Bermuda has many WRECKS & Marine areas, which provide great opportunities for snorkelling and scuba diving.  Experiencing the underwater environment is fun, but there are a few safety tips which make it safer for everyone.

• Learn to dive from a professional instructor, and if you haven't dived for a while, take a refresher course.

• Never dive alone. Always dive with a buddy.

• Check and service your equipment regularly.

• Always use a dive flag.

      While most divers return from the deep without any problems, a small percentage have accidents. Recognizing an emergency situation early on is vital and gives a troubled diver their best chance.

Hypothermia can be prevented

Anyone can suffer from hypothermia, but it is preventable if you don't take risk.

Hypothermia, the condition which occurs when the body's internal or core temperature drops below the normal 35 degrees Celsius, has many contributing causes - chief among them being in or near water.

Its signs and symptoms, however vary according to the degree of body cooling. In mild hypothermia, the person will initially feel cool and start shivering. They might be clumsy and appear uncoordinated, even becoming irrational and confused. Often they will deny that there is a problem.

If cooling continues, people will eventually lose consciousness, collapse and die. The condition is avoidable, usually by following a few simple rules.

Always wear suitable clothing when in or near the water to minimise body heat loss - a wetsuit when snorkelling, for example. Wearing a hat is important too, because up to one-third of the body's heat can be lost from the head. Hunger and fatigue increase the risk of hypothermia. So eat regularly.

If conditions are too rough - especially if the wind is very strong - change your plans. There will always be another day. And, finally, if you or a member of your group is getting, cold, seek shelter and wrap up warmly.