Cozumel Dive Trip

We have some open slots we are trying to fill for our shop sponsored Cozumel Trip.   Here are the details:

Trip date: February 6- 10, 2009
# of Dives: ~10
Cost: $357 + Air

Please call for additional information.   Ask for Mark or Joe.  (913)962-2323

If you familiar with Cozumel Diving please visit the the following web site:

http://www.cozumeldiving.com/

If you are local in Kansas City, please stop by our shop at:

5 & Neiman
Shawnee Mission, KS
66203 (913)962-2323

Thanks,

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Curacao Sept 13-20, 2008

Curacao Sept 13-20, 2008

We just returned from a wonderful trip to another one of the ABC  (A= Aruba, B=Bonaire, and C = Curacao) islands.  This was our first trip to Curacao!  Curacao is a small island slightly north of Venezuela.  We chose to go there because our trip took place during hurricane season, and the ABC islands are generally considered to be out of the hurricane belt.

We chose to stay at Lion’s Dive resort, as there was a reputable dive shop on site, and it was attached to the marine park.  Any resident of Lion’s Dive has free access to the marine park for your entire stay. The hotel, in our opinion, was adequate, although there were a few frustrations here and there.  When we first arrived they didn’t have a lock to our safe, as promised, and we couldn’t get it until after noon the next day, which was quite inconvenient to us. We also had a ton of mosquitoes floating around our balcony, and several slipped into our rooms for nightly visits!   I left with many more mosquito bites than I care to have had!   People we met from other hotels said they did not have issues with mosquitoes, so not sure if it was the position on the island, or what… but definitely if you go here, bring your DEET!    In general, however, the front desk staff was quite friendly and helpful.  The rooms were OK, but not quite what we noted on the website.  A little smaller, and a little more plain, but the oceanfront view was nice, and there was a refrigerator for our beverages. It was adequate for our needs.  You don’t really spend much time in the room anyway!!

Lunch and dinner was most excellent at both Nemo’s and Hemingway’s, the hotel’s two restaurants.  We ate a wonderful dinner at Nemo’s the first night we arrived, although the food there was pretty expensive.  We frequently visited Hemingway’s for their wonderful cheeseburgers, pizzas, and sandwiches for lunch.  The Nemo staff was excellent, but the staff at Hemingway’s, one of the two hotel’s (less expensive) restaurants varied a bit.  Many of them were friendly, but it seemed they were a little inconvenienced by some requests.  Prepare yourself for no split bills (as it plainly says on their menu).  There are no split bills, and there are no exceptions.  Our friends and ourselves (four of us on this trip) started sitting at different tables so we could easily keep our finances straight.  Oh, and just an aside, if you happen to be a ketchup freak like myself, buy a bottle at the nearby store, and take it to your meals, both on, and especially off the hotel grounds.  After two packets of ketchup at the local Kentucky fried chicken, you have to buy each packet!!    Breakfast at Nemo’s was just so-so, and I didn’t think worth the $13 and some cents price tag.  We only did that one day, and stuck to our granola bars and store bought stuff the rest of the week.  They also informed us they didn’t give change at Nemo’s for breakfast, so you lost even more money if you didn’t bring exact change (if you decided not to pay for the entire week ahead of time like we did).  After a few days, we rented a car, and hit a nearby grocery store, and the cost for meals came down significantly.

Lion’s Dive dive shop is Ocean Encounters.    It was a well equipped facility with very nice dive boats.  The staff there was very accommodating to the changing needs of our group.  Sherman was one of my favorite divemasters… he was very funny and fun to be around.  The diving was good.  BE SURE to go to the Mushroom Forest as that was one of the most, if not THE most  beautiful reef I’ve ever been to.  It’s mushroom after mushroom of coral reefs with so much marine life there.  It’s $40 extra as it’s about an hour boat ride each way, and lunch is provided, but it’s worth every penny.   After that far of a haul, I was disappointed we only did one dive there, and then a second at a nearby site.   The second one wasn’t nearly as good.  However, I imagine they do that so as to keep that reef as pristine as it currently is.  Also during our surface interval we snorkeled to the edge of the rocky shore, dove down, and came up in a cave with an air pocket where we could all see and breathe above the water.  That was pretty cool.  It was a much better than the average ‘sit around on the boat’ surface interval.

One difference between the dive shops at Bonaire and Curacao, was that Bonaire was much more structured and informative to divers when they got to the island.  I felt this way with both the shops I dove with there.  First day in Bonaire, you sit down with a dive shop member to pay your marine park fee, fill out your paperwork, and then go over dive procedures on the island.  In Curacao, there was no marine park fee (paid at the dive shop, anyway), and there was not much of an introduction.  We basically felt our way around and asked lots of questions along the way.  Being experienced divers that was no big deal.  For new divers, however, this would be a little more of a disconcerting way to get started.  Proper orientation is a lot more comforting than being thrown into your dive day, and figureing out your check-out dive, schedules, and procedures all on your own.

Sherry, Crystal, and myself also did the dolphin dive.  It was about a 30 minute open water dive with, in our case, two dolphins.  The dolphins, Annie and Tayla were both pregnant and preferred to spend a lot of time together, so they were both present on our dive.  They came very close and everyone had 4-5 opportunities to touch them.  George, the marine biologist, gave us a very good briefing prior to the dive and then met us at the site with the dolphins following his boat out there.  It was a wonderful experience, I’d do it again in a heart beat, even for another $200!!   We have the video and have included at the bottom of this post.

The Sea Aquarium next door was a little small, but definitely worth a visit.   There is a schedule, and you can watch the dolphin and sea lions train, as well as feeding of the fish.  We also have some great photos of Crystal and Sherry feeding the nurse sharks.  You can schedule a time to snorkel with the dolphins or sea lions if you like.  Sherry and Crystal scheduled private time with the sea lions where they were allowed to touch one, get a kiss from one, and then snorkel with several in their pens attached to the open ocean.

One of the biggest highlights for me on the trip is that I was introduced to Dolphin Assisted Therapy.  At the sea aquarium they have a two week therapy session for the disabled.  They take anyone from childhood to young adult.  The facility is staffed with physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and speech therapists, who work with the patient dockside.  As part of their therapy or behavior rewards for the child, each child gets to interact with the dolphins.  A dolphin trainer is also present at each platform to work with the therapists.  Because of my background as a therapist, I was encouraged to come learn about the center, and was permitted to observe as the sessions were going on in the water.  It was a wonderful thing to see.  The director of the program introduced me to the program itself, and gave me information to bring back home.  As most of the participants are from Germany and Holland currently, she was hoping I’d take the idea home to the Americans.    It is only one of a very few facilities of its kind in the world.  She said she had seen some phenomenal results, as kids come back year after year.  It is $6000 US to participate, but it appeared to me to be worth every penny.  She also stated they were building more hotel rooms right next door that were being designed to be more handicapped accessible, not only for program participants, but also for the general population that has more difficulty getting around, due to age or disability.

Towards the end of the week we added a few non diving activities to our agenda.  First we went to the Aloe Vera farm, where you could see aloe plant after aloe plant after aloe plant.  Their products are 98% aloe vera, which is supposed to have very healing properties.  It was a quick stop, but I thought worth the trip.  Right next door, we went to the Ostrich Farm, which was some of the most fun we had all week.  We climbed up on a big old German world war two vehicle that had been outfitted with benches for tourists.  Our guide took us around the farm explaining facts about, and the habits of the ostrich.  There is a restaurant onsite were fresh ostrich is served, if you desire to partake.  We just took the tour out of pure interest.  For $10 it was worth the trip.  At one point we got off our vehicle, each held a big pan of ostrich food, slowly backed our way up to the ostrich pen, and all these ostrich heads appeared curling around in front of us going crazy on that bucket of food.  You couldn’t help but just burst out laughing!   Later we actually got to hold a 3 day old chick and we each stood on an ostrich egg because they’re so strong they can hold up to 400 pounds!  They have to, because the males fertilize them!  We learned they’re not the smartest animals, but that they are some of the strongest!  Their method of defense is kicking forwards with both of their legs.  They can defend themselves and kill  a cheetah by kicking them in the head.  They broke both the forearm bones of a hired hand awhile back the guide told us.   “He didn’t come back after that”, the guide said.

We also went to a small cave in the area which was a fun diversion.    It was the first cave Mike had ever been to, so he found it very entertaining.  There were plenty of bats on the  ceiling, and interesting formations inside to be found.   The guide was knowledgeable and friendly.  Most people on the island spoke Dutch and English, so wherever we went there was someone who could speak to us in English.  After the cave we drove north and hit the coast line.  We walked over a natural bridge, went into caves the sea ran in and out of, and hiked along the coastline to see what we could see.

The last couple of days we went downtown for a little shopping.  They had a very quaint little, Dutch styled downtown.  There was a waterway dividing the two sides of town.  Connecting both sides of the town was a bridge you could walk across to get from Punda to Otrabanda.    The interesting thing about the bridge is that it had a motor at one end.  When the large cruise ships or cargo ships went through, they engaged the engine on the bridge and pushed it to the side to allow the ships to pass.  During this occurrence, people were shuttled from one side to the other via small ferry.  We used both methods of transit during our stay just for the fun of it.  Also downtown we saw the floating market.  This was where all the small boats gather that carry produce across the ocean from Venezuela.  Locals go there to purchase their fresh produce and exchange goods.  We saw some fun artwork in their alleyways, an old beautiful church with white sand for its floor, and lots of the local wares.  Of note, the map given to us by the hotel had many unmarked roads on it.  Also some of the roads on the map were marked very poorly with lack of street signs on the island.  It took a little bit of getting used to getting around on our own, but with a little help from the front desk for directions, by the end of the week, we were getting around to just about anywhere we wanted to go.

All in all, it was a very fun trip.  Curacao is definitely a place I’d return to.  We’d been to Bonaire 3 times, as we liked it very much.  We expected Curacao to be very similar, and in many ways it was.  The language, the laid back people, and the diving was much the same.  However, Curacao is a bit more developed.  It’s larger with more to do than on Bonaire.  So, if non-divers were participating on the trip, I’d have to pick Curacao over Bonaire, because there’s more places to go and more things to do.  Nightlife is also more plentiful in Curacao, as compared to Bonaire, for all you party hounds our there!

We hope you enjoy.

Shannon

Photos from our Trip





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Cold Water Diving in Alaska

By Scott C Anderson

In the Alaskan winter the glacial runoff and plankton bloom is diminished along the shoreline. For this reason, our winter diving transitions from Resurrection Bay boat diving, to shore-based diving in Whittier at Smitty's cove. Winter conditions include water temps get as low as 38 degrees, but the visibility can improve up to nearly 100 feet. Smitty's cove has debris which was dumped into the water during WWII. This debris includes pipes, railroad tracks, pilings, an aircraft fusalage, a railcar tanker, and the parts of a crane which lie in water ranging from 30 to 100 feet.

The bottom composition is primarily gravel in the shallows, yielding to a deep "silt" arond 70 feet, There are sea pens and whips in the deep, and ling cod, octopus, rockfish and a whole variety of invertabrates and smaller fish. In the winter you'll find divers concentrated at Smitty's cove due to the lack of accessibility to other water front areas. Industrial developement such as a marine ferry terminal, railroad terminal, and marina occupy the majority of coastline. Smitty's cove has recently been designated by the city of Whittier as a marine sanctuary, but this status seems to remain somewhat tentative in nature and subject to political influences.

To dive Smitty's cove, there is a small fee, but the proprietor of the parking lot has provided a warm up shack for the divers to use before and after the dives. To get to Whittier, you'll drive south on the Seward Highway from Anchorage for about an hour to the Anton Memorial Tunnel. This is a unique one-way tunnel through the base of a mountain and allows traffic in and out of Whittier on an alternating schedule. Be prepared to pay about $12 for a round-trip ticket. Rental tanks and equipment is available in Anchorage, with no support and very little in the way of amenities in Whittier. The cove is protected against prevailing winds and waves most of the time, and represents a convenient dive site for winter time diving.

President of Dive Alaska, Scott has been a cold-water diver for 20 years. With extensive experience diving in south central Alaska, and operating the regions only full time professional dive charter boat, Scott has a vast knowledge of Alaskan waters. Scott is a scuba instructor for PADI, GUE, SDI, TDI, ERDI, and is experienced in cave and technical diving. For more information about cold water diving in Alaska, visit http://www.divealaska.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_C_Anderson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cold-Water-Diving-in-Alaska&id=1602805

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Bonaire Diving Review

Bonaire Diving Review
By Michael James Smith

Bonaire is a small island located about 120 miles off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. It is renowned for great diving. Everyone from novice to advanced divers will find something to their liking here. Although it has endured an occasional hurricane in its history, it is generally considered to be out of the hurricane belt, which allows for great diving year round.

Bonaire is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the best diving destinations in the world. I actually visited three times within a period of eighteen months because I enjoy it so much. There's something to be said for returning to places you are familiar and comfortable with. The people are warm. The system for accessing your tanks for shore diving is very user friendly. Nitrox was not an additional charge, as the dive shops felt it was important to encourage its use to protect its divers. It's also an island that's very easy to get around. Rent a truck at the airport, and off you go.

To date, I've gone diving with 'Buddy Dive' and 'Toucan Diving' dive shops. Both dive shops were very accommodating as far as staff goes. Toucan Diving had a 'one-up', however, as their dive boats are stored in a protected area. You're able to load your things and get your gear organized prior to leaving the dock in calm waters. The Buddy Dive boats were on a dock adjacent to open ocean, which was a nice view, but the boats were constantly slamming into the dock as divers were trying to board with heavy equipment. You have to get your gear ready on the way to, or at the dive site, because you just need to sit down and hang on as the boat bangs away while everyone else is loading. Another reason I favor Toucan Diving is one dive master in particular. His name is Jackson. He is ever enthusiastic about the sport despite doing it for years, and is always making a point to show divers the cool things, like frog fish, and the air pocket at the 99' deep Hilma Hooker wreck. Of the two dive shops, Toucan diving has always been my preference.

Bonaire's marine creatures are plentiful. I started my first dive with a beautiful floating spotted eagle ray, and saw several more as the week progressed. There were also turtles on several dives. These will always be some of my favorites. Bonaire also has several dive sites where the seahorses tend to gather. These are definitely a creature you don't see often, but I've seen them on every trip to Bonaire. There were also several chances to see the frog fish, as well as many smaller creatures allowing for great macro photography. There were many more marine animals which deserve honorable mention, but too many to include them all here! Let's just say the diving here gets a definite thumbs up!!

Bonaire is well known for its shore diving, and I have tried that many times. Although the freedom of the shore diving is wonderful, the entries at many sites are still quite challenging as they are often rocky and slippery. Be sure to watch your fingers because there are little eels everywhere (and no gloves allowed as Bonaire is considered a marine sanctuary)! There are several shore diving sites I do favor such as "Oil Slick" because you can enter via platform ladder. We also like "Angel City" because that site has never disappointed me. The old coral is a bit of a tricky entrance, but it's definitely worth it when you jump in and see all the squid that like to hang out here. I will always like the boat diving best because I like jumping right in to the water without the hazards of spraining an ankle on the way in (which happened to a friend of mine even before she made it into the water)! Also, if shore diving, make sure not to leave anything valuable in the car as I've heard of theft issues, but have never experienced them.

So, whether it's boat diving or shore diving that suits you, you'll find it in Bonaire. This quaint little island allows for both a relaxed and rewarding dive experience. Call your travel agent, and pack your gear. Great diving in a tropical paradise awaits you. There's no better formula for a great dive vacation.

Are you a new or seasoned SCUBA Diver looking for great deals on SCUBA Equipment? Check out our SCUBA Auction Store to find the lowest prices on Scuba Equipment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_James_Smith
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In’s and Out’s of Cave Diving - Exciting, Dangerous, Or Both

By Darrell Young

Participating in cave dives can be the most exciting adventure on this planet. If you are the adventurous type that is. Some divers don't care for the claustrophobic affect of cave diving. If you do have a touch of claustrophobia on your phobia list, you might want to consider spear fishing or just sight seeing. Panic state at 120 fsw(feet sea water) is not healthy.

Tip: 120 fsw is 120 ft, no matter how you measure it. The only difference between 120 ft sea water and 120 ft fresh water is the density factor( I'll have an article covering that kind of stuff in an up-coming article).

Here are some things you can look forward to in your quest into cave diving. To conduct a safe cave dive, you need to, ( no you must) participate in a cave and cavern training course. Your open water certification does not give you the experience you'll need for cave diving, (period). Without proper training, cave diving can lead to Many dangerous situations. Many cave diving fatalities over the years were due to the fact that divers were not cave certified. Here are some things you'll learn in your training for cave diving.

Having the right special equipment.

Continuous Guideline: To avoid getting hopelessly lost inside a cave, you must run a guideline from the cave entrance through-out your dive. If you have dove in a particular cave before, don't assume you remember how to get in and out without using a guideline. Things can change from dive to dive.

Air Supply: Never use more than a third of your gas supply to enter a cave. Reasoning is, you'll need a third to exit. Keep the rest of your air for surfacing and for any catastrophic events e.g. your buddy had a gas loss due to equipment failure, you would have to help him get to the surface, and vice-versa. That's only one example of what having a diving buddy is all about.

Recreational dives are limited to 130 fsw. More than likely you'll be using compressed air. Deeper than 130 fsw on standard air increases the risk of Nitrogen Narcosis. Your fine to go deeper (if) your advanced in the application of mixed gases. Mixed gases reduces oxygen toxicity and Nitrogen Narcosis. which leads to safe diving. Tip: If your not certified through training, do not attempt to use mixed gases. Keep your dives at the recreational depth, limited to 130 fsw.

Battery Powered Lights: You want to be able to see inside a cave, the standards for lights, are to carry two battery powered lights. But to be on the safe side, carry three. Lights are very vulnerable and can fail. Tip: Make sure to care for your lights. If you have rechargeable lights, make sure all three are fully charged prior to a dive. You don't want your dive to be a dark one.

If your planning a collection of artifacts(providing there are any), you'll need to purchase a collection bag. $20 to $50 bucks, depending on size. Collection Bags come in all sizes and shapes and are usually made of nylon mesh. Most bags clip to your waist belt D rings. Tip: Get the kind that rolls up when not in use, that keeps the bag from dangling.

You'll need to communicate with your buddy or buddies underwater, and also keep notes and records of various events. So, you'll need a Dive Slate. $10 to $20 bucks. Tip: Carry your dive slate in your pocket so they don't cause drag. I've seen some divers have them dangling from their belt. (Not good), they can catch on all sorts of things underwater, so keep them in your pocket.

I hope some of the subjects I've covered will shed some light on your quest to become the best scuba diver you can be. It's never to late to pursue the beautiful art of scuba diving. It's for the young and old. Just make sure you have the physical requirements and the ability to make sound judgment, and always take a buddy with you to dive. For your equipment needs, advice. tips and information on this great hobby, visit my website at http://www.scuba-pro-tips.com

Darrell Young

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrell_Young
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ins-and-Outs-of-Cave-Diving---Exciting,-Dangerous,-Or-Both&id=1312347

 

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

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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_J_Burns
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Scuba Diving in the Perhentian Islands - A Rare Piece of Paradise in Malaysia

By Mark J Burns

The crystal clear waters and brilliant white sandy beaches of the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia have for many years captured the hearts and imaginations of the backpackers and travelers who passed through. Recent years however have seen a different type of traveler coming to the Perhentian Islands, as their reputation as a premier diving destination has slowly increased amongst the scuba diving community.

In fact it would be fair to say that a large amount of the success of the Perhentian Islands as a scuba diving location should be attributed to the neighboring Thailand, and the dive resorts of Koh Tao, Phuket and Koh Samui. Large numbers of travelers who have learned to scuba dive in the larger Thai resorts often find themselves gravitating to the natural beauty of the Perhentian Islands. Looking for one last dive before the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore!

The Perhentian Islands comprise of Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pulau Perhentian Besar, and are located approximately 20 kilometers off the coast of Malaysia. Offering what can only be described as a slice of paradise, the palm fringed beaches encircle these tropical islands, whilst the clear blue waters hide a wealth of marine and coral life below.

The scuba diving in the Perhentian Islands is of a high standard, and a wide range of dive sites has meant that the islands have become a popular destination for people looking to take a scuba diving course. There are approximately ten major dive sites which are regularly visited by the dive centers in the Perhentian Islands. Of these, Tokong Laut (Temple of the Sea) is widely acknowledged as being the best dive site on the islands. A large rocky outcrop of boulders just off the northwest coast of Perhentian Kecil offers some of the best examples of soft coral formations in the region. This carpet of stunning soft corals provides a home to a wide variety of marine life including kingfish, barracuda, nurse sharks and black tip sharks.

For fans of wreck diving, there are two excellent dive sites in the Perhentian Islands. The Sugar Wreck, a 90 meter cargo ship which sank in 2000, and the Vietnamese Wreck were it is still possible to dive inside the wreck itself.

If you are planning to go scuba diving in the Perhentian Islands, the best time to visit is between April to October, when both the visibility and weather are at their most favorable. November to March sees the monsoon season, when the weather becomes poor and access to and from the islands becomes limited due to the rough seas.

The Perhentian Islands offer superb scuba diving, and the shallow nature of the dive sites here make it a good choice for the novice or more inexperienced scuba diver. However what makes the islands so very special is their stunning natural beauty and undeveloped landscapes. You truly feel as though you are diving in your very own piece of paradise!

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld, a large scuba diving holidays and scuba diving courses web site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_J_Burns
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Scuba Diving in the Maldives - Thila’s, Atolls and So Much More!

Scuba Diving in the Maldives - Thila's, Atolls and So Much More!
By Mark J Burns

Many of the world's top diving destinations claim to offer a truly unique form of diving, however few are able to substantiate it as easily as the Maldives. From the moment you first enter the water in the Maldives, you are surrounded by an almost magical underwater kingdom. A myriad of colourful reef fish, incredible corals exist alongside a wide variety of larger marine life including manta rays, whale sharks and many, many others. In fact, it is estimated that over 26 different types of shark can be found in the dive sites in the Maldives including the whale shark, the tiger shark and the hammerhead shark.

It is the unique geography of the Maldives that allows it to offer such incredible diving. The tops of an ancient submerged mountain range, the coral reefs and atolls of the Maldives now stretch across some 500 miles of the Indian Ocean from north to south.

The scuba diving in the Maldives tends to fall into two distinct categories, kandu diving and thila diving. Thila diving tends to focus around large coral formations or reefs which top out just under the surface of the water. These thilas allow divers the opportunity to dive or drift with the currents across and around these large reefs, often providing spectacular views of the prolific marine life and coral formations just below the surface. There are a number of excellent dive sites in the Maldives, which offer this thila type of diving. Some of the better known thila dives include Maaya Thila on North Ari Atoll, and Okobe Thila, together with its resident population of huge Napoleon wrasse.

The second type of diving for which the Maldives is well known is kandu diving, where divers can drift with the currents along the channels between the islands or reefs. In a typical kandu dive, the divers will enter the water just outside of the lagoon, allowing the currents to carry them into the calmer waters to be found inside of the atoll. With these currents drawing nutrient rich water into these channels from the open ocean, these kandu dives often provide the best opportunities to spot the various species of rays, sharks and other pelagic marine life which can be found throughout the waters of the Maldives.

Marine life throughout the Maldives is prolific, with an incredible array of tropical reef fish to be found throughout the region. Bannerfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish mingle easily with the larger Napoleon wrasse and triggerfish which can be found here. Fans of the larger marine life will also find rich pickings in the waters surrounding the Maldives, and a wide variety of sharks and rays can be found throughout the hundreds of beautiful dive sites in the Maldives.

The climate in the Maldives does vary slightly between the north and the south atolls, with the Northern regions experiencing more extreme temperatures, and the southern atolls experiencing a slightly heavier average rainfall throughout the year. Water temperatures in the Maldives tend to remain consistent, ranging from 27 degrees to as warm as 30 degrees. The region experiences two monsoon seasons, which run from December to March, when the Maldives experience the warmer prevailing winds, and the wetter monsoon season which runs from May through to November.

If you are considering diving in the Maldives, it is highly likely that your resort will have an affiliated dive centre on the island. Recent years have seen an increase in the reputation of the region as one of the worlds best dive sites, and today there is a highly developed and extensive network of dive centres in the Maldives.

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld.tv, a large scuba diving holidays and scuba diving courses web site.

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Wreck Diving in the Caribbean

By Greg Deskin

One of the best Caribbean wreck dives is the wreck of the C/S Charlie Brown on the island of Statia (St. Eustatius). Statia is only a quick 10 minute plane ride from Saba. I truly love vacationing on Saba. It is well away from the crowded reefs like Bloody Bay Wall on the Cayman islands or Palancar reef on Cozumel.

In its hay-day the C/S Charlie Brown spent almost 50 years lying fiber optic cable around the world. She was built in 1950 and is 327 feet long with a beam of about 41.4 feet.

The wreck of the Charlie Brown lies in 98 feet in water lying peacefully on its side. This wreck offers advanced divers, wreck divers, and underwater photographers the opportunity of a life time to watch everything from sea turtles to nudibranchs on the outside of the wreck.

For those of us who are more advanced, exploring the lone hallway that runs down the middle of the wreck is truly breathtaking. This hallway is wide open and runs about 120 feet through the wreck. Once inside you must visit the cable tanks and galley or move all the way forward to explore the reel room.

Unlike most wrecks the Charlie Brown was purposefully sank to form an artificial reef. But, she was not completely salvaged before the sinking. This now provides a look and feel of a real ship wreck.
Now, a little about how to get to Saba to start this dream vacation; Saba is what is called the Dutch Caribbean. The best way is to book your airfare to the island of St. Maarten. (SXM). Once you are on St. Maarten you will have two choices on getting to Saba:

• Take the Winair flight to Saba
• Take the 2 hour ferry to Saba.

Everything is really close. Saba is only 5 square miles while Statia is 8 square miles. You can get to most dive sites within 15 minutes. Saba is a volcanic island with spectacular lava tubes underwater. The best way to truly explore these Dutch islands is to start at Statia for a couple of days, then move on to Saba and end up at St. Maarten. St. Maartin has a great rain forest and this makes a great day to decompress after all of the diving.

For more information on scuba vacations, visit our website - http://www.scuba-info.com/Scuba-diving-vacation.html

Greg Deskin has been a PADI Course Director for over 12 years. With thousands of certified students, he has been asked many questions about scuba and scuba equipment. You can visit his scuba website at http://www.scuba-info.com

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What is it That Makes Puerto Vallarta Such a Great Place to Snorkel

By Trendon Cato

Puerto Vallarta, say it to yourself, songs nice does it not, the way it rolls off your tongue, Puerto Vallarta. Well, what if I tell you it is one of the premiere tourist destinations in the world, even better than it songs, that is of course if you pronounce it properly. It is a place that offers all that a tourist can possibly want, archaeological sites for the just plain daring, adventurous, with a love for knowledge, rolling beaches for the pleasure seekers, and most important friendly and welcoming people to guide you along the way. Snorkelers, you are most definitely not left out since this is an absolutely incredible place for a snorkeling experience with a whole new exciting existence just right below the surface.

Puerto Vallarta located in Mexico, is a seaside resort city sitting on the Pacific Ocean's Bahia de Banderas, where its' industry is largely dependent on tourism. Travelers from all over world are welcomed and if Spanish is not your native tongue, no need to worry. There many people across the island that are multilingual and speak other languages besides Spanish, so there is always someone to communicate with.

Temperature, no problem, the daily average is usually about a nice cool 86° F, sloping probably to about 70° F, can you say, good weather. If you are a snorkeler, is there any better weather more perfectly and satisfactorily matched than this. The thing is when comes to Puerto Vallarta the winter months are usually the most popular season for visiting, for visibilities sake, I suggest that you travel there in the summer months considering the visibility is incomparable and you can see down to 150 feet. This is especially great for those who want to see Puerto Vallarta's snorkeling prize, the exquisite Moorish Idol.

Transport

Question. How are you going to get where you want to go to do your snorkeling. Answer. There are several options to that question. For one thing, there are numerous beaches in Puerto Vallarta where snorkeling can be done, but for those wanting immediate access to the ocean might want to take in mind renting a boat to get there. Others however, find it much more comfortable with having others handling the matter and choose to take on their journey with an eco-tour company.

Finances

Prices, as with all other tourist activities are spread right across the board, in different ranges dependent on the where or who you do the activity with and how long it takes. For example at Los Arcos a very popular destination, snorkeling trips lasting about four hours can be around $30 of course dependent the company you enlist. Included is usually all your snorkeling equipment and transport to get there and back.
For the more risqué of the bunch who prefer a more deluxe adventure you can combine your snorkeling experience with a whole entire day or aquatic activities and joy riding, with lunch included in the package. This would normally run you a price tag of $50 a day with snorkeling, whale watching, and pirate themed shows for the kids to enjoy in one complete package.

Snorkeling highlights

What really makes Puerto Vallarta the snorkeling hit it is, well one name alone has to be mentioned Los Arcos Marine Reserve.

First, Los Arcos a brilliant geological formation of caves and arches, compounded with numerous types of fish that can be even seen at night. For your own pleasure you might even see stingrays, puffers, sharks, of course while viewing caution should be taken at all times, parrots, and much, much more, too much to mention.

Puerto Vallarta a place if you are in for a big snorkeling adventure or just adventure, you should not hesitate to visit.

Snorkeling is an excellent activity to take part in. Its something that no matter age or sex, everyone can join the fun and enjoy themselves. A place snorkelers from novice to expert can find their answers. Shinkeno Snorkeling Solutions

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