What all one may need besides a bottle of champagne or some sandwiches
before he packs up for an underwater picnic; let us dig deeper because the rules
vary from ocean to ocean and regime to regime. Buddy breathing may not be a
problem around some part of the globe, whereas if you are an US diver, you must
be told to refrain yourself from doing so unless you had an encounter with no-air
situation. Despite of regulation difference, the list for mandatory and optional
scuba diving equipment is untouched and is same regardless of geographical
differentiation among continents. Let us now explore the equipment checklist,
both mandatory and optional one by one.

Wet Suits & Dry Suits – you don’t want to play with your body temperature,
do you? Medically, a human body’s normal temperature hovers around 37 o
and sagaciously, if you are diving in water cooler than the temperature your
body actually made to survive with, a need to control it from any further falling
automatically emerges. So, to save your body temperature from an unpleasant
dive, you need right suit, full wet suit for cold diving and vice-versa. Do wear a
suit with more insulation, if you diving in cold water and lighter insulation suit
will do, if going deeper in warmer water. In broader terms, should you getting
ready for a tropical dive such as Mexico, the Indian Ocean or the Caribbean sea,
pack a wet suit and an exposure suit of about 3 millimeter thick. Moreover,
always remember colder water and thicker suit is a best combination.

Moving on to dry suits, if you planning to dive in even colder water where you
need a higher level of warmness than the one provided by thermal protection,
you may want to buy a dry suit. Unlike Wet Suits, good hand-skills are needed
to wear dry suits and they are rather expensive as well. Unbeknownst to many
of us, females tend to get colder a lot easier than man, because they do have
more curves i.e. surface area than males; hence they need a greater amount of
warmness under situations.

Snorkeling Masks:
Yes, that’s right, you need to camouflage yourself before you trespass someone
else territory. Jokes apart, mask is a must when you dive because human eyes
are not made for facilitating a clear vision under water, they loss their focus in
the water. This mask will be providing you an air-pocket, thus, helping you to
better see underwater. Do not miss to check it a day before you plan to dive in
and it is rather great if you a lens mounted mask. It is further recommended to

have more than one mask, just in case you broke one, you have spares ready
enabling you to have a rather longer vacation. Do practice fitting it properly and
do refrain yourself from substituting these with tempered or plastic glasses or
swim goggles; they are not good for diving purposes.

Exposure Suits:
Exposure suits are a must because burns, cuts scrapes and stings are highly
expected in deep water. You don’t want to struggle with these, while filming a
breathtaking watery creature on your digital camera, do you? These exposure
suits save you from those unexpected mood spoilers.

Snorkel
A curved pipe/tube like thing, always seen in the mouths of diver, that is snorkel;
a must carry equipment, before a date with ocean. Snorkel not only lets you
breathe underwater and against the splashing waves, but also when you are
nearly done with you air cylinder and your boat or the bank/shore is still at a
significant distance from you.

Fins
Ever seen divers with long flippers; those are fins, enhancing their diving
experience by offering them the required ease and efficiency while floating and
setting their hands free for other relatively important explorations. Fins, actually
provides them with an extended area to push against the water and allows a
diver to use his/her leg muscles while swimming. Although a diver is free to
choose any from the available types like Blade, Hinged, Standard, Channels or
Split, nonetheless, a diver is expected to choose these very cautiously.

Buoyancy Control Device (BCD)
Do you know one intentional kick of your fin is capable enough of destroying
a century of coral growth? Isn’t shocking, it is actually and now knowing this,
you don’t want to be a reason for that, do you? Buoyancy Control Device is
the equipment that manages your buoyancy while you float by allowing you
to holding or release air from a bladder. The equipment lets you control your
movements and speed down underwater; eventually let you ascend or descend
as and when required.

Regulator
Regulator is a must carry item because this instrument regulates the pressure
of air, as the amount of pressure actually released from air cylinder is way too
much that we need to breathe. Regulator functions more likely a dwelling gas
regulator, which release gas only when a knob is twisted to do so and to the
amount, it is done for. Similarly when you dive in, this regulator controls the
supply of air and supply air only at your directions. Additionally, BCD and dry
suits gets the required air from this equipment itself.

Cylinder
A steel or aluminum made container with an on and off valve, better known as
scuba diving cylinder, is an essential equipment again. This particular container
holds air under pressure of 200 and up to 300 bars. Should you choose a single
cylinder or twin, depends upon your diving purpose; for recreational purpose
one will do and otherwise for technical or research purposes, better bag two of
them.

Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG)
SPG or also known as Air Gauge keep you posted with the amount of gas you
are left with, thus, works like a lifesaver and alarms you about the right of
finishing your dive. Before buying one, ensure the readability of it; a SPG with an
uncluttered face is most preferred.

Dive Knife
Underwater world is full of entanglements and while floating, it is highly
doubted that a diver is very much expected to have an unpleasant encounter
with one or more of these messy limbs and etceteras. At this hours or adversity,
it is better to have a knife to slay that unwelcomed misery into pieces. Choose
your item carefully because you will be using them in water, where your
movements are very much uncontrolled, putting you in a situation of cutting
oneself.

Compass
Don’t you forget to bag a compass; a compass filled with mineral oil to humidify
the movement of the compass card and to protect its case from the pressure of
depth. These are specially designed navigational instrument to withstand any
pressure and temperature. The use is much similar to the one used for standard
purposes.

Dive Computer
A computer helps you in better understanding your limits in respect to the depth
of your dive. In plainer terms, the deeper you go the faster you will be dissolving
nitrogen into your body. Medically, this dissolved amount must be kept under
limits because any access could be fatal; may hikes up your chances of becoming
a patient of decompression sickness. In order to refrain yourself from letting that
happen, you need to have a track on your dive depth and time. So, avoid missing
this very important equipment before diving in.

Underwater Camera
You may want to capture your underwater date with ocean like other
memorable moments of your life. For the purpose, you need an underwater
camera specially engineered for the purpose and are embedded with the
tolerance of underwater temperatures and pressures.

Other Safety Equipments

First and foremost, your first-aid kid, then comes Light sticks or phosphorescent
glow-sticks, GPS Radio, Safety Light, Air Horn, Whistle, Signaling Devices, Dive
Lights (flash or canister), Anti-Fog Solutions, Tapes (Waterproof), Lubricant for
Wetsuit Zipper, Liquid B.C. Soap, markers (inflatable), additional fins, straps,
masks, pressure hoses, Gear Markers, Catch Bag, Spare-Parts Kits, Clips, dive
flags or floats and last but not least, medicines, sprays and antibiotics (better ask
a local physician or travel clinic).

Henceforth, next time when you backpack for an underwater trip, make sure you
have packed these aforesaid mandatory and options but safety equipments along
with the bottle of champagne. Have a happy diving.

The post Do grab these, before you buckle up for your date with the bottom of the ocean appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

Not much unpacking to do and the beds were all made up. I climbed into bed a couple of hours after the boat took off, wanting to get a good nights sleep ready for diving the next day.

Funny, I’ve never gone to sleep on a boat and I let the movement rock me to sleep.

I was woken up at 1 am by some weird noise, and thought it must be time to wake up. The boat stopped in a safe haven for a few hours, then at 5:30 am the engines started up and we took off for our first dive spot. I just lay back in bed enjoying the rocking and waiting for the rooster alarm I’d been told about.

The “rooster” came on at 7 o’clock, then music – “who Let the Dogs Out”. It was so funny!!!

The First Dive of the day was at Laurie Land ( named after the cook/diver/doctor)

My buddies for the first dive were Ruth, my advanced dive instructor, Paul, and Manuel. Paul was fairly new to diving, although confident, and fun to be with. Manuel was also doing his Advanced Open Water course.

I took awhile to descend and did some strange upside down and round about tricks, which Manuel and Paul had a good laugh about later on.

Paul said that Manuel used up a lot of air because he kept saying ” F-off” through his regulator. We noticed that Manuel said that a LOT – every time he got excited about something ( which was most of the time on that trip ). It’s understandable because  there was LOTS to get excited about!!

We swam round for awhile looking at all the fish! At one stage, I noticed the other 3 hanging round watching me and I wondered what strange thing I was doing! They were making signals, pointing under me. I looked down and there was the biggest green turtle I’d ever seen. He was about 1.3 metres in diameter.

Paul was having a good laugh afterwards and said they were waiting for me to step on the turtle and for him to snap at me. He was beautiful and I’m so pleased I didn’t step on him:-)

We also saw a Wobbegong shark, Xmas tree worms and LOTS of other fish.
There’s a picture of a huge Wobbegong down further.

When we got back, Laurie had our breakfast ready, then after a couple of hours, we did our second dive.

Laurie, the Cook ( also a doctor in his real job) on the boat LOVES to dive. Laurie and his brother Peter ( the other of the 3 crew ) go off for a dive before all of us and come back with a detailed report, sometimes some video or photos and they draw a map for us. Then, Laurie cooks a meal or a snack.

Here’s Peter giving one of his reports!

The second dive was at Mary’s Lair, which was a fantastic spot. Ruth, Manuel and I went together. We did a giant leap from the higher side of the boat. ( I don’t like those giant leaps ). I ended up doing a belly flop and lost my mask for a minute.

I became much better at leaping into the water by the end of the trip!

There was an interesting cave at this location, about 15 metres long, so we swam through it.

We ascended very slowly, hung onto the bar for our 5 metre safety stop, and made our way to the stairs upto the boat.

My third dive of the day was at JJJ named after the radio station we were listening to.

I went down with another instructor this time – Megan this time. She is great!!! There was a really strong current and we had to hang onto the ropes on the side of the ship to swim over to the anchor chain. Then, we made a quick descent to get off the surface.

We got to the bottom and I could hardly believe what I saw. This gorgeous purple and white garden, so much prettier than I’d ever seen on the land. And, this very long bright yellow fish swimming next to the purple plants. Other smaller bright yellow fish swimming nearby. It was like I was in a dream with this pretty picture in front of me. And, most of the area was like that – all these pretty purple broccoli type plants everywhere.

We saw a HUGE Shovel Nose Ray – a silver colour. He just sauntered on past us!! Also some pink jelly fish.

Our ascent was a bit weird. Because of the current, Megan navigated so we went up towards the boat, then ascended way down 21 metres ( the deepest I’d ever been) below the anchor chain, and up to the bar.

The current was very strong by this time, so we hung on tight to the bar for 3 minutes, then made our slow ascent to the steps.

Megan was fantastic!!

I skipped the 4th dive and the night dive because of the current. It was fun watching the 7 other divers go off for their night dive, with all their little colored lights twinkling as they went off into the dark.

The Big Cat is a great boat for diving at night time, because there’s a huge beam of light coming from the boat, so divers can easily navigate their way back to the boat.

The second day I awoke to complete stillness!! The first day, the boat was just rocking all the time, and we walked about like we were drunk.

Ruth told Manuel and I we would do the Deep Dive towards our Advanced course first!

Another instructor, Ian would take both of us down and do some skills. We were going down about 26 metres, so the maximum time we could stay down was 20 minutes. The name of this dive site is Robert’s Shoal.

I was confident about the deep dive because I’d gone deep the day before. It didn’t seem much different really!

Ian showed us some different colours of felt that we would look at in the deep as well, just to compare the difference.

He also got Manuel and I to write our names on a slate, both forward and backward, and timed us. My name is VERY long ( middle one too )!

When we got to the 26 metres, we had a bit of a swim, then sat on the bottom and wrote on the slate again. Ian timed us again. I wrote my name forwards, and it took me so long, I forgot to write it backwards. Then, I remembered and took the slate back from Ian. He timed me from the beginning, including the “missed time”. Maybe I was a little “narced”!

After that, we’d been there 16 minutes ( time goes so quick under water ) and we made our way back to the anchor chain, and ascended very slowly, stopping at the bar for 5 minutes on the way back to the steps.

The second dive of the day was Charlie’s Chapel. This was a good place to dive too!! Lots of places to explore over the little rocks and choral. Some little caves to look through and very pretty plants again!!

This time, I went with Gary and Graham, a couple of guys who had already done their Advanced Open Water course.

For the 3rd dive, we went back to Charlie’s Chapel to do the advanced Navigation Dive We set a compass heading and swam 30 kicks, then set a reciprocal heading and went back the other way! Then, we did a square and practised natural navigation.

Ruth left Manuel and I at the anchor chain, and we were going to swim around a bit on our own. However, we both got low on air very quickly ( used up a lot of air while navigating ), so we ascended very slowly up to the bar again.

I missed the next dive and the night dive because I went off for a power nap. I woke up to this loud rock ‘n roll music and somebody making farting noises in the microphone. I went out onto the deck, and there’s 8 people all kitted up in their diving gear, singing and tapping their feet, some doing a kind of dance!!

Not easy to dance with all that stuff on their backs! It looked like Scuba Disco. They all had little colored lights on their tanks!!!

Off they went to the exit and did their giant leap into the dark sea!!! I’m not going to miss out on that ever again!!

On the 3rd day, we went down to one of the numerous wrecks around Moreton Bay. This one is named Cemento. This picture’s a bit weird, but then again the wreck did look a bit weird to me!

There was a strong Easterly current going across the boat and I had problems descending and started drifting off over the other side of the boat, away from the others.

Ruth swam over and helped me down. Thanks again Ruth! We met up with Melanie, Paul and Manuel at the wreck, 26 metres down.

Afterwards, the crew told me they were watching me drift away, and had the “Little Tender” ( a small inflatable boat ) out ready to rescue me on the surface! The crew do a great job of looking after divers!

The wreck was a 50 to 60 metre ship named Cemento. It actually sunk before it was meant to, so ended up upside down. The had to cut the doors off, so divers could see stuff inside!!

Ruth went in and out some door openings and came back and up again, while the rest of us watched. There were a few fish to look at!! It all looked a bit weird to me – first wreck I had visited.

The last dive of the trip was Flinders Reef, and was absolutely the most beautiful and BEST dive of all!!! Peter ( one of the crew ) took
Ruth, Manuel and I over to the reef, on the “Little Tender”.

We donned our fins and masks and fell back into the water, descended quickly, and the reef was absolutely breathtaking. It was covered almost completely with the most gorgeous coloured chorals, there were pretty little fish everywhere, and enormous turtles, sometimes in groups of 2 or 3.

A couple of times, I thought Manuel was going to run off with the turtles. He seemed mesmerised by them!!!

We drifted right along the reef, ascended, and there was Peter waiting for us in the “Little Tender”. He towed Manuel back to the Big Cat, then came back and got me, while Ruth went back for a dive on her own!!

The crew told me there are 240 species of choral on that reef, many more than they’ve identified on the Great Barrier Reef!

I recommend this Live Aboard Trip to anyone. I know, it’s my first, and I’m bound to be impressed. Some of the divers on this trip have dived all over the world, and say Moreton Bay is one of the best places to dive.

There’s rock, wreck and reef. There are over 20 different wrecks around Moreton Bay, with the Brisbane Tram, Chase Boat Whaling stations, Tugs, Old Sand Dredgers and Barges, and more..

After that Grand Finale, it was time to start packing up ready to go home.
On the way home, we had an amazing display of Whales!!!

At first, we saw one or two of them breeching and playing in the water from a distance. Then, one passed us very close ( about 10 metres away ).

We went back inside, then Jeremy ( the Skipper ) called out “whales at the bow. There were about 4 or 5 plus a calf playing in the distance. Going up and down, up and down, with their tails in the air. Put on quite a performance for all of us!!

What a way to leave Moreton Bay.

We had a wonderful time and I’m going on LOTS more Live Aboards!!!

The post Scuba Diving Live Aboard at Moreton Bay appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

10 Things to Experience On Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island

1) Mountaintop and seaside hiking trails. The Cape Breton Highlands National Park has both easy and rugged trails for both the casual and ambitious hikers. You can hire a hiking tour or just strike out on your own to enjoy the serene and beautiful scenery of the region.

2) Sea Kayaking – hiring a tour guide can provide you with equipment and experience to better encounter the wildlife and rugged scenery of the coast of Cape Breton Island. Depending on where you hire your tour, you can see bald
eagles, cormorants, guillemots, pilot whales, a minke. You can find sea kayaking tours from Cheticamp, Cape North, Baddeck, Ingonish, or Louisbourg and places in between.

3) Spend an afternoon in Baddeck, at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum overlooking scenic Bras d’ Or Lake. Mr. Bell made his summer home in Baddeck, and the museum houses many of his lesser known, but highly intriguing projects. His
hydrofoil, his fascination with tetrahedrons, and many other intriguing things are in the world-class museum for you to discover.

4) Dust off your kilt and don your dancing shoes. Cape Breton is full of Celtic colors and tunes. If you’re driving through town and see home-made signs that say “Ceili Tonight” it might be worth stopping for a spontaneous sampling of Celtic culture. Otherwise, you can also plan your Ceili (pronounced Kay-Lee) experience by checking local tourist bureaus for feature events. In October, the entire island is abuzz with the Celtic Colours International Festival, the largest celebration of its kind in North American, but you’ll also find smaller events at other times of the year.

5) Scuba diving around Cape Breton Island. Literally hundreds of shipwrecks litter the ocean floor along Cape Breton Island. In fact, since 1597, more than one thousand shipwrecks have been recorded along Cape Breton Island’s
coast. For the most rewarding diving, consider St. Ann’s Bay to St. Paul Island.

6) Descend down into a coal mine beneath the ocean floor in an underground tour of the Ocean Deeps Colliery Your guides for the underground excursion are retired coal miners who will help you imagine making your daily living in dark quarters beneath the ocean floor. Located about one mile from downtown Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island.

7) Hit the beach and bum around. The beaches of Cape Breton Island can be small and isolated, or large and packed with people – or any combination in between. If you’ve seen on Cape Breton beach, you have NOT seen them all. So, if beaches are one of your interests, you may want to consider a sampling of Cape Breton’s beaches and find out which ones suit you the best for your vacationing state of mind, and your personal travelling style.

8) Visit the Fortress Louisbourg. Spend your time wandering freely through a wonderfully restored centuries-old Acadian village. Staff at the fortress are dressed in clothing from the period, and restaurants on site serve food from the era.
It’s a delightful step-back in time at North America’s LIVE largest historic reconstruction on the east coast of Cape Breton Island.

9) Hit the road (or the mountains) on your bicycle. Cape Breton’s scenery has been embraced by bikers worldwide, and Cape Breton Island officials have greeted them with arms wide open. Several wonderful biking trails (cycling and mountain biking) are available across the entire Cape Breton Island. Local chambers of commerce should have ample information about their specific locales trail system and related service providers.

10) Whale watching tours from Cape Breton Island will not only give you a chance to see the large graceful creatures,

but you’ll also likely have a fair shot at seeing white dolphins, seals, leatherback turtles, and native birds. On portion of Cape Breton boasts a 95% success rate in whale sightings, and some tours will give you a certificate for another free excursion if you a whale isn’t sighted (or perhaps that’s just in Tiverton). Some tours use Zodiac boats, others use schooners, and some are via kayak. Cape Breton has plenty of options for the aspiring whale watcher.

About the Author: C.S. Deam and his wife fell in love with Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island on their first vacation to the region in 2001. Since then they’ve grown to be avid promoters of the scenery and lifestyle enjoyed by Nova Scotia
residents and vacationers. Diving at Nova Scotia

The post 10 Things to Experience On Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

The post Submit Guest post here appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

This Australian reef is also regarded as one of the wonders of the world and was declared as a World Heritage since 1981. It is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and being so huge, scuba divers are offered a large array of magnificent dive sites and bountiful marine life to enjoy.

The Great Barrier is more than 300,000 sq km (115, 831 sq miles) in size and is the home to more than 3000 smaller reefs. Deciding where to scuba dive in this huge diving destination can certainly be a happy problem because of the many astounding choices.

Wreck diving is a favorite scuba diving activity. Amongst the many wrecks are Captain James Cook’s ship “Endeavour”. Another popular wreck is the HMS Pandora, which sunk in 1791. All in all, there are about 30 shipwreck dive sites for scuba divers to explore.

An amazing 2 million people visit the reef annually spending about a billion US dollars collectively and entrenching tourism as the main pillar of the eastern Australia economy. Since tourism dollar is very important, it is thus vital for the Australian economy to protect the reef from destruction and hence the magnificent reef protected in many ways. As a form of protection, even recreational fishing is restricted to only certain areas and animals such as dolphins, whales, dugongs are protected species.

For the more adventurous divers, there are dives organized to view shark feedings, especially the ferocious man eater, the Great White Shark, which shot to stardom in the movie Jaws and its sequels. Divers are lowered into the clear water in steel cages to view these man eating sharks closed up.

Let us take a look at some of the popular dive locations in Great Barrier Reef :-

Cairns and Port Douglas – This is the area of the reef that is closest to the Queensland coast. It is because of this proximity to tourist centers and accommodations, the area attracts the biggest numbers of divers here than anywhere else in the Great Barrier Reef. There are some good dive spots here for beginners as well as for experienced scuba divers.

Southern Coral Sea – You encounter crystal clear water, steep drop offs, and pelagic fish when diving in The Southern Coral sea. Huge colorful soft corals and gorgonians sea fans are typical features in this dive spot.

The Coral Sea is a “must dive” location for braver scuba divers who get a thrill out of mingling with menacing sharks.

Southern Great Barrier Reef – This area is the largest section of the Great Barrier Reef. However, since it is further away from mainland Australia,it is less accessible and diving done here are usually from liveaboard cruises. The Heron Island and Lady Elliot Island in this part of the Barrier Reef offer the best accessibility.

If you are planning a holiday vacation to Australia, why not make a trip to The Great Barrier Reef and go scuba diving there?

Chris Chew

http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/scuba-diving-in-great-barrier-reef-320468.html

The post Scuba Diving In Great Barrier Reef appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

Hawaii’s marine life is very diverse so much so that there are more than a hundred endemic species found no where else on earth. You can explore Hawaii’s myriads of underwater caverns, reefs, drop off walls, canyons, gulleys and swim with turtles and seals in clear crystal waters. If you are not a scuba diver, you can take scuba diving lessons and then can plunge into Hawaii’s beautiful seas almost immediately.

If you want to go scuba diving, it is best to go in the morning as strong winds often rough up the sea in the afternoons. This is especially so on the island of Maui and that is the reason why dive operators often take divers out to sea early in the morning and terminate the dives around noon or early afternoons.

One of the big attractions in Hawaii is snorkeling. Almost anyone can go snorkeling since all you need is a face mask, a snorkel tube and a pair of swimming fins. If you have never snorkeled before, most resorts and dive operators can give you snorkelling lessons and rent you snorkeling gear. However, if you can swim, you really do not need any formal training as snorkeling is quite easy.

The most popular spot for snorkeling in Hawaii, especially for the beginner is the Hanauma Bay, on the island of Oahu. Other popular snorkeling sites in Hawaii are the Kee Beach on Kauai island, Hulopoe Bay in Lanai, Kahaluu Beach on the Big island and Kapalua Bay on Maui.

Although great snorkeling can be gotten at all the islands in Hawaii, snorkeling and scuba diving on the Big Island is recommended because of its volcanic activities and lava formation resulting from that. There are magnificent and spectacular drop offs with awesome underwater scenery to watch and admire. Some of the great snorkeling locations there are Molokini Crater and the Kealakekua Bay.

Whether you are snorkelling or scuba diving in Hawaii or anywhere else, always snorkel or dive with a buddy for safety reason and companion sake. Do look up now and then to check that you are not getting carried away by drift current too far away from shore and also to check for boat traffic. Do not touch anything as some corals and sea creatures in Hawaii can pack very painful and venomous stings.

Chris Chew

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/scuba-diving-and-snorkeling-vacation-in-hawaii-90254.html

The post Scuba Diving And Snorkeling Vacation In Hawaii appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

Bahamas’ Bull Pit Shark Dive
This is a classic shark diving destination and having been scuba dived so frequently for many years. It is because of this factor that the sharks there can now associate the sound of boat engines with food. Hey, it is always lunch time whenever boats are approaching.

These awesome sea predators will move very quickly into the area once they sense that the dive boats are coming. Since this strange and unnatural shark behavior that is being cultivated by human activities is not a natural characteristic of sharks hunting for food has been criticized by marine conservationists.

The Bull Pit is made up of a series of low lying reefs and canyons that create a maze of interesting channels and gullies for scuba divers to explore. One favorite method of shark watching by scuba divers is to wait in one of these gullies and wait for the sharks to come near. The sharks of course are aware that the scuba divers are around and will sometimes swim up close to inspect the intruders and to check for food handouts.

Although The Bull Pit dive site is considered a safe diving location, inexperienced divers may be frightened to find themselves in such close proximity with these fierce meat eating predators. All novice and inexperienced scuba divers should therefore dive under the close supervision of experienced divers so that they would not panic and do things that may attract the sharks to think of them as food.

Bahamas Shark Rodeo
This famous shark rodeo in Little Bahama Bank is a flat patch of sand the size of a football field at Walker’s Cay. Dive boats will usually circle the site first, gunning the boat’s engines to attract the sharks.

Upon entering the water, scuba divers will settle on the sandy seabed in sight of a ‘chumsicle’ which is a large frozen mass of fish contained in a porous cylinder. The good thing about this shark feeding system is that it avoids pieces of fish remains floating near watching scuba divers so as to prevent shark attacking scuba divers by accident.

The feeding sharks, often more than a hundred of them from several shark species will suddenly zoom in to the chumsicle in a feeding frenzy. This is when the show begins. Divers are warned to keep very still when some of the sharks may glide over to check out who is eyeing their meals or worse, eating the scuba divers as their meal.

So if you plan for a scuba diving trip to the Bahamas, do dive with the sharks.

Chris Chew

http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/scuba-diving-with-sharks-in-bahamas-98633.html

The post Scuba Diving With Sharks In Bahamas appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

Building the perfect scuba diving trip begins with your level of experience. If you are a beginner it is essential that you first receive comprehensive scuba instruction so that you can become certified for diving. While you can complete this training before you leave home, you also have the opportunity to participate in instruction during your vacation. However, keep in mind that instruction and certification can be a lengthy process, and if you are looking to dive right away during your scuba diving trip, you will be required to wait.

If you’ve already received your certification – or are an experienced scuba diver – planning a scuba diving trip is only limited by your imagination. Plan your trip around a particular location that you’ve always wanted to explore and reserve accordingly. There are places worldwide that are conducive to scuba diving year round and easily accommodate a longer scuba diving trip. Most of these locations offer such amenities as scuba professionals who will guide you through particular dives, equipment rental when needed, and a variety of accommodations and leisure activities.

The style of your scuba diving trip really comes down to your personal preferences including length of time you are visiting, amount of instruction – if any – you need, traveling companions that may need special scuba accommodations, other amenities you require, and price. The Internet can quickly and efficiently give you comparisons and reviews so that you can best determine the trip that’s right for you.

Planning a scuba diving trip can be the realization of a scuba enthusiast’s dream. What you make of it is completely up to you and the reward will be memories you will have for a lifetime.

Michelle Bery

http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/planning-a-scuba-diving-trip-114409.html

The post Planning A Scuba Diving Trip appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

One of the most common things to do on your adventure to Maui is to take a scuba diving trip. Scuba diving will give you the opportunity to experience an underwater paradise that is unparalleled by any other. So get out your underwater camera, because this is one trip you’ll never want to forget.

On your scuba diving excursion you are bound to see an abundance of sea life, as well as some things you wouldn’t expect to find on any other scuba trip. Maui waters offer some of the most colorful and breath-taking types of fish and coral. You’ll probably also be able to catch a glimpse of eels or eagle rays as well. While you’re enjoying your underwater view look for the unique lava formations that are home to a wide array of fish. The Turtle Caves are a spectacular place to see these formations including some pinnacles that rise above the water’s surface.

Another unique experience you might have will scuba diving in Maui is the opportunity to dive among an underwater wreck. Armored vehicles, a Navy bomber plane, and an upside-down Hellcat are just a few of the incredible pieces of wreckage left over from World War II. Maui is the only place in the world where you can swim among such extraordinary sights.

Along with a great opportunity to dive off the island’s beautiful coast, Maui also offers the opportunity to participate in diving lessons as well. If you are not an experienced diver you may want to consider visiting one of Maui’s many dive shops for a lesson in scuba diving and how to stay safe while under the water. Scuba lessons are reasonably priced and usually start out for as little as $75. If you need to rent equipment or wish to become certified your lesson can become a little more costly.

Once you have learned some tricks of the trade you may also get the chance to take part in a dive tour. There are numerous diving tours to choose from including those for beginners and those for the more experienced diver. Experienced divers can take advantage of a chance to swim among caves and caverns and experience things you would not see anywhere but Maui.

So get going on those vacation plans. And when you’re planning your days in Maui don’t forget to scuba diving to your itinerary. It’s an opportunity you will not want to pass up!

Jeremy Thompson

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/maui-underwater-scuba-getaway-55466.html

The post Maui Underwater Scuba Getaway appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.

Hanauma Bay’s crystal clear water and diverse coral reef are good introductions to Hawaiian marine environments and its waters are seldom considered to be dangerous to scuba divers.

After the Hanauma Bay are the sea cliffs of Koko Head where scuba diving is done almost exclusively from liveaboard diving boats out of Hawaii Kai. The deep blue color of the water here contrasted beautifully with the mesmerizing white water cascading down the dark brown hilly cliffs.

As you round out Koko Head, you will come into contact with the gusty trade winds. However, the wind will subside when you cruise into Maunalua Bay.

The waters of Maunalua Bay are a lot calmer than the windward side of Oahu. There is even a WW2 fighter plane wreck for those who love wreck diving, an artificial reef of hundreds of concrete modules and even sunken barges. The bay ends at Diamond Head, the final windbreak before the calm waters of Waikiki. There are also some good scuba diving locations off Waikiki on some outer ledges and artificial reefs.

On Maunalua Bay is the Fantasy Reef. Erosion has created many places for the fish to play hide-and-seek. Although live coral coverage is not that high in Fantasy Reef, the corals are healthy and undamaged and thus can be considered as one of the better scuba diving spots in Oahu. Marine life is plentiful here with eels, barracudas, octopus, turtles and sharks are often seen.

There are supposedly 4 barges sunk in Maunalua for the purpose of creating artificial reefs and the largest of these is the Kahala Barge which is 165 feet in length.

However coral growth here is sparse, however, the wreck is choked with soldier fish which make their characteristic grunting sound when disturbed by scuba divers. Many eels and large crabs can also be found here. There are also many sea turtles and white tip sharks making this artificial reef their home.

A mile off Portlock, about a hundred feet deep is a plane wreck. This is a great wreck diving location in Oahu. The cockpit is the abode of 2 thigh sized thick yellowmargin moray eels.

Here, scuba divers will see brilliant red encrusted sponges and bi color anthias harems hovering above picking off planktons. Nearby is a colony of fascinating dancing garden eels and big horned helmet shells. Water visibility in this area is superb. If you are in Hawaii for a spot of scuba diving, try these scuba diving sites at Oahu South Shore.

Chris Chew

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/oahu-scuba-diving-vacations-126058.html

The post Oahu Scuba Diving Vacations appeared first on Scuba Diving Adventures.