pocket. The insert helps maintain the shape of the foot pocket when your foot is not in the pocket. You should keep the inserts in the foot pockets whenever you store your fins. Gloves Gloves are considered basic gear in many parts of the world. Gloves protect your hands from cuts and scrapes and provide warmth in cold water (figure 2-9). You wear gloves in warm water to protect your hands from injury. They can be made out of cotton, a thin nylon material, or thin neoprene, some with a leather or simulated-leather palm. You wear gloves or mitts in cold water to keep your hands warm and to protect your hands from the environment. Cold-water gloves are made from neoprene. Your gloves should fit snugly and allow you to move your fingers easily. You must be able to handle your equipment while wearing gloves. Your instructor might have you wear gloves during your confined water training so you learn how to work while wearing gloves. You should not touch or handle the creatures you find under water just because your gloves are protecting you from the environment. In many cases, you can hurt or kill plants or animals just by touching them. Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to touch and many corals are easily broken. Many fish are covered with a protective slime, and removing the slime makes the fish subject to infection or parasites. Note Chapter 2- Diving Equipment In some areas of the world, you are no longer allowed to wear gloves when diving (for example: Cozumel, Mexico). This is to ensure that you will not touch the reef and harm delicate corals or other aquatic life. Flotation Device Divers should wear some type of personal flotation device for snorkeling and skin diving. The most commonly used piece of flotation equipment is an inflatable vest that is worn on the chest and is usually referred to as a skin diving or snorkeling vest . The vest is designed to slip over your head and fasten at your waist with a strap. Most vests of this design also have some type of oral inflation tube. Maintenance Maintaining your basic skin diving gear, as well as Diving Equipment 19 FIGURE 2-9. GLOVES PROTECT YOUR HANDS FROM CUTS AND ABRASIONS AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WARM IN COLD WATER. FIGURE 2-10. YOU SHOULD RINSE YOUR EQUIPMENT WITH FRESH WATER AFTER EVERY DIVING DAY.
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