Many divers across the Northern Hemisphere, especially in these cold winter months (as I write this, I am in shorts and a t-shirt ), are thinking, “I’m getting pretty sick of this low-visibility quarry and this dry suit.” Their diving fantasies are reaching fever pitch, imagining a place where the sun is shining, the only temperature they can find in the 30s is that of their mixed drink, and the underwater world provides rich, colorful vistas, chock full of coral and teeming with tropical fish.

Welcome to my home. Believe it or not, I am not describing the Bahamas, or even the Mediterranean. In fact, most of you reading this don’t need a passport or to spend a full day on a plane to get here.
Welcome to Florida.

Most divers know there is some diving here, and have probably heard of the Florida Keys- North America’s only barrier reef, and the third largest in the world.

What you may not know is that Florida is home to a wide variety of diving environments and attractions.
From the world famous Molasses Reef in Key Largo (great for snorkelers, too!), to 3 of the largest artificial reef shipwrecks in the world (the Oriskany, Vandenberg, and Spiegel Grove), to the excellent spearfishing of the both east coast and the Gulf Coast, we have it all.

Then there are the crystal-clear freshwater springs of North Central Florida. The next time you pick up a room-temperature bottle of spring water, imagine diving in that. With that visibility and temperature. Year round. Add in some manatees, a gentle-giant type mammal, or even some real life mermaids (don’t believe me? Search for Weeki Wachee Springs)!

If you’re a technical diver you will love the aircraft carrier Oriskany with the flight deck at a depth of 145 feet. It has a fitting home off the coast of the Panhandle city of Pensacola, near the Navy’s flight school. Or there is always the hundreds-of-miles-long Wreck Treck – a veritable all-you-can-dive buffet stretching the entire length of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West.

In Florida, you can’t get farther than 100 miles from the ocean, and that doesn’t even consider any of the plethora of natural freshwater springs scattered around the state. And from snorkelers to experienced cave and technical divers, we have something for everyone.

So come on down, we’d love to have you. And bring the family- with plenty of zoos, museums, malls, and theme parks all around the state(there’s a mouse and some of his friends that are fairly popular with children who live around here) there is plenty to keep divers and non-divers alike of all ages happy.
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Article Written by:

FloridaDiveTravel.com is owned and operated by Devon Grimmé, a dive instructor based in Gainesville, Florida. He has logged hundreds of dives in Florida waters, and knows the state like the back of his hand. Realizing that there was not a single place where divers could find reliable information and help for planning vacations here, he saw an opportunity to showcase his home state. Replicating the successful DiveConcierge.com model for international dive vacations, FloridaDiveTravel.com is the local expert for everything underwater in Florida. Visit our site, and visit our state!

The Ocean Awaits,

Devon

Most rebreathers fall under the CCR category which in its self can be split further into two sub categories – Mechanical Closed Circuit Rebreathers (MCCR) or Electronic Closed Circuit Rebreathers (ECCR). The reason for these two sub-categories is mainly due to the fact that some people do not trust their life to a unit controlled by an electrical technology well underwater, others like me “trust the technology” and use an ECCR.

MCCR’s uses a mechanical valve of some type to feed a set controlled amount of O2 into the unit, such units as the KISS and the rEvo use this method. The ECCR has a solenoid that controls the exact amount of O2 required to maintain a preselected amount of O2 in the unit, such units as the Inspiration and the Optima use this method. The objective is to match the amount of O2 being supplied to roughly the amount the diver will or metabolise during a dive and both methods roughly attempt to do this.

The newer models of CCR units now come with a built in dive computer that will dynamical sample the O2 in the breathing loop of the unit and adjust the decompression obligation of the dive to reflect this amount, giving what is basically the optimum Nitrox mix for the entire dive.
CCR units are quiet and give the diver an unprecedented look at the wild life, no bubbles to scare them away, they also offer a much longer bottom time and a shorter decompression time for the dive. The units do though require advance training in their use and require a higher level of basic maintenance to be carried out. They also are more expensive to buy than OC gear and do have a higher cost per dive due to the consumables like CO2 sorbent and O2 sensor cells.

Given all the above I am still firmly of the view that a walk on the dark side will convert you to this new technology fully and unless you wish to spoil your OC diving for ever you should be avoid the temptation at all cost, once you cross the line there is no return.

I live up here in the Great White North of Canada and I know a lot of warm water divers must think, “How does someone who lives 820km (510 miles) from the nearest coast and whose lakes are frozen for 6 months of the year get out diving?” Well have any of you out there ever considered Ice Diving? It’s a blast and something that very few people will ever try. A warm dive for me is somewhere in the 45-50F surface temperature. I dive in a lot of lakes with visibility that most of you ocean junkies would never even consider good conditions. Most days, when the visibility is 25 feet, it was a great dive.

I would like to bring some different views of diving for the people who think that the only place to dive is in the oceans and/or tropical destinations. Not everyone can afford to take a tropical vacation every month or two so if we want to keep active in diving, we have to take advantage of the lakes and waterways close to home.

If you are into cold water diving, the West Coast of Canada, around Vancouver Island has some of the best diving in the world. Its home to the shy “Six-Gill” shark, giant Wolf Eels, and the Artificial Reef Society of British Colombia has started a wonderful artificial reef program. Since 1991 they have sunk seven old Canadian Navy vessels, (175 to 444 feet long), a Boeing 737 airplane, and they are currently waiting on a new destroyer, (HMCS Annapolis – 377ft) to get approval, and to be finished cleaning.

When you think of diving here in Alberta, no one in their right mind would think of wreck diving.

Well, has anyone ever heard of the Habakkuk?
In 1943, the British and Canadian governments coordinated to make a scale version of an Aircraft Carrier made of a substance called Pykrete. According to The Sea Hunters, (http://www.shipwreckcentral.com/index.php) it’s the only land locked Aircraft Carrier wreck in the world.
Here is a link for any of you that may want a bit more info on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk.

Stay tuned for further articles.

Darrell

Accreditation and Experience – Does your Course Director have the education and experience to train you proper. Just like in the Dive master course, a big part of the IDC is for the CD to share his/ her experience. If somebody does not have that, then it comes down to “teach you to pass the IE”. Also remember that if the CD has been around for a while and has trained a lot of Instructors in the area, you will get lot’s of valuable info outside of just the IDC. Such as local issues/ concerns and probably also advise on future work opportunities. Before signing up with “the cheapest deal” do a bit of research and find out what other people in the area has to say about your potential choice. Happy customers are usually a good indication that the CD cares about the candidates. If needed, ask for references of students from all skill levels that you can contact. Does he/ she offer programs on a regular basis or do they just have a few per year?

Compatibility – It is your responsibility to insure that there is a fit between you and your instructor on all levels, personality type, mutual goals, and your instructor’s ability to relate to your individual needs. Learning to dive is supposed to be fun, so learning to be an Instructor should also be fun then. Not a military training camp! If the CD is a “boring” speaker it can turn into pretty long days. Yes, you will spend a lot of time in the classroom, so having a person in front that can be entertaining as well as knowledgeable will be very important. Some have ego’s bigger than the dive store and that gets to be a bit boring after a few days.

Facility – Where will the program be conducted and does the CD know the facilities well? Are the classrooms air conditioned (in tropical climates)? How far from the classroom to the pool or confined water? How far to open water site? If things are slowed down by difficult logistics, such as long travel between class room to pool or open water site this will interfere with learning. Also your days will then be very long. Since you have to do preparations every night for the next days action, it makes sense to be able to get out of class at a reasonable time every afternoon. Relaxing and catching your breath before homework and dinner. Remember; never hold your breath! Check if all diving is done from the beach or if boat is an option if the beach “blows up”. It often saves time to go from the beach, but if conditions are bad, then that is an issue. If they would not teach an open water course at the site, then they should not teach an IDC there either. Can they help with fixing equipment as well as help with booking hotels, advice on restaurants etc. Having some surround support will help make the experience less stressful and way more fun too. Check what schedule the course will have. Is it a squeeze with cramped in study over the bear minimum of time or is it laid out perhaps with a “study/ relax” day in the middle. Is there any room between the IDC and IE for maybe some extra stuff or remedial training?

Follow-up Communication – Your CD should be willing to help out with answering questions after training has been completed. You are going to be a brand new Instructor, and sometimes may get a little stressed. Being able to call or email and get some good advice will make life less stressful.

Let’s face it; diving is not rocket science or brain surgery. By asking simple questions before taking instruction, you will insure that you will invest your time and money wisely, as well as maximize your learning curve.

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The following article was submitted by
Bent Posejpal – PADI Course Director
Siam Dive n’ Sail, Phuket, Thailand
Tel: +66(0)76-330 967; Fax: +66(0)76330 990
Cell: +66 (0) 81 892 0643
Email: bent@igotbent.com
Email: igotbent@gmail.com

http://igotbent.com

http://siamdivers.com

http://indodivers.com

Like you, I to had what some would call a “real job” some 18 years ago! I had real clothes that I always spent money on to make sure that they were the most fashionable of the time. I drove nice cars that were mostly financed by the banks. My jobs over the years involved working in the publishing business, farm work, every aspect of the restaurant business and even a short time at a large retail outlet.

Back then internet wasn’t around but there was no shortage of newspapers and magazine articles that gave you a glimpse of various exotic locations. I too worked hard to save my money in order to visit these wonderful places when vacation time rolled around, and like yourself I always thought, wow, wouldn’t it be great to live here!

I would experience the cultures of far away countries and hidden tropical islands. I learned to dive and experience mother natures beauty in creating this extraordinary ocean playground. I encountered the turtles, various species of sharks and eels, the manta rays, Eagle rays and the Southern Stingrays. Every location was a sea of dreams painted over a moving canvas.

When holidays were over and I was stuck in my office cubical, it was the rich vibrant colors of the corals and tropical fish, the diverse terrains and the abounding sea life that would all play a major roll in my quest to live my dream.

It all seemed fantastic to me living on a tropical island, lounging by a pool sipping on refreshing cocktails, sleeping in every morning after partying into the wee hours of the night, just diving and living my dream and not a care in the world.

Wow!!!!! What a wake up call when I entered into the world of being a dive instructor living and working in paradise.

My stylish wardrobe changed immediately and now consist of a half dozen board shorts, a dozen t-shirts, half of which are company issued, no more having to choose which shoe’s I’m going to wear, it’s either bare feet or sandals. As a Dive Instructor it’s unlikely that you’ll ever have a loan for a new sports car, your new mode of transportation is now navigating the local bus system along with the chicken and goats, walking the beaches to work, riding a bicycle, scooters or motor bike. Sure some dive instructors have cars, but it’s no longer a status symbol. There are no sipping cocktails by the pool in a lounge chair; they are all reserved for the paying tourist. No time for that, we are all busy behind the scene working preparing boats, filling tanks and signing up guests in order for them to experience the dynamic diving that we have grown to love. As a dive instructor, you will work hard. It’s unlikely that you will get rich, but you will make it rich with life’s experiences.

You need to be prepared to accept the culture and values of a foreign country, the long distance travel involved in seeing family and friends. In many tropical location the food will be a new adventure in itself. Mother Nature does bring in some nasty weather from time to time. You need to be aware of the occasional tropical storm or hurricane. Be sure to check out the local health care system, and you want to make sure that your choose a destination that is safe and typically crime free.

There are companies out there that will combine your dive training with other activities such as surfing, wake boarding, kite surfing and kayaking that will give you exposure to a variety of sports. You’ll have the opportunity to meet people from all corners of the globe and make life time friends. As an instructor it’s easy to pick up a second language. So start living, unshackle yourself from your office cubical and become an instructor.

Once you choose to become a dive instructor, you have the ticket to travel. After all, it’s a Lifestyle, and when life becomes a Beach, then live it!

Contributed by: Ash McKnight
PADI Course Director
www.goprocayman.net

This method of customer tracking requires a big eraser if the customer needs to be moved or deleted. Not only is it hard to move customers around, but also this type of data tracking tends to foster mistakes by loosing customer information, miss-booking reservations, or worst yet not even getting the reservation on that piece of paper to begin with. And to make matters worse this information is the only source of that reservation. Loosing or damage it and you could loose business.

So what’s the answer? “Scubaocity” Over the last two years Scubaocity.com has been putting dive shop professionals and programmers together with one main goal, develop a system that was easy to use by creating a better way to track customer reservations while minimizing mistakes or loosing customer bookings. Scuabocity uses a secure online internet connection that can be accessed with any computer or Smartphone and gives the user access to track day to day business with an easy to use interface for creating, moving or coping one customer or a group of customers with the click of the mouse.

Not only does Scubaocity make it easier to track/book your customers, but it also has built in features that automatically post updated information about your business on Social Media websites that in turn helps attract new and existing customers.

Using Scubaocity’s built in RSS Feed your information can now be posted on websites such as FaceBook, Twitter, and Scubaocity itself. This custom RSS Feed keeps your customers and followers on your social sites informed about your current dives, travel, and instructional classes.

Scubaocity also creates an on-line calendar allowing customers to access your schedule which gives them online booking capabilities, ability to see current dive conditions as well as past dives, and upload pictures/comments about those trips they’ve taken with you. What better way to get customers coming back to your site day after day than having current information posted on your personal calendar? Have a special event you’d like to promote? No problem, just use Scubaocity’s built-in mass emailer to send emails blast about specials or promotions to your current customer email list.

All in all Scubaocity is not just a reservation system, but also a unique tool to help you track, book, and market your business to your customers. Why not let us show you how Scubaocity can help you attract more customers.

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Scubaocity is offering a FREE DEMO at http://www.scubaocity.com check it out today

Location: My same old local dive site.

Dive time: 30 minutes

Depth: no more than 8 meters.

Special Encounters: None.

Visibility: Below Average

Level of Satisfaction: Extremely High.

So what made my dive so exciting? Well, a new gadget that I got in the mail in the last days. Ladies and Gentlemen, divers and Scuba Jedi readers… meet the Liquid Image Scuba Series HD320.

The idea is very basic, you go diving with a diving mask, but the diving mask instead of being just a simple mask, it incorporates a camera. So, say bye bye to taking your small diving camera in your hand and say hi to taking photos just by touching a small button on your diving mask.

Before the dive: I thought that the Liquid Image camera mask, would require a lot of “preparation”, getting o-rings ready, etc, etc, etc. Well, I was wrong, this is as easy as putting the mask on, turning it on and start taking photos. Very easy.

The Great Points about the Liquid image:

1. Easy to wear (it feels just like any other scuba mask)
2. Affordable. For less than $400 this is a great mask+camera. It is in fact cheaper than many fancy diving cameras that do..mmm nothing.
3. Very easy to use: hey you don’t need to be Einstein to use this… if you can dive you can use the Liquid Image Camera. Just look at the objective and click.

Things to improve:

It would be nice to see the camera in the  future including Flash…. although you can fit lights to the mask to enhance lighting on the subject matter you are photographing or videoing… and why not a potential Zoom (but I have no idea how this feature could actually be implemented)

The best Asset of the Liquid Image camera: The fun Factor. In a kind of way, I felt like playing Xbox underwater… It was simply fun, to look at things and click my mask. Yep. gotcha! you are now in my scuba mask…

Who should dive with the Liquid Image scuba Camera Mask?

Well, for sure this is an idea for any amateur underwater photographer like me. The mask does the job and the Photos are Good enough to make you smile. Videos are in 720P HD so good enough to watch back on your home Plasma TV. This scuba diving mask could seriously become a must-have for any diving instructor.

Your students suck in Buoyancy? – Just click your mask and show him/her the photo later on. (Or take a video to show them how they were fumbling around.)

Do you want to have a souvenir of your students without having to have your hands busy with a camera, easy: just click on your mask. Job done.

To Keep in Mind: It is important to understand the idea of this mask is to have fun. If you are planning to go next year to work in National Geographic and take photos of a missing Uboat… well, may be you will need a more professional type of camera. So don’t expect magic. No, the camera has no Zoom, the camera has no Flash… and I’m pretty sure It will not survive the depths that many Trimix divers require. But hey! Who really cares…? this is a Mask you take on  holidays, a Mask you put on to mess around with your friends while diving, a Mask that increases the fun to take photos underwater, without having invest some of the BAILOUT money .

Overall: Fun, affordable, simple, takes photos, and HD Video, does the job, feels good underwater.

So as you can see overall the quality is pretty good. (please see photos below…)

For more info about the liquid image Camera, please contact today http://www.liquidimageco.com/

So here we go:
Gabriel’s top 5 scuba products to add to my Birthday Wish List

1. The first  product on my list is such a simple, practical and logical object to have… that I don’t really know yet, if this is a brilliant idea, (or simply-plain silly), dear readers, please meet the  “Scuba Sight ” or in another words, a Scuba Mirror, once again the idea is so simple that it amazed me that no body else came with an idea as simple as that. This is a mirror, to be able to check dive buddies, signal or investigate and spot difficult parts. I like the idea, specially because it reminds me of times where a “tiny mirror vision” could have been handy.

Would I buy it? Not really. I mean.. this is one of those types of products that you can live without and for sure, you can do a bit of DIY and build yourself one. For more info check  http://scubasight.com

2. The second scuba gadget is the new Hammerhead Crono XL dive watch by Freestyle USA. Obviously because It is my Birthday I can be 100% non objective and confess that I REALLY love the Freestyle USA range of dive watches. Believe it or not I own 4 of these watches (yes… you may say I have a scuba diving watch fetish).

Anyway, the New Hammerhead Crono is simply: Cool . And I like Cool things.  To be honest this is not the typical “tech diving Jedi type of watch”.. but it has everything you need and it looks fantastic.

There is nothing worse than seeing divers with dive watches that look like they were  taken out of Star Trek . Instead the guys of Free Style USA make watches that look great. The price tag is also very easy to afford.

That’s why this new watch is for sure a great new addition to my fetish …

3rd on my list… is the coolest underwater accessory of all times. Say hi to the Idive…  and this is what the Idive is all about

“Dive with more than just the bubbles from your regulator providing the soundtrack. iDive’s locking cam knob, robust seal, and durable polycarbonate construction will ensure your iPod stays dry while delivering high quality audio and crystal clear videos during your dive. You’ll actually look forward to long decompression stops.”

Pretty cool , don’t you think?

The first issue is that I don’t know if all types of Ipod may work with the Idive and for sure it can be pretty expensive if any potential “leak”…
The idea of going diving with some cool Jack Johnson playing around…  diving could be too much fun.

mmm maybe someone else though of this already?

4th Cool Scuba Present I have added to my list is the Liquid Image Camera Mask. The Idea is pretty simple (once again!) but this time… it is brilliant.

An scuba diving mask that can take photos. So in a few words, everything you see, you can take a photo off.  Not only the idea sounds fun, but brilliant for diving instructors or for photography lover.

I know that this type of camera is not TOP professional Underwater Photography material, but again.. it is all in the spirit of Scuba Fun, so the liquid image camera mask is for sure in my list of the gadgets to have one day. More info at  http://www.liquidimageco.com

5. Uwahu Scuba Fashion. Well, we have all seen the typical scuba t-shirts, but the guys of Uwahu are just cool dudes… .

Let’s face it, we are all sick of the same slogans “Mad for diving” or “One day we are all going to dive”… come on… we need something new in Fashion. Well, Uwahu stuff is pretty wicked. Their designs are modern, funny and good quality. I love the idea of a SMART Scuba Tshirt.  So any Uwahu T-shirt would be a nice b-day present.

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Well, that’s it… my list of 5 cool scuba present. Maybe next year I will do another list, or even better… may be I should start getting my Christmas Scuba Diving List… what do you think?

Well, do I seriously think that Night diving sucks? Oh yeah! I think it sucks…I mean, I really don’t like night diving. I think it is overrated, I think you get colder than normal.. and I simply find that each night dive I do, I end loosing gear, and complaining about how cold it is… and how rough the conditions are at my local dive site.
So overall… I don’t like it and I stand up today saying: I’m a Scuba diving instructor and Night diving sucks.

But that’s the point of this article – it is OK not to like some sorts of diving.

Ladies and Gentleman, diving girls and diving boys I don’t like night diving… and by saying this I feel like I just freed myself from a huge weight on my shoulders. The reason? It seems the diving community can’t accept that you don’t LOVE all types of diving.

It all started with my wife, (I met her thanks to diving) , while I was working in Egypt… that’s when I heard the terrible words:

I only like doing 1 dive per day and I only dive when it is good visibility.

What? Are you serious…? What are you talking about – I asked. Don’t you know that REAL divers, we dive anywhere, everywhere, that’s what REAL divers do.

But then she answered with a simplicity that destroyed my EGO of Super-amazing-diving-instructor:

Well… if I don’t have fun while diving… what’s the point?

And that’s when I started to understand one thing about scuba diving: this is something we do for fun.

If Diving is a way of life, I will presume we want to live a life surrounded by pleasure and fun. Unless you come from catholic roots like me (mom this goes to you!) and you grew up with the guilt syndrome … the main purpose of life is to achieve happiness and to have the best time possible while we are here. Therefore if we take scuba diving as a way of living, we should take that not all types of diving are fun.. and in fact avoiding the type of not-fun-diving can help us have a better time, the next time we decide to dive in the conditions we prefer.

You may think that diving in a lake with zero visibility and in a dry suit is fun.
You may think that diving trying to find small animals in coral gardens is fun
You may think that gearing up with twin tanks and 1 extra tank for deco stop is fun.
Fair enough…
but what if you don’t think it is fun… what if you just want to dive, in good conditions, in warm weather, with excellent visibility.

Then? Be brave enough to do it and be brave enough not to dive in places and locations you don’t want to dive.

That’s why if I say that I hate night diving in a “public” divers meeting, I can guarantee everyone will point their fingers concerned about my afirmmation. It seems that we have allowed the “divers society” to define what a REAL diver is all about.

“REAL Divers dive anyday at any time…”
“For a Real diver any day diving is better than any day at the office”…

Are you for real?

I don’t remember when “at the office” I have been dragged against rocks and have had my equipment damaged thanks to an aggressive swell and horrible winds.

I believe we have to remember the basics of recreational scuba diving: We are supposed to have fun… we are not navy divers, we are not police divers.

It took me over 5 years to understand this concept, to understand and respect that for my wife diving is a way of enjoying the marine environment … at her time… on her rhythm on her own rules.

She is a Divemaster, she is not tough like a SAS diver,neither is she a tech diver trying to break the next depth record… she is a recreational diver, a diver that understands that her love for diving is like any other “love relationship”. It needs to be nourished, it needs to be cared for gently.

Why is there the need to push us to jump in the water when the water is rough?
What is there the need of “having to dive”…
Sometimes allowing other divers to say no without launching a series of retoric comments… shows more respect to each persons passion and respect for their own scuba diving …

Scuba Diving changes depending on the sea, the color of the water, the type of diving, the dive buddies and the objective of each dive.

So free yourself from loving and hating some parts of diving, free yourself from enjoying what you want from diving and let the rest of the world judge what type of diving they will do trying to find what they define as Fun.

And if you want to know what REAL divers are? Anyone who respects and loves going underwater to enjoy life, silence and the peace of being one with the sea. Nothing else, nothing more…