Scuba Diving Trips

When it comes to scuba diving, many swimmers are misinformed. They believe that you have to be a competent diver and a strong swimmer to enjoy underwater swimming.

However, this is simply not true, although before you go scuba diving in the ocean, it is advisable that you have some fundamental knowledge of diving and good swimming skills. However, you do not have to be an experienced diver. After all, everyone has to go scuba diving for the first time.

Scuba diving is a pretty self-explanatory activity really. Scuba divers can be seen in many movies and in many amusement parks. While the general idea of scuba diving is the same everywhere in the world, what you will see underwater is not. There are a number of underwater animals and plants that can only be seen in certain countries. This is one of the reasons why you should book a scuba diving voyage carefully.

In Thailand for instance, scuba divers are often able to swim with porpoise and sea turtles. This alone is worth the cost of scuba diving for many people. Aside from swimming with sea animals, you can also spend your scuba diving holiday examining life and the environment underwater.

Just a few of the many sea creatures that you can easily see in Thailand are large lobsters, electric eels, sting rays and a large number of different kinds of fish. The fish found in Thai waters are very diverse because of the fantastic environment they have there, which includes natural reefs, sandbanks and wrecks..

Maritime creatures are undoubtedly the most exciting part of scuba diving, but there are also other underwater activities in which to participate. For instance, many scuba divers take pleasure in diving along coral reefs. Coral reefs are not only home to a large quantity of marine animals, but they are also fantastic to explore. You will find it exciting swimming around the many different shaped reefs.

Having said this, unless you are an experienced underwater diver, you should go scuba diving with a trained professional. These professionals are most commonly found by means of scuba diving tour groups. Scuba diving tour groups can be found all along the coast of Thailand. Scuba diving is a prevalent pastime among foreigners in Thailand, so you would be astute to book your scuba diving trips well ahead of time.

As well as booking a scuba dive with a trained diver, you can also take scuba diving lessons at most coastal resorts in Thailand. Many of these locations also offer guided tours. Scuba diving lessons are obtainable as group lessons or private lessons. Private lessons may be a bit more expensive, but many first time scuba divers find them worthwhile, in more ways than one.

To find guided tours designed for scuba divers, you can ask in local sea front bars, at your hotel reception or at the nearest tourist information office. Whether you have already selected your destination or not, you will easily be able to uncover local underwater tours or lesson, especially in the more popular Thai cities like Pattaya and Phuket. The things that you will see underwater will make your holiday even more unforgettable and make you wish you had started years previously.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is currently involved with Body Glove wetsuit products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some great offers.

The Carnatic Dive

Sha’b Abu Nuhas is one of those Reefs that, to put it simply, is in the wrong place – as many a ship’s captain has discovered to his cost. It is a prime example of a Coral Reef that barely reaches the surface and, from a distance therefore, is not easily seen at all.

Today, of course, there are radar reflectors and small solar-powered lights situated on top of the Reef – and all regularly maintained in the most difficult of circumstances, but one hundred and thirty years ago things were very different.

Unfortunately, at least as far as shipping is concerned, Abu Nuhas lies right at the very edge of the busy shipping lane called the Straits of Gobal. This is the southernmost end of the Gulf of Suez – where the north west Red Sea begins to narrow. Even today, these are hazardous waters – imagine how treacherous they must have been at night without any form of warning light.

The Peninsula & Oriental Passenger Steamer “Carnatic” was built by Samuda Bros of London and technically described as an “iron framed planked passenger steamer of 1776 tons.” Her dimensions were 294.7′ x 38.1′ x 25.4′ and in addition to her square-rigged sails, she was powered by a single 4 cylinder compound inverted engine producing a very handsome 2,442 HP – also built in London, by Messrs Humphrys and Tennant.

The Carnatic was launched in December 1862 and, after successful sea trials, was registered by P & O (though that abbreviation was not used in those days) in the March of 1863 before sailing for Calcutta on June 27th.

For most of her working life, P & O employed the vessel between Suez, Bombay and China and latterly she had been the proud command of Captain P. B. Jones – one of the ablest officers of the company.

A Mild Drift and the Dangers Involved

There are a number of dive sites that can only be accessed with the excitement of a drift dive. These dives need to be planned out and everyone involved needs to know the plan and stick to it otherwise there could well be lives at risk. Unfortunately many of the divers and dive operators that participate in mild drift dives feel that this type of dive should not be taken as serious as it actually is and in a number of cases they relax the planning stage that really should be a requirement. Newspaper headlines regarding missing divers are in a number of occasions the result of a lack of planning. Most of these are because the diver had drifted from the spot they were expected to surface and did not have the appropriate scuba equipment to signal the boat.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that a mild drift is exactly as the label would suggest, it is an underwater current that is mainly caused by surface winds. They are particularly dangerous for divers due to the fact that they can quickly cause the diver to be a great distance from the boat and leave the diver in need of a signaling device.

The Red Sea has been the location for some of the most stunning dives I have done where more than once I have been involved in incidents with fast flowing surface currents and the mild drift below. Ensuring that my customers were safe by using a dive flag which made sure that we were all picked up safe. A few minutes in a drift heading away from a small RIB can be a worrying experience for even the most experienced divers.

A change in the weather conditions or a careless boat operator can be the cause of the problem. Having a device which is lightweight, easy to carry and highly visible in all conditions is one of the best ways that a diver can ensure that they make it back to the RIB safely and quickly. In a moment of an emergency a dive flag is one of the better ways of getting the attention you need when you need it.

In the past many experienced divers made their own emergency dive flags but they tended to be a rather awkward addition to the kit that was needed (most of us strapped them to our tanks) and they were not always the easiest things to deploy quickly. Fortunately this market niche has been filled by a collapsible dive flag that thought it can extend to over 1.5 meters in length will also fold down to such a small size that it will fit in a BC pocket. With a high visibility yellow flag it is a perfect and vital piece of kit that all divers should carry.

On Safari in Southern Tanzania – Discover the Mnazi Bay Marine Park

Tanzania’s south coast is an ideal Africa holiday destination, more so for travelers seeking to avoid the often crowded national parks and game reserves in the country’s north. The idyllic beaches around the Swahili town of Mtwara, plus the Mnazi Bay Marine Park are just some of the beach destinations that rival similar vacation spots in northern Tanzania.

A tour of the Southern Tanzania is a huge adventure. Here you will get the rare opportunity to explore the Indian Ocean coast and the Swahili ruins ” all by yourself with no tourist in site – an incredible privilege that makes for an unforgettable experience. In deed, the beaches of southern Tanzania have much that is unexplored, thus offering the chance of exploration to the adventure-loving visitor.

Most business and leisure travelers to Southern Tanzania pass through Mtwara town, which is easily accessible by both flight and boat from Dar es Salaam. Occupying a vast area just near the Mnazi Bay Marine Park, the town is an ideal stop-over for visitors to the marine park. Diving enthusiasts will find ideal and isolated diving sites near Mtwara.

Mnazi bay was once known as the place to pick up dhow transport to Mozambique. Nowadays, visitors are motivated more by the miles of white sand and the presence of coral reefs close to the shore, which provide excellent snorkeling – even at low tide is good for exploring the coral reefs.

There are many water birds at Mnazi bay particularly waders which include the Greater Sand plover- Crab Plover – Brown-headed Parrot – Mangrove Kingfisher – Four-coloured Bushshrike and the Zanzibar – Black-bellied Glossy-starling.

Mnazi bay marine park has earned an international recognition because of its biodiversity. There are many varieties of mangroves found here, plsu sea grass beds and coral reefs, all of which are an important source of livelihood for the communities residing nearby.

Mnazi bay is protected on the seaward side by the Rawira peninsula to the south and by a series of small islands to the north. The government of Tanzania is looking to the future and plan to develop the area for tourism ” it is an ideal location to unwind after a game safari in the Southern Circuit of Tanzania. The local communities are extensively involved in the running of the park which will ensure that the local communities benefit from tourism.

International gateway to Southern Tanzania is the city of Dar es Salaam. Known as Haven of Peace by its aficionados, Dar es Salaam can be reached through regional hubs at Nairobi and Johannesburg and to a lesser extent Addis Ababa. Dar es Salaam airport is also accessed from other Tanzania airports that serve domestic as well as international flights. These include Kilimanjaro International Airport and Dodoma airport among many others. There is a ferry service between Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam.

Scuba Diving In Key West: Sharks and Shipwrecks

One of the most popular places for scuba diving in the US is Key West located right off the coast of Southern Florida. It is a warm water paradise that offers divers a fantastic world to explore. Divers from beginners to the experts come to Key West from all over the world. It offers some of the best diving experiences available.

Unique Experience

Scuba diving in Key West is not just another scuba diving location. It is a prime area with quality diving for all. It is a diving experience for those who are seeking more than an average diving experience. It is for those divers who enjoy, mystery, and more daring on their diving expeditions.

The diving in the key west is not your average experience, it is varied and provides something extra for every diver

Key West is known for its sharks. The experience of swimming in an area known for its sharks is not for everyone. All types of sharks have been seen including the well-known man-eater, the great white, which was made famous in the Jaws movies.

Some diving trips offer the chance to be submerged with the sharks inside a protective metal cage. Other options allow actual swimming with the sharks which wearing chain mail suit similar to king Arthur’s knights of the round table wore in battle.

As well as active sea and marine life in the area, it also offers the chance to esplore a lot of famous and fantastic ship wrecks. One of the most popular wrecks is a US Airforce missile tracking ship, this unique ship has three thirty 40 foot radar dishes, two dome-like tracking structures, rocket launchers, and a complete weather station.

The US Airforce ship was decommissioned it in 1983. It is commonly visited place by divers seeking more thrills than a normal dive trip.

Scuba Diving in Key West, Florida is a fun, and great place to in the world because of the warm waters, unique marine life, and interesting ship wrecks.

It is a diver?s paradise for thrills and adventure. So if you enjoy a challenge and a new view of the world, than you should be packing to head to the warm friendly waters of key west, keeping in mind that the sharks were there before you, so let them do there thing

Discover Sydney as an Scuba Diving destination

To dive Sydney dive sites and the conditions that prevail when doing Sydney diving is to prepare you for anything the world of diving can throw at you. Although we are blessed with a wide variety of marine life and underwater landscapes, the weather conditions and entry / exit points of our best dive sites require a little bit more pre planning and expertise when diving Sydney sites.

We see time and again at Pro Dive Drummoyne divers and instructors that learn to dive in tropical conditions like Thailand and the Caribbean that lack some very basic skills that people who regularly dive Sydney take for granted and perform as a matter of course. Sure it is great diving in paradise where the water is warm, clear and glassy, but if you lack the skills to be capable and comfortable in any condition then what is really the point in learning to dive at all? You want the best SCUBA gear for the diving you do, so why not want the best knowledge and skills as well?

So if you have a tropical holiday planned and you want to learn to dive so you can enjoy the underwater world as well as the above water world, then why dont you learn to dive Sydney conditions before you head off so you have the confidence and experience to dive in any conditions that you may come up against? Along with the type of dive site you will be learning in, you will also have tuition that is unrivalled in any other country.

We pride ourselves on providing top quality instructors that give 110% to make sure that firstly, you have a fantastic time on your course, but also that you end up being a top quality diver as well.

Once you come back from your holiday, you can jump in and start exploring some of the wide array of dive sites Sydney has to offer from the sponge gardens of Bare Island to the deep wrecks off Long Reef, there is more than enough to keep you finding new things and places for many years to come. So overall Sydney is one of that locations that sometimes many divers around Australia and in the world seem to forget. No only the quality of the diving is pretty high but you had the advantage of diving in one of the most amazing and interesting cities in the world.