The best news of all is that you can’t catch the virus underwater! Anyways, there are always ways to keep everyone safe while still doing our favorite activities.
What is Coronavirus?
This virus is spread just like a normal cold or influenza as a person talks or coughs and it can survive on surfaces for a longer period of time. It is really sensible to take your precautions against COVID-19 while travelling and diving to be able to enjoy the rest of your vacations!
The first step to protecting yourself and others while traveling and diving is to be up to date with the latest advice on COVID-19 by WHO. Information is power! Make sure to dig a little deeper into the information given by social media and validate what you hear with the help of official health organizations. Remember that just as in diving, panicking won’t solve anything! So stop, take a breath, check and validate the information you have, then decide and act!
Covid-19 – Measures in Koox Adventures Shops
Your health is our priority so make sure you follow the following special measures for the safety of yourself and those around you:
Use Our Sanitizing stations – Hand sanitizer, soap, water, and wipes will always be available at any of our Ko’ox Shops for you to use.
Maintain Social distance – As much as we want to receive you with a high five or a hug, we kindly ask you to respect the social distance of 6 feet, clearly marked in all of our shops.
Do a Brief Health Check – Your temperature will be checked upon entering the shop. All Koox staff do a health test to spot any symptoms so we kindly ask you to take the test as well. In case any symptoms are present, we will personally help you reschedule or cancel your adventure.
Wear a face mask – during your time in the shop and your adventure until your guide says it’s time to take it off.
Sanitizing your scuba diving gear against Covid 19
Ko’ox Adventures Family takes really seriously the health of our guests! So we want to share with you this easy step-by-step sanitizing protocol we use to clean and disinfect our equipment against any respiratory illness, virus, or bacteria in hopes that you use it as well for your own equipment or diving center!
The following protocol is advised, revised, and approved by different diving and health organizations such as Divers Alert Network Europe, World Health Organization (WHO), and the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA). Make sure to validate the effectiveness of the sanitizing products you use against the coronavirus, use face masks and gloves while disinfecting, and overall do not touch your face.
The first step would be to completely submerge your snorkel, mouthpieces of the regulator, and the goggles in a solution made of 70% alcohol or Clorox and water where they will rest for 10 minutes.
Then, the next step would be to submerge them in water with mouth wash for 5 minutes.
Once your equipment has been in both liquids then rinse them with lots of water and dry them very well with a clean towel.
And that’s it! Your equipment is safe & clean.
Here at Koox, once we sanitize our equipment we put it in a freshly sanitized reusable vacuum-sealed bag for you to open when you’re ready to go exploring. To seal the bag we use a manual vacuum to close the bags we have previously sanitized – following the same disinfectant protocol.
Now, What About Sanitizing the Scuba Tanks?
The air inside the tanks is filtered by two types of filters: A disinfectant filter that takes all the moisture and excess oil from the compressor and an oil purifier filter that cleans all the air from the mixes of oil and bad air. The compressor is set in a ventilated room and there is no one in that room while the compressor is running.
Should You Rent Diving Gear During the Coronavirus Pandemic? – Is It Safe?
As much as it is always better to use your own gear, we all have been in a situation where we need to rent equipment. But, is it safe to rent a regulator or other diving gear now? The answer is, yes. Just make sure the dive center is following good sanitizing protocols then is safe to rent equipment, remember that you are always welcome to ask about the disinfection strategies they are using so you can rest assured.
Useful tips for scuba diving the Covid-19 pandemic
- Use a defog mask solution, do not use saliva to clear your mask.
- Follow the previous sanitizing protocol step by step.
- Disinfect anything in your equipment that may touch your face, such as orally inflatable SMBs and whistles.
- Make sure the interior of your regulator is clean as well, not just the mouthpiece.
- Avoid communal rinse tanks, clean and disinfect constantly.
- Carry with you disinfectant wipes or disinfectant solution and make sure to dispose of them carefully and correctly.
Ko’ox Adventures staff is constantly informed on the recent COVID-19 stats and following all sanitary procedures and protocols as well as security measures to keep everybody safe while providing amazing adventures. So, see you soon!
