I stumbled on this Fox News story today. There aren’t enough details to know anything about the incident, but from my own experience this wreck is a challenging dive, not just because of the size and depth of the wreck, but the two hour boat ride each way can not only be tiring, but puts help a long way away.

Scuba diving is an amazing activity that allows your body and mind to be active in a wonderful way. Seeing the world that exists underwater transposes you in a dream world full of creatures’ colors. If you are passionate about scuba diving and you are constantly looking for new places to go, Africa should definitely be one of your destinations at some point. You can find in Africa’s waters anything from wrecks and sharks to whales and dolphins. Especially South Africa is one of the most visited places when it comes to quality scuba diving. The location is beautiful and you will surely feel like you are home because of local people’s hospitality.

The temperatures the water has vary so you can choose to dive in any kind of water you like. For example, in the Cape Province you can find cold waters, while in Mozambique the water is much warmer. In another area from Africa’s waters, KwaZulu Natal, you can find exciting wrecks, turtles, beautiful coral reefs and dangerous sharks. In what concerns sharks, in the Cape Province you can get to see white sharks.

Another great thing that you must see when you do scuba diving in Africa is represented by Rocky Bay, an amazing group of reefs. Anyhow, you should take care with that location as it is meant for experienced divers. Finger Reef, Butchers Reef and Cowry Reef are places where you can easily find strange species of creatures, in different colors and sizes, including lots of species of coral.

At about 8 kilometers offshore you can find Protea Banks, which is also a place meant for advanced divers. There you can find a huge variety of sharks, including Tiger, Ragged Tooth or the Mako shark, depending on how deep you want to swim. Protea Banks is surely known for this wide variety of sharks that you can find when scuba diving there. You will get there in a semi rigid boat leaded by local people that are very familiar with that location. The visibility is very good, you can see even at 40 meters away in some cases and the water in never colder than 24C during summer. Anyhow, as mentioned above, it is not recommended for you to practice scuba diving there if you are not experienced enough.

Another great location in the waters of Africa is Sodwana, which can be found near Mozambique. Here, you will also benefit from a warm climate and, as a diver, you will benefit from a wonderful view underwater. Scientists identified over 1200 species in these waters. The species you will discover when scuba diving in these locations vary between different times of the year, depending on their existence cycle.

There are many other places that can be taken into consideration if you are a professional or even amateur scuba diver. You should not only read this information but also go and visit these beautiful locations as you will definitely be amazed of the underwater magic you will find there.

After a cold Thanksgiving night, we are still sunny, but the cold is here.  A few days of this and I am glad I have no dives scheduled for now.  The water is still at 78F for now, but will be getting cooler in the next few weeks.  Excited to do some more diving this next week for fun and will be taking some more photos.  I will be using my macro lens on these dives as I do not have a lot of macro photography on our reefs here.

When I can, I will put some of these photos up on the page for all to see.  Hopefully, I get a couple of nice shots.  That is it for today as this whole blog thing is fairly new to me and I will be working on creating an overall theme with some articles once or twice a month for now.  I also plan on putting some quick posts often as a fun way to keep up to date on life’s happenings.

Promised someone that I would wrap up this evening with a funny post, no more whining or poetry for my male readers!  There are a few different stories that I have in mind to share with this groovy bunch, so here is an oldie but a goodie:  Time to talk SCUBA diving.

As mentioned once before, I was raised in a SCUBA family.  My parents both were avid divers and we used to camp regularly with a large group of SCUBA diving fanatics.  These camping locations varied annually, but the main places were Monterey, Fort Bragg, Eureka and Lake Tahoe.  If you are familiar with the California Coast, you know that in these places the water is extremely cold and rough.  Although my mother was a diver, my father went on to become a Master Diver, completing wreck dives and deep sea water dives.  Thus, I have some incredible memories of riding in Zodiacs (where I stayed alone while they dove,) or being lowered down cliff sides on a rope to reach some obscure location.  My parents were avid Abalone hunters.  By 5 years old, I could skillfully clean a fish with a knife or hammer an Ab.  At one point, we had hundreds of shells in our backyard our family had personally collected. 

My first SCUBA dives I completed in the warm waters of Hawaii, off the coast of Maui, at the age of 11 years old.  I did SCUBA dive several times following this and I am uncertain why I was never formally certified as a child because I was regularly diving.  Bro #1 did his certification at age 12, off of Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach.  Again, as I previously stated, I jet skied, boogie boarded and surfed.  (All natural extensions of my love of the ocean.)  My hubby and I met surfing at the Pier when I was 17.  He was already a certified SCUBA diver and instantly had this in common with my family, a love of the ocean.

The story.  I read about this SCUBA program in the newspaper, where you could complete your certification with the Marine Corps in one week, versus the 6 week course being offered by a Dive Shop in Dana Point.  Great, one week, plus half the cost of the regular class to attend at the Dive Shop on the base.  I wanted to continue diving and didn’t want to have any issues not having an official license.  Diver beware.  Somehow reading that Ad, I must have missed the fine print.  Oh, how I missed it!!!

The first 3 nights, I showed up in a classroom among 9 Marines to do the bookwork.  (1 Female and 8 Males + Little Me ~ (AKA furthest thing from Marine, big wimp.))  Yes, if you are unfamilar with SCUBA diving, there is bookwork involved and a few math calculations involved.  Next, we were on to the Pool practice, Thursday and Friday.  Great.  Piece of cake.  I did get the highest grade in the book course, a perfect score.  Given that I spent my entire life in the ocean, it would have been terribly pathetic had I not.

The first pool night, the Dive Master makes us swim laps and tread water.  I came in 3rd or 4th in the lap drills, still ahead of 6 Marines.  Treading water, again I came in first place.  We owned a pool as a child and one of our favorite neighborhood challenges was the water tread endurance test.  We jump out and the Dive Master hands us these SCUBA diving suits made of the thickest material which ever existed.  Uh hello, the ’70s called and they want their diving suit back (and this is the mid-1990s!)  I struggle intensly to get this thing on, we are pulling eachother’s hair out to assist in putting the hoodie on.

Under water in a 15-foot pool, I walk through the motions of buddy breathing with my Marine partner.  You have to take your Regulator off and hold your breath so your partner can breath, this is a rescue exercise.  Of course, I am paired with the Marine who has the largest pair of lungs on the planet.  Hello, dude, share the air!  Turning blue here.  Who is rescuing whom?  After 3 hours in the pool, we get out and Dive Master announces a break.  Thank you God!  We are instructed to take our entire suits off and take ”5.”  About 3 minutes later, we are instructed to stand up and put on our soaking wet, ’70s tight suits, back on.  Another, are you serious Rambo moment?  We each struggle to get our suits on and assist each other.  Now recall, entering this course I was 18 years old, in the shape of my life, but no where in the Ad did it say anything about extreme Recon SCUBA training.  The Dive Master must have read the frustration on my face.  He walked over and picked up the largest SCUBA tank in existence, pulled me over and placed it on my back.  We got into a formation to dive in the pool, something which is completed by holding your mask and taking a literal step off the side to avoid hitting anything with 100 pounds of compression on your back.  I step forward on the pool deck to take my turn, the world starts spinning and I mean spinning fast, darkness.  I fainted, standing there on the side of the pool, in the suit with an entire SCUBA tank on my back.  I fell backwards from the weight and luckily (for me, not him) landed on top of a Marine.  When I came to, Dive Master standing over me now highly perturbed by my dramatic interruption informs me I have 5 minutes to stop ’screwing around’ and get in the water with my crew.  Confusion, when exactly did I become a member of “a crew?!?”  OMG, what have I gotten myself into this time.  Mommy?  By some miracle I survive the evening, 6 hours of pool time total.  The 9 Marines felt really bad for me, especially the female, because they all knew that I was not in the military, I just wanted to take a stupid SCUBA diving class.  Give me a break. 

Pool Night two rolls around and now we are completing more survival drills.  Yes, these are important but I am not planning to get severe bends and rescue anyone in 30 foot water off the CA coast, or while visiting Kauai again.  Seriously.  This drill consists of going to the bottom of the pool, taking off your mask, breathing in through your Regulator without drowning through your nose.  You are not allowed to plug your nose.  Dive Master and I go down, he pulls off my mask and I choke in lungs full of water through my nose.  We surface.  He tells me to concentrate, we go down again, he rips off my mask and now I am done with this little exercise in hell, I plug my nose.  We surface, he screams at me, we go down, he rips off my mask, I plug my nose.  Twice more and he is livid with me, totally pissed off.  He says “look at me, we are done coming up, I don’t care if you vomit into that Regulator, you will not come up until we complete this drill, got it?”  Help, I want out now.

We went under the water, Dive Master takes my shoulders, pushes me onto my back, he climbs on top of me (we are in the shallow end of the pool, about 4 feet deep,) puts his knees on my chest, rips my off my mask and grabs my wrists so I cannot plug my nose (which is this inate natural instinct.)  Backing up, the purpose of this exercise is to teach the Diver not to panic if your mask gets ripped off at 100 feet down.  You can survive breathing through your Regulator, as long as you learn not to breath through your nose, only your mouth.  Of course, given the circumstance and the fact that I am only 18, panic is what I did, a lot.  I took in what felt like a gallon of water.  Looking up, I can see my husband on the edge of the pool leaning in the water and he is freaking out.  Literally, this Dive Master Marine Scary Person did not let me up to  surface until I calmed down and was yes, breathing through my mouth, only.  Apparently you can vomit into the Regulator and clear it out the sides while deep in the ocean and still be OKAY.  Nice to know, lesson learned.  

My husband told me that evening that he had never been more freaked out in his life.  He didn’t know how to react or what to do.  He understood that this man was trying to teach me a lesson, but also, understood (like Dive Master dude forgot,) that I was not in the military, a total wimp and had no desire to be drilled like this in a million years!!  I am thinking, friggin false advertising to the max.  Where can I sign up for the normal 15-week SCUBA course with the Senior Citizens, seriously?  ‘Hell Week’ ended and to be honest, I have only been diving a few times since over the years, mainly in Hawaii (where I dove 5 times.)  Nothing like a near death experience to take the enjoyment and pleasure out of an extreme sport you used to love.  But I can now safely attest, if we are stranded in the middle of the ocean together, I have totally got your back!                        

Claire Wilders has logged an astonishing 2,000 dives just seven years after receiving her scuba certification in 2002. Claire  has worked for Ocean College in Sharm el Sheikh as a scuba instructor for 4.5 years. As the founder of  http://www.divebunnie.com/ she encourages and inspires women in the field of scuba. Originally from a small town called Frimley in Surrey England, Clare makes her home in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. From her home base in Sharm el Sheikh, Claire, a scuba instructor since 2005, brings the joy, inspiration and excitement of scuba to us as our Lady Diver of the Month.

What inspired you about scuba diving during your open water class?
During my open water scuba course it had to be the fish and corals that inspired
me. I originally learned here in Egypt, so I was just a little spoiled with my first underwater experiences. I had been given a taster of scuba diving a year before in Hurghada (again in the Red Sea), so had seen just how glorious the reefs here are. To descend into a dense shoal of bright, turquoise blue fusiliers on my first dive kind of swung it for me. I was also very moved by the passion that all the instructors showed for their environment and the preservation of the reef itself. It took me back to my hippie chick school days.

What was it that brought you to Sharm?
The diving, and… umm the diving. Oh and the sunshine! It is roasting hot
in summer and even in winter; it is never really properly cold. Coming from
England, I have had my fair share of rain, so getting just a few drops of
it each year kind of suits me quite nicely. I will also say that there is a
real sense of community here that I always missed when I lived in London.
I love the fact that I know my neighbors and that I bump into friends in
the street regularly. This just very rarely happens in a big city.

What has been your most memorable dive?
There have been a few fantastic ones, but the one that sticks in my mind
was in the July of 2006, my second summer here during an early morning dive on
Shark and Yolande Reefs in the Ras Mohammed National Park. There were no
other boats there, which is quite rare for that dive site, and pretty much
everything turned up that could have… on that one dive. Within the first
couple of minutes of us hanging out in the blue, a manta ray glided past
us. Then we saw the huge shoal of barracuda, beneath which was lurking a
biiiig black tip oceanic shark. Dave the turtle passed us by, and to top it
all off, an eagle ray decided to do a fly by over our heads at the end. Who
could ask for more?

What has been your biggest challenge as an instructor?
This has been a hard one to answer. The very reason I like the job is the
fact that there is a new challenge every day. No two days are the same and
no two problems are identical. But I guess the biggest challenge would have
been my first full Open Water course. I was teaching with a team of three
experienced instructors so there was plenty of guidance, (or pressure, as their
opinion of my work would inevitably affect my future here). I was still
responsible for the in-water teaching of my six students, and the other
instructors all had their own students to concentrate on too. To stand up
in front of the whole group giving my first briefing, was hugely daunting.
 

Where has been your favorite place in the world to scuba dive and why?

I know I am biased; however the Red Sea is pretty special. It has it all,
crystal clear waters, both the pretty reefs as well as the big pelagic marine animals,
dizzy drop offs, coral gardens with great topography, not to mention a few
wrecks thrown into the deal. I also loved the isolation of  diving in Madagascar. The fact that we were the only divers, that we lived in bamboo huts, and had the opportunity to dive a site that had never ever been dived was incredible, but the beauty of the reef here in Sharm tops even that.

 

What inspired you to create DiveBunnie?

I had been looking on the internet for information regarding diving and more
specifically women and diving when I realized that at the time, we were
quite poorly represented. Of course that has since changed dramatically,
with many fantastic sites aimed at women divers. However back then, I
felt there was a definite lack of interesting, informative yet fun and
funky sites for us on the internet and thus created
http://www.DiveBunnie.com 

If you could send a message to all the ladies out there pursuing their
scuba instructor certification what would it be?
Go for it! It is a fantastic job, full of challenges and huge rewards.
Every day will bring you a new eye opener. There is something quite special
about seeing someone go from taking their first nervous breaths underwater
to becoming a fully fledged Open Water diver. Helping them overcome their
fears, and physical challenges is really great stuff. You get to dive yourself, as well as sharing your knowledge of the local reefs and environments. You meet new people every week, and you have a valuable skill that can be used around the globe should you wish to travel. Put in your greatest efforts and you will get to reap the greatest rewards.

My husband, Ron, and I have been diving since 1986, the year he presented me with dive gear as a wedding gift, opening the door to an exciting shared passion. In the intervening years, we dove whenever we could. Now we’ve taken it one step further by having our own boat, Equinox, a 58-foot Kadey-Krogen trawler, outfitted with a Nitrox dive compressor. While we live aboard on the Chesapeake Bay in the summer, Equinox’s winter berth is at Old Bahama Bay Marina on Grand Bahama Island, and it’s been ideal for our diving hobby.

Diving in
The Bahamas

• With a subtropical climate, you won’t need more than a three-millimeter wet suit.
• Both easy and challenging dives can be found at each island, for instance, the Andros Barrier Reef offers shallow diving on one side, then a steep drop off wall on the other where on a clear day you can see down 250 feet.
• Reputable dive operators can be found on all but the furthest of the Out Islands, such as Acklins and Crooked, though plans are in the work for a dive center in Mayaguana. Nassau, Grand Bahama, Long Island, and Staniel Cay are home to dive centers offering the latest equipment, nitrox diving and certification courses.
• Power and sailboat liveaboard dive boats are available for those who want make multiple dives daily. Leaving from Nassau and Grand Bahamas, some routes wind through the Exumas and even travel as far as the Cay Sal Banks.
• Beach diving isn’t recommended for the Bahamas because shallow beaches could have you walking far with heavy gear.
• There are 360 blue holes in the islands, and Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island is the deepest in the world at a stunning 663 feet. If you like drift diving, Current Cut in Eleuthera is the place to go–with a seven mph current through a narrow cut, divers relate it to the thrill of being on a roller coaster. Also off Eleuthera is a sort of underwater Grand Canyon called the Plateau, (45’ to 80’) adorned with the some of the largest brain coral you’ll ever see. Bimini is home to Tuna Alley–head there around noon, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by an unbelievably large school of tuna reflecting the light of the mid-day sun.

In a unique turn of events, while vacationing aboard with our 15-year-old daughter Ally and her friend, Claire, during their spring break, we happened to meet Greg Barron of the sports company, Incredible-Adventures.com. Greg usually runs shark dive trips to California’s Farallon Islands, but was in the Bahamas with the company’s charter boat, R/V Tiburon. Seeing him tinkering with a tender and hoping he was mechanically inclined, we asked him for assistance with our dive compressor. After touring our boat and discovering that shark diving was a mutual passion, we learned that Tiburon was in the Bahamas for a shark dive!

After getting to know one another, Greg asked if we could host VIPs aboard Equinox and follow Tiburon to a shark encounter dive site a few hours north on the Little Bahamas Bank. Needless to say, we jumped at the chance since it meant we could go on the dive. We were more than delighted to find out that Greg’s VIPs were none other than award-wining underwater photographers Douglas Siefert and Ron and Valerie Taylor.
Both Doug and Greg were impressed with our boat’s layout and set-up, saying they weren’t used to traveling in such style. Their main concern was the comfort of the Taylors, who are now in their 70s. Our being avid divers may have provided the impetus for our meeting, but the fact that Equinox was set up so comfortably was probably key to our invitation.
Hosting the professionals created an opportunity to compare notes on dive equipment, photography techniques and pick up some tips. Ron Taylor was very minimalist in his approach, using a small underwater video camera inside a metal housing he crafted himself while Doug Seifert had a larger set-up comprising a digital camera inside a housing with twin strobe lights.
Weather conditions were less than optimal with periodic rain squalls strafing the area, but the seas remained flat. The dive site was tricky; a strong current was ripping through the fairly shallow depths, requiring divers to use more weight than usual. On the plus side, the shallow depths allowed for extensive bottom time without much worry about decompression sickness. Besides their meticulous preparations, what was so impressive to us was how long the photographers stayed under water. One can get very chilled in 75 degree water after 30-45 minutes, yet Ron Taylor and Doug stayed down for well over an hour at a time, dressed in layers and hoods. Their focus and intensity were inspiring.
The girls and I were curious about the Taylors’ experiences and full of questions, which Valerie graciously answered. She told us of amazing shark encounters around Fiji and the South Pacific. This segued into stories about how things have changed regarding conservation of the oceans. Back in the late 1960s, they were breath-holding spearfishing champions in Australia. By the 1970s, they were using scuba and truly saw the damage wrought by spearfishing. They worked to bring about a ban on spearfishing while using breathing apparatus. It was quite controversial at the time, but their background and expertise gave them credence, ultimately ensuring a successful campaign. They are responsible for getting several marine reserves established, along with several species of marine life protected.
Sharks hold the Taylors’ focus and fascination. As a result of their personal observations and experiences with sharks of all kinds, they believe that sharks are not a threat to humans. Because of their films and Valerie’s many letters to Australian fisheries officials, the Taylors were largely responsible for grey nurse sharks becoming the first protected shark species in the world in 1984, followed by efforts for great white sharks, which received protection in Australia in 1997.
This shark dive experience was unique; precisely what we’d dared to dream Equinox could provide when we were outfitting her! Unlike commercial shark dives using frozen chum balls, Tiburon supplied “bait bones” on a shallow site with an open, white sandy bottom. This allowed for calmer, better photographic opportunities, and ,because the sharks couldn’t get at the chum inside the bones, they stayed around much longer, circling about as we dove and photographed among them. My Ron absolutely loves to see sharks; having such choice subjects circling around for so long was nirvana. We’re now very vocal in promoting ecologically aware scuba practices. The Taylors have proved through their many years of diving and documentaries that no conservation effort is wasted.

Copied from Southern Boating   By Karyn Rothstein   Photos by Ron Rothstein

The past few weekends I have spent taking a scuba diving class. I finally finished up the class this last weekend and got scuba certified! It was a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it. My experience taking a scuba diving class reminded me of the differences between my computer science classes in college and my current job in the ‘real world’.

My first weekend in my scuba diving class was spent at the dive center’s pool learning the skills we would eventually use in the ocean. We learned how to enter the water properly (without our masks flying off!) and how to descend and ascend in the water without causing damage to our bodies. We spent all day Saturday and Sunday learning these techniques. By the end of the weekend I was feeling pretty comfortable breathing underwater.

The second weekend we headed off to Monterey to pass off our skills in the ocean. The first time my buddy and I side-stepped into the ocean, I felt unsure of myself and ended up toppling over into the ocean, with the waves crashing on me. I swam as hard as I could towards the open ocean. After I was a safe distance from the waves, I took a little breather. Being in the ocean was a whole different ball game!

As the weekend progressed, I grew more confident in my skills and I loved being in the ocean, even if it was a freezing 55 degrees. We saw tons of starfish, crabs, jelly fish and even a bird swam by us at one point, 40 ft under the water! The pool was nothing compared to the amazing creatures in the ocean.

My experiences learning to be a programmer in school kind of felt like my experience scuba diving in the pool. It was hard, but often I felt like I wasn’t getting the ‘real world’ experience that I could only get by having a job. I learned a lot in school and I definitely became a better programmer as I took more and more computer science courses. My experiences in school could only prepare me so much though, much like my experience in the pool at the dive center could only get me so far. Eventually, I needed to make the leap into the unknown in order to increase my abilities.

When I finally got my first full-time job as a programmer, I used many of the skills I learned in school, but found there was still a lot I didn’t know. Just like no amount of practicing in the pool could prepare me for the waves of the ocean, no amount of studying for a test or finishing a project in school could ever prepare me for the challenges that come with having a full time job. How do you deal with a client who demands all of your resources and time be spent on his project? How do you deal with a boss who is having a bad day? Don’t get me wrong though, I love my job. It is definitely more rewarding (and not just because I’m getting a paycheck!). The challenges are what make it exciting for me. I love being able to grow in ways that make me a stronger programmer and a better employee. The more challenges I face, the more I grow.

‘He who wants pearls has to dive into the sea.’~ Kurdish Proverb

It seems just like yesterday that the IDC in Andamans started. But already we are at the tail end of the 2 weeks course. One more day and then the mock exams begin. Fresh candidates almost halfway there to become full fledged instructors. On the 30th they will become qualified PADI Open Water Instructors. Then there is the upcoming party happening on the 2nd at Havelock.  Hope to see you all there.

Well the lucky few are back from a week exploring the Red Sea’s northern wrecks and reefs! Here, Mark Hammond gives us a quick rundown of a very enjoyable trip:

We started the week with a large breakfast at Manchester airport, then off we went on a six hour flight to Hurghada to collect supplies (beer, wine spirits!) and all the essentials for a week’s diving.

On Saturday morning, we had a bit of a false start as we hadn’t got our passes for Ras Muhammad National Park, and it wasn’t until five hours later that we got moving again!

Finally, we headed off to a coral reef, just in time for an evening/night dive where we were joined by some inquisitive dolphins!

The next morning saw us on the wrecks of the Christola, the Carnatic and the Giannis D, where again we saw lots of dolphins.

During the week, we visited the very scenic Ras Mohammed park and dived the famous wrecks of the SS Thistlegorm and the SS Dunraven.

On the way to Bluff Point we encountered force 6/7 gales but saw lots more dolphins and had a nice leisurely dive with a drift at the end, before heading off to the Salem Express - a very creepy dive indeed.

You’ll be pleased to hear that Richard decided to forego mask clearing exercises, and Troy left the sharks alone!

The week was over before we realised it, and it was back to port for a quick
go on the bungee, a few drinks in the local bars and home – what fun!

Note to self –  must go again soon!

If you haven’t yet been on a liveaboard, you should definitely try it. It’s a great week’s diving with great cameraderie, good food, and lots of SUN!

Many, many thanks to Paul and Jane for organising it.

That’s right, it is here. The hottest new ” must be seen” event  in India. Divestock 2009!! Made by and made for scuba divers and everyone else who loves a good party. Its inaugration  will be held in Port Blair and in Havelock in the Andaman Islands.

You know you want to be there. you know you have to be there. THIS IS THE PARTY you have been waiting for!

Navimate™ - © 2009 Shb Instruments, Inc.

With the visibility of the water we frequently dive in it would be nice to have GPS underwater like most smart phones are capable of on dry land. If Shb Instrument’s Navimate™ sees the light of day underwater GPS could be a reality.

Navimate consists of a wrist mounted device that communicates to a surface based GPS gateway.  It lets you know what your longitude and latitude are and places it on a map that is displayed on the device. It will also display the locations of your dive buddies provide they are wearing one of the units and are within 100 yards of your location.

I am exciting about the possibilities. I see many useful scenarios for this device as well as making diving just a bit safer. I am hopeful that this device or others offering similar functionality will be available soon.  Shb is saying initial units will be available in the May/June 2010 timeframe.

Wrist units will retail for US$700 and the GPS gateway for US$300. I am guess as part of their initial marketing effort GPS gateways will be free to shops, clubs or other organizations that purchase a minimum number of the wrist units and will also be placing the gateways on selected dive boats at no cost. Instructor discounts for Navimate™ will also be available.

I have to credit Shb Instruments with publishing the price of the device. As with many items technology based I will hear about the product, get a fuzzy late quarter X release date with pricing TBD.  I am holding out hope that this is more than vaporware.

Shb Instrument’s Navimate™ – Website – http://navimate.shbinstruments.com/

Navimate™ Press Release – October 15, 2009 – http://www.shbinstruments.com/Navimate/press.html

Navimate™ FAQ – http://www.shbinstruments.com/Navimate/FAQ.html

Nowhere in the world is swimming freely with dolphins an easier and more exciting adventure than in The Bahamas. It is where countless visitors travel to relax on unspoiled beaches, take in stunning scenery, enjoy warm people, and of course, swim in the wild with dolphins. It has become a popular attraction in Great Exuma Bahamas. Numerous diving programs are offered throughout The Bahamas, making swimming with dolphins a comfortable and wonderful activity for tourists and locals alike. Part of the amazement lies in observing them in their natural habitat, as you dive into open waters along coral reefs.

Swimming with Dolphins
Thirty years ago, swimming with dolphins was less common an event than it is today. At the time, a diver would spot one, maybe two, dolphins. Now, the experience can include an entire family unit. Dolphin encounters take place around the globe, but The Bahamas is recognized as one of the great centers where swimming with dolphins is possible. Much can be attributed to the natural beauty of the countless islands and cays in The Bahamas. Wild dolphin encounters occur regularly in Bimini, Grand Bahama, the Abacos and Great Exuma Bahamas, just to name a few. You can touch, interact, and even hand-feed these amazing mammals in their natural habitat. But before you start swimming with dolphins, you might want to learn some facts about them.

Dolphin 101

• Most dolphins have acute eyesight
• They have a sense of hearing superior to that of humans
• They have a well-developed sense of touch
• They range in length from 1.2 m (4 ft) to 9.5 m (30 ft)
• They can weigh anywhere from 40 kg (88 lb) to ten tons
• They are social, living in pods (also called “schools”) of up to a dozen mammals
• They are found mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves
• They are carnivores that eat mostly fish and squid
• They use their sonar to communicate with each other
• There are almost forty species of dolphin worldwide

Dolphins and Humans
Dolphins are often regarded as one of Earth’s most intelligent species. Numerous stories are told of dolphins protecting shipwrecked sailors against sharks by swimming circles around them. In many cultures, spotting dolphins during a sea voyage is considered a good omen. Swimming with dolphins is the closest encounter one can experience with these fascinating creatures. On your next trip to Great Exuma Bahamas, be sure to consider this once in a lifetime opportunity, an adventure that will create memories you will treasure forever.

About the Author:
Fred Coolridge is the content manager and author for the website Great Exuma Island, Bahamas - www.exumabahamas.org.

Scotty Graham, fotografer underwater

Kesibukannya sebagai pengajar matematika di Jakarta International School, ternyata tak mengurangi keinginannya menyibak tabir kehidupan biota laut. “Fotografi di dunia memang didominasi oleh above the land. Jadi saya sangat tertarik untuk melihat beraneka ragam biota laut lewat fotografi,” ungkap Scotty Graham kepada penulis.

Berawal dari Scuba Diving
Pria ramah dan murah senyum ini, pertama kali mengenal kamera pada usia 15 tahun dan setelah lulus sekolah setingkat SMA, Scotty melanjutkan ke perguruan tinggi dan mulai mengenal scuba diving pada tahun 1982. Kamera Nikon pertama yang dipakainya pada tahun 1993 adalah Nikon FM2. Salah satu faktor yang menyebabkan Scotty jatuh cinta kepada underwater photography, yaitu aktivitasnya saat menjadi instruktur profesional scuba diving di Hawaii tahun 1988. “Saya sangat “crazy” dengan scuba diving dan sempat menjadi instruktur professional di Hawaii. Pada saat itu sebenarnya saya sudah tertarik dengan fotografi, tetapi tidak terlalu serius untuk ditekuni alias hanya hobi,” katanya.
Dengan scuba diving, Scotty mulai mencoba mengekspresikan hobi fotografinya dengan kamera Nikonos 5 serta satu strob 103. Dengan satu strob dan satu lensa, saya mencoba mengambil gambar kehidupan biota laut. “Ternyata sulit sekali dengan peralatan yang memang kurang memadai,” akunya. Tingkat kesulitan underwater photography diakuinya memang berbeda dengan bidang fotografi lainnya, terutama soal pengaturan lighting yang dirasakannya memang sangat sulit sekali saat di bawah air. Apalagi cahaya matahari tak sepenuhnya bisa menembus ke bawah laut.

Kehilangan Nikon D1h
Scotty yang juga pernah menjadi pilot helikopter ini, mengawalinya dengan menjadi instruktur scuba diving pada tahun 1988 di Guam. “Sejak saat itu, saya berusaha mencoba menekuni underwater photography dengan belajar sendiri melalui bacaan berbagai majalah dan internet,” tambahnya. Scotty mulai serius menekuni underwater photography pada tahun 1990. Hanya saja, hingga kini dirinya enggan dikatakan sebagai fotografer profesional. “Saya menganggap diri saya fotografer semi-profesional,” ujarnya sambil tersenyum.
Dari situ, Scotty kembali membeli Nikon N90X (sama dengan Nikon F90X yang dipasarkan di Asia) berikut housing-nya. Fanatisme Scotty terhadap kamera SLR digital Nikon boleh dibilang sangat tinggi. Saat salah satu kamera kesayangannya Nikon D1h hilang, dia sempat sangat kecewa dan tak ingin menceritakannya kembali. Akhirnya Scotty pun kembali membeli Nikon D2h di Singapura tahun 2003.
Walau telah memiliki Nikon D2h, Scotty mengaku hanya menggunakan Nikon D70 untuk aktivitas photography underwater-nya. “Dengan D70, saya bisa menggunakan housing Nexus untuk D70 yang harganya lebih murah dari housing untuk Nikon D2h,” katanya. Scotty juga berniat menjual Nikon D2h miliknya dan akan membeli Nikon D2x.
Tentang komunitas fotografer underwater, menurutnya hanya sedikit fotografer di bawah laut dibandingkan dengan fotografer arsitektur. lanskap, dan lain sebagainya. Namun demikian, hasil dari fotografi underwater menjadi sangat menarik dan banyak dikagumi oleh berbagai kalangan. “Banyak orang yang setelah melihat foto underwater menjadi kagum. Wow, wow…, beautiful…! Begitulah ekspresinya,” ungkap Scotty mencontohkan ekspresi penikmat fotografi underwater.

Mengagumi Papua
Lensa favorit yang kerap digunakan Scotty adalah Nikkor 12-24 mm dengan diopter-nya, di samping beberapa lensa Nikkor lain seperti 10,5 mm, 105 mm, dan 60 mm makro, “Saya pun banyak belajar juga dari internet seperti underwaterphotography.com. Selain itu, saya pun mencoba berkomunikasi dengan sejumlah fotografer. Yang jelas, saya selalu belajar dan belajar untuk menghasilkan foto terbaik,” tambahnya.
Khusus di Indonesia, Scotty sangat mengagumi keindahan alam bawah laut di Papua yang sudah beberapa kali dikunjunginya. “Sangat indah dan sangat berbeda dengan lokasi lainnya di dunia. Saya juga pernah ke Bali dan Bunaken, biota lautnya juga sangat indah,” kata Scotty.
Keinginan Scotty untuk menghasilkan karya foto underwater yang prima bukannya tanpa hambatan. Selain kesibukannya mengajar, Scotty juga harus membagi waktunya untuk keluarga. “Saya selalu coba mengatur waktu, bahkan mengambil cuti untuk bisa pergi, hahaha…,” katanya sambil tertawa lepas.

Ocean city is beach great attraction and more entertainment city. Here the every kind of amenities is available. Skyscrapers, restaurants, amusement parks, beaches, inns and hotels cause the big attractions of the city.

The city is recognizing for its attractions and more entertaining places. Every year many of visitors visit in the city. In city the there were many of cheap hotels and other lodging amenities were available.

The city looks so amusing and more entertaining. The city was full of recreations and other adventure activities. And transport facilities also so admirable. The other separates walking path also to get walking enjoyment. The city the peace and no hustle and bustle there. The boardwalk the attraction and more restaurants, shops and other places at the beach front and there enjoyed the water recreations. Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum that was in the boardwalk there contain the big shark embedded on the outer wall. And represent the big attractions.

The ocean city was such so most vacations days entertaining city. And night life of was city also to enhance the attractions of the city. The look so youth full and more magnetized to every one. In ocean city the vacations lodging ocean city boardwalk hotels

The visitors can best attractions lodging amenities in the ocean city and this is become the most recreational area.

The adventure tours to India can be enjoyed in various adventure sports that are always organized in India. Whether it is angling, mountaineering, rock climbing, scuba diving, snorkelling, bungee jumping or white water rafting, sailing etc. just be the master of your life while enjoying the sport.

If you want some thrill, some change in life, than river rafting for sure can add spice to your desires. White water rafting is a high-altitude, water adventure.

Persons suffering from a weak heart, epilepsy, diabetes, or any other serious ailments or expecting mothers are not permitted to do this sport. Non-swimmers may be restricted to certain sections of the river.

The main equipment that you have to take along is a raft which is made of special materials. Rafts mainly have inflatable compartments with vulcanized rubber bodies reinforced by nylon fabric and neoprene which enables the raft to go over sharp rocks without tearing. The clubs and organizers through which you participate can make you available with a raft. Other kits include life jackets and helmets.

Other than these a sleeping bag, sneakers, light synthetic quick drying clothes for the river, swimsuit, shorts and T-shirts, sun shades or glasses, suntan lotion, a torch and two pairs of shoes must be carried while you go for this sport.

There is no fixed time to be a part of this sport. But still you have a stretch of around 8 months starting from May to November to participate in in white water rafting.

The major destinations for water rafting is the Devprayag to Rishikesh which is the venue of this young sport. Uttar Pradesh has many other sites where one can go river rafting. In Garhwal, the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers provide excellent river-rafting opportunities.

In Kumaon, the river Sharda or also known as Kali Ganga flows down from Nepal to meet the Gori River at Jauljivi. Other sites for white-water rafting include Barkot to Lakha Mandal and Damta to Yamuna Bridge on the river Yamuna, Mori to Tuni on the river Tons, Kalisor to Srinagar and Srinagar to Bagwan on river Alaknanda, Ghansali to Gadolia on the river Bhilangana, Chandrapuri to Rudraprayag on the river Mandakini, and many stretches along the river Bhagirathi.

Sikkim also offers good river opportunities for rafting. The Teesta and Rangeet are two major rivers on which river rafting is possible. Makha-Sirwani-Bardang-Rongpo on the Teesta and Sikip-Jorethang-Majitar-Melli on the Rangeet are the two major stretches for water rafting. Beginners can also enjoy white-water rafting wearing life jackets and crash helmet for precaution.

Try to study the river stretch from the land to decide on the grade before becoming a part of the sport. Also avoid breathing when you are going under a rapid or when you are submerged. Wearing synthetic clothes, sarees, or dupattas are not recommended. Natural cotton products will be very helpful.

Rick’s Diving Locker, is a full service scuba diving center serving north San Diego County since 1968, we are family owned and operated!

PADI 5 Star Instructor Development/National Geographic Dive Center

Entry level through Instructor training, equipment service, rentals, air, Nitrox fills, local and exotic dive trips and PADI Diving Society Memberships.

Rick’s Diving Locker offers only top quality equipment such as: Aqualung, Deep See, Sea Quest, Apeks, Atomic Aquatics, Tilos, Sea&Sea, Underwater Kinetics, DUI, Cetacea, Trident, Deep Outdoors, Sea&Sea, Intova UW Cameras and more.

Why Dive with Rick’s Diving Locker?

Rick Nare– Owner, Operator and Instructor – Rick Nare has been owner and lead instructor of Rick’s Diving Locker for over 20 years. Rick is a PADI Course Director with hundreds of students certified and over 2500 logged Open Water dives. He is also an instructor trainer for NAUI and SSI. Rick has worked as a Safety Diver on several Hollywood feature films such as The Rock, True Lies, Free Willy 1 and 2 as well as a Gun’s and Rose’s Video and a Ford TV commercial.

PADI Instructors – Instructors at Rick’s Diving Locker have over 30 years of diving to offer students the best diving advice and PADI professionalism.

Expertise – All of Rick’s Diving Locker staff have experience in all areas of diving. Collectively there is over 120 years of SCUBA Diving experience. The advise and direction given to customers come for divers sharing their personal experience in Photo, Dry Suits, Nitrox, Re-Breathers, Spear Fishing, Deep Dives, Wrecks, Oil Rig Diving, Travel, Shark Diving and more.

Class Sizes– All classes are limited to a maximum of 8 students. Many dive shops will go well over 8 students but Rick believes in smaller class groups for more student-instructor interaction and a more personalized experience

Course Offerings – All PADI courses are offered! Entry level SCUBA Diving as well as Advanced, Specialty and Instructor level courses.

Diversity – All areas of SCUBA Diving are in one shop…Recreational SCUBA, Re-Breather, Photo (Blue Abyss Photo with Dave Hinkel), Spear Fishing, Nitrox and travel.

Equipment Offering– State of the art equipment from ATOMIC, Aqualung, DUI, Sea and Sea, JBL and more!

Trips – SCUBA Diving adventures from diving in the local waters of Southern California to the tropical waters of the world.

Call: (760) 746-8980
Email: ricknare@sbcglobal.net

Address:

945-L W.Valley Parkway, Escondido, Ca 92025

Store Hours:

Mon-Fri 10am to 6pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Closed: Sun/Holidays

It snowed 2 days ago in the Sierra Nevada mountains and Tahoe got 12 inches of the new snow. We went snowboarding for the first time this season at Boreal. It was fun! Snowboarding, skiing, and scuba diving can turn into really expensive habits!

Luckily buying a fun scuba diving t-shirt or key chain is a very inexpensive way to please a diver! We will have plenty of gifts under $10 for anyone who loves scuba diving. Some good gift ideas for any scuba diver include a heart shaped dive flag sticker, a mouse pad with dive flag, a key chain with their dive specialty, a funny diving sticker or magnet.

So, it’s the end of nice weekend that went by too fast. We brainstormed more i heart scuba product ideas and picked out a web hosting company! Wooo Whooo!!

We’re still working on designing our own heart logo and still looking for an artist who can produce a logo we’re just crazy about. We’ve been drawing scuba diving dudes and dudettes, and other little images that we plan to use on t-shirts, stickers, mouse pads, cups, mugs, tote bags, alarm clocks, wall clocks and more.  We have drawn some images of scuba divers with tanks, next we have to draw some sketches of specialty scuba divers … hmmm, how to do that?

Scuba Diving with Enriched Air Nitrox

The Fun Part

You can typically stay down longer and get back the water sooner. No wonder many divers choose this as their very first specialty.

Get College Credit

You may be able to earn college credit for the PADI Enriched Air Diver course.

What You Learn

• Techniques for getting more dive time by using enriched air nitrox
• Enriched air scuba diving equipment considerations
• Enriched air considerations, including managing oxygen exposure, how to tell what’s in your scuba tank and how to set your dive computer

The Scuba Gear You Use

You use all the basic scuba gear. Your dive regulator. must be enriched air compatible.
Check with you Rick’s Diving Locker about gear rentals and packages offered with this course. You can find most everything at Rick’s Diving Locker in your area.

Prerequisites

To enroll in the PADI Enriched Air Diver course, you must

• Be 15 years or older
• Have a PADI Open Water Diver certification (or have a qualifying certification from another organization)

Ask your PADI Instructor about how you can start your PADI Enriched Air Diver course during your PADI Open Water Diver course.

The Learning Materials You Need

The Enriched Air Diver crewpak includes all required materials* to complete PADI’s Enriched Air Diver specialty. The Enriched Air Diver Manual covers the procedures for diving with Enriched Air (up to 40%) and the Enriched Air Diving video on DVD demonstrates step-by-step how to plan a dive using multiple dive tables. The crewpak also includes the 32%, 36% and the DSAT Oxygen Exposure tables.

* The RDP^TM used in the PADI Open Water Diver course is required but not included with this crewpak.

To purchase this product, contact Rick’s Diving Locker Staff or Click Here

Your Next Adventure

Diving with enriched air nitrox benefits all types of diving, but it goes especially well with these specialties:

• PADI Wreck Diver course – Popular wrecks tend to be deeper, so enriched air nitrox maximizes your exploration time.
• PADI Deep Diver course – The deeper you dive, the shorter your no stop time – but enriched air nitrox increases it, giving your more time at depth
• PADI Digital Underwater Photographer – Photographers usually like to make several dives so they can get lots of pictures. Enriched air nitrox reduces the amount of residual nitrogen you accumulate, allowing repetitive dives to be longer.
• PADI Master Scuba Diver – The PADI Enriched Air Diver course counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating — the highest non professional rating in recreational diving.

Enriched Air Diver Online Class – Click the banner below:

I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale from Toronto on Thursday night (wreck diving in the Keys) and had an interesting problem.

Curious to know what the barometric pressure was in the aircraft cabin (about 790) I turned on my Shearwater Pursuit. I’m pretty sure I turned it off but I’m not totally certain.

The next day, while getting my gear together, I noticed it was not only on, but it showed that I was at a depth of 7 feet. The only way I could turn the computer off was to remove the battery. Fortunately a Canadian dollar coin was available.

Nov 28 to 29 Kerygma Conference : Dream Big, Win Big For more information please call FEAST office at 9268951 and 7263926 or 7259999 or 4167809 at Araneta Coliseum Cubao QC pls check out www.kerygmaconference.com

Taal Lake Cruise and Island Tour (Daily schedule) P 1,350/pax (base minimum of 5pax) Inclusive of Round trip Boat Ride, Life vest, Horse, Horse guide, Environment fee, Healthy Buffet Lunch, Permit to climb.

Nov 30 Mon Pawikan Festival at Bantay Pawikan Conservation Center P 2,499/pax Round trip Aircon Van, Buffet Lunch prepared by Authentic Aeta. Jungle environment Survival Training, Slide for Life, Butterfly Garden, Aviary, Insectarium, Spider World, Subic View Deck, Turtle, Conservtion T-Shirt and more. Deadline of Reservation on November 27 Thur 6pm

Mt Pinatubo Four Wheel Drive Adventure and Fun Climb (min. 4pax max 5pax in the car) P 1,900/pax if you don’t have your own car, and 4WD pick up at DAU Terminal and P 1,700/pax if your group is driving up to Capas Tarlac

Dec 5 Sat Corregidor Heritage n Island Tour P 1,999/pax round trip ferry, Island tour, shrine tour, buffet lunch, service of professional Corregidor guide and P 2,499/pax overnight accommodation and above inclusions Deadline of Reservation on Dec 3 Thur 6pm

Dec 6 Sun 8^th Annual Christmas Outreach and be a Foster Parent to one of the 500 Orphans and Street kids 1:00 PM to 6:30 PM with the lighting of the Christmas Tree. It will be held at KidzWorld  Theme Parks, Amusement and Recreational Club, Inc. in Dasmarinas, Cavite. call us at 7212167 or 721 3509 and look for Mike Almariego

Dec 12 Sat Mt. Makiling Forest Reserved w Hot Spring P 1,499/pax Round trip Aircon van, trek guide, entrance fee, healthy buffet lunch, hot spring entrance fee, and wholesome fun. Deadline of Reservation on Dec 10 Thur 6pm

Dec 19 Sat Pampanga Giant Christmas Lantern Festival of Lights P 999/pax with Aircon Vehicle and Authentic Pampanga Dinner. Trip is from 2pm to 10pm. FREE 1 person for every group of 7. Deadline of Reservation on December 17 Thur (if there are still seats available)

Dec 27 to 29 SAGADA w Banawe and Bontoc

Sagada w Tour P 3,999 (if paid w/in Nov); P4,500 ( if paid w/in Dec) Inc of RT AC Bus Fare, transfers, breakfast, 3Fulldays Sagada Tour, 3days/2nights Accommodation

Sagada with all the works and pampering P 5,888 (if paid w/in Nov); P 6,388 (if paid w/in Dec), Inc of RT AC Bus fare, AC Van transfer, Accommodation at St.Joseph Inn, 3day Full Sagada Tours

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133925479349

Puerto Princesa Beachy Escapades Package Rate : 4Qd P 5,685/pax; 3ple P 5,930/pax; Twin P 6,325/pax Inclusive of Welcome Drinks,  Round Trip Transfers (Airport/Hotel/Airport), 3 Nights 4 Days Hotel,  Daily Native Breakfast for each Pax, City Tour of Puerto Princesa (Half-day), Honda Bay Island Hopping Day Tour w/ Picnic Lunch, Underground River Day Tour w/ Picnic Lunch, Use of all Common Hotel Facilities, Boat with Life Vest
Assistance of a Tour Guide. NOT INC is the plane fare to and from Puerto Princesa

Dec 26 to 30 Scuba Diving Lesson (Open Water Course) Dive Course Fee : P 10K each(6 to 8pax), P11K/each (4to5pax), P12,500/each (2to3pax). Inclusive of dive gears, tanks, DM, etc. Resort Info and cost to follow. Not included Fare to and From the Resort. Fun divers are invited to join. (Cost of Follow)

2010

Jan 9-10 Mindoro Oriental Nature Adventure P 4,500/pax            Beach hop and snorkel the colorful marine life in Puerto Galera. Bum & relax at Bulabod. Enjoy the scenic journey as you zigzag your way from Puerto Galera to Calapan and savor the views of Batangas Strait (sometimes with dolphins), Isla Verde, Tamaraw Falls and rice fields of Baco/Calapan. Deadline of Reservation on January 4 Monday http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175912465840&index=1

Optional FREE ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS wholesome games & CONSERVATION PROJECT Workshop FOR GROUP of 20pax & up, during or after the exclusive group or company or family outing.  (We are non stock/non profit (but for fund raising to sustain the project and operations of NACCI)  blessed NGO/travel club)

Carpe Diem and GOD Bless

Violet

Nature Awareness & Conservation Club, Inc. (NonStock, NonProfit NGO) 5157964 (9am to 5pm Only)  / 09194839250 / 09155101600

EMAIL: mother_nature888@yahoo.com

WEBSITE: http://philecotourism.wordpress.com

PHOTOS : http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Greennature/photos

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8004451681

http://mothernatureasia.multiply.com

I have one month left… one month to finish my work projects (an article on labour markets and a paper on private charity), move out of my place and find storage space for my stuff, unravel my Sydney commitments, finalise HCP 2009 work, see everything I want to see in sunny Sydney, do my tax returns, catch up with the Sydney people, fit my life back into a backpack, book flights to Brisbane and Malaysia, re-arrange my finances so I can live without a job, get a Chinese visa and enroll in a Chinese university for next year.

Phew.

And then I’m free. Sorta. In mid-December I’ll move back up to Qld for a month for Christmas, New Years and beach-time, and then in mid-January I’ll fly to Malaysia with Kristy. We then have about a month to get to China and get settled before the start of the university semester. At the moment I’m thinking of heading to Hainan because that’s the warmest weather in the Chinese winter. They call it the “Hawaii of the Orient”, which I’m sure is a gross exaggeration. Apparently it’s the only place in China you can go scuba diving, though I’ve heard lots of bad reports about the quality of the underwater life and visibility.

** Segue alert **

Speaking of scuba diving, tomorrow (Sunday 22 November) I will be driving Kristy two hours down to Port Kembla so she can go deep diving and wreck diving and finish her advanced open water course. Jeez I’m nice. Then I’ll spend a relaxing day at the beach, walking around town and reading “The Myth of the Rational Voter” and “The Selfish Gene”.

I’m not going to dive in Sydney, though hopefully I can do some diving while in Malaysia or Thailand early next year. But I did finally get to go sailing in Sydney harbour on Friday night. The RAN Sailing Association run a twilight race on Friday evenings and I helped out as crew on the “Sophia”. Well… I say crew… but really I was just ballast. Sailing has a language of its own, and if you don’t practice you easily forget. So I was re-learning the ropes. It was great to be back on the water and Sydney really does have a beautiful harbour. Hopefully I’ll be invited back some other Friday to get a bit more sailing practice in before I leave.

Do you want to be a millionaire?

Of course you do.  I do.

A lot of cash can be king - or maybe really screw you up?!

I believe that most human beings are hard-wired to want the most out of life; and in particular, humans want a lot of freaking money. Don’t even try to pretend…we desire money and as much as possible.

There are a few other things that I personally desire. I want to play the piano as a maestro. I would dearly love to produce extraordinary music that could make a difference in the universe – or at least make one person in the world feel special and alive (even if that was me!).

One of my greatest desires has also been to write a book. Not just a book. (A great book that would even make me laugh and cry). …a book that would make a profound difference in my own life and in someone else’s life…

But, back to that millionaire thing. I believe it would be a stimulating and intoxicating morning to awake, kiss my husband deeply and passionately, hop up out of bed, and go do whatever the heck I want to do regardless of the cost. Money can help create some incredible experiences in our lives.

Drag racing? Or, perhaps a quick parachute drop or scuba diving the purple wall in Fiji. Maybe you could hop on a plane to Paris to enjoy a day of wandering and exploring. Why not drop over the border to Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico for a couple of weeks and then drive down to Belize for a cruise or more scuba diving.

Scuba Diving - Now, There's a Great Way to Spend Time

Money does give us that opportunity. But, there is one significant problem that must be examined and resolved. A little matter called TIME.

It appears that the more money we make, the less time we have to enjoy or appreciate our moments. I have experience in this little detail – trust me! There have been years that the IRS will attest to the fact that I made less than $5,000.00 a year. And, then there are years where my annual income has been in excess of $100,000.00.

Believe me, when making less income, I have a whole hell of a lot of time. When making a ton of money, it seems there is only time to work to make more of the green stuff.

That’s pretty screwed up. I must figure out a compromise. If you have any clever ideas, please let me know. As soon as possible. Please?

I have always said that a perfect moment would be scuba diving on a 200 ft. vertical reef with at least 100 foot visibility, Vivaldi music in my earphones, a pepperoni and black olive pizza and beer in my hands, and water temps at 80 degrees F.  …could add in a dash of sex, but it would be hard to pull off all that in one perfect moment.  Perhaps after the dive, pizza, beer, and visibility!  Now, there’s a day that would be damned close to perfect.

Blue Seas

By Betsy Smith Jackson

The warm blue seas of Little Cayman continue to echo my name but most assuredly now, in the beginnings of a cold winter….

Looking out the window of my small commuter plane in route to Little Cayman Island, my excitement begins to build as I view the beautiful aqua water and small dive boats hovered over the reef.  Yes, I could see the actual reef from my plane, the water was that clear.  After the landing, on the somewhat paved runway, with my anticipation mounting, I quickly headed to the dive shop to confirm my dive reservations. 

My dive morning arrived and I was off to dive the infamous Bloody Bay Wall.  I took a giant stride off the boat into the 3,000 foot ocean bottom, where I soon found myself on the wall at only 30 feet.  I begin to see hundreds of schools of yellow tails, butterfly fish, amber jacks, turtles, moray ells as well as an infinite number of creatures. 

Little Caymans meals are all inclusive, buffet style and when they ring the cow-bell you better go eat, there are no other (well maybe one) restaurants. Fortunately, the food at every meal was unbelievable. Did I mention it was buffet style…meaning you could go back for this gourmet meal as many times a you like? The bar area, a simple thatched roof shack, was so much fun, including all the great drinks.  All the divers would sit around and talk about their morning dives or tell stories of other dive trips.  As the Pina-Coladas kept coming the “fish stories” got bigger!

This was not my first time diving Little Cayman Island and I think after reading about my experience you can understand why I am a repeat customer.   The people on this island and the dive boat crew are most friendly and accommodating of all the islands I have dived.  I highly recommend this tropical dive spot for the avid, advanced diver.  You will walk away wanting more and will return many times, as I have. 

Betsy Smith Jackson is a PADI SCUBA Instructor from North Carolina

For more information on accommodations visited by Betsy Jackson visit http://www.littlecayman.com/

And the dive operation http://www.littlecayman.com/diving/dive_shop.php

Now that I’m getting closer to that magic figure of 30, I’m starting to look back at things and analyze the decisions I have made. Earlier today, a colleague posted a question on Facebook – If you could be 17 again what is the one thing that you would change?

Hmm… Well to be honest I can’t recollect having done things differently when I was 17, except probably leaving home and studying out of Mumbai. But now that I’m way older, I’m anticipating the time when I turn 30 and want to have done a few things by then.

I guess once I turn 30, these things may not matter to me, or I may not feel any better, having done or not done them. But as of now here are a few things I’d like to have done by then. (Some of these keep changing)

Visit Kailash Mansarovar. This has been on my agenda since I was 19. I had wanted to do it before I turned 21, it got deferred until 25 and now the upper limit which I hope will be the final one is 30.

Shanti Jatra music festival in Nepal. This is some kind of a Woodstock for trance aficionados. The festival is held at an open air location somewhere in Nepal, and fans live in tents nearby. This definitely is something that’s high on my agenda.

Joy Deb Mela: Again, this is an annual festival which is a meeting place for the mystic Bauls musicians. It takes place near Santiniketan in Bengal. I learnt about this after reading a book called Baulsphere which documents the lives of the Baul musicians.

Manali: So much has been said and written about this place that having not visited this place is heresy.

Learn Wind Surfing: This is something I’ve been wanting to do as a kid. I think now is the time for me to go for the jugular.

Learn Scuba Diving / Snorkeling : While this isn’t a priority, I’d like to have a go at this just for the fun of it.

Andaman & Nicobar Island: My better half and I have shortlisted this as our honeymoon destination. Need I say more?

Learn cartooning: Another field I’ve been interested in for a long time. I’d like to learn this ideally at the SVA or Parsons in NY or else from some good practitioner of the craft, back home in India.

Visit New Orleans & New York: There are plenty of places which I would like to visit, but realistically I cannot afford to visit them all. So if I have to narrow them down to one place which I’d like to visit it would be New York.

Visit Kerala Well there’s a reason why it’s called God’s own country.

Pool Dive Nov 22,2209
found a dive shop in Japan and had them do the confined pool dive section for Open Water Certification. I did the following:

• Equipment prep
• Don adjust and check equipment
• Equipment setup: discussion on DIN, Yoke / steel and aluminum tanks
• Weight estimation, belt vs in integrated vest weights and buoyancy effects in fresh, salt, wet/dry suits, and tanks types
• How to setup first stage, connecting disconnecting, o-ring inspection, turning pressure gauge face down just in case gauge explodes, hose connections and connection to BCD, regulator and Octo review.
• gauge reading and hand signals.. maybe the Japanese counting way is a slight different than US way, sure you are use to that though…
• Mask, snorkel, fin, discussion on types and care..
• Surface swim, clearing snorkel
• dive plan and hand signal review (did not review RDP but Isomura and I completely understand how to plan dives with the RDP/eRDP)
• buoyancy check and breathing exercise
• mask flooding removal and clearing
• regulator removal and clearing
• Buddy breathing pratice and free flow(only discussion)
• free decent (5 meter pool)
• buoyancy practice
• ascent
• entry (standing) we did not do any boat entry, but we have already done that with you in Guam
• took off BCD underwater and weight adjustments
• emergency ascent
• practiced different swimming/fin techniques
• muscle cramp treatment and stretching underwater, removed one fin and swam.. I guess that this was part of it but did not really understand what he was saying underwater (writting in Kanji on the slate).
• Compass discussion (very basic) ocean is north, beach is south if you get lost go south.. was not very indepth. (adventure course I think there is more details)
• Practiced buddy breathing our whole free time, since I panic-ed a little when I didn’t have air in my lungs to clear the regulator and forgot about pressing the front. I am very confident now and no problems.. (I practiced a lot)
• Washed gear, outside and inside of BCD and storage tips.
• He might have reviewed some other things that I forgot to mention since there was so much in such a short time in the pool.. (Japanese tanks are so small, I used almost all the air)

The Japanese instructor was very good and I think that it was really beneficial for me so that I could ask lots of questions in the pool environment. Paid around $100 but I think that it was worth money since we got to practice and learn the safety aspects and improve our skills. I feel very confident in the water and ready to enjoy diving in Guam.