|
Selecting a Training Facility
Considerations for Selection of a Scuba Training Facility The sport of Scuba Diving has maintained a great record of safety while maturing from an elite sport to one that today enjoyed by the masses. This in spite of the fact that it is a high risk sport which allows people to enjoy a hostile environment. Those seeking to engage in the sport should not consider it lightly but with a serious understanding that it requires a great deal of knowledge and training to mitigate the risks and maintain s...
|
|
Answer to Online Purchasing or Support my LDS
Many new divers ask the question: Should I puchase online or support my local dive shop? What about warranty’s and air fills? If you stay with the largest of the online retailers they either offer manufacturers warrantees (they are authorized by that brand) or they offer their own warrantee that is equal to the manufacturers warrantee. I’ve dealt with Leisurepro, Scuba.com, Scubatoys and a few others without any problems and most will give you some sort of sizing warrantee program so you can try...
|
|
A new Concept in Divers Club
Yesterday at Lake Pleasant Adventure Day Arizona divers were introduce to a new concept in dive clubs, AZ-DiveBuddies. A membership based divers club with a lot to offer it’s members. This isn’t an ordinary social club.Their membership can shop equipment with a discount program that offers gear below the normal website price of LeisurePro and Scubatoys and/or they can get discounts at local dive shops. They operate their own compressor which is certified quarterly by TRI Compressed Air Analysis ...
|
|
|
Mission Accomplished PADI IE Completed
Well after 2 years at the Certification level of Divemaster it was time to progress. I took the PADI Instructor Developement Course with a great course director Patrick Hammer. It was a exhuasting week of training which had it’s high and low points but in the end I was able to pull it all together and passed the PADI Instructor Exam given in Mesa & Lake Pleasant here in Arizona. We had a great group of candidates all of which completed even in the low vis and 61F conditions we found ourselves. I...
|
|
RDP Membership breaks top 10 of Divebuddy.com clubs
It is with great pride that I can announce that with less than 1 month in existance, Recreational Dive Professionals club membership has grown to the point of putting us within the top 10 clubs on Divebuddy.com by membership....
|
|
Suggesting New Gear
As an instructor I’m a somewhat experienced diver that has tried a few different sets of gear in the years I’ve been diving. I’m not employed by any diveshop that sells a particular brand. I’m someone who is active on a few scuba forums. So I often am confronted with questions from other divers regarding what gear to buy. This subject is impossible for anyone other than the individual diver to answer completely. It is highly dependant on the intended diving profiles and personal needs. For the b...
|
|
|
New Divemaster
Yesterday was a big day. It was the day I put my Divemaster application in the mail to PADI. So based on PADI’s usual rapid handling of new certification cards and the like, I expect I’ll be able to prove my professional status in a couple of months....
|
|
|
In the Mail From OceanFest
The Mail carrier came and rang the bell on my home today. He delivered a small box we were not expecting from Florida. To our surprise we won second prize from @nline Access Networks while at Oceanfest a few weeks ago. What makes it even nicer is there is no arguement about who gets to play with it first. We got his and hers Sanyo digital still cameras. I actually have a nice digital camera already but my wife has been shooting film . The second camera will probably end up a present for our niec...
|
|
|
San Carlos in March
Back from a weekend dive trip to San Carlos Mexico. I was there late last August and really enjoyed it. This time of year the water is significantly cooler.(20*F cooler) I still had a great time. This was my first time using a 7mm wetsuit in saltwater. As expected I needed to add an additional 8 lbs to my freshwater profile. Visibility wasn`t as good this time but far better than my last few dives. Still I decided not to shoot any photos and just concentrate on the dives. The sea life during the...
|
|
|
PADI Specialty of the Year
I just completed the PADI Specialty of the Year, Project AWARE. In this "The Year of the Reef" with all the focus on Global Warming lets not forget the impact and importance of the aquatic environment both salt and fresh water. Many people think that the oxygen we breath comes from trees and plant photosynthesis. That is only partially true the greater amount of oxygen is produced in our oceans. There are many more forms of life in our oceans and they all contribute to the processes that free ox...
|
|
|
Thanks DiveBuddy.com
Today I received a Oceanic Atom 1.0 dive computer that I purchased from another Divebuddy.com member. It was listed in the classifieds area of the site and was described as a good working computer in great shape with a bad transmitter. The price was great even considering the bad transmitter and after contacting the seller I arranged for it to include the download adapter, software disk and even shipping. I even was surprised to find a protective cover for the face of the computer included in th...
|
|
|
Coldest water I`ve ever dived
Yesterday I took a run to one of our local lakes. Lake Pleasant AZ. I took my OW dives there last March and the water temperature was 58*F. Yesterday the water temp was 49*F and that`s the coldest water I`ve ever dived. I was wearing a 7.6.5 Tilos wetsuit 5mm Boots and hood and 3mm gloves. I logged 2 dives the first was 22 minutes and max depth was 47 feet The second was 27 minutes and max depth was 35 feet. Visability was less than 5 feet. These were nice winter dives just to keep in practice....
|
|
|
Enriched Air (Nitrox)
Yesterday I completed PADI`s specialty of the month for January 2008. Enriched Air Diver. Just another tool to use in my diving and my third specialty. I did all the reading and exercises before watching the video didn`t find anything really to be a problem. And when I got to the video I thought it was a waste of time. Since the class was only 1 other diver who also prepared at home the class went quickly. We discussed some theory and formulas. Went over EAD and the RDPs and a few notes about us...
|
|
|
Streamlining
Streamlining is the art of keeping all you equipment, hoses, regulators and console as tucked in and close to you as possible while you dive. The reasons for streamlining are to keep from getting caught on anything, avoid harming the underwater environment and allow you to conserve energy by lowering drag. To accomplish streamlining divers use many combinations of snaps, clips, bungies and retractors attached to the D-rings of their BCD. It is now possible to streamline even further than in the ...
|
|
|
Saguaro Lake Project AWARE Dive
Yesterday was the cleanup dive for Project AWARE at Saguaro lake in Arizona. The Boyscouts cancelled their dock painting but due to rain. They did however stop off at the lake to drop off donuts and milk they had bought for the event. Of course the diving wasn`t cancelled we planned on getting wet anyway! Some divers that showed up decided to do some shore cleanup instead of diving. (part of the BoyScouts project) Many divers did join the underwater cleanup and brought up aluminum cans, glass bo...
|
|
|
Shark Dives
I was thinking about what people call shark dives. The type where sharks are lured to a boat with chum and blood. Then the diver enters a cage for protection while the sharks are circling around. This is supposed to get you up close to see the shark in it`s habitat. Now I`ve been to the reef preserve off the Florida Keys and shark and baracuda are all around in those waters. No one is wearing a shark suit or diving in a cage. I`ve had sharks come within 5-10 feet of me and I`ve had baracuda face...
|
|
|
Diving for the Environment
This coming Saturday I`m going to do a bit more than my part for the environment. Like many divers I`m very aware that the sport we enjoy is dependant on our environment being protected. With this in mind if ever I see garbage floating by or littering the bottom I do my part and remove it from the water and dispose of it properly. That I feel is every diver responsibility. Saturday I`ll be diving for Project Aware with the folks of N Depth Scuba. This project is to help clean up Saguaro Lake in ...
|
|
|
Equipment Rental vs Equipment Purchase
Many divers face a major decision at the time or shortly after they learn to dive, whether to rent equipment or purchase their own. Each has benefits to the diver and each has safety concerns the following is my thoughts on the question in an attempt to enlighten others facing the decision. You started a new sport/hobby that can tend to be both expensive and hazardous. With proper training and good equipment you can enjoy it with minimum of risk. You local dive shop is the place that many people...
|
|
|
How to Not start Scuba Diving
A bit of reflection here but a piece that may be useful to others. While in my youth(early 20s) a friend and coworker who new I was a avid snorkeler volenteered to take me diving in the Hamptons area of Long Island in the state of New York. I had doned scuba gear once before in a pool and my friend wanted to go diving but could not find a buddy available. So thinking nothing of it at the time I agreed to go after we finish our half day of work that day. So with a stop at a local dive shop my fri...
|
|