Sharks for open water !
Pura Vida guys and avid scuba jedi readers!!! From the green, lush beauty that is Costa Rica its time to give you an update on diving pacific style. As November draws to a close we are on our way into dry season. Here in Costa Rica we have 2 different seasons, wet and dry and for may people they are under the illusion that during “wet”season you can’t dive…WRONG!!! Visibility may drop in some areas, some more than others, but diving is all year round here! On the central pacific coast where we do get affected by the October rains I like to call it scavenger diving if needed. All you need to do is “get down and dirty” as there is still so much life to see. This year we experienced some spectacular weather for October, with hardly any rains so we were diving throughout the month including plenty of [...]
Categories: Scuba Diving in Costa Rica Tags: dive in Costa Rica, Scuba Diving in Costa Rica, Sharks in Costa Rica
Another Day in Paradise
I’m back on land for one evening and leaving again tomorrow morning I’ve had a fantastic week in the southern Egyptian Red Sea with great diving and lots of sharks. Next week we’re going up north to dive wrecks like Thistlegorm, Rosalie Müller, Ulyssis, Carnatic and many more. Here comes a little description how nice it can be to work on a liveaboard. Our first stop after the check dive at Shaab Marsa Alam was Abu el Kizan a.k.a. Daedalus. About 55 miles straight out from Marsa Alam on the way to Saudi Arabia this Reef emerges from the abyss. Shaped like an egg on a north-west, south-east axis, 450 meters across and with vertical, almost inverted walls this reef has rightly earned a reputation to be one of the best dive spots in the world. We stayed for one day and made three dives. I could have stayed there [...]
Categories: Scuba diving destinations, Scuba Diving in Egypt Tags: Scuba diving Egypt, Scuba diving Safaga, Tobia Arba
Status Report Egypt 6.5
Noah built his ark before it started to rain. To wait till the water was up at his knees would have been a mistake. I agree with Noah: It’s better to prepare for potentially dangerous situations and take necessary percussions to avoid the risks. Guiding divers means that you have to stay on top of everything. You have to make sure that every one is following the rules and practise the standards of safe diving because you’re supposed to get all guests back to shore in one piece and with a heartbeat. Especially important is this on dive sites like Brother Islands or Elphinstone. Sometimes guests imply that our rules are too austere or they debate that we should make exceptions in one way or another. I try to make our dives as safe as possible and therefore I don’t make exceptions. I tell the guests how important it is [...]
Categories: Scuba diving destinations, Scuba Diving in Egypt Tags: Dive Egypt, Dive Red Sea, Marsa Alam Hyperbaric Clinic, Scuba Egypt
Selamat Datang or Welcome to Scuba Diving Malaysia
I would like to introduce the Malaysian underwater to all divers around the world. My first ever diving was at Perhentian Island, Malaysia. It was spectacular and awesome!!! Then i went to Tioman, Payar and Sipadan… Sipadan was speechless….. Since that time I become addicted to scuba diving…… Malaysia is home to many dive sites. Accessibility to Malaysia by air is via the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and the other major towns and cities of Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Johor Bharu. Road and rail access from Thailand and Singapore is convenient and road/rail systems are good. Note that the South China Sea is exposed to the annual North East monsoon that blows from November to February. But for Sipadan u can dive alll around the year….. Generally, the dive sites off Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast are off the islands where most offer a wide selection of accommodations, milky [...]
Wreck Diving in Grenada: The Bianca ‘C’
Hello again my Scuba Jedi Friends. One of the most exciting dives of my life was on the Bianca C a mile of the coast off the Caribbean island of Grenada. Sitting upright at a maximum depth of 50 metres, this 600 meter long ship never fails to impress, and is listed as one of the top ten warm water wreck dives by many authorities and magazines. The Bianca C has had a chequered life and has actually sunk twice, once whilst being towed incomplete from the southern coast of France under the name of Merechal Petain to Port de Bouc near Marseilles in June 1944 where she was torpedoed by the Germans in August. When the hull was raised she was renamed La marseillaise and towed to La Toulon and then returned to La Ciotat and refitted as a Cruise ship. When completed she sailed to Yokohama . In 1957 given the name [...]
Categories: Scuba Diving in the Caribbean Tags: scuba Grenada, The Bianca C, The Bianca wreck, wreck diving, wreck diving Grenada
Diving in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand
If you live and work in diving then believe me – it’s good to get away once in a while! Lots of us choose to go diving somewhere else for a bit of fun, to see something different and to be surprised by what is around the corner. I live and work in Thailand so we have lots of opportunity for different dive locations right on our doorstep yet one of my good friends has been exploring a completely different area for diving. Khoa Sok National Park is made up of thick ancient rain forest, calm and peaceful, with beautiful limestone columns towering out of the 165sq km lake that dominates the park. Most people go to trek in the jungle, spot wildlife and absorb the tranquillity, but a lake that large holds too much temptation for avid divers. The lake was created due to a damming project which has [...]
Scuba Diving in the Mayan Riviera
If you are looking for a great holiday in the Caribbean, few places can compete with Mexico and the long white sand beaches of the Mayan Riviera. The coast from Cancun to Chetumal, is truly a diver’s paradise. Driving from Cancun to Chetumal, passing Mahajual and the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve, will delight even the most seasoned diver. With the Meso-American reef formation just five minutes away by boat, divers are guaranteed to see turtles, jacks, barracudas, green moray eels, sting rays, spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks, bull sharks and tarpons. When you have had enough with salt water, you can jump into the fresh water cenotes and discover cat fish, blind fish and other intriguing fresh water critters. There are many dive shops in Cancun offering a wide range of diving options along with snorkeling trips. In the summer season you can snorkel off the coast of Isla Mujeres [...]
Scuba Diving in Thailand Quick guide
As the Thailand expert, I want to get something off my chest right now. I LIVE ON KOH TAO, I WORK HERE, I LOVE IT. And I don’t want to get into any of this forum led east coast / west coast bashing….ever. East or west coast both have their merits and reasons to visit and its worth bearing in mind that if your holidays are particular to a certain time of year then you may not actually have a choice. The west coast :- Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Similans and Surins, all enjoy the best dive conditions between November and March whilst the east coast is the complete opposite, seeing the best conditions between March and October. That said, if you are not held to a particular time of year then your decision centres around who you are travelling with, your budget and what you want [...]
Hola, hola, scuba diving in Spain
I want to share with you a dilemma which I had about ten years ago just before I moved to Spain, that for itself is an interesting story, but we’ll skip it for now. Ok, I’m moving to Spain, but where exactly am I going to start the new part of my life in that big country? That was relatively easy with the help of the great universe forces and what is called meditation. I sat on the floor with a map of Spain, my eyes were closed and while meditating I pointed with my finger … Valencia. OK, never been there or anywhere in Spain, but I liked the answer since it’s located on the coast line and I’ve always loved to sit next to the sea, hear the waves and relax. Now there was the next decision; what am I going to do? I had a few options [...]
Categories: Scuba diving destinations, Scuba Diving in Spain Tags: buceo, dive in Spain, Diving in Spain, Scuba Diving in Spain
An intro to Costa Rica and Diving
Costa Rica, known as one of the most bio diverse countries on the planet and eco tourism capital of the world, but diving?! Even to date, in the whole grand scheme of things Costa Rica is not the first place that you would think of for Scuba diving, but why not? Costa Rica has so much to offer both underwater and above water that it should definitely be on your list of places to go and blow some bubbles. I am hoping that as I write about my many experiences throughout Costa Rica diving I can show you what an incredible place it is and why you have to come and experience it for yourself. The country has 3 main diving areas along the coasts of Costa Rica as well as the world famous Coco Island, each one holding its own draw. The pacific coast as many of you know [...]
