Scuba Diving Adventure

Red Sea Diving – MV Asmaa

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:44:16 +0000

The Emperor Fleets boat Asmaa is not one of the Red Sea’s biggest liveaboards accommodating only 16 divers when full. I joined this boat at Marsa Alaam on the 12th of May in 2006 for my first ever visit to the Red Sea. It did the trick and I have been back most years since!

The Asmaa currently does two different itineraries, St Johns and the Deep South was the one I was on out of Marsa. The other is the Classic Cruise out of Hurghada. This one takes in some of the northern Red Seas best sites including the four wrecks at Abu Huhas and the famous Thistlegorm.

My group of divers was from the club attached to York’s only diving shop Overland Underwater. Without my usual buddy I was diving with a chap called Ken. It is always a worry going away on a trip alone that you will end up with a bad diver and spend your whole holiday in ‘instructor mode’. I needn’t have worried, Ken was an excellent diver – in fact usually he could be found with twin sets and other technical gear diving to 100 metres!

With a smaller group of only 16 people who loosely knew each other the holiday went very well. The boat was excellent if not quite as luxurious as some of the bigger better models. However, there was nothing to fault and given the price is usually around £200 – 300 less than the bigger boats this trip represented very good value for money.

The boat is 28 meters long but doesn’t feel small in any way. It has nitrox on board at extra cost and has two zodiacs to assist with the diving. It also offers a free PADI nitrox course but you will have to pay for the course materials and certification which comes to around £60/£70.

All dive guides that I have encountered working on the Emperor Fleet have been great. On this trip we had Alicia Hattersley and Richard Seale. Recognizing that we were all competent divers they left us to our own devices, but were always there if we wanted help and assistance. The way it should be.

On this trip we didn’t manage to spend a long time at the deep south as one of the Asmaa’s twin engines developed a fault and the captain felt that we should slowly make our way back north to Marsa. The diving was still superb, with dives at Elphinstone, Daedelus, Rocky, St Johns and Fury – 20 dives in the six days. To polish off the holiday in style we spent the seventh night on land at the Coral Bay Hotel – fantastic.

It would be worth bearing the Asmaa in mind when choosing your next Red Sea liveaboard trip – it is a very good value for money boat and can deliver a holiday every bit as good as those offered by the bigger ships.

Winter Diving During the “Off Season”

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:22:15 +0000

There is no doubt about it, I am a fair weather diver. There is however a big difference between this and being a holiday diver. I do like diving all year round and on a nice bright sunny day in the winter a visit to an inland quarry such as Capernwray can uplift your diving spirit and blow away some of the cobwebs that gather during the off season.

In fact I do advocate year round diving as there is nothing worse than the diver who puts his gear away in October and takes it out again for the club Easter outing the next year. This is when the accidents occur! Has all the scuba equipment been properly checked and serviced before taking it out of storage – was it even washed down and stored properly in the first place?

The diver who has not been diving for six months is not likely to be “dive fit”. Anything other than a shallow bimble around calm waters after such a break would be dangerous. This is why holiday divers are forced to pay for a boring “check out dive” before they can join in the fun.

There is so much you can do during the so called off season that it can seem that there is no break in the season whatsoever. Many people get involved in training, and visit their local pool every week. Dive instructing helps to improve safety skills and means that much of the scuba gear is being continually used.

Then there are the visits to the inland sites. They can be a little cold, but modern dry suits and efficient under suits, gloves and hoods can mean that you stay dry and warm. My buddy and I try to go at least once every month, and always look forward to the Christmas dive at Capernwray, though I do remember the year that the outside of my wet dry suit that was laying on the ground actually froze solid and stuck to the floor!

Most areas of the UK have an inland dive site near to them that they can use when the weather does not permit scuba diving in the sea. Some are better than others but there is always somewhere to visit within an hours drive away.

Finding a Good Scuba Diving Resort

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:59:32 +0000

Finding a great scuba diving resort is essential when seeking a diving break away from the cold and unpredictability of your own country. Your reasons for taking a break may be to learn to dive, to take the next step up with a higher scuba qualification or to simply enjoy some new sites with fantastic visibility in a holiday destination.

I try to get away from the UK once every year on a dedicated diving holiday and if you can find a good scuba diving resort to head to it can make all the difference as to whether or not you will have a lasting memory or not. These are some of my recent experiences:

2005 – I splashed out and went to the Red Sea for the first time. I dived from a liveaboard out of the scuba diving resort of Marsa Alam. What a fantastic week. The six days on the boat and the final day in the resort was a superb combination.

2006 – Enjoyed Marsa so much that I did it again – this time with my usual diving buddy so some fantastic dives!

2007 – I took my daughter to Majorca with my BSAC club and we had 6 pretty mediocre dives there. It was out of season and though the weather was fine during the day, both my daughter and I slept in our fleecey undersuits we were so cold at night time.

2008 – This time my daughter stayed at home and I went to Minorca again with my dive club. Again it was out of season and the dive centre was very quiet. Not to be repeated.

2009 – My buddy and I decided to return to the Red Sea, this time on a live-aboard out of Sharm El Sheik. What a fantastic 6 days diving the wrecks of the northern Red Sea. However, Sharm as a resort was a dump and as for the airport – I will never go there again and intend heading for Marsa again the next time.

2010 – Next year? Well my buddy and I have decided to give the Red Sea a break until 2011. Next year we are doing Scapa Flow – the UK Mecca for divers. My buddy dived there two years ago and I was last up in 1994!

Without a doubt the whole aspect of the scuba diving resort will affect your trip. Look for a good destination and ensure that you have a good time!

Discount Scuba Diving Equipment

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:44:07 +0000

There is no question about it – scuba diving is an expensive sport. However, it is possible to achieve great savings with top quality diving gear simply by shopping around before you buy. It must be emphasized however, buying discount scuba diving equipment is not the same as buying cheap diving gear!

With the Internet available for searching for the best bargains and on line availability of all different items of diving gear, it is now very easy and usually highly reliable to buy good value scuba gear online. Not only that, many diving shops that stock goods for the visiting diver to browse and mull over before selecting, also sell online. This has turned out to be a fantastic result for the average diver who needs to watch every penny he or she is spending – a couple of great outcomes are:

1. By adding online scuba gear shopping to a dive shop’s sales methods it is able to increase its turnover substantially. This means that it can buy in larger quantities from the manufacturer, get better terms and pass these onto the customers. The upshot is that online selling can mean lower priced discount scuba diving equipment.

2. Not only can the online prices be kept low, but these prices can be continued in the shop also. As the business overall is turning over more, it can cover the overheads in the shop and keep the shop prices the same as on its web site. Now customers have the option of coming to browse the scuba equipment – or they can have the convenience of buying the item at the same price on line (plus postage usually).

Unfortunately the move by enterprising dive shops to sell online means that those that don’t, the dive shops that tend to remain expensively priced, cannot trade so well.

There has always been a criticism of the big online scuba gear retailers that they do not offer the same level of service as your local dive shop. It is not possible to handle the goods, try them on for size and comfort, before buying. Customers will go into more expensive local dive shops and try the gear – then order from an online retailer who offers bigger savings. The result – local shops with local advice and servicing facilities (not to mention air and gas fills) are at risk of disappearing. However, those local dive shops that diversify and add online selling themselves, will both keep the prices down and offer the customer service that all divers want.

A Look at Mares Scuba Gear

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:13:16 +0000

For almost 60 years Mares has been recognized as an international manufacturer of high quality scuba diving gear. Mares scuba gear is sold everywhere in the world where diving takes place, and is as popular in the UK, USA, Australia and Japan as it is in France from where the company originates.

Mares scuba gear includes all aspects of diving equipment, from regulators and buoyancy jackets to masks and wet suits. Mares scuba gear is targeted firmly at the sport and recreational diver, not at the technical diver or professional scuba practitioner. Dive instructors on the other hand are happy to use Mares gear as a result of its dependency and quality.

I have used a number of different items of Mares scuba gear over the years and consider the equipment to be extremely good. In particular I have also bought Mares gear for my daughter which must show the trust that I place in the brand! The items that I have had experience with are as follows:

1. A Mares Abyss regulator. This is not the most expensive regulator that they make but is certainly more than mid-range. What I liked about it was the sturdy metal case and a confidence accordingly that it was unlikely ever to free flow. Both the first and second stages felt and looked solid, without being big or clumsy and in any way heavy. My Abyss has been around the world and bashed about in many hard dive boats and ribs. It has been trailed behind a cylinder, dragged along a concrete quayside and trodden on while struggling to change out of a dry suit! Yes my Mares Abyss has given me hundreds of dives and is still going strong after around 8 years.

2. I bought my daughter a cheaper Mares regulator – this has a plastic body to the 2nd stage and has not seen as much use. Nevertheless it has worked without fault for a couple of years and I also use it as a pony regulator from time to time.

3. I have used a Mares mask without problem for the past five years – alternating it with an Oceanic Big Eyes that I also favour. No complaints with either mask.

4. I have a Seaquest buoyancy jacket and a Halcyon buoyancy wing and have no complaints about either of these makes. However, the Mares Kalia stab jacket I bought for my daughter seems to be an ideal fit for a lady’s frame – especially a small frame like my daughter. The straps seem to be in the right place and the quality ‘feel’ of the jacket overall is impressive. A top quality piece of Mares scuba gear for a very reasonable price when comparing it to other leading makes on sale.

There is no doubt that Mares ranks alongside Scubapro, Aqualung and Apeks as a manufacturer of high quality, wide range of scuba diving equipment. Mares scuba gear will continue to figure in my dive bag for the foreseeable future!

Scuba Diving Package Holidays

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:49:08 +0000

A scuba diving package holiday is an excellent way to get a few dives into your log book and increase your scuba diving experience significantly. During your first year or two diving it is sometimes hard to get on club trips and excursions. You build up your experience slowly, a couple of weekends away in the summer when the novices are being taught about sea and boat diving – a few trips to the inland quarries at the weekends. Your tally of dives creeps up to 20, 30….

Then you get the chance to go on a scuba diving package. This could be a trip with Regal Dive to the Red Sea to shore dive from a hotel base in Marsa Alam. Alternatively it could be a live-aboard trip to the Deep South to try to encounter the big pelagic species – sharks and manta rays. You might get the chance for some Far Eastern diving in Phuket, or the Barrier Reef.

Wherever you are able to go, a scuba diving package means that the transport, accomodation and diving are all included in the holiday. This means that to get the most out of the trip you will probably do most if not all of the available dives that are on offer. This can mean up to four dives a day. I have even heard of some operators that allow five or unlimited dives, but I consider that it would be difficult to get more than four good and safe dives into one day unless you were simply splashing around in the shallows!

A weeks holiday with a scuba diving package can mean that you quickly add around 20 dives to your log book. In addition to having a fantastic time it also quickly launches you into the next experience level of your diving career. You will feel that after a week, your diving skills will have been well honed after the intensive diving routine. Your buoyancy skills will be better and you will probably find that you are more relaxed in the water.

Now with 50 or more dives in your log book you may find it easier to get onto the more experienced dives that are being planned by your club. Your added experience allows you to move to the next stage of your formal training and your diving takes on a new and interesting slant – it starts to become more challenging and more rewarding. An investment in a scuba dive package holiday can certainly help you to move your diving up a notch!

Cheap Dive Gear

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:31:42 +0000

Everybody is looking for a bargain these days – including cheap dive gear. One word of warning though when it comes to scuba diving equipment. Scuba diving takes place under the water, whether it be in the sea or in fresh water scuba dive sites. It is therefore taking place in an alien environment. It is not a dissimilar environment to that found on the moon. Yet I wonder if NASA surfed the web for cheap space suits before the Apollo moon landings?

My point is that scuba diving equipment is life support equipment. Just because you are partaking in a sport for fun does not mean that you can ignore the critical safety issues involved. Your scuba gear is your lifeline and you must be able to depend on it. Cheap scuba gear may – or may not be up to the job.

However, whether your diving equipment is cheap scuba gear or expensive state of the art professional kit, both must be treated in the same way:

1. You must check your scuba gear before every dive.

2.You must clean your gear thoroughly after each dive/diving session and check that it is in good order. Any faults that need fixing or adjustments that need to be made should be done immediately so they are not overlooked until you are ready to go scuba diving again.

3. You must store your treasured diving kit in a secure and well ventilated space. Wet gear can perish easily so do not squash gear into a bag until the next time. Kit strewn about the garage floor can be stepped on and damaged. Mice can ruin the fabric of a dry suit!

4. Most important – get your kit serviced at the appropriate intervals. For example, regulators should be serviced every year as a matter of routine, and at least every 100 dives if you are diving a lot. Cylinders have to be serviced by law of course, otherwise you can not get them filled. However, nobody is there to make you get your other equipment checked out – you and your buddies are the ones at risk if you ignore this important job.

Cheap dive gear might be an excellent way to get started. Second hand scuba gear can be very cheap – for example bought from eBay. Alternatively that expensive top of the range regulator you have your eyes on in the dive shop may well have a faulty 2nd stage – perhaps grit has been allowed to get into the diaphragm during storage – and may free flow when used the first time.

The message is that you must check your gear, whatever it cost, and care for it and maintain it rigorously.

Scuba Dive Sites

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:12:09 +0000

There are a huge number of scuba dive sites for the scuba enthusiast to consider. You only have to read the scuba diving magazines every month for reviews of great dive sites all around the globe. They are often accompanied by photographs of the surrounding surface topography, underwater pictures and information about the water conditions of the site itself.

Visiting recognised scuba dive sites is the best way for scuba divers who are relatively new to the sport to develop their diving skills. As everyone is taught when learning to dive, scuba diving can be a dangerous sport owing to the alien environment in which it takes place. If you add to that completely unknown conditions then the risk of an accident increases.

Therefore, knowing in advance that many other divers have visited a particular site and, so long as they followed their training carefully, had safe and enjoyable dives – gives the visiting divers a head start to having a good dive themselves.

Once a dive site has been selected as having potential for a visit by a buddy pair or group from a club – a risk assessment of the proposed trip is needed. Factors that will be considered will likely include the following:

1. Site conditions, depth, currents, tides

2. Site access – by boat, shore etc

3. Level of experience likely needed for the particular dives being planned

4. Safety considerations – nearest hyperbaric chamber etc.

5. Local rescue services

6. Local facilities – air and gas, equipment, hot food, accommodation

A scuba diving risk assessment will consider these and other details and can be reviewed by an experienced diver who can give advice and guidance to the group that intends making the particular trip. It may be that a member of the club who is not joining the group can nevertheless give some pointers on the scuba dive sites being targeted.

Once a successful visit to the scuba dive sites has taken place, it is important that a record of the visit is made for future references. Then, when a visit takes place in a year or two – information for the new group will be available for any new members wanting to try out the sites.

Unknown and un-dived scuba dive sites can be a challenge. More advanced scuba divers welcome this challenge and have the experience to be able to carry out exploratory dives in such unknown circumstances. It is best to wait until you have the necessary skills and experience before you think about taking part in such diving expeditions.

Scuba Diving in the Red Sea

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:47:00 +0000

The words scuba diving red sea always bring back memories of the three trips I have made so far to the Red Sea to scuba dive from a live-aboard boat. Twice I have been on a Regal Dive excursion out of Marsa Alam and once with Tony Blackhurst Scuba Adventures on a scuba diving boat out of Sharm El Shaik.

Each trip was for six days of diving and the last day of the week was spent ‘degassing” in preparation for the flight back home. For those of us from the UK this means a five hour or so flight back to Manchester or Gatwick airports. For anybody travelling from the States this trip is very much longer of course.

Having been scuba diving in the Red Sea, a five hour trip back to the UK is long enough. For me I still have either a two or five hour drive back home once I have passed through the airport. This is an important consideration for those intending to do a scuba diving Red Sea trip for the first time if they don’t live conveniently close to an airport in the UK or are travelling from even further afield from the USA and other places.

During the 6 days diving you will do around 20 dives. The dives can range between moderately shallow night dives to wreck dives of 40 metres or so. One of the best dives I did on my last trip to the North of the Red Sea was on the wreck of the Rosalie Muller where even the shallowest part of the deck lies at around 35 metres with the sea bed at 50 metres.

The upshot is that the repetitive dives can make you very tired indeed. On my first trip my return drive from Gatwick to York involved around 5 stops for strong coffee during the five hour drive home! My eyes did not want to stay open. Therefore the advice is to:

1. Make sure the boat you are diving from has nitrox available. The enriched oxygen content will alleviate some of the exhaustion that air diving would give for such concentrated week of diving.

2. Plan your return trip appropriately, share any driving that may be needed, use public transport or arrange for a stop over before travelling the last leg.

3. Definately come to scuba dive the Red Sea – even if you are travelling from the States. It is a ‘must do’ destination and provides both incredible wrecks in great visibility and some fantastic marine life encounters.

A Trip to Scapa Flow

admin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:56:32 +0000

One of the places that everyone is advised to visit at least once in their diving career is Scapa Flow. Scapa Flow is a sheltered area of water within the Orkney Islands just off the North coast of Scotland. It was here that the First World War captured German naval fleet was scuttled at the end of the war. As a consequence it is one of the diving world’s Meccas, a must visit venue!

Scapa Flow is graveyard to a number of massive battleships and cruisers that it is impossible to do justice to in a single dive each. With visibility ranging from 3 metres to as much as 15 meters at certain times of the year it is impossible to take in the size of these ships, each hundreds of feet long. However, their immensity is apparent – and absorbing their mysterious presence is possible by swimming away from the wrecks and viewing their massive prows from a couple of metres away.

The wrecks are typically at depths of 35 to 40 metres and are not suitable for novices. To get the best out of the dives planning for at least a little decompression will give you a little more time to take in some of the detail revealed by a good bright torch at these gloomy depths. The scuba diving equipment used must of course be suitable for this.

I first visited Scapa fifteen years ago in July. The visibility was poor at that time of year, perhaps 3 or 4 metres at best. It was still a moving experience, to see these mighty ships at rest. The plan is to return next year in October when the visibility is hopefully at its best, the summer plankton blooms being over. It is hoped that the Scottish weather is not too inclement topside also!

A trip to Scapa Flow should be on your list – the journey up is a long one, depending on the area of the UK in which you live. Coming from farther afield means that you will definitely have to fly in. Flying means that you will be unable to bring your own scuba tanks within your scuba diving gear. However, most boats out of the local port Stromness have their own scuba tanks on board. Of course if your own diving gear includes more technical configurations the trip becomes harder, though it is possible to hire twin 12s and 10s from some operators. Other dive gear can also be hired from the local dive shop.