The real-world guide for divers who want to enjoy their sport to the fullest More than half of the 1.5 million people who achieve scuba certification each year are stymied in their pursuit of the sport because they lack time and money to enjoy the exotic diving experiences they've read about, and don't want to be confined to group dives. The Certified Diver's Handbook is the only guide to help them create their own diving adventures on any budget, on any schedule, in waters local or distant, and without the restrictions of group demands. Thirty-year diving veteran and photojournalist Clay Coleman provides the insider's tips and how-to advice divers need to equip, plan, and execute their own diving expeditions. Divers will learn how to: Buy or rent the best SCUBA equipment at the best prices - Plan dives to maximize enjoyment and safety - Find great diving sites close to home - Master underwater rescue procedures and shore- and night-diving techniques - Explore wrecks, reefs, and underwater caves Clay Coleman (Baton Rouge, LA) has been scuba diving since 1973 and is a freelance undersea photojournalist for national magazines. His photos have appeared in Sport Diver, Scuba Diving , and Boating Life . Declare your diving independence Now that you've got your diver s certification, make the most of it! The Certified Diver's Handbook supplies all the advice and information you need to make diving an ongoing and rewarding part of your life. This definitive, real-world guide is packed with helpful facts and suggestions on everything from equipment, safety, and rescue procedures to techniques for shore diving, drift diving, night diving, and much more. You ll learn how to take responsibility for your dive planning and your safety underwater. You ll also find: *Advice on renting or buying the best equipment at the best price *Tips on using and maintaining masks, tanks, regulators, and exposure suits *Techniques for underwater navigation in changing conditions *Strategies for avoiding underwater injuries and illness *The information you need to read wind, waves, currents, and weather *Tips on great U.S. and international dive sites *The fundamentals of underwater photography *And much more With The Certified Diver's Handbook, you can become an active, independent diver and make diving not just a special event, but a way of life. "From masks to valve regulators, from rip tides to thermoclines, from fireworms to sharks Clay overlooks nothing! You've never been through such a comprehensive course." Humberto Fontova, author, The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico "Finally a book written by a diver who loves the sport and manages to get his message across in an entertaining way." Chuck Nicklin, cofounder of The Dive Locker, Emmy award winning underwater cinematographer "You won't find a more comprehensive, easy-to-read book about diving. This is a must-have for divers of all experience levels." Bonnie J. Cardone, former editor of Skin Diver magazine, editor of The Fireside Diver: An Anthology of Underwater Adventure Clay Coleman, shown here in the Caribbean with his wife and dive buddy Sharon Coleman, began diving, photographing, and spearfishing beneath the oil rigs off the coast of his native Louisiana in 1973. A member of the Louisiana State Bar since 1979, his first article appeared in Sport Diver magazine in 1994. His writing and photographs have been published in numerous diving, conservation, and boating magazines. Declare your diving independence Now that you've got your diver’s certification, make the most of it! The Certified Diver's Handbook supplies all the advice and information you need to make diving an ongoing and rewarding part of your life. This definitive, real-world guide is packed with helpful facts and suggestions on everything from equipment, safety, and rescue procedures to techniques for shore diving, drift diving, night diving, and much more. You’ll learn how to take responsibility for your dive planning and your safety underwater. You’ll also find: Advice on renting or buying the best equipment at the best price - Tips on using and maintaining masks, tanks, regulators, and exposure suits - Techniques for underwater navigation in changing conditions - Strategies for avoiding underwater injuries and illness - The information you need to read wind, waves, currents, and weather - Tips on great U.S. and international dive sites - The fundamentals of underwater photography - And much more With The Certified Diver's Handbook , you can become an active, independent diver and make diving not just a special event, but a way of life. "From masks to valve regulators, from rip tides to thermoclines, from fireworms to sharks—Clay overlooks nothing! You've never been through such a comprehensive course."—Humberto Fontova, author, The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extre