SCUBA
James Bond: Thunderball,
1965

Early divers, around Jacques Cousteau,

1800 1943
TOTAL DIVING
• Snorkel System
SYSTEM • Delivery System
• Buoyancy
System
• Information
System
• Exposure
System
• Accessory
EFFECTS OF PRESSURE ON
THE SURFACE AND
UNDERWATER
• 1 BAR – 1 atmosphere of
pressure
• Saltwater – 1L/ 1.025kg
• Freshwater – 1L/1.000kg
• Absolute Pressure
• Gauge Pressure
 EFFECTS OF PRESSURE ON
THE SURFACE AND
• UNDERWATER
Boyle's Law – P1 x V1 – P2 x
V2
• Air spaces in our body
compress and expand due to
relative
Where pressure
is the changes
greatest pressure
change?
Release air on ascent AND
descent Pressure
Chart
RULE #1 OF SCUBA
BREATHE CONTINUOUSLY AND
NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH
DIVING
 SQUEEZES -
EQUALISATION

EAR
Push air from Nose to Ear
Rotate the jaw, swallowing or valsalva
No pain or force
Relax
Don't dive with a cold
Don’t use decongestants & NEVER dive
with earplugs Valsalva
How to overcome?
Equalization
 SQUEEZES -
SINUSES
We have 4 sets of sinuses

Sharp pain or wedging sensation

above the eyes

Prevented by never diving with a

cold
 SQUEEZES -
• Does not occur while scuba diving
• LUNGS
Snorkelling or freediving
• Below 1-2 metres if you descend without filling
your lungs with air
• Easily prevented by taking a normal breath
before descending while freediving
 SQUEEZES -
• If occurs, blowing out through your
MASK
nose can help to ease
• Mask imprint and bloodshot eyes
• A properly fitted mask is the easiest
way to prevent
 REVERSE
• SQUEEZES
Unlike other squeezes, can only happen on ascent
• Rarely happen and can usually be dealt with by ascending
extremely slowly
• Sinuses
• Tooth – small pockets of air left between filling and nerve
endings
• Intestinal squeeze – caused by eating gas-producing foods
prior to diving
THE SNORKELLING
SYSTEM
Mask
Snorkel
Fins
Dive boots?
THE EXPOSURE
SYSTEM
Heat loss 25x
more than air

Burn around
400-700
calories when
diving
VISION
UNDERWATER
Refraction
25% closer, 33%
bigger

Absorption
The deeper we dive,
the more warm colours
– such as red, orange,
yellow - diminish
DEVELOPING
PROPER
BREATHING
Deep, balanced and
rhythmic

PATTERNS
Resting: 6-12 litres of air
per minute

Comfortable adult diver:

12-16 litres of air per
minute

Consumption of air
increases with depth
due to Boyle’s Law
DEVELOPING
PROPER
BREATHING
Breathing Exercise

PATTERNS
Inhale 3-5 sec, exhale 4-
6 sec

Exhale should be longer

than inhale

Lung Volume should not

reach 100% or 0%
THE DELIVERY
SYSTEM S.C.U.B.A.
Regulators
First stage
Second stage
THE DELIVERY
SYSTEM - DIVING
CYLINDERS Aluminum vs steel tanks
Air – 21% oxygen / 79% nitrogen
(close)
Valves – DIN or Yoke
Size – 12 litres = 11.1 litres of
gas
Markings and maintenance
THE INFORMATION
Dive computer
SYSTEM Analogue instruments
SPG - Submersible Pressure
Gauge
Depth gauge
Compass
Your MySSI Logbook
Short
Break
THE CONCEPT OF
Positive Buoyancy
BUOYANCY (Balloon) Negative
Buoyancy (Lead)
Neutral Buoyancy
(You?)

Archimedes’
Principle

THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL

BC and weights
THE BUOYANCY SYSTEM
BC - Buoyancy
Compensator

Purpose
Features

The Weight System

Purpose
BUOYANCY AND THE
DIVING POSITION

ACTIVE
LEARNING!
Skydiver Position 0-15° angle, Arched Back, Broad
Shoulders
Using our Breath (80%, 50%, 20%), Weight Placement
BUOYANCY AND THE
DIVING POSITION

Good diver = lazy diver

PERFECT BUOYANCY
Improve Body Position for

SPECIALTY
more relaxed diving
Reduce Air Consumption
and increase bottom time
Learn new skills and
protect the environment

1 Day, 2 dives
5,000 baht
RULE #2 OF SCUBA
ASCEND SLOWLY AND MAINTAIN
DIVING
CONTROL
9 METERS PER MINUTE
VENT AIR ON ASCENT
 ASCENT
Ascend to surface 35 bar
reserve
TECHNIQUE
Ascend slow + controlled
9m/min

Deploy dSMB

Safety Stop at 5m for 3-

5min

Vent air on ascent

Kick to surface, looking

THE ACCESSORY
SYSTEM
Your dive light

Your dive bag

Spare items
ENCOUNTERING
PROBLEMS
UNDERWATER
Solve most problems

underwater

Stop, Breathe, Think,

Breathe, Act
AVOIDING PANIC
Stop, Breathe, Think, Breathe, Act
Proper breathing
Familiarity with equipment
Comfort and ability
Identifying and preventing panic

Can also be prevented by:

- Taking specialty training
- Honestly evaluating your diving
limitations
- Properly maintaining your Total Diving
System
PANIC AT THE
SURFACE
Keep a safe distance

Completely fill your BC and

instruct the panicked diver
to establish positive
buoyancy

If the diver becomes

aggressive or doesn’t
listen, swim around or
underneath them, grab the
tank valve to control them
and inflate their BC
THE VALUE OF A DIVE
BUDDY Helps in all phases of diving
Familiar with your equipment
Fun
Provides a second total diving
system
Buddy contact
1-2 body lengths apart
Selecting a buddy
Lost buddy
RULE #3 OF SCUBA
NEVER DIVE ALONE OR BEYOND
YOUR TRAINING
DIVING
THE BUDDY SYSTEM
B – Big – BC
W – White – Weights
R – Rabbits – Releases
A – Are – Air
F – Fluffy – Final checks
 RULES RECAP
#1 BREATHE CONTINUOUSLY AND NEVER
HOLD YOUR BREATH

#2 ASCEND SLOWLY AND MAINTAIN CONTROL

#3 NEVER DIVE ALONE OR BEYOND YOUR

TRAINING
HAND SIGNALS
OPEN WATER
DAY 2
EFFECTS OF
PRESSURE ON
BREATHING GASES

Partial Pressures
Air
21% oxygen (O2)
79% nitrogen (N2)
PRESSURE INJURIES
Question… Where do pressure injuries occur?

Pressure injuries on ascent are some of the most serious in

diving
They can be easily prevented by:
- Learning effective breathing patterns
- Knowing your physical condition and physical limitations
- Proper dive planning and diving technique
- Maintaining and using your total diving system properly
PRESSURE INJURIES
Lung overexpansion injuries are caused by ignoring the first rule
of Scuba Diving

Rapid expansion of air inside the lungs can damage the

membrane lining of the lungs, causing air to escape into various
parts of the body

Lung overexpansion injuries are easy to avoid, by making sure we

are constantly breathing, and our ascent rate is slow, adhering to
the 9 meter/minute rule

Symptoms are extreme and instant pain

LUNG STRUCTURE
Approximately 300 million
alveoli

Alveoli walls are very thin

Small volume with large

surface area

Susceptible to damage
from pressure changes
CIRCULATORY
STRUCTURE
Small, thin-walled blood
vessels connect arteries to
veins

Provides a large diffusion

area for gas transfer

The process of diffusion

OVEREXPANSION
INJURIES
1. Arterial Gas Embolism

2. Mediastinal Emphysema

3. Subcutaneous

Emphysema

4. Pneumothorax
ARTERIAL GAS
EMBOLISM
Signs and Symptoms
Unconsciousness before surface or within 4-6 minutes after
surfacing
Respiratory distress and/ or failure
Loss of motor control or paralysis
Headache
Vertigo
Visual, auditory, and speech abnormalities
MEDIASTINAL
EMPHYSEMA
Signs and Symptoms
Chest pain
Breathing difficulties
Weakness
Cyanosis (blue lips/ nail beds)
Unconsciousness
SUBCUTANEOUS
EMPHYSEMA
Signs and Symptoms
Crackling sensation in affected area
Voice changes due to swelling
Breathing difficulty
PNEUMOTHORAX
Signs and Symptoms
Chest pain
Breathing difficulties
Cyanosis (blue lips / nail bed)
Unconsciousness
Pronounced breathing, especially if lungs are collapsed
OVEREXPANSION
INJURIES
- Treat
TREATMENT
for shock
Administer oxygen – if qualified
CPR – if qualified
Get proper medical aid
Recompression chamber
OVEREXPANSION
INJURIES
- PREVENTION
Rule #1 of SCUBA diving
Do not dive with respiratory congestion
Don’t smoke
Learning the correct breathing patterns
Dive with properly maintained high-quality Total Diving
System
TAKE YOUR TIME! Rule #2 of SCUBA diving
SPECIALTY COURSES
If you want to be prepared for
any emergency situation, enroll
in the SSI React Right and SSI
Diver Stress & Rescue
programs

React Right & O2

1 Day, classroom only

Diver Stress & Rescue

2 Days, 3 dives

14,000 baht
DECOMPRESSION
SICKNESS
Caused by excess nitrogen
leaving solution in the blood
and body tissues

On ascent, N2 expands and

forms bubbles (Boyle’s Law)

Characterised by slow onset of

symptoms (greater than 6
minutes)
DECOMPRESSION
SYMPTOMS
SICKNESS Joint pain
Itchy skin rash
Vertigo
Headache and/ or Dizziness
Tingling / numbness
Loss of memory
Nausea
Motor paralysis
Unconsciousness
Symptoms vary highly and are often
caused by different things, so be careful
before diagnosing DCS
DECOMPRESSION
OTHER
SICKNESS FACTORS
Sickness
Age
Alcohol or drug use
Extreme heat or cold (hypothermia)
Old injuries
Proneness to blood clotting
Obesity
Medication
Lack of sleep
Extreme fatigue
Dehydration
DECOMPRESSION
TREATMENT
SICKNESS If a victim is suspected of having
DCS you should immediately
activate EMS

Treat for shock and monitor for

vital signs

Administer oxygen (if qualified)

and administer CPR (if qualified)

Never take the victim back down

underwater to recompress

Hyperbaric chamber
DECOMPRESSION
PREVENTION
SICKNESS
Plan your Dive, Dive your Plan

Monitor your depth

Proper buoyancy

Ascend slowly (max. 9m/min)

Stay fit and healthy

Take proper rest and hydration

Don’t drink and smoke

 ASCENT
Ascend to surface 35 bar
reserve
TECHNIQUE
Ascend slow + controlled
9m/min

Deploy dSMB

Safety Stop at 5m for 3-

5min

Vent air on ascent

Kick to surface, looking

AFTER DIVING
No flying for 24 hours – Lack of atmospheric pressure can
cause the nitrogen bubbles to expand

No massage for 12 hours – Pressure on the tissues can

cause the nitrogen bubbles to escape and form

No freediving for 24 hours – Constant pressure changes

can affect off-gassing

No heavy exercise for 24 hours – Physical exertion can

increase bubble formations in joints
Short
Break
NITROGEN
Nitrogen Narcosis is a sensation
experienced when the Partial Pressure of

NARCOSIS
Nitrogen gets to 3.2 Bar

On air this usually happens at around 30

meters

Caused by the anaesthetic effect of high

partial pressures of Nitrogen

Signs and symptoms

Treatment
Dives below 60 feet (18 meters) should only be
Factors that worsen effects of nitrogen
made after you acquire more training and
narcosis diving experience
QUESTION
If excess nitrogen can be a
factor in decompression
sickness and nitrogen narcosis –
what can we do to reduce our
nitrogen intake while diving?
ENRICHED AIR
(EANx)
NITROX
Enriched Air Nitrox is a gas blend with a
higher Oxygen content than normal air

A higher Oxygen content means a lower

Nitrogen content, allowing for longer No
Decompression Limits (NDLs)

Comes in many forms, most common are

EANx 32 and EANx 36

Allows for longer bottom times

Must be properly labelled and analysed

before use
Never conduct a planned air dive with a
EFFECTS OF
PRESSURE ON
BREATHING GASES -
EANX
OXYGEN
Oxygen breathed under a partial pressure that is too high
can be poisonous
TOXICITY
Oxygen that reaches a partial pressure (ppO2) of 1.6 bar
can cause Central Nervous System Oxygen Toxicity.

For your own well-being, SSI recommends not exceeding

ppO2 of 1.4 bar.

On air, the partial pressure doesn’t reach 1.4 Bar until

around 56 meters

ConVENTID – Convulsions, Visual problems, Ear disorder,

Nausea, Twitching, Irritability and Dizziness
EFFECTS OF
PRESSURE ON
BREATHING GASES -
EANX
SPECIALTY COURSES
Increase your bottom time and
safety

Decrease surface intervals Learn

new skills and expand your
knowledge Learn the key
concepts for advanced diving

Enriched Air Nitrox

1 Day, classroom only
CARBON DIOXIDE
BUILDUP
HYPERCAPNIA
Hastens the onset of decompression
sickness, nitrogen narcosis and oxygen
toxicity

Buildup of CO2 stimulates the respiratory

center in the brain, triggering the
breathing response and increasing
respiratory rate

Signs and symptoms

Prevention

Treatment
CARBON
MONOXIDE
POISONING
CO is the most serious breathing mixture
contaminant

Breathing a small amount can result in a

potentially tragic result

Usually occurs from breathing improperly

filtered air

Signs and symptoms

Prevention

Treatment
THE OCEAN
Covers 71% of the worlds surface

More than 85% of the oxygen in our

atmosphere is produced by marine plants

Humans lose heat 25x faster in water

than in air, causing a 400-700 calorie loss
when diving

Archimedes principle – something

immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a
force equal to the weight of the displaced
fluid

Sound travels 4x faster and 4x further

under the water
THE OCEAN
CONSIDERATIONS
Waves

Tides

Current

Visibility

Thermoclynes
MARINE LIFE
Coral reefs are formed by polyps that create
skeletal structures

Avoiding contact avoids injuries

You can damage yourself, the environment, and

the equipment

Injuries occur usually due to Negligence,

Ignorance, and aggressive behaviour

Respect and follow the local laws when diving in

marine/national parks
MARINE LIFE
HOW TO
PROTECT
Good Buoyancy
Stay in Diver Position
Secure your Gear
Don't touch marine life
No kneeling
Do not stand on Coral
Be a responsible diver

ONLY TAKE PHOTOS,

ONLY LEAVE
SPECIALTY COURSES
Learn about the impact of coral
reefs on our Planet Understand
how climate change affects
Corals Learn how you can help
restore coral reefs

1 DAY, 2 Dives

5,000 baht
REPETITIVE DIVE AND
DIVE TABLES
REPETITIVE DIVE AND
DIVE TABLES
REPETITIVE DIVE AND
DIVE TABLES
REPETITIVE DIVE AND
DIVE TABLES

Dive tables/ single-level profile vs computer/ multi-

DIVE COMPUTERS
FEATURES

Plan Mode
Logbook Mode
Dive Mode
EANx diving
Altitude diving?

Additional features?
TERMINOLOGY
Depth: The deepest point reached during the dive, no matter how briefly you stayed

there.

Bottom Time: The amount of elapsed time from the start of your descent until the start

of your ascent.

Total Dive Time: The total amount of elapsed time from the start of your descent until

you reach the surface

including ascent and decompression stop time.

Surface Interval: The amount of time the diver stays out of the water or on the surface

between dives,

beginning as soon as the diver surfaces and ending at the start of the next descent.
TERMINOLOGY
No-Decompression Dive: Any dive made to a depth and time that allow a direct ascent

to the surface without

mandatory decompression stops.

Residual Nitrogen: Residual nitrogen is the amount of excessive nitrogen dissolved in

our bloodstream and

tissues after a dive and all previous dives in a series. Since the goal is to make no-

decompression dives, the

remaining nitrogen is what we have to track during the diving day and week. A dive

computer does this

automatically.
DIVE COMPUTERS
GUIDELINES
Always have your own dive computer

Do not share another diver’s computer

Check the dive computer’s battery life before

diving

Observe the warnings and limits of your dive

computer

Remain within your limits and be

conservative

Have a contingency plan if your dive

PLANNING
THE DIVE
CONSIDERATI
Objective
Conditions

ONS Dive plan

Communication
Buddy check list
Equipment
Familiarisation
Entry and exit
procedures
Lost buddy procedure
Emergency procedures
Go/ no-go diving
decisions
THE BUDDY SYSTEM
B – Big – BC
W – White – Weights
R – Rabbits – Releases
A – Are – Air
F – Fluffy – Final checks
COMPASS
Magnetic North Needle
Lubber line
Bezel
Index Markers
Side Window
Reciprocal Compass Heading
QUESTION

What is the first piece of

equipment all divers buy?
MASK AND SNORKEL
FITTING WORKSHOP
TAKE CARE OF
YOURSELF
Diving can be demanding:

Maintain physical fitness

Don't mix alcohol and drugs
with diving
Wear proper exposure
protection
HYDRATION!
Proper rest
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHAT’S NEXT?
RECOGNITIONS

Specialty Diver
2 specialties, 12 dives

Advanced Open Water

4 specialties, 24 dives

Master Diver
5 specialties, 50 dives
(must include Diver Stress & Rescue)
WHAT’S NEXT -
UNSURE ON THE NEXT
STEP?
Adventure dives

Advanced Adventurer
1.5 days, 5 dives

Usually 10,000 baht

Just 9,000 baht for continuing
education
WE WANT YOU!
Being a Dive Professional:
•Be a Role Model
•More than a Job - Passion
•Live and work in exotic
places •Responsibility /
Community

Divemaster program
6-8 weeks, unlimited dives
39,000
 RULES RECAP
#1 BREATHE CONTINUOUSLY AND NEVER
HOLD YOUR BREATH

#2 ASCEND SLOWLY AND MAINTAIN CONTROL

#3 NEVER DIVE ALONE OR BEYOND YOUR

TRAINING
THE DIVER
DIAMOND
WHAT EVERY DIVER
SHOULD KNOW

Knowledge
Skills
Equipment
Experience

COMFORT THROUGH
REPETITION
RESPONSIBLE
1. Dive competently

DIVER CODE
2. Maintain appropriate diver
health
3. Utilise a dive plan
4. Be a responsible diver partner
5. Inspect my equipment
6. Diver awareness
7. Maintain proficient scuba skills
8. Respect the environment
9. Plan for emergencies
10. Accept responsibility
EXAM ☺