Scuba Lore

Archive for January, 2010

I’m super pale and used to tan before getting pregnant, but stopped when my dr said not to do anything that would raise my body temperature. Now my baby shower is coming up and I really want to look as cute as possible since I feel like a whale… but I glow! Is if safe to use self tanner while pregnant… i.e., Dove, Jergens, Neutrogena.

Yes its 100% safe to use self tanning lotions while pregnant=)

Also the dha in self tanning lotions is low….that is why they are "gradual" self tanning lotions..if you have serious worries consult your dr….but in all honesty you are safe while using them if not they would have warning labels on them..

How do i get started in scuba diving?
I’m planning on learning to scuba dive but have no idea how much it would cost.
All the details i can get would really help.
Thanks =)

Looks like Scubaworld and Portulano are the closest dive centers to Batangas. I’ll paste both websites below.

Scubaworld is a five star dive center which means they’ve been in business for some time and have passed certain quality standards.
Unfortunately, neither site gives pricing. You probably need to email them for rates. Ask about a group class (usually cheaper).

Generally speaking, open water certification costs between $300 – $500 including everything. As you mentioned in your question there’s often a gear rental fee, tuition, books and dives. So, in your email to the dive center I’d word it just like you did here.

Something I’d recommend: try to get your classroom stuff done before you go. I did my certification in Mexico and I spent about six hours in a classroom reading a book and doing tests. It was lame. You can get all of this out of the way before you leave for your trip. Talk to your local dive center or do one of the online study programs (www.padi.com/elearning).

My wife and I are coming to Australia for 2 weeks this summer (SO EXCITED!) and we’d like to spend a day or 2 diving the Great Barrier Reef. We’re both certified divers and looking for the best places to dive while we’re there. We want to make sure we don’t miss the good spots, since we’ll only have limited time, and who knows if we’ll ever be able to come back… (unless we fall in love with Australia, and move there)

Thank you in advance!

The Great Barrier Reef itself is one of the best diving spots in Australia..You could see lots of marine life in there..I know you and your wife will be enjoying your trip and maybe decide to extend your vacation..

Do I need to do some sort of course to use a camera while scuba diving? or is a normal PADI scuba diver certificate fine? Sounds a bit stupid..but thought it better to ask before spending £300+. Thanks!

No. An underwater photography course is intended to help you learn how to take better pictures sooner, but there is no reason that you HAVE to take a course to use a camera. There are no scuba police out there verifying qualifications.

Specialty courses are designed to accelerate the learning process, but trial and error is always an option. In some cases trial & error gives the test before the lesson, but with photography generally all you are risking is taking pictures you aren’t happy with.

Just watch your buoyancy while taking photos, many people get overly focused on the camera and lose buoyancy control.

Bali Diving = Location to Scuba Dive Bali
Scuba Diving Bali = Scuba Resorts Bali
PADI IDC Bali Centre = PADI Dive Centre in Bali to learn to Scuba Dive
PADI Scuba Diving Courses

i don’t think bali is the perfect place for diving.
instead go to komodo island, few hours from bali, Lombok.
5 star diving sites

I would like to go scuba diving on Catalina island for my birthday next month. I don’t have any experience and I am staying there for four days. I would like to just learn how to scuba dive and go on a diving trip that lasts just for a few hours or so. Is there a place that teaches you, gives you a scuba diving trip, provides you equipment, and is affordable in one place? Or should I just forget it?

You can take a "resort course". This course will expose you safely to one dive.

In California, PADI (www.padi.org) gives a list of SCUBA certification places. PADI is located in So Cal.

I’m turning 18 this month, and I want to make a list of things that I want to do or see sometime during my life. I am not a very spontaneous or adventurous person by nature, so the list is a way of reminding my self not to pass up opportunities that come to me. Some of the things I’ve come up with are:

Zip lining
Deep Sea Fishing
Float in the Dead Sea
Ride in a helicopter
Try an exotic food
Ride down the canals of Venice in a gondola
scuba dive
cage diving with sharks
whale watching tour
swimming with dolphins
Rent a metal dector and "treasure hunt" for a day
Go horseback riding
Take an African Safari
Stand on the Great Wall of China

Now, I know some of those are a little out there and are going to take a lot of money, but these are just things I hope to be able to do with my life. Its like a Bucket List, but I don’t want to call it that because it doesn’t seem as inspiring, just sad. So what are some exciting things that are out there to do that I might not know about or think about? What are some places you think everyone MUST see in their lifetime?

Hold a baby, teach a child something, experience the love of a grandchild, see Niagara Falls, love someone more than you love yourself, volunteer in a soup kitchen, watch the sun set at sea from a sailboat, eat a new food everyday, live each day as if it is your last but dream as if you will never die.

I am planning on sucba diving the great barrier reef in Australia next month and would like to know what is the better location of the two to do so.

I know Cod Hole out of Cairns always seems to get good write-ups

Scuba diving is something I have wanted to learn for a long time. I’d really like for a friend to take lessons with me, but my friends are either too busy or not interested in learning to dive. So I’d be starting totally on my own, not knowing any other divers. Can you give me some tips on getting started and meeting others to dive with?

You are in the same situation that I was years ago.

First, find a dive shop in your area. If there are multiple shops, do any of them have a dive club?

Second, take the basic open water course from that dive shop. Try to sign up for a group class. Do your certification dives locally (instead of internationally). Get the names of the people in your certification class. You’ll probably find a lot of people that will be interested in diving, but are lacking a dive buddy just like you.

Hopefully, there is some where local that a lot of diver will go to train. It may not be the best diving environment, but it allows you to dive.

If you like that dive shop, take some trips with them.

Im not sure if I am scared of these things or what. Many times, when I see a picture of the deep sea, or a photograph from underneath ocean water, like of a dolphin or something swimming, I get a chill up my spine. One time me and my sister were on google maps looking at the coastline where we were gonna be, and she scrolled over the ocean and kept going to see how far it went, and I got a shiver up my spine. Im not sure why this is, maybe it’s thinking about sharks and whales and stuff in it, Im not sure. It is odd because I love going to the ocean, and I even swim in it, but the idea of being far out freaks me out so much, I got caught in a rip tide once and was literally screaming and crying I was sooo terrified. thinking about Scuba Diving and being deep down in the sea really makes me cringe and one time I got so shaken up seeing a picture of the deep sea I began to cry.

Another thing is that seeing a whale creeps me out. I have never seen one in real life, I believe, but seeing a picture of a whale, or seeing one swim on tv gives me the chills. I kind of go into a panic attack when I see a picture of a whale swimming in the ocean(above fear)

Do you think I have a irrational fear of these things, why do you think so, and is there a name for these feelings?

I think you possibly have a fear of the unknown, like when your near the beach you know there can’t be anything that bad near you, but out further its possible that anything could be under you. I think this because since i was 4 year old i have had a really bad fear of water, even if im walking over a bridge with water under it i start to shake. I can’t bear the thought of whats underneath it either.