http://www.apnatalks.com/amazing-wow-cute-view-of-natural-pool-water/

Making a Splash!

Owned and operated by Mark Davidson, Tamburlaine has two vineyard sites – 30 ha in the Hunter Valley, and just over 90 ha in Orange, one of Australia’s fastest growing wine regions. Their Hunter vineyard is certified organic, while the one in Orange is certified biodynamic, making it the largest biodynamically managed vineyard in Australia.

Macquariedale was the first certified organic and biodynamic winery in the Hunter Valley. Ross McDonald, and his wife Derice,first planted vines back in 1993, but it wasn’t until 1998 that they became serious viticulturists and began farming their property biodynamically, becoming certified in 2005.

Krinklewood was established in 1997 and Rod and Suzanne Windrim, after attending a Stiener Agriculture course, began practicing biodynamics in the vineyard in 2002, then becoming certified in 2007.

Harkham is the new kid on the block. With Richie Harkham at the helm, they make preservative free (meaning no sulphur), kosher wine, from organically managed Shiraz and Chardonnay vineyard sites.

Each of these four real wine producers make wines of outstanding quality and energy. There seems to be an inherent vibrancy and luminosity with wines that are made in this way, using organic and biodynamic farming methods, which is evidenced by what’s in the glass.

What’s In Your Glass? Macquariedale’s first Hunter Pinot Noir!

After the recent successes of the Real Wine Fair in London, which I was lucky enough to attend in it’s inaugural year, and the gigantic love-in at the Rootstock Festival in Sydney, I decided that the Hunter Valley, along with these four real wine producers, would be the perfect place to organise our very own real wine fair to celebrate the relatively unknown and alternative side to Australia’s oldest wine making region.

Together with friend, and fellow wine journalist, Patrick Haddock aka the Wining Pom, we decided that Newcastle would be the perfect place to host such an event, on the doorstep of the Hunter Valley, and in the mouth of the Hunter River. To accompany the lead up to the event we decided it would be a good idea to sink some booze.

With equal parts curiosity, experimentation, and public relations, the four producers each donated two bottles for Patrick and I, with help from Peter Freeman and a small dive team from Dive Skate and Ski, to sink the wine into the mouth of the Hunter River in Newcastle Harbour.

The Wine Ark

The idea comes from a discovery of the world’s oldest vintage Champagne, found inside a shipwreck near the Aland Islands between Finland and Sweden. The bottles, believed to originate from the 1780′s, had sunken to a depth of 60 meters and remained there, undisturbed, for over 100 years. A Californian winery has also experimented with aging their wine in the ocean, just off the coast in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor.

Something like this, however, has never been attempted before in the Hunter Valley – a place once known for it’s pioneering and innovation, which has now been translated into tradition and heritage with the inevitable passing of time.

So, in the spirit adventure, and in a Hunter Valley first, last Sunday, the 28th of April, we sent eight bottles of organic/biodynamically grown wine from the Hunter Valley’s four real wine producers to the bottom of the Hunter River, thereby expanding the concept of terroir to a natural conclusion, and establishing a literal connection between earth and water.

Swimming out and sinking to new depths…

In addition to either a screw cap or cork closure, made by the winery themselves, we had the bottles wax sealed, with wax generously donated by Richie Harkham, and had the bottles taped and zipped up in individual zip lock bags to retain the integrity of the labels, in order to identify them properly, and prevent them from peeling off and polluting the river.

The wine will remain at a depth of 10 meters, for up to 3 months, during which time they will be completely submerged at a consistent temperature and subject to the gentle rhythms and motions of the ocean in Newcastle Harbour. The hope is that these movements will have a positive effect on the overall flavour profile of the wine inside the bottles, creating something truly unique that’s never been tried or tasted before in the Hunter.

It is wine idealism at it’s finest.

D// - The Wine Idealist

- – - -

The eight bottles we sunk were:

• Tamburlaine         –  2011 Reserve Syrah and Semillon (Hunter Valley)
• Macquariedale     - 2012 Verdelho and 2011 Merlot
• Krinklewood         - 2010 Semillon and Basket Press Shiraz
• Harkham                – 2011 Aziza’s Chardonnay and Old Vine Shiraz

The bottles will be tasted at the inaugural – What’s In Your Glass? – dinner at Bacchus restaurant, Newcastle, on July 28th. Tickets on sale soon!

Reblogged from Cytherean Dreams:

They be on their suit and tie, shit tied… shit tied.

When a penguin finds it’s mate, they stay together forever.

For pointing that whale shark out to us. Might have missed it otherwise

“…dive deep into your soul and explore it.”

- Tori Amos

http://gaelsphotography.smugmug.com

“I could sing a song for You, my God, with everything I have in me, but it’s never loud enough after all…”         –David Crowder Band

This song might as well be mine. I sit here and look back on this year and all that has happened and all that has hurt and all God has done—and I am filled with gratitude. There are not enough words to describe Him, not enough songs to praise Him, not enough acts of love that I could ever do to repay Him. But I long to give Him tribute in some way, so this will be it.

Where do I even begin? God is present, God is faithful, God is near. He is here. This year has been one of the hardest of my life, but His presence has sustained me in ways I could not even fully describe to you. He has been so close—almost tangible at times.

Let me give you a bit of background so that you can better appreciate the extent of God’s mercy on me. This past summer I worked at camp, and I loved it, and I loved the kids, but I was so struck by the horrible things some of them are going through, and I was so angry because of it. I was angry at the situations, at their parents, at God. I got back to school, and I was still angry. And I had my kids at Poka, and so many of them were still struggling with the same things they have been struggling with for the past two years, and I just wasn’t seeing progress, so I was angry. I questioned God. I told Him I didn’t like what He was doing. I tried to find answers and still found none. And so He sent me to the most amazing conference in Waco, Texas, that brought me back and gave me hope and reminded me of His purposes and His love—and my purpose in the midst of it.

Two weeks later, the real storm hit. Since November, my family has been undergoing a severe crisis that has only just begun to lessen in the past month or so. I can’t adequately describe it to you—the pain, the stress, the horrible, consuming fear that for a while had me seeing monsters in shadows and faces in dark curtains. The people I love most in the world have been hurting so much, and I have been here in Auburn—ten hours away—with no way to make it better, no way to make it stop. I do not have the words to make you understand that feeling of helplessness, unless you’ve felt it yourself.

It’s like I’ve been through a fire or in the midst of a battle. But my God is a shield around me! (1 Peter 1:5) He is the One who pulled me through the fire, He fought my battles, He grasped my hand to keep me from the waters that were too strong for me! How can I thank Him enough?

I cannot find all the words to tell you all that has happened. But this part of it—what God has done in me and for me—that I can tell you. He has been working. He has been moving! I want to make you see! I want you to feel what I feel when I remember all that He has done for me, all the ways He has sustained me! The joy, the awe… Our God is not far off! Do you know that? Do you truly know that? I’m not sure that I’ll ever get to the point of being glad about this crisis, but I am grateful. I am grateful for the now-unshakable assurance of His presence, and I am grateful for the changes He has wrought in me—the deep, fundamental, essential shifts that I’m not sure would have ever been made without a catalyst like this. In the center of the crisis, God has taught me who He is.

God is love and God is good and God is faithful, and all these things are so true, but the truest truth is simply that God is. And that is enough. He is! Do you see the beauty in that? God exists! And that in and of itself makes all of life worth it. In high school, my faith was strong and solid and very genuine. There was nothing false about it. But it was also largely untested—full of beautiful words and wonderful thoughts and promises that were and are true, but still somehow lacking. This past year, my faith has been tested—and it has held. God has held. I’ve learned that faith is still trusting Him even when I’m angry with how He’s doing things, and faith is accepting that there are some things I will never understand. It’s finding the words to keep singing even when I can barely stand, and it’s walking with Him in the silence when there are simply no words to be said. It’s trusting His presence and resting in that even when I don’t have the strength to form lucid prayers and keep moving in a straight line.  Through these trials, God has been stripping back the layers of those beautiful words and ideologies to get to the deepest, most essential parts of who I am and who He is and what life is.

And in stripping back those layers and reaching that hard, solid core of my being, this is what I have come to: CHRIST IS ALL AND IS IN ALL.

And at the end of the day, that is all that matters. That is the core. That is the essence of reality. That is the song running through my heart, beating with truth in the midst of uncertainty and pain—Christ is all and is in all. Faith need not be coupled with feeling. Trust needs no sight. The reality is that ours is a broken world, and yet there is joy and comfort found simply in the knowledge that He is.

“The truest things I know are those I cannot see. From my birth to my dying day, I believe.” –J. J. Heller

To all of you who have been there for me this year, thank you. I cannot thank you enough. And to my God, my Rock, my Refuge, and our Deliverer, I give You my life and my love. There is no other option for me than to follow You. Nothing else makes sense.

“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” –Psalm 30:11-12

After having gone through Tec training with all those heavy tanks and trying to get off and on the boats, I really believe Rebreathers are the way to go.  They are lighter, last longer and make the experience that much more enjoyable.

Since we are talking about rebreathers, Hollis is due to release the Explorer which is an eSCR.  Electronically controlled Semi-Closed Rebreather.  That means only one tank on the unit of EANx 32-40.    The scrubber only lasts 2 hours, but set up is quick, the per-dive checks are easy and  this unit is light.  It is a recreational rebreather only.  Which may appeal to recreational divers.  I’m looking to get one and get my hours up so I can teach others to enjoy what I enjoy.

Then you have my children.  They are “jumpers.”  “Great, it’s cold but it’s not going to get any warmer so here I go” – and they jump.  All at once.  It’s a much shorter process for them and the shock is probably much less on their bodies.  Here’s the kicker – I’m the one who taught them that!  I can’t tell you how many times I have told them, “Just jump in!  It will be over and done. It will only be harder if you drag it out.”  And not just about the pool either.  Just get in there and clean your room. Just buckle down and knock the homework out.  Just grab the end of the band-aid and pull it off quickly.  The sooner you start, the sooner you’re done.

Achieving whole-hearted committment is much like getting in the pool.  When we first meet Christ and are infants of faith, we tend to jump right in.  We want everyone to know and we want to learn as much as we can and introduce as many people as we can to this incredible faith we have.  Then we start to “mature” (which I really think ends up being quite the opposite for many) and God starts to call us to more challenging kingdom building – lead a Bible Study, go on a mission trip, faithfully tithe or go above and beyond tithe, serve in an area we have never served in before – and suddenly, we really want to be dippers.

Let me measure the cost, God.  Let me see how it fits in my schedule.  Not sure that really fits with the budget, God.  Let me squeak a little.  Let me twist around it a little.  Let me whine and complain as much as possible about this calling.  Let me just ignore the pool altogether.  Let me do it, but let me do it my way.  It isn’t really my calling to LEAD the study God – let me just pray for the leader.  That’s where You gifted me.

I think God knows how He gifted us.  I’m notorious for this one.  Yeah, God.  That’s a really great idea but that’s not what You called me to and how You gifted me.  How crazy arrogant of me to tell God what He did!!

I think God intended for all of us to be faith “jumpers.” 

Deuteronomy 6:5 (but you should REALLY read the whole chapter for full effect)
You shall love the LORD you God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your might.

The capital “alls” in there are mine unless you have a really great Bible I haven’t come across yet.  There is no room for dipping.  God wants all of us to be fully committed to His call.  We may not believe we are gifted to be teachers, or prayer warriors or small group leaders, but isn’t that when God really shows up?  When we are lacking, He sweeps in and bolsters us. 

I think that’s what He really wants.  Reliance.  Sometimes I feel like the words “faith” and “trust” have been somehow diluted.  Reliance – confident or trustful dependence (Thank you dictionary.com again!)  That says “I know I don’t have enough on my own.  But I depend on you to be the rest and I know you will come through.”

It is my encouragement today that when you find yourself faced with a call or a task that is bigger than you or your resources, know that you have Someone to rely on.  God has the rest.  He asked you to do it and He will make sure it will be done.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

All you have to do is jump.

Well, we left Bunaken island on Friday morning, then straight to hospital in Manado. My ears were not okay, and just wanna make sure if it’s okay for our flight back to this beloved city. Then, straight to my Uni house, downtown Manado. Oya… Uni is like a big sister, we are like second or third cousin (it’s complicated family trees… qiqiqiq). She has two daughters and a husband … She is a very petit woman, but never ever question her boldness. She and her children has been staying in Manado for three years, following her husband obviously.

So, back to her place… We got down directly in the kitchen, cooking asam padeh meat (spicy sour stew meat). Wowhh …finally, meat …horeyy. I joked that I got poisoned by all week fish menu. She’s a housewives, but she runs stock portfolios from her house and does everything around the house… a super mom, efficient chef in the kitchen, devoted wife, and biggest supporter for her husband career. It just like my mom, on the devoting and efficient chores parts …but she’s still working. I guess, I have that in me… done some of it, with my father as the object.

Anyway, kudos for my Uni and can’t stop in awe toward her existence… She’s already took dive licence and dived more than 15 times. So, for anyone that think small size can hinder you from diving ….that’s a big no no excuse.

That’s my Uni, second from the left and her daughter is next to her.

This holiday was certainly great …that’s why on my previous one I recommended to have buddy or love one to accompany you on your holiday or travel.

The three of us have been friends for few years … So, many jokes and laughs …and we got to know each other more, gettin’ more connections in friendship directory. The secret was just to have fun and laugh …comment on everything no matter how meaningless it was, as a way to take out our ‘baggage’ for few moments. I guess that’s why the new people that we’ve met tended to see us like childish … Oh well, this is us …I guess.

Well, at the moment I am not like avoiding solo travel … even though, it would be nice to share the joy and fun with someone else

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Ok, well. Disini gue nggak mau cerita soal liburan murah, backpacking dan lain lain soalnya gue juga nggak menerapkan sistem itu di perjalanan gue kali ini. Disini gue cuma mau cerita soal “How fun this holiday is!” Hahaha.

Well, gue nyampe bali sekitar jam 11 waktu Bali. Kebetulan waktu itu gue barengan sama anak kampus yang rumahnya dia di Bali dan kebetulan juga dia dijemput ama cowoknya jadi deh kita nebeng di dia sampai hotel kita yang kebetulan juga hotel punya temen kampus di daerah Cokroaminoto Denpasar, buat nama hotelnya gue lupa hahaha. Dan akhirnya gue ampe di hotel temen gue sekitar jam 12-an malem. Disana udah ada temen kita dari Korea namanya Im Hwa, biasa gue sebut Im Hwa eonni (kakak). For your information kita belum pernah ketemu sebelumnya. Jadi dia ini solo traveler yang kebetulan punya jadwal trip bareng kita, jadi deh kita ngerencanain bareng. Well, setelah kita chit-chat bentar dan basa basi soal nanya gimana flight dia (dia dateng dari Ausie) dan kenalan gaje, akhirnya kita pun tidur. Hari pertama di Bali, alias tanggal 6 Maret 2013, kita pergi ke Nusa Dua buat watersport. Nah, buat watersport ini kita juga kebetulan dapet promo price dari jadi kita dapet harga murah . Kita dijemput oleh pihak watersport jam 9 pagi, tadinya pihak watersport nggak mau jemput soalnya hotel kita kejauhan. Aturan tuh yang dijemput cuma ampe Sanur tapi karena kita beli banyak tiket akhirnya dijemput deh. Begitu sampai di Nusa dua kita ngobrol ngobrol soal sistem keamanan dan lain lain. Abis itu gue sama Im Hwa eonnie ganti baju buat diving soalnya kita mau nge-dive nanti. Setelah semua beres, kita langsung cus ke pantai dan siap buat banana boat. For your information, ini adalah pertama kalinya gue main watersport hahaha, norak emang sih.           Setelah kelar Banan boat kita bingung antara mau main flying fish dulu atau mau nyebrang ke turtle island alias pulau penyu. Karena buat nyebrang kita mesti sewa boat dan kita cuma bertiga maka akan agak cukup mahal jadi kita joint sama penumpang lain. Karena agak berbelit belit akhirnya kita main main pasir di pantai bentar. Main pasir kayak bocah hahaha.                                                            And Finally! Setelah nunggu beberapa saat ampe gerah, maka diputusinlah kalau kita ke turtle island yang pada akhirnya cuma berlima, itu juga bereng tour guide kita, satu lagi mbak cantik yang so sorry gue lupa namanya T.T yang ternyata dia juga berasal dari Bandung. And then~ Finally~ Turtle Island~ Disini gue agak kaget, sejujurnya gue suka banget sama turtle jadi gue seneng disini. Dan yang bikin gue kaget adanya turtle yang beratnya ampe 100kg lebih. Gile!          Tapi selain yang gede-gede banget itu ada juga yang kecil dan bisa kita pegang sendiri, alias nggak perlu beramai-ramai ngegotongnye hahaha.       Jangan pikir di turtle island ini nggak ada binatang lain, ada meeennnn!! Gue juga tadinya berpikir kalo adanya cuma si turtle doang tapi ternyata banyak binatang kayak ular, burung dan teman temannya. Setelah muter muter ketemu sama binatang binatang ini. Akhirnya kita putusin buat cabut lagi ke tempat watersport. Tapi sebelum kita caw, kita foto-foto dulu bareng putung penyu yang gede. Daaaaannnn……setelah sampai di tempat watersport ternyata udah saatnya buat kita main flaying fish. Entah kenapa ini adalah wahana yang paling gue suka dari semua watersport yang ada. Tadinya gue pengen main parasailing tapi karena cuaca yang lagi nggak memungkinkan jadi deh gagal, well kapan kapan harus coba!Sayangnya waktu lagi main flaying fish ini si mas mas yang gue titipin kamera kaga sempet fotoin kita, jadi deh kita disuruh foto waktu udahan tapi masih di tempat buat flaying fishnya                                       Masih kesisa satu kegiatan lagi buat gue disini, yaitu diving. Ini yang paling gue tunggu! Gue belum pernah nyoba diving sebelumnya jadi agak deg-degan tapi gue penasaran hahahaha. Tadinya gue ditawarin buat di fotoin di bawah air tapi berhubung gue masih mahasiswa yang kere dan harga foto underwater itu nggak murah -kalo nggak salah 400rban- makanya gue akhirnya menolak. Yah walaupun sedih nggak dapet foto-foto dari pengalaman gue nge-dive tapi nggak masalah gue bisa lakuin kapan-kapan lagi, mungkin kalau status gue udah berubah jadi “desainer” kali ye bukan mahasiswa dekape hahaha.

Divingnya seru banget! Meski tangan gue akhirnya gatel-gatel karena kena “rumah Nemo” tapi over all keren banget. OH iya gue juga sempet nggak bisa nafas soalnya air laut sempet masuk ke mask yang gue pake tapi dengan cekatan instruktur gue ngebawa gue keatas. Yah walaupun diatas gue sempet dibilang “manja” karena nggak bisa nafas doang minta ke atas, but bitch please, I would die if I still in underwater! Gue nge-dive cuma sekitar 45 menit dengan kedaleman sekitar 5 meteran -gue lupa hehehe-. Abis gue copot-copot equipment gue diajakin berenang di laut ama si insturktur yang gue lupa namanya. Oh God, forgive me, gue susah banget ngapal nama orang. Waktu lagi renang itu, si instruktur ngajakin gue “mengarungi” bawah kapal, ternyata keren juga tempat bawah kapal ini, macem ada di sea world gitu. Tapi karena gue udah agak capek dan udah lumayan sore juga dan gue belum makan siang akhirnya gue udahan. Setelah kita semua mandi dan ganti baju kita kembali di anter ke hotel dan berakhirlah watersport hari ini. Nyampe hotel mandi siap siap abis itu gue dan dua temen gue ini dinner di Jimbaran, kita makan di restaurant Bl*e Marl*n Cafe di Jimbaran. Buat lo yang mau ngirit atau budget emang limit gue amat sangat nggak saranin buat makan disini. Mahaaaalllll pake banget! Kita cuma pesen cumi asam manis dan ikan bakar terus sama nasi tiga porsi minumnya jus sama satu botol kecil bintang dan itu abis Rp, 700.000. Buat gue yang mahasiswa kere harga segitu amat sangat mahal! Untung Im Hwa eonnie bayarin sebagian besar dari harga itu jadi gue bayar nggak terlalu banyak, walau masih mahal.Tapi kalau soal view disini bagus banget view-nya. Pas gue makan ini pas banget lagi sunset jadi momennya pas banget, indah dan romantis. Sayangnya ada yang kurang, gue kesana sama temen bukan cowok gue -_-. Abis selesai dinner kita dijemput sama temen gue dan diajakin muter-muter legian dan kuta. Oh iya Gue mampir ke Kuta bentar, tapi karena malem dan anginnya agak nggak nyante jadi kita disana emang bentar banget. Abis itu kita cari tempat ngongkrong dan akhirnya nemu di Potato Head.Oke, karena ini udah cukup panjang dan cerita gue masih banyak. Gue bakal ceritain lagi next time soal hari kedua gue di Bali. Hari kedua kita kebeberapa tempat keren di Bali! Oke, bye~

All in all, we did 5 confined water and 4 open water. I did not enjoy the first dive because I was busy making equalization. But the third one, was like opening a new space for me. When I was under the water, it felt like I was the only human being in there. I can only hear myself and heared it at the loudest …clearest. Yup, tranquility perhaps is the correct word ….a diver (Reto) told us during one of the night. And I just couldn’t stop to amaze with all the colorful marine life … coral, fish, and few vegetation. There’s an urged to touch them, but it was forbidden (well, I cut myself when I was accidentally touched a coral ..when I was trying to get proper buoyancy ….sorry). So, sometimes in few second I just frozed …staring at those beautiful and unique creatures (event though most are fish). And for me, it was also a reminder of how gracious and powerful God is….

Again unfortunately, we did not allowed to take any photos down there …because we were in a course, hiks. Well, we still had a surface photo, fully equipped though.

That’s us… with our instructor in the middle, on our graduation day …..horeyy.

Last night at the PFA awards, Suarez was booed at the ceremony when mentioned in the team of the year as well as one of the candidates in the PFA Player of the Year award – which he lost out to to Spurs man Gareth Bale who clinched this season’s title. With the Summer transfer season a blink away, it will be interesting to see if Suarez stays or looks for bigger names in European football who will be more than willing to pay for his services. There might be a slight doubt with the man’s mischievous actions of late but he is a type that can turn around a game. For Suarez, Champions League football will be a selling point as Liverpool scrape the first half of the league table. For Liverpool, it would be a huge loss but a simple blessing in disguise – with new boy Sturridge in top form and Coutinho finding his feet, Liverpool will have to build from the ground up again and should be looking at more strike options come July. Henderson, too, is finding form in the middle and is not afraid of finding the net. We don’t know if Suarez has played his last game in a Liverpool shirt but I wouldn’t be surprised. Both Bayern and Juventus have lifted their heads in case Suarez looks elsewhere and the keen media eye in England will no doubt push him towards a move.

He will always devalue himself as a player if he continues being the go-to ‘bad boy’ of football and he has definitely not helped polish his own name. While there is a definite talent in him, there is no consideration for playing clean. Could Bayern’s Pep cool the man’s actions down? For me, the nail is hammered down – the club cannot run amok with several incidents like this every few months. There is no witch hunt against the man as some fans claim but common sense needs to prevail – who bites a player? He could be Rodgers’ ticking time bomb and one that needs to be shipped off before more defender’s arms are in danger. There is no doubt Liverpool can stand without him and there’s no doubt the case of Suarez might calm down in diverse leagues.

Hi there

Firmed up my open water dive dates and my pool session, I just want to bubble away underwater happily with the boyfee! Gonna have to take my SSI online classes soon since May is the only month where I still have a wee bit of time before the mad rush of work in June!

I cant imagine this is going to me soon!

Just thought that, since I have been reading up quite a bit on diving, why not share with people who might be interested in signing up for diving! Here are  some of the details which I thought might be helpful!

There are 2 types of diving license: SSI or PADI. So basically from all the readings which I have been doing online, neither certification is better than the other, as it depends on the level and skill of your instructor to teach you the skills, drills and techniques underwater.

PADI and SSI are just certifications with different level of flexibility in their modules, PADI being more rigid compared to SSI.

SSI is usually cheaper than PADI. At the Dive Expo, PADI was an additional $50 for the open water course. You can also choose to take SSI Open Water course before later switching to a PADI Advance Dive as well. This is the route which I intend to take, so that I can save money from my open water course, and have a short advanced diving course.

I am presuming that PADI is more expensive because it doesnt need as much courses/stages compared to SSI to complete the advance diving cert. You can see more of the course structure for SSI and for PADI by clicking on their names.

(Speaking on SSI course structure with Simply Scuba)

1. Go online to SSI website and complete the online course and test
2. Submit the results and go for a pool session to learn to handle your equipment
3. Pass your pool session and head over to Tioman (or whatever destination you had picked)
4. Take 5 dives under the tutelage of your instructor (Max of 6 students to 1 instruction + 1 dive master)
5. Take a MCQ test to test your knowledge
6. Complete all your dives and Taaadahhh you are a certified diver!

Honestly, it is up to you. For me, I walked around the entire ADEX to find that Simple Scuba had the cheapest rates. What’s more is that Ashley have dived with this company before and she strongly recommended them to myself, because they had a dive shop in Tioman which makes renting the equipment, accommodation and planning the entire trip much easier.

They are also flexible with the dates for pool and dive dates, as compared to some other dive schools that die die want you to commit to a certain pool session date for your dive.

It is up to you! I got my own mask at ADEX because I forever have an issue with my mask when I am snorkeling. for example:
1. My hair totally tangle up with the straps. Gonna get a mask strap cover to counter that problem.
2. My mask will have water slowly leaking in. (Apparently it is because mask too big for my face)
3. Water keep slipping into my nose area cause I have the tendency to pinch my nose under water and the rubber rides up.

My mask is the mares X-Vision LiquidSkin for $69. Got it from ScubaPeople

**It is important for you to try out the masks to know which one suits your face best! So please go try your masks first before you happily click away on the buy button online.

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This is what I know so far, I will prolly share more once I have more understanding and knowledge about this whole diving thing! Have a great week ahead, and LABOUR DAY IS ON WEDNESDAY!!!

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Picture credits:

http://best-diving.org
http://www.mares.com

So please have patience and be well until then!

Day 8 was our try dive. Prior to this dive I had only ever snorkelled. Thanks to Mal of Santo Island Dive & Fishing and Laurent of Espirit d’Aventure I was convinced that doing a try dive with them was the right thing to do, and indeed it was! Million Dollar Point is an awesome place to dive, there is lots of World War 2 machinery, vehicles and boats under the water and thousands of different fish have made it their home. There is so much more to see when you are diving as opposed to snorkelling and I felt safe the whole time as my diving buddy Mathew was always keeping an eye on me.  This is possibly the highlight of my trip to Santo.

I’ve been on about and banging the drum about people who fall over. It’s an embarrassment. The FA should be looking at this.

Tony Pulis, October 7 2012
(after Stoke played Liverpool)

Diving is terrible. Just ask Tony Pulis who had some strong words for Luis Suarez after Stoke visited Anfield earlier this season. You’d wonder how the Potters’ boss will react to Cameron Jerome’s little slice of theatre this afternoon against Norwich. It was a game of poor tackles, lots of scuffles and general ill-feeling, but Jerome’s dramatic attempts to win a free kick in the second half might just take the biscuit in the unsporting behaviour stakes.

The funny thing is, there might actually have been a teeny tiny bit of contact, but Jerome’s flamboyant throwing himself to the ground is less convincing than Louis Walsh’s clumsy flirting with Nicole Scherzinger.