|
What is a 'Decompression Stop'? |
Jenni Calef and Steven Tucker - Cozumel, Mexico February 2007 |
In Scuba Diving, when breathing compressed air at depth, the diver absorbs much greater than normal amounts of nitrogen. Under normal recreational limits, the diver can always ascend straight to the surface and metabolize this nitrogen normally during a 'surface interval.' But if the diver goes too deep, or stays too long - or both - then it is unsafe to ascend straight to the surface. Doing so would cause the nitrogen to decompress and expand inside the body, and the diver would get decompression sickness, otherwise known as the bends.
In order to avoid getting bent, if the diver exceeds the limits of depth and/or time, he or she must perform a series of stops along the ascent, pausing at certain depths for varying lengths of time. These pauses are called 'decompression stops.'
In everyday language, the term 'decompress' has taken on a metaphorical usage, meaning to relax and unwind, especially after a stressful experience. Because I love to relax and unwind by scuba diving, the term 'decompression stop' has a double meaning for me.
I stopped in Cozumel to go diving last June after having spent two weeks visiting family in Kansas City. It was on this trip that the name "Decompression Stop Studios" came to mind...
|
|
Steven Tucker is a professional scuba diving instructor, and underwater photography instructor. He learned to dive in 1999 on a small island called Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. Since then, he has logged more than 1000 hours underwater, at locations throughout Thailand and in the western Caribbean.
Steven trained to be a divemaster in 2000, and after working for a short while became an instructor in 2002. He bought his first digital camera in 2005, and realized that photography was a great way to share his tropical reef adventures with landlocked family and friends. Two years later, after a trip to Cozumel, his wife Jenni urged him to put his photos for sale in their jewelry shop - and Decompression Stop Studios was born.
Underwater photography is not an easy task - just ask any diver who takes photos as a hobby. Nor is it simply a matter of acquiring expensive equipment. In fact, these photos were taken with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera, with no external flash. The key to taking excellent photos underwater has little to do with the photographic skills of the shooter. It is all about one's skills as a diver, and one's ability to anticipate the behavior of aquatic creatures. Nothing sits still for a photo underwater - not even the water itself is stationary, and neither is the diver! The dive photographer must have the ability to automatically deal with all these variables - moving water, moving subject, moving self - while still being able to keep the camera steady and press the shutter at just the right moment, without losing focus or orientation. And all the while, one must still maintain safety precautions - checking depth and air supply, navigating, remembering how to find the boat. (Steven has been known to empty an entire tank of air following a single turtle, and surface several hundred meters from the boat. Of course, the divemasters on the boat are always briefed about this possibility...)
It is a rare and special blessing to be able to see these amazing reefs and these extraordinary creatures first-hand. We are honored that you have taken the time to look at our photos, and hope they bring you just a small part of the joy that we felt while taking them. Thank you for sharing with us...
Steven and Jenni, Decompression Stop Studios, Eugene, Oregon 541-514-1851
|
Purple Sponge and Yellow Fish, Paradise Reef, Cozumel
|
