Keeping your buddy by your side takes communication--before and during the dive.

Take a crash course and learn how to use your compass like a pro while scuba diving. Our simplified method will get you back to the boat without a lot of unnecessary math.

We asked professional fish finders for their tricks. Now the secrets of the masters can be revealed.

The boat looks generally battered and unpainted. A captain might be careless about the cosmetic appearance of his boat, but fastidious about maintaining his pumps and filters. More likely, if he neglects what the customers can see, he neglects ...

Make sure your octopus doesn't free flow. Detune it if you can, and mount it so its mouthpiece always points downward. We offer you fourteen strategies, eight tips, one unsolicited opinion on breathing off a tank in "Use Less ...

Stop. Before you leave the mooring line, pause to orient yourself. Are you at the bow, the stern or in between? Visualize the wreck as a ship, with a pointy and a blunt end, two sides, a top and a bottom. This can be deceptive when wrecks are ...

Avoid task loading. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle, because stupid is what you'll be. If you've got a new and confusing camera housing, get familiar with it at shallow depths. And it's not just the picture you might screw up at ...

Do your homework. There are several options for finding a dive buddy before your vacation. Check with your local dive store or club and post messages on the web in places like ScubaDiving.com's Diver to Diver message board and BuddyFinder. ...

A good dive insurance policy may be your best piece of safety equipment.