SCUBA diving myths and legends exposed!!!

Mythbusters: Popular SCUBA diving myths and urban legends exposed

From The Examiner

SCUBA diving is one of the most enjoyable and unique experiences available today. (Photo courtesy of PADI) SCUBA diving is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable activities on the planet today, at least according to dive industry officials. Despite the beauty (and challenges) that go with SCUBA diving, there are many myths out there keeping people out of the water. Here’s a brief look at SCUBA myths AND realities!

MYTH: Diving is a very dangerous activity

TRUTH: When done within the guidelines you’ll learn about in your open water certification course, diving has an extraordinary safety record. Diving is an exciting activity that combines all the thrills of exploration and adventure, with a safety record that compares favorably to sports such as bowling.

MYTH: Diving is complicated and difficult to learn

TRUTH: Learning to dive is easy today. Professional diving instructors use all the learning materials and proven strategies to make it simple and fun to learn. Before you know it you’ll be breathing underwater and using all the cool “toys” that make diving easier than ever before to learn and participate regularly.

MYTH: You have to be in top physical condition to dive

TRUTH: Like any active sport, diving is more enjoyable if you’re physically fit. And you do need some basic swimming skills in order to learn. But it’s nothing extreme; if you’re comfortable in the deep end of a pool, can swim, and you can walk for several minutes without getting winded, you can probably learn to dive.

MYTH: The ocean is full of dangerous animals like sharks

TRUTH: Most divers actually consider a shark sighting to be a special and memorable occasion, since it is rare to see them. While such critters as sharks and barracuda should be respected and treated as wild animals, the vast majority subsist on a diet of things considerably smaller than a scuba diver. In fact, most sharks and barracuda are somewhat intimidated by divers; with our long fins and other equipment, we appear big to them … something they don’t want to mess with! Besides, it’s a myth that sharks are perpetually hungry or are always on the attack. It’s not uncommon at all for a shark to go two weeks without hunting, and in one documented case, a healthy shark did not eat for better than a year.

MYTH: It’s expensive

TRUTH: When you put it up against other leisure activities, such as owning a quality mountain bike, golfing, boating, or skiing, diving compares very favorably. And the more you dive, the more true that becomes. Dive gear, for instance, is very durable and can last for years and years; after a short while, the cost of your gear can work out to just a few pennies per dive. Thanks to our friends at the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) for assisting us in creating this list.

Maldives Manta Rays

Maldives Manta Rays

Manta Rays are one of the biggest attractions for scuba divers coming to the Maldives.  They are the largest of all the rays, reaching spans of over 20 feet and weights of a whopping 4,000 pounds.  They are amazingly graceful, non-threatening animals that glide peacefully through the water, making them perfect scuba diving attractions.

For more amazing Manta Ray photographs, taken in the Maldives, click here

Maldives Manta Rays Research

Unfortunately, our beloved Manta Ray faces some severe threats in today’s world.  Owing to some very specific reproductive behaviour, little is known about how the Manta actually procreates and nobody has ever seen a baby Manta Ray be born.  With so little knowledge, it makes the Mantas even more difficult to understand and protect.

Manta Rays “Near-Threatened”

The Manta Ray is the World Conservation Union’s list of Near-Threatened animals.  It is known that in some parts of the world, Manta Ray populations are very depleted, but so little is known about them that it is difficult to say whether they should be on the Endangered list.

Maldives Manta Ray Project

To further research efforts about Manta Rays in the Maldives, and contribute to global research, the Maldivian Manta Ray Project has been set up.  It was started in 2005 and is based at the Four Seasons Resort at Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives.  A key part of the project’s work is to photograph as many Manta Rays as possible in the Maldives and document the photos with dates and specific locations within the Maldives.  Every Manta Ray has special spots on his underbelly that make him unique, so by photographs, an individual Manta Ray’s behaviour can be tracked and documented.  This important work will help the Maldivian government and the world’s conservation authorities to learn how many Manta Rays live in the world and where these populations are located.

Get Involved in the Maldivian Manta Ray Project

The Maldivian Manta Rays need your help!  If you have any photos of Manta Rays taken in the Maldives, send them to the Maldivian Manta Ray Project by email to: mantarayproject@hotmail.com together with information about the photo (date and location).  Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.

Join Maldives Scuba Diving Flickr Group and Upload Your Underwater Photos!

Join Maldives Scuba Diving Flickr Group & Upload Your Underwater Photos!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT GROUP!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT GROUP!

Australian Mike Wells Sets New Free-diving World Record

Free-diving World Record set in Australia

A new world record for free-diving has been set in Australia by Mike Wells, who swam through Australia’s longest underwater cave on just a single breath.

Longest Underwater Cave Swim in the World

The free-diver, aged 39, swam 120 metres at a depth of 26 metres through Fish Rock Cave.  It was the first time anyone had ever free-dived Fish Rock Cave.  Mike Wells has been free-diving for 19 years.  He managed to complete the dive on his third attempt.

Disaster almost Strikes in Free-diving World Record Attempt

After failing to complete the dive on two attempts because of a serious cramp, free-diver Mike Wells almost ran into trouble on the third attempt when his fin got caught in a narrow crevice.  His son, and support team member, was able to free him.

Fish Rock Cave is location for Free-Diving World Record

Fish Rock Cave is located on the coast of New South Wales in Australia.  It is well-known as a dangerous dive spot because of a strong ocean current that rushes into the cave.  To perform the dive, Mike Wells descended 26 metres down a rope and then began the swim through the long tunnel.

Until this attempt, the general consensus was that it would be impossible to dive Fish Rock Cave without SCUBA equipment.  Mike Wells had always wanted to try.

Physical Effects of Free-Diving

Before the dive, Wells visited a doctor who said that his body would undergo huge pressure… “his lungs will compress dramatically and his ribs will cave in, his belly and chest will be greatly distorted.”  In order to reduce his oxygen requirements, Wells had to relax almost to the degree of sleeping!

Who Wants to Be A Millionaire – OMG

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Ken Basin loses $475,000!!!

While this has absolutely nothing to do with scuba diving, or with the Maldives for that matter, I couldn’t believe my eyes this evening, when Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant Ken Basin, from Los Angeles, California, made a guess on the MILLION DOLLAR question and LOST, losing him a whopping $475,000!

Maybe he was already a Millionaire?

The contestant Ken Basin, gave host, Regis Philbin, a good rundown on his background, from his parents arriving in the US from the Soviet Union in 1982, with absolutely nothing; they were chasing the American Dream.  I wonder what they will have to say about his lacksadaisacal decision to “gamble” away almost $500,000.

Millionaire – the Name of the Game?

I would always have said that you have to go for it in times like this.  I mean, the guy arrived at the Who Wants to be  a Millionaire studio with nothing, so he is still leaving with $25,000 more than he came with, but still… Ken Basin’s only 24, $500,000 would surely have changed his life!!!

Who Wants to be a Millionaire…. What was the Question?

The million-dollar question, in case you missed it, on this season finale’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire… was:

President LBJ had four buttons in the oval office for the speedy delivery of his favorite drinks.  They were coffee, tea, coke and which other….

A) Fresca

B) V8

C) Yoo-Hoo

D) A&W

Ken Basin chose C, on the Audience’s reccomendation, but alas, the answer was A) Fresca.

Amazing Manta Ray Photos

Incredible Manta Ray Photos from the Maldives

Scuba divers visiting the Maldives are attracted by the incredible variety of marine life.  There are five major attractions, one of which is the Manta Ray.

About the Manta Ray

The Manta Ray is an undeniably impressive creature, reaching about 25 feet in “wingspan” and 5,000 lbs in weight.  They are found in tropical waters, and are very peaceful animals, making them a true favourite among scuba divers.

 Manta Ray Feeding

The Manta Ray is a filter feeder, feeding on plankton, small fish and fish larvae which enter through their enormous gills, which look like the grill of a powerful sports car, as they swim through the water.

Manta Ray Behaviour

Manta Rays are known to enjoy scuba divers.  Hanging out and swimming with them, that is!  They are very curious animals and will often appear while scuba diving and hang out with the divers.  At some dive sites in the Maldives, the Manta Rays gather to have their gills cleaned by smaller fish.  At these times, scuba divers hang out and watch the amazing natural phenomenon unfold before their eyes.

Manta Ray Dance

Manta Rays are known to “dance” under the water, one of the most impressive sights a scuba diver can behold.  Manta Point in the Maldives is one of the prime locations in the world to watch the Mantas dance.

Scuba Accident leads to Amazing Toe Graft

Encounter with Moray Eel leaves Scuba Diver without a Thumb

The following video is entertaining, but shows that you shouldn’t pick on a Moray Eel, or, for that matter, any other sea creature.  While Moray Eels are not aggressive creatures, the subject of the video shows that they can cause severe damage. 

Scuba Accident

Toward the end of the video, after minutes of tormenting the Eel, the accident is seen and then right at the end of the video, you can see what this scuba diver had to go through to recover from the accident… it’s almost a medical miracle!

Funny Scuba Safety Video

Hilarious Scuba Safety Video

This entertaining video is a perfect display of scuba diving madness.  The guys from Awe Mpty demonstrate in their own, humourous way, the dangers of scuba diving. 

 

Decompression Sickness

The video describes the symptoms of decompression sickness, also known as the Bends, in a series of hilarious skits, which include vomiting, headaches, loss of memory and incontinence.

Nitrogen Narcosis

In the second half of the video, the duo go on to describe the funny effects of nitrogen narcosis, including a scuba diver who tries talking to a fish. 

This lighthearted, but educational video is great for a laugh!

Man Sets Home on Fire and Escapes with Scuba Gear

Man Sets Home on Fire and Escapes with Scuba Gear

When times get tough, people get desperate and sink to levels unfamiliar to many, even themselves.

In Phoenix, Arizona, things got a little hotter than usual when a man was arrested for setting his house ablaze, which is (err, I mean was) valued at a “cool” $3.5 million,

The multi-million dollar house went up in flames on July 5th, and was doused by the Phoenix Fire Department, but not after significant damage (not to mention the time and effort of the fire fighters…Good thing there wasn’t a cat up in a tree at the same time!)

Athough the fire took place on July 5th, fire detectives have been investigating since and arrested the home’s owner Michael Marin Wednesday, August 19t.

Initially, the “scuba diving enthusiast” reported that he jumped ship by shimmying down a makeshift rope ladder in his scuba gear. Now, I’m no Colombo, but who the heck has time to squeeze into their wet suit while your ass is being burnt by advancing flames!?!

Not surprisingly, Marin was the only person living in the 10,000 square foot house. Unfortunatley for Marin, they don’t have cells that large downtown!

The Amazing Story of the Diver and the Whale

Amazing Story of the Diver and the Whale

The following incredible photos have been taken of a remarkable encounter between a 50-feet humpback whale and an extremely courageous diver.

The Diver and the Whale Bond

While there is a constant risk that the humpback could move his body and kill the diver without even meaning to, these photos show how the diver and the humpback whale actually seem to connect and spend a time cruising through the ocean together.

Spectacular Underwater Photography

The opportunity to shoot photography this spectacular under the water does not present itself very often. These amazing photos were taken in the South Pacific, close to the Hawaiian Islands last week by underwater photographer Marco Queral, from South America.

Whale Behaviour

Queral says that the personalities of humpback whales are very particular and they are the ones that decide if you are going to get good photos or not. He says the whales are very intelligent and sometimes they will be in a mood to let you photograph them, and sometimes they will not.

Attracting the Whale’s Attention

Queral has several tricks for attracting the attention of whales and other creatures that he likes to photograph. For example, when photographing dolphins, he often does some somersaults and acrobatics to catch their attention as it heightens their curiosity, making them excellent subjects. Nevertheless, photos of a huge whale have far more dangerous implications. Their sheer size and power could kill him in a heartbeat, even though he believes they are gentle and peaceful creatures. They are also far more cautious of humans, which may have a lot to do with the fact that whales have been hunted by humans for hundreds of years.

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