Changing the Non-Diver

Diving is one of my great passions. Its part of a relationship with the Ocean I've had since childhood, and one I feel strongly about sharing with the rest of the world. Much of the time, the "rest of the world" means "non-divers. When these "non-divers" happen to be friends or family, it gets even more important to find the best way to provide them with THE EXPERIENCE of diving…the first in a series of life altering, priority changing events. This first experience can be very much like a first date---it can make or break diving for many people.

Even though I "know" diving is an essential activity for the "non-diver", if I introduce them to it at the wrong dive site, on a day with bad conditions, with the wrong preparation and wrong gear---it will be MY FAULT if they don't enjoy diving, and this sets up the beginning of the end of their dive career.Many non-divers like to say that they have seen the underwater world on TV, and its nice, but they've seen enough. It is particularly not enough, if a family member of close friend says this. These are people we care about, and watching Jaws or re-runs of Sea Hunt can not be allowed to represent the most significant zone of life on our entire planet.

For over 20 years I've been diving, and trying to bring diving to those around me. The first thing I noticed was how hard it is to talk a non-diver into signing up for a scuba certification course. As is evidenced by divers accounting for considerably less than 10 percent of the population, most people WILL NOT sign up. They may not want to invest the huge block of time needed in class to finally get an hour in the ocean. They may not want to spend the money on all that gear, when at this moment, they have no idea if they will enjoy it----and to them, there is SO MUCH gear.

Some will decide against diving BECAUSE there is so much gear, and there is NO WAY they will put 60 pounds of tank, weights and bulky junk on their body and jump into deep water---there is just no way for these people.

Snorkeling and freediving is the solution for many who would opt out for the reasons just mentioned. You can get people into the water fast with a "dry snorkel" , perfect fitting mask, and a good soft pair of freediving fins. This will continue to be a great way to take non-divers to pretty reefs with shallow depths, but it has its limitations.

A company called Brownies Third Lung first introduced surface Supplied Air to me. Their system had a large air tube which held a little engine and compressor, which blew air down to two or three divers below. The divers would swim along a reef or wreck 10 to 35 feet deep, and their swimming would tow the Brownie along the surface behind them. The image at left I "borrowed" from Brownies, does a great job of showing just how well this concept works.

It was effortless diving, and even one diver pulling a Brownie would experience less drag than most scuba outfits. When you put three divers together, each was connected by Y shaped connectors, so that their own 15 feet of hose, led to a single primary air hose which fed all three air, and towed the unit on the surface. With the three divers swimming, each doing only a third of the pulling, this was a remarkably effortless way to cover miles along a reef. Each dive could last up to three and a half hours, regardless of diver breathing rates. From the first time I introduced a friend to diving in this way, I knew I had the real secret to bring the non-diver the perfect, first dive experience.

A funny thing happened on the way to showing the shallow reefs off to these brand new Brownie divers. The multi-mile long dives in 20 feet of water began to uncover reefs never seen by most scuba divers, and special places where you could stop and watch, and connect to the reef. You could literally become part of it. There was no timetable to worry about, no rush to get as much in as possible in the short time allowed. The connection would just happen; there was no need to force it. And with the connection, each non-diver would change, forever.

Details

Brownies Third Lung has changed a great deal since I was first exposed to them about 10 or 12 years ago. They are powered by nearly bulletproof little Honda Engines, and today they have a Direct Drive system that allows up to four divers to dive as deep as 60 feet.

Clearly, the 3+ hour run time needs to be enjoyed on the shallower reefs where nitrogen saturation will not pre-empt the dive, but the flexibility of the Brownie units is amazing.

Learn to Dive in just 3 hours !
In Fort Lauderdale, Brownies Third Lung has an introductory course to teach non-divers the joys of diving. It does this safely and quickly, and includes a brief review of diving principles and practices. An hour of pool work begins the learning and practicing of skills needed to dive safely, and then its time for an unforgettable experience---openwater diving on the reefs of Fort Lauderdale.

In the ocean, the nationally certified Brownies instructor leads a carefully guided dive using the skills and techniques learned in class. Non-divers begin to enjoy the drama and beauty of the sea in just three hours. After successful completion of the course, participants typically decide that this is an activity they can't get enough of, and either a full Hooka Certification, or standard scuba certification will usually move to the top of their life-style priorities list. While all levels of training are available here, the best aspect to me is the ability to get your friends or family the actual experience of diving, WITHOUT the huge time investment of a normal scuba course--an investment many just will not make.

Participants must be age 10 or over ( with parental approval) , comfortable in the water and in good health, free of respiratory or pulmonary disease. For more information on this, call 1-954-462-5570.

Brownies Third Lungs is an ideal way to enjoy recreational dives in the Bahamas as well as South Florida. Easy access, drive up locations such as beach dives like the 15 to 20 foot deep Breakers reef (in front of the Breakers Hotel on the island of Palm Beach) are great for divers of any level.

Even more spectacular spots like Horseshoe Reef ( about half a mile from shore in water about 34 to 45 feet deep---you can swim from shore with your 3.5 hour run time, but a boat makes more sense for most people ; the 35 foot deep Lynn's Reef in Boynton Beach ( also requires a boat); from Lauderdale-By-The-Sea to well past Oakland Park, there is a 12 to 15 foot reef which runs for miles, complete with its own mooring buoys ( its far enough out so that VERY FEW people would make this as a beach dive, but it’s a great use of the family boat or a Club Nautico type rental)

The Florida Keys, particularly the Key Largo, Pennekamp area, is another dead on home run, as far as picking a great location for a non-diver's first ocean experience. As important as the location is, there is still one slight hitch…..if you are not an instructor, you really need to have an instructor take your friends and family on this first dive experience, as a Resort Course type dive. While much easier than scuba diving, the compressed air dangers of scuba still exist with Surface Supplied Air like the Brownies. For this reason, you need to consider the Resort course outing as mandatory. Instructor choice and cost/flexibility may re-define the locations just mentioned, although instructors can be found in many areas. An actual certification on Brownies is possible through NAUI ( once you have your "non-diver" hooked), its called a "Recreational Hooka Diver" certification.

Its easier and faster than a full scuba certification ( about 30 hours total, with the 3 hour resort course allowed as credit), and it will open up this new world to the people you care about. For more information on this, visit www.browniedive.com or call them directly at 1-800-327-0412

By Dan Volker
Editor, South Florida Dive Journal