Scuba Lore

Archive for October, 2009

not sexually but something you really want to do
we want to learn scuba diving and really get to see an whale shark and pet or ride him like you see on discovery channel sometimes . we think the whale shark is the most awesome living thing in the oceans

motorcycle ride with my grandfather ….when I was younger he would always take me on the back of his…..we would always say when I got older he would teach me to ride…then we can go on long journeys …that it would be nice to ride together with his baby girl …but he passed away …before we ever got a chance to do that…..now that I have my own ..I don’t find it as enjoyable as it use to be…

Just seeing who’s ‘ball-sy’ or not.

I would go uncaged. With tuna steaks strapped to my body.

Im going to Ho Chi Minh, and was thinking of going to a beach or island resort for budget sea sports, where would be good?

Your best bet is Nha Trang, a beach resort city about 350 miles NE of HCMC. It takes about 9 hours by bus (good time to catch up with your sleep and see some of the countryside as well). Bus fare is next to nothing ($6/person/ 1 way).

I posted a similar question last year but didn’t get to go through it with the trip. I’m back at it again. This time I am starting the planning and $ saving early! What I need to know is DETAILED info. 1.) Location-unsure which area I want to go to..not automatically Cancun perhaps other places such as Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos or where ever. 2) Pricing- I am not trying to spend an arm and a leg but I do know it will cost a bit I am trying to stay below 850$ total for airline hotel transportation food shopping all that! I know they have a good deal somewhere 3.) Date of trip–not sure. Perhaps spring break (Apr 10-17) or during summer time when no school is taking place..I want a time when weather is nice and there is a good bit of tourist but not too much also when the pricing is better 4.) Travel agent? Website? I don’t know where to start..I been browsing travelzoo and cheapcaribbean.com so I am not sure what is the better option or options to go through…

I plan on going with a group of female friends ages 21-25. Activities not so much into scuba diving(can’t swim) or snorkeling although will TRY so places that offer that can be included. Clubs, Shopping is the major thing—especially for myself. I want to find inexpensive replica items and other bargains…Beach is a plus. Preferably pretty close walking distance to all these amenities..beach club shopping centers.

Inclusive or not inclusive? which is better

Take a taxi or bus or walk?

What to bring? MOney? Debit / Credit Cards?

Do I have to worry about being cheated out of money or theft?

Help! Thanks a lot in providing detailed info and also websites or guides for me to research

okay well personally i would recommend Mazatlan, San Carlos, Cabo, Cancun, Anything in the yucatan pininsula.
As for the cheapest prices for hotel and air planes, usually travelocity.com has the best prices and combo packages that include transportaion hotel and air fare. When going to mexico always take cash, theree will be places where you can change the U.S. Dollar into Pesos. That way you are going to be able to get the prices that are in pesos and give exact change. I would also recommend. As you run out of cash, i would recommened taking out enough money in cash as you need for the trip, since i don’t believe U.S. Credit cards will work in Mexico. Although, you cannot take more than 10,000 dollars in any form across the border either way, going in or coming back. So be careful! I hope i helped! =).

It seems that scuba divers are divided on this issue. On one hand, they say (I can’t speak from experience) that it’s necessary to have one in order to do a surface swim in rough waters, or to conserve airwhile surface swimming in calm waters.
On the other hand, I’ve met some instructors who never wear it except when teaching class because they claim that they’ve never used it, apart from certification dives, not even in the conditions described above.
My person feeling is that I hate the thing; it’s uncomfortable, no matter how much I try to adjust it or what type of holder I use to hold to my mask, it whacks me in the head or gets in my way. Plus, the quarries here in the midwest are not exactly rough waters, and if I have to surface swim, I can do it easier by swimming on my back.
So, fellow divers, what’s your take on this?
Thanks!
If you’re not a SCUBA diver, then please don’t respond… you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Thanks, bob, that’s the kind of info I need… from somebody who knows what they’re talking about!

As you get more and more into the sport, you’ll actually find that there are pros and cons to having one with you.
For example, most of my dives for fun are wreck penetrations. A snorkel can get you killed, if you’re actually wearing it. Some of the spaces you need to wiggle through just don’t allow having gear sticking out at all angles and a snorkel smacking something can dislodge it, leaving you in a bad situation in a hurry, not to mention the silt out.
On the flip side, snorkels are VERY handy for a long surface swim to the descent line. It saves on your gas consumption and allows you to swim on your front rather than the old lay back, cran your neck around to see where you are and fin style of getting to where you need to be on the surface. This is especially true if you use a back inflation type of BC. They are forever trying to put you face down.
What you may find useful and it’s what I carry, is a folding snorkel. The tube is flexible enough to fold in half and I have many pockets on either my drysuit or on my rig to store it, out of the way unless I need it. I can use it to surface swim to the line, pop it in a pocket and get down and dirty under a triple expansion engine amongst the debris in the room with no worries. Alternatively, a pal of mine uses surgical tubing to secure his to his rig on his chest. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure that it’s in a spot that won’t interfere with anything else if you go that route. Always think of the unthinkable…’cause it’s bound to happen.

I am wanting to become certified for SCUBA diving but I don’t have anyone to take classes with, all my friends are scared of SCUBA diving. So will dive shops still certify you if you are solo?

Sign up to take a group class. In my weekly class, I will usually have about 10-20% of the students are taking the class by themselves, and they don’t have any diving friends/family.

I put off becoming certified for a long time because I didn’t have that "dedicated buddy". I was in a group class. Now that it is about 10 years later, many of my closest friends were met through scuba diving.

By the way, I would avoid the term "solo diver". There are certification levels for experienced divers that will let them dive without a buddy; however, this is well beyond the scope of recreational diving. Some people in the industry don’t like the idea of "solo diving".

Where did you scuba dive? How deep? What did you do? What did you feel? Is it safe to scuba dive when there are sharks?

I have been diving with black tip reef sharks and hammer heads in the Cook Islands. This was actually on my first dive ever and was a little freaked at first. Then I saw a sea turtle and got over it.
Recently went diving with Grey Nurse sharks in Australia and we were surrounded by over 30 sharks. Very cool. They were massive. Also had Wobegongs there. The water was about 28 meters deep. They didn’t seem to take much notice of us. They looked us over and swam on by.
The only sharks I would not be happy about seeing while diving are Great Whites, Tigers and Bull sharks.
They are pretty amazing to see up close. I have been diving heaps of times and the majority of the time I don’t see any sharks at all. You might see some shark eggs, but that is about it. Don’t let the possibility of seeing a shark put you off diving. As long as you go with an experienced diver, you will be fine. Have fun!

I was just wondering how hard it would be for me and my fiancee to find work in French Polynesia or other South Pacific locations.

She is a qualified masseuse and we were wondering how hard it is to find work in some of the many spas we have seen advertised online.

I would also be looking for any kind of work myself, I don’t mind doing anything and am a fast learner and very practical with my hands. Another of my options would be as a SCUBA dive master.

Is it hard to gain work permits for this area of the world? We are both British.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Martin

Hi,

I have relatives living in tahiti so i can tell you something about working over there. if you want to be a scuba dive master, you have excellent chances to get a job because Tahiti = beach = ocean. so scuba diving is a great choice. For your spouse, i’m not so sure. There are lots of experts doing massages and i believe it’s harder to get a license in that field. If you’re from the U.K, it shouldn’t be too hard because you’re a European citizens. Lots of europeans actually live overthere and work too!

Please ckeck the website for more infos, pics and clips and good luck!

Im trying to learn diving in Cebu but not sure how much it will cost me. Does anyone have any idea how much it will cost for a beginner’s cost? including the cost of the diving course and gear rental etC?

The cost of diving in Cebu around $300-$500 including accommodation & lesson

This Movie had a Killer Whale in it near the end, when the boy was diving down to recover something from the ship wreckage.

Shipwrecked (1990)
Haakon Haakonsen
starring Stian Smestad, Gabriel Byrne, Louisa Millwood-Haigh
IMDB synopsis:
A young Norwegian boy in 1850’s England goes to work as a cabin boy and discovers some of his shipmates are actually pirates.
More information:
A dramatization by Norwegian author O. V. Falck-Ytter’s "Haakon Haakonsen. En norsk Robinson" ("Haakon Haakonsen. A Norwegian Robinson"), an action-adventure story aimed at youths, it was inspired by Daniel Defoe’s "Robinson Crusoe" and published in 1873.
From Wikipedia:
Haakon Haakonsen, a young Norwegian boy in the 1850s, becomes the sole support of his family as a cabin boy on a ship after his father is injured. Jens, a family friend and a fellow shipmate of Haakon’s father, becomes an older brother to Haakon on their voyage. At first, Haakon has a difficult time adjusting to life at sea, but eventually earns the respect of his shipmates. He even discovers a female stowaway who turns into a romantic interest. After the mysterious death of his admired captain, a new set of suspicious shipmates comes on board, along with a new captain. Soon afterwards, Haakon survives the sinking of his ship in a terrible storm and wakes up on a deserted tropical island. After searching the island, Haakon discovers that his suspicious shipmates are pirates. Haakon eventually finds his friends Jens and Mary (the stowaway) and realizes that the pirates are returning to the island. Haakon attempts to find a plan to save himself and his friends and return home safely.

I thought that this might be the one you’re describing.