How to Choose the Right Wetsuit

Wetsuits – Choosing the Right Fit for You

The success in advancing your scuba diving abilities are affected by many factors. Diving takes lots and lots of practice as well as knowledge of the sport. This should be your first priority. If you’re really serious about diving, next on the list would be to invest in good scuba gear or equipment. Aside from your breathing apparatus, wetsuits are another important investment of equal importance.

Choose a Wetsuit by Water Temperature

In choosing the right wetsuit for you, there are a number of factors to consider. It would be practical to first determine where you’ll be diving as different locations embody varying water temperatures. A piece of clothing as unique as the scuba wetsuit is exclusively designed to endure diverse conditions one may encounter during diving activities. Wetsuits come with either short legs and sleeves, or long legs and sleeves. Thickness of the suit is a crucial factor in picking the right suit for a particular dive spot. These articles of clothing are often sold in 3mm and 6mm specifications which are ideal for usual dives. If diving in waters above 85 degrees, an optimal choice would be a short leg and sleeved wetsuit with a thickness of 2mm, whereas a long suit with a thickness of 6-7mm is ideal for waters with a temperature of about 60-70 degrees.

Wetsuit Thickness and Length

Guidelines in thickness and length of wetsuits are great indicators for choosing the most comfortable suit for you. Some divers are also particular with the type of stitching in his/her wetsuit. Although in some cases, selecting the proper suit also depends on your body’s tolerance temperature change. If you’re unsure on the specifications of the suit that you need to purchase, it may be wise to try a friend’s wetsuit before making your decision. Also, be sure to look for the right size because a loose part on the underarms or in between the legs will make you uncomfortable during a diving activity.

Another option you’d encounter in purchasing a wetsuit is the type of neoprene it’s made up of. A number of choices are available on the market differing in price and quality. An example of such is the chemical blown wetsuit which has a soft and light feel, and much less expensive than the durable and stronger gas blown wetsuit. If you feel like really spending, you can get the Titanium suit which claims to keep the diver warm by preventing heat from entering the body.

Choosing the right suit for you really depends on comfort and intent of use. A professional diver might want to invest more on his wetsuit or may also prefer to use cheaper ones. The bottom line is it really depends on the diver’s personal choice. Just keep in mind that there are factors to be considered when making that decision.

Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The International SCUBA Diving Hall of Fame is hosting its 10th anniversary awards banquet and induction ceremony Saturday, 30 January, at Pedro St James. Eleven persons will be honoured for their contributions to the growth of SCUBA diving as a sport and for their contributions in the fields of dive travel, entertainment, art, equipment design and development, education, exploration and adventure.

Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Founded in 2000

Founded in 2000 by the Ministry of Tourism, the Cayman Islands is home to the ISDHF, created to establish a link between the Cayman Islands, a premiere diving destination, and diving enthusiasts worldwide who have made significant contributions to the recreational SCUBA diving industry.

New Members of Scuba Diving Hall of Fame

The 2010 inductees are Dr Eugenie Clark, known affectionately as the “shark lady,” a world-renowned ichthyologist and authority on sharks; Benoit Rouquayrol, who developed, patented and manufactured a self-contained breathing apparatus that became the first production SCUBA diving system; Wyland, a marine life artist and leading advocate for marine resource conservation; Nick Icorn, a diving pioneer regarded as the “keeper of the flame” for preserving diving’s illustrious history through his collection of representative samples of diving gear; Professor Louis Boutan, the first diver to take underwater photos; Francis Toribiong, who started the first dive operation in Palau and discovered the Blue Corner, one of the most famous dive sites in the world; Henry Albert Fleuss, who produced the first practical and successful closed-circuit breathing apparatus; Commandant Yves Le Prieur, who co-founded the world’s first recreational SCUBA diving club in 1935; and Auguste Denayrouze, who worked with the inventor Benoit Rouquayrol to develop and manufacture the self-contained breathing apparatus, and successfully marketed it internationally.

The early pioneer awards for Professor Louis Boutan, Henry Albert Fleuss, Commandant Yves Le Prieur, Benoit Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze will be given posthumously.

Each year, the Ministry of Tourism also honours Caymanians, paying tribute to the important role they played transforming the Cayman Islands into the premier diving destination that it is today. This year’s local honourees are Charles Ebanks, known locally as Captain Chuckie, and Patrick Noel Evans.

Special guests will be Ron and Valerie Taylor, who filmed the live shark sequences and underwater action footage in film and TV productions including Jaws, Orca and the Blue Lagoon; Sylvia Munro, who received the first early pioneer award on behalf of her father who made the silent movie version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in 1915; Dan Orr, President of DAN; and the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment & Tourism for the Palau Islands, Hon. Harry Fritz.

Also at the event on Saturday night, artifacts which have been collected for the planned Hall of Fame building will be displayed, including a customized wet suit from the movie The Daring Game, starring Lloyd Bridges; a circa 1947 La Spirotechnique Cousteau & Gagnan CG 45 regulator, recreational diving’s first production regulator; and a pair of Sea Net wooden diving fins circa late 1940s.

Malediven Tauchreisen – German Website about Maldives Scuba Diving

Malediven Tauchreisen Provides Scuba Divers with Information on the Maldives in German

Malediven-Tauchreisen.com has been unveiled, an informational portal and news blog specially designed for German-speaking individuals that want to learn more about scuba diving in the Maldives.

The Maldives is a popular destination for travellers seeking a warm, relaxing holiday. Since its first resort opened in 1972, the Maldives has flourished as a tropical paradise, complete with cool ocean breezes, crystal clear water and white sandy beaches. Though best known for its resorts, the Maldives is  growing in popularity as a prime destination for scuba diving. Avid divers from around the world flock to the Maldives for the opportunity to spot some of the world’s largest underwater animals, including the whale shark, manta ray, grey reef shark, white tip shark and napoleon wrasse.

Currently, there is little comprehensive information on scuba diving in the Maldives available online in German. Last year, 69,240 German tourists visited the Maldives, representing approximately 10% of total arrivals. Furthermore, Switzerland, where German is one of the official languages, represented 4% of total arrivals.

Mona Sutherland, content editor of Malediven-Tauchreisen, said, “We are highly involved in online promotion of the Maldives. We identified a need for a comprehensive informational website about scuba diving in German, and gave the people what they want! Individuals interested in learning more about the dives sites, marine life and liveaboards can find it all at www.malediven-tauchreisen.com!”

Malediven-Tauchreisen.com, meaning “Maldives Diving Holiday” in German, is a one-stop-shop for information on scuba diving in the Maldives. Visitors can read more about:

• Maldives Liveaboards
• Maldives Dive Sites
• Maldives Marine Life
• Maldives News
• The Maldives in General

As well as information, visitors can also browse through photos and watch videos of the Maldives.

Visit Malediven Tauchreisen now!

Scuba diving: the ultimate boys’ adventure

Scuba diving: the ultimate boys’ adventure

Taken from Times Online,  December 2, 2009

I don’t think I knew what the ultimate boys’ adventure was until suddenly I was on it. A journey 20,000 leagues (or at least 40 feet) under the sea – scuba diving for the first time in my life. Two weeks earlier, my mate Chris told me over a pint that he was headed to the Caribbean to go diving (his second favourite thing in the world, apparently) and suggested I should join him. Before I had sobered up I had already booked my ticket and soon we were on a plane travelling from British rain to British Virgin Island sunshine.

A two-day course in the Caribbean took me from my first encounter with a wetsuit to diving on a wreck. Dive BVI operate a course at Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort accredited by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), which caters to all skill levels including mine: absolute know-nothing rank amateur.

Before I went to the Caribbean, I spoke to a few friends who had been scuba diving who gave mixed reports. Some had trouble with their ears, some with their breathing, some with the general sense of claustrophobia. Altogether it would be fair to say I felt a little apprehensive about the whole thing.

Rather than a difficult experience though, diving actually came very naturally. It felt like a curious cross between flying, meditating and going to the most colourful museum in the world. After I had done it once I was absolutely hooked.

The first day of diving was a crash course. Having filled out a range of forms, which served to exonerate Dive BVI from any legal responsibility in the case of my untimely death, I was issued with wetsuit, weights, tank and breathing apparatus, and walked through the basics of diving.

My instructor Anna Janczewska and I then plunged into the shallows to practice basic skills including emptying your mask if it fills with water, reclaiming your regulator if it comes out of your mouth, and breathing from a friend’s tank if your own air runs out. After a couple of hours of training I was ready for my first proper dive.

Joined by a small group of divers we headed off to the calm waters around Ginger Island. Coming to rest in the shadow of the island, we put on our kit and plunged in. I swam to the bobbing buoy nearby and gripping the safety line that ran from surface to ocean floor I began my descent. At first I had a little trouble equalising (popping your ears to relieve the pressure) but once I sorted myself out I let go of the safety line and swam out to join my fellow divers in the open water.

Having descended on the north side of Ginger Island where the water was flat and calm, we swam out to investigate the healthy coral reef that runs the length of the island starting at about 15 feet under the boat and falling away to the sandy bottom at about 60 feet. Sea anemones litter the reef and investigating the holes and ledges yielded lobster, octopus and a broad array of fascinating fish.

The thing that first struck me about diving is how dissimilar it is to swimming. Rather than paddling with your arms, little kicks of the legs are used for propulsion. A great part of the skill is using breathing effectively: too much inhalation and you burn through your air more swiftly and have to resurface early. It takes some time to learn to control your air intake to get maximum efficiency out of a tank. Curiously, breathing is also used for manoeuvring: a deep breath in and your lungs fill with air causing you to rise, a sharp exhalation and you sink down towards the bottom. Resurfacing from my first proper dive felt particularly magical. It is an amazing experience to be surrounded by people above and below all dressed like chicly-tailored astronauts floating gently towards the shimmering surface.

The second day’s dives were something special. Piloting our way out of Little Dix Bay we veered towards Salt Island for two dives over a shipwreck.

The RMS Rhone was a 19th century British vessel owned by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company that sank in a heavy storm on October 29, 1867 taking the lives of almost all of its passengers.

The wreckage is strewn across quite a distance and as a novice diver I wasn’t able to see all of it because I was limited to going to a depth of around 40 feet.

As we submerged a myriad of lollipop-coloured fish swam through the coral surrounding the wreckage, largely oblivious to our presence. Five metres below the surface two sting rays glided past, undulating gently. Deeper down hedgehog fish traced their shapes into the sand, while sergeant majors defended their territory jealously, even swimming aggressively towards my goggles, before retreating.

After a short break to allow the body’s nitrogen levels to return to normal, we took our second dive and headed down towards the wreck proper. Starting at the stern of the ship we manoeuvred over the vast propeller, an enormous hunk of metal the size of a van, rusted and entirely overgrown with coral. Swimming around the debris were trumpet fish, squirrel fish, groupers, sting rays, rainbow fish and more. The sight of the wreck was strangely eerie, its peaceful rest at the bottom of the ocean a sharp contrast to the violence of the storm that must have brought it to there. As my air supplies dwindled I was summoned to the surface enormously reluctantly.

Rosewood Little Dix Bay was a magnificent place to learn to scuba dive. The waters surrounding Virgin Gorda, the island upon which the resort was located, are clear and warm and home to the most beautiful aquatic life. The resort itself is stunningly appointed, with thoughtful little details such as a bottle of rum to greet you on arrival to get you into the Caribbean spirit. The restaurants are top notch, and the spa an excellent extravagance to rehabilitate you after your days spent splashing about under water.

Scuba diving is honestly an experience unlike any other, and one that everyone should agree to drunkenly after a night out with mates. It may turn out to be a drunken error of judgement, but it may also be the best adventure of your life.

Singer Katie Melua Is Okay After Diving Accident

British singer Katie Melua assured her fans that she’s okay after a minor scuba diving accident…

Following a minor scuba diving accident in the UK, fans of singer Katie Melua became worried. However, the Georgian-born singer assured everyone that she is fine and that the scuba diving accident was “all my own fault.”

Singer Katie Melua’s Scuba Diving Accident

Fans became concerned after Mike Batt, Katie Melua’s collaborator, wrote on his Twitter account last weekend that “Katie Melua went diving yesterday and had an ‘I’m about to die’ moment when her air supply was cut off, nearly drowning her. That girl!’”

Katie Melua, whose debut album “Call off the Search” reached the top of the UK album charts in 2003, explained to her followers that she’s fine after the minor scuba diving accident.

Katie Melua Responds to the Scuba Diving Accident

Katie Melua wrote on her blog, “I had a small incident with air supply last Saturday. Mike (@Mike-Batt) tweeted about me nearly drowning? the incident was all my own fault. What kind of nutter goes scuba diving in December in a lake near Heathrow airport? I did!”
Katie Melua said she couldn’t concentrate on her scuba task as she was stresses by the cold and the water visibility was poor. She “choked on a lungful of water” and started panicking when she kept on choking on water. Her diving teacher helped her out.

Katie Melua’s rep told BBC that Melua just “had a fright” but was now “absolutely fine.”

Scuba Pickup Lines

World’s Best Pickup Lines for Scuba Divers

If you’re a scuba diver looking for love, then try out these pickup lines on that delicious diver that caught your eye (behind the scuba mask)!

1. Do you believe in love at first sight or shall I swim back and forth a few more times?

2. I’m a Bar Jack and I want to make a Damsel Grunt with my Blue Tang — can you Rock, Beauty?

3. I’m looking for a French Angel with large gills, and I think I’ve found her — are you French?

4. Do you have change for the phone? My mother told me to call home when I met the girl of my dreams.

5. I can’t find my pet crab – can you help me find him? I think he went down to the deserted end of the beach.

6. You must be Jamaican, because Jamaica me crazy.

7. I like to maintain my own equipment — you look like someone I’d like to “tinker” around with.

8. I’m new at the resort — could you give me directions to your room?

9. I think there’s something wrong with my regulator. Could you hold the first stage while I check out the second stage?

10. Please excuse my panting – I am out of air, because you take my breath away.

11. Excuse me, I’m lost. May I go home with you?

12. Is the sun in your eyes, or did you just smile at me?

You Know You’re Addicted to Scuba Diving When…

You Know You’re Addicted to Scuba Diving When…

• Every morning the sound of shaving foam (psshhhht) makes you want to go diving.
• You actually like wearing a full-length wetsuit, hood, gloves, boots, fins, mask, snorkel, buoyancy compensator, compressed air tank, scuba regulator, dive computer, a knife strapped to your inside calf, and 7 kg of lead around your waist.
• The local dive shop people recognise you – on the telephone.
• You automatically breathe out when you walk up a flight of stairs.
• You suddenly discover a fervent interest in attending scientific conferences in the Maldives, Vanuatu, the Red Sea, the Caribbean, Thailand and the Great Barrier Reef.
• The value of money is measured by how much dive gear you could buy with it.
• No-one asks for your certification card any more.
• Fresh air is starting to taste funny.
• The most comon word on your credit card bill is DIVE.
• Your house always smells of wet neoprene.
• You worry that your office elevator is ascending too quickly.
• Your dive log is available on Amazon.com.
• You’ve stopped logging your dives because it’s easier to just log your surface intervals.
• Your “time to fly” is measured in months.
• Your picture appears on fish identification tables.
• You clear your ears prior to stepping on a down escalator.
• You put your left shoe on by dropping it on the ground, standing on the toe of the shoe with your right heel, and forcing your left foot into the shoe.
• You take the Tank Visual Inspection course because you own so many tanks it’s cheaper to inspect them yourself than to give $10 per tank to the local shop.
• When your kids ask to use your snorkel in the tub.
• When your kids say, “Daddy! You haven’t gone diving for a LONG TIME!”
• You have more than one triggerfish war wounds.

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!

PADI Open Water Certification

PADI Open Water Certification

Planning to go scuba diving but have no idea where to begin? If so, then it’s time for you to take an open water certification course with PADI and start your underwater journey.

What is a PADI Open Water Certification?

An open water certification course is the most basic SCUBA diving course anyone can take. It teaches all the basic skills and knowledge needed for SCUBA diving, and is offered by all SCUBA certification agencies.

Kinds of PADI Open Water Certifications

There are two types of open water certifications:

1. PADI Open Water Certification Courses which are offered to people aged 15 and over.

2. PADI Junior Open Water Certification Courses which are offered to children aged 10 – 14 years old. These courses provide the same lessons as a normal open water certification course, and can be upgraded to a normal certificate, without taking the course again, once the person reaches the age of 15.

Length of the PADI Open Water Certification Course

Full-time students can finish the entire course in 3-5 days. Part-time students can get it done in weeks, or maybe months, depending on how focused they are.

What will you learn in the PADI Open Water Course?

1. Basic SCUBA knowledge

The PADI Open Water course teaches basic diving techniques, the effects of diving on the body, important safety information, equipment maintenance, and dive planning. Each student is given a textbook that provides all this information and will then be tested in a theory test at the end of the course.

2. Confined Water Training

This will serve as the student’s hands-on training. These training sessions are done in either swimming pools or on calm beaches. Training sessions conducted in beaches will begin with the student diving in shallow waters and gradually moving into deeper waters as the student’s skills progress.

3. Open Water Training.

Once the student has mastered the basics, then it’s time to start diving in large bodies of water! This course basically teaches the student to gain enough confidence to perform all the procedures they’ve learned in confined water training.

Once you have your PADI Open Water Certification

Once you’ve finished the Open Water course, divers with normal certificates will be allowed to dive in depths of 60 feet or 18 meters, while junior certificate holders can dive in waters 40 feet or 12 meters deep. Junior certificate holders, however, cannot go diving unless they under the supervision of a certified diver aged 18 years or above, who possesses the same or higher level certificate.

Renewing your Open Water Certification

PADI Open water certificates do not have to be renewed. However, it is advised that a diver should undergo SCUBA diving review classes if ever they haven’t gone diving for a long period of time. The review course is shorter and aims to refresh the student’s skills.

Black Pearl Liveboard

Black Pearl Liveaboard Holiday Review

Choosing the Black Pearl Liveaboard

Having already been scuba diving in the Maldives, my friends knew that the best way to explore as many dive sites as possible in our 2-week holiday was to go on a liveaboard holiday.  It is also the cheapest way to see the Maldives, considering the prices of these amazing resorts.  The nice ones can run at way over USD 500 each night!  The last time my friends visited, they booked through a company called Maldives Dive Travel and had been really happy with the trip, so we decided to go with them again.  Looking at the Maldives Dive Travel site and other similar sites, I noticed that Maldives Dive Travel has the best selection of liveaboard boats and the site is really user-friendly.  You can see loads of photos of the boats and all the information you really need.  The Black Pearl is one of the cheaper boats that they offer, which is a big part of why we chose it.  All we really care about is the scuba diving and having a lot of fun in a group, so the Black Pearl was perfect for us.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Facilities

The Black Pearl really has everything you could need on a scuba diving holiday and more.  The Black Pearl holds 14 people comfortably and there were 12 in our group, so we had a little extra space. Of the 12, 10 of us were scuba divers.  I was a little concerned for the non-diving members of the group because I didn’t know what they were going to do all day, but they had a great time relaxing on the boat, sunbathing and snorkeling while we were diving.  There are other activities on Black Pearl that we all took part in, a part from scuba diving like fishing – it was great when we caught some tuna and the chef would prepare it ‘sashimi-style’ with ginger and soy and we would all tuck in.  There’s really nothing like the taste of fresh tuna, especially when you catch it yourself!!!

Black Pearl Accommodation

The rooms on Black Pearl are very comfortable; all have en-suite, hot water bathrooms, air-conditioning and exterior windows so you can see the amazing blue water all the time during your holiday.  There is a nice communal living area with a bar – fully stocked, thank goodness, and a dining area.  There are comfortable sun-loungers to relax in while you are not diving.  It is quite a big boat, just less than 100 feet, and so even with 12 guests and all the crew on board, it never felt crowded.

Black Pearl Service and Food

After the scuba diving, the food in the Maldives was probably the next biggest highlight for me.  We were served three meals every day, plus afternoon snacks and there was plenty of food.  As you know, scuba diving really works up a hunger (and a thirst), but the catering on the Black Pearl totally satisfied!  Most meals included fresh fish and rice, all cooked to perfection.  The chef does a good job of combining international cuisine with local Maldivian specialties, so we all got to try new things, without being thrown out of our comfort zones.  There were no complaints from our party on the Black Pearl, and all our plates were always clean at the end of the meals.  The bar also got a “thumbs up” from our group.  We drank mainly beer, but there was a full selection of wine and liquor on board.

As far as service is concerned, the Black Pearl did a great job.  All the crew members were really friendly and the dive instructors were informative and inspired confidence.  They knew everything about the dive sites we visited each day and all about the animals we saw under the water.  They were also all really down to earth and genuinely excited for us and our new diving experiences.  I liked this; so many times the dive instructors can be aloof and behave as if they are superior.

Black Pearl Itinerary

The Black Pearl offers 7 and 12-night holidays.  Since our trip to the Maldives was a 14-night trip, we did the 12-day Black Pearl diving safari and then spent two nights at the W Hotel Retreat to finish off the holiday and rest our weary scuba diving bodies.  Upon arriving at Male Airport, we were collected at the airport and taken to the Black Pearl.  As soon as everyone was on board, the ship set sail and headed off towards the first dive site.  When we got there, to Lion’s Head, we took our initial “status” dive which helps the dive instructors and dive masters understand what level everyone is at and if you hadn’t dived for a while, like me, it serves as a great refresher.  The Black Pearl personnel are obviously conscious of everyone’s safety which was really reassuring. We took 2 or 3 dives each day and one night dive, for a total of 30 dives throughout the trip.  It sounds like a lot of scuba diving, but I think it was the perfect amount and it satisfied our ‘cravings’ for another few months, at least!

Black Pearl Diving

The diving in the Maldives was definitely first-class.  What was great about the Black Pearl and all other dive boats was that there was a second boat accompanying the Black Pearl, called a Dhoni, where we kept all the equipment.  We used this boat to actually take the dives which made the whole experience more comfortable.  Some people brought their own equipment, although the majority of us hired the equipment from the Black Pearl and it was all in great condition – no complaints here.  As far as marine life goes, we saw some amazing things, including the most important creatures in the Maldives – the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.  We also saw turtles, dolphins, moray eels, reef sharks, barracuda, nurse sharks and a whole array of fish, from massive napoleon wrasse to tiny Oriental Sweetlips.  It was simply amazing!

All in all, our Black Pearl adventure was excellent.  If I had to rate it, it would definitely get a 9 out of 10, maybe even a 10 and I truly hope to be able to return another day for more Maldives adventures.

For more photos of the Black Pearl Liveaboard, click here.

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