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What Makes Scuba Diving So Great?

April 5, 2009 By

What Makes Scuba Diving So Great?
By Helen Summerhayes

There is a world some see only in pictures, the underwater world filled with the wonder and mystery of the unknown. The reefs, the colors, the fish, and the pure enjoyment of discovery are only some of the reasons we scuba dive. Scuba divers have a quest for adventure; whether professional or for recreational purposes, and what better way to fulfill this quest than to do something people all over the world are doing, Scuba diving.

For some, the name itself conjures up images of the past where someone dressed all in black, with a large face mask, slides into the water, such as Jacque Cousteau, or someone from an old TV series called Sea Hunt. Is it any wonder that Scuba diving is vague to some? However, for those taking the first plunge into the world of diving, it will most likely be a first step into a lifetime of fun.

Take home a memory

Photography is another reason Scuba diving has become so popular. Combined with the proper tools, photos taken underwater are an achievement that could never be mastered without visiting the spectacular underwater world. For the explorer in all of us there is that drive that lures us to underwater caves and feeling the freedom and sensation that comes with diving.

Scuba diving, which stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, allows us, the graceful underwater swimmer, the opportunity to see how large and powerful the world below us actually is and with today's equipment and proper education, almost anyone can dive. People all over the world have taken to the waters below, from ages 8 and up.

Whether you're diving for recreation, or professionally, once you have made the decision to Scuba dive, you will find there is nothing as enjoyable as feeling the stir of the water while surrounded by eye-catching fish. There is nothing quite as thrilling as looking a fish square in the eye. And since two thirds of the earth is covered with water, you can explore your options. Maybe instead of a tropical coral reef, which isn't often accessible to some, you choose something from a cold water environment, such as a lake or river. Although most divers prefer a tropical coral reef environment, there are those who prefer to dive in their own backyard, so to speak.

Even people with disabilities are finding underwater adventures accessible to them. According to some it can even help people with Fibromyalgia and other conditions if approached properly and given the training that is modified for people with physical disabilities.

Underwater diving is not new. Remember as a kid staying under water until you could no longer hold your breath? Or snorkeling while on vacation, hoping to see a coral reef or a brightly colored fish? Granted, this was not Scuba diving because it didn't allow you to stay down for long periods at a time. But it was your first step toward the adventure. For years Scuba diving was considered a sport for those who could afford it, or for professionals. Today, however, it is a sport we can all enjoy.

If you would like to learn more about Scuba Diving

Then begin the adventure of a lifetime.

Helen Summerhayes

http://www.DivingIntoLife.com is a site motivated to get you off the couch and into the water, why not visit us for more information and resources on Scuba Diving.

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Top 5 Professional Careers in Scuba Diving

January 20, 2009 By

By Felix Tero

Scuba diving is not a regular sport or recreational activity. In fact, advanced and specialty courses in open circuit scuba diving have opened doors to established professional careers that require technical, underwater diving expertise. Engineers, scientists and environmentalists are also acquiring scuba diving skills to meet the demands of their occupation. The article lists a few professions that require scuba diving in the course of work.

  1. Underwater Engineering. Professional divers perform engineering work in lieu of the exploration and production activities of the oil industry. The job takes advantage of the skills of a scuba diver for the maintenance of submerged oil platforms. Civil engineering projects also hire professional scuba divers for the conduct of underwater surveys or when building harbors and bridges.
  2. Marine Biological Research. Scientists engaged in this field of scientific study submit to extensive scuba diving training to be able to conduct underwater research, particularly on the biodiversity of marine life. Meanwhile, environmentalists have also found scuba diving skills to be relevant in the protection of marine habitats; where frequent scuba diving is performed for the conduct of clean-up projects and periodic reef surveys.
  3. HAZMAT Diving. Short for hazardous materials diving, this is regarded as the most dangerous type of professional diving. The environmental conditions pertinent to the job pose a great health risk to the scuba diver. For this reason, employment is limited to highly skilled and experienced scuba divers who should likewise be in excellent physical state. For this type of diving, scuba divers go through a series of pre-medication treatments and are geared up only in specialized scuba equipment. Decontamination following work in polluted waters is also required. HAZMAT diving is commonly performed to repair pipelines, recover bodies and lost objects, and for the purpose of underwater pollution control as well.
  4. Underwater Photography and Film Making. Television and film producers invest part of their budgets to shoot underwater footages that may be relevant to a movie or documentary on production. Now this activity requires the services of professional scuba divers. This is one of the many jobs available that recreational divers can easily take on to earn extra income out of their scuba diving skills.
  5. Military, Navy and Police. The military and navy likewise train their personnel in the conduct of offensive operations such as underwater infiltration and demolition. In this case, scuba diving is significant in the recovery of underwater evidence for police profiling.

With the range of career options mentioned, learning how to scuba dive will come in handy to one intending to make scuba diving as an occupation. If you are planning to take recreational scuba diving to the next level (as a profession), invest on good quality scuba equipment. Start with the H2Odyssey Thruster Open Heel Fins which is designed to make you move swiftly underwater using minimal leg strokes. For a versatile dive suit, there is the Aeris Rio 3/2 Jumpsuit that offers you full protection and comfort while diving varied water environments.

Felix Tero produces web content for Scuba Suppliers, Inc. Get the scuba equipment that's right for you at http://www.scubasuppliers.com

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Enjoy Scuba Diving

January 10, 2009 By

By Dean Novosat

Scuba diving can be a life-long adventure involving travel to foreign lands, continuing education and interaction with a bunch of like-minded individuals who share a passion for the undersea world and it's exploration. Our planet is 85% covered with water and at this point we know relatively little about our great oceans and seas. Only a small fraction of the Earth's waters have been explored. Diving can be done anywhere there's water including oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, and rivers. And we can technically include swimming pools since this is where most divers learn to obtain their certification. Learning to scuba dive can become the beginning of a lifelong adventure.

Many people dive both as a fun and recreational activity but there are professional scuba divers too. There are the most famous divers, the Navy SEALS. But most cities and towns have water rescue teams that include divers. So if you love diving, you can always make it a career. There are also professional treasure hunters who scour the ocean's bottom for shipwrecks laden with gold! Even though they may use high-tech devices like satellite photos and sonar, a diver is always needed to go to the bottom to recover the bounty.

Since diving can be viewed as an extreme sport, it is always recommended that the rules of diving are learned and followed accordingly while engaging in this adventure sport. You can earn your PADI certification and hundreds of locations. And if you arrive at a tropical resort somewhere and suddenly decide you want to learn to dive, most resorts offer lessons right in their pool. You can get certified quickly and then head right out into the ocean to explore the undersea world.

Many people erroneously assume that since you are underwater, the weather doesn't play a factor on when you can dive. This is not true!

Scuba diving can be limited by weather conditions just like any other activity. Since you usually take a boat to a dive site, winds and rough seas may make this unsafe. And inclement weather can greatly affect the undersea currents making diving unsafe.

Dean Novosat writes about adventure sports and scuba diving at http://www.scubadivercenter.com - Scuba Diving

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Artificial Reefs – Fish Love 'em and Scuba Divers Love 'em

December 16, 2008 By

By Rocky Boschman

As long as humans have been building rafts, boats, ships or any kind of water craft, we been sinking them (the vast majority unintentionally). For most of our history on the oceans, our technology has been no match for the power and force that can be mustered against it by the seven seas. Even our biggest ventures - like the Titanic - are not invulnerable to ice bergs or missiles.

And as long as humans have ventured under the oceans, we've been trying to get down to these sunken ships to take a look.

In recent history, we've been intentionally sinking unused and outdated vessels and calling them "artificial reefs". There is a measured benefit to both marine life and local economies when "artificial reef societies" intentionally put a ship on the bottom of the ocean. In Nanaimo, BC, Canada, the local Chamber of Commerce reports that the two artificial reefs, the HMCS Saskatchwan and HMCS Cape Breton, located in the Nanaimo harbour, have produced a four million dollar a year increase in tourism since 2001.

The HMCS Yukon contributes more than five million dollars annually to the San Diego, CA region.

Scuba diving on artificial reefs require special care, training and sometimes equipment. Local dive shops provide training and certification for "wreck diving" and provide the special equipment required to safely dive around artificial reefs.

On May 17, 2006, the retired aircraft carrier Oriskany became the largest vessel ever to be "reefed". At 910 feet in length and with visibility averaging between 60 and 100+ feet, the "Mighty O" is an impressive site to divers. Her flight deck is sitting at 145 feet - considered a technical dive - but her island can be approached at 78 feet.

Overtime, an artificial reef will re-create its own biomass underwater becoming a home to countless species of fish and plants and an attraction and destination to scuba divers.

Rocky Boschman is a marine biologist and founder of Scuble.com. http://scuble.com/

He has been actively promoting conservation for many years. Scuble.com is an online community and a great resource for information about the oceans. Join now, its free.

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Scuba Diving in North Sulawesi – The Natural Wonders of Bunaken and Lembeh Strait

July 13, 2008 By

By Mark J Burns

Full of natural wonders, and offering an almost unparalleled levels of marine biodiversity, North Sulawesi has become one of the worlds premier destinations for ecotourism and adventure travel in recent years. Today, large numbers of scuba divers travel to this distant part of Indonesia, to sample some of the finest dive sites to be found anywhere throughout South East Asia.

The diving in North Sulwesi is focused in two main areas, the Bunaken National Marine Park and the famous muck diving capital of Lembeh Strait. There are other destinations where good diving is on offer in North Sulwesi, including the dive sites in Sangihe Island and Pulau Bangka, however it is the dive sites in Bunaken and Lembeh which draw large numbers of scuba divers here year after year.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991, and the deep waters of the park offer one of the greatest levels of marine biodiversity to be found anywhere in the world. A home to over 70% of all fish species found throughout the Indo-western pacific region, the waters of Bunaken are home to an incredible array of coral and marine life.

The scuba diving in Bunaken is predominantly characterised by the awesome vertical walls which almost surround the island. Along these walls, an array of cracks, caves and crevices are home to a wide range of fish life during the day as well as the night. Dive sites including Fukui Point and Black Rock provide divers with access to stunning corals as well as stunning array of smaller marine life.

Lembeh Strait is widely acknowledged as being the 'muck diving' capital of the world, and offers what can only be described as a truly unique experience in diving. The diving itself is shaped by the black sandy bottom of the ocean in the region, which is home to a wide selection of critters and smaller marine life. It is for this reason that underwater photographers often choose to make the longer journey out to Lembeh Strait, to sample some of the finest opportunities for underwater macro photography to be found anywhere in South East Asia. Octopus, flying gunnards, frogfish and dwarf lionfish can all be found throughout the numerous dive sites in the Lembeh Strait.

Diving is possible in North Sulwesi throughout the year, although the best conditions are to be found from late March through to November. From January through to March, heavy rains and strong winds can be found throughout the region, leaving the conditions unfavourable for scuba diving.

Without doubt, the diving in North Sulawesi is of the highest standard, and the region fully justifies its claim to be one of South East Asia's leading scuba diving destinations. The superb dive sites of Bunaken and Lembeh undoubtedly ensure the longer journey time to reach here is worthwhile, and leave you only thinking of when you can return!

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld.tv, a large scuba diving holidays web site, and a comprehensive source of information on scuba diving in Sulwesi

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