Cold Water Diving – Why?

I recently attended a lecture by Dr. Drew Richardson that covered his most recent Antarctic Diving Expedition ( http://tecrec.padi.com/tag/antarctica-diving/ ).  They drilled through 7 feet of ice to get to the water and what a world they explored…Giant Sponges, playful seals, unadulterated underwater landscapes and creatures…absolutely beautiful vistas.  What an adventure! …but at the extreme of “Cold Water Diving” and not necessarily what I’m talking about here.  Few of us get to experience the -2 degrees Celsius temps of Drew’s Tec dives, but most of us have plenty of opportunity to dive  in Cold water (40 to 70 degrees F) on the east and west coasts of the United States and see beautiful vistas, 6 Gilled Sharks, Octopus, Kelp Forests, wrecks, Lobsters, etc.  That is the cold water I’m talking about. 

Check out this link: http://www.alertdiver.com/Catalina_Island and see one example that exemplifies the awesome sights to be seen! 

You don’t have to be cold, by the way.  Depending where you are diving, 7mm Wet Suit technology has certainly come a long way to providing protection in frigid waters and Drysuits, which can make the chilliest waters comfortable, are more available than ever (more and more Dive Centers rent them), and more affordable to the recreational diver than ever.

A Drysuit certification is essential to safely and comfortably dive a drysuit and like everything else in life, the more you dive ‘em, the unique skills become second nature…and what a world they open up to divers!  Check out a few more examples of Cold Water Adventures:

http://www.alertdiver.com/Beneath_Cold_Seas

http://www.alertdiver.com/The_Quarries_of_Northwest_Ohio

http://www.scubadiving.com/article/news/2012-great-lakes-shipwreck-festival-dates-announced

http://www.theperfectdive.com/DEF-SiteList.asp

 Bottom-line:  There is something new and cool in all out world's wters and oceans,  be adventurous and check 'em out!

DEMA 2011 Report

DEMA 2011 was another awesome experience!  So much to see, we were only able to capture a small snippet what was out there.  Here's a sampling of the cool things we saw:

MiFlex Hoses: Color Color Color!  Check out http://www.miflexhoses.co.uk/ for a variety of new hose colors including purple, blue and Pink!

Zeagle - The new Ranger LTD now comes standard in Black or in Smoke Gray, a good looking, rich color that compliments any suit or other gear color combination. The shoulder is designed with the new super duty Airloc buckle that will swivel to adjust the harness to the body’s contour to eliminate binding and restriction of movement at the chest and underarm areas. That is very cool.  With the addition of harness type webbing and a new threading arrangement the diver can easily add more D-rings and other accessories conveniently on the shoulder. This feature will now allow the technical and accessory minded diver to further set-up his BC to what he needs for the type of diving he is doing. We have also added a right-hand shoulder dump with a pull knob located conveniently on the inside edge of the right shoulder pad. The dump valve acts also as an additional safety overpressure valve.

·        Wicked Ranger – Way cool.  You just have to check it out: http://www.zeagle.com/showproduct/1081/Wicked-Ranger/

·        Custom Colors:  Check out these photos!

Body Glove - Colors and Styles.  Here are a few examples of some sharp new looks.  Body Glove has come a long way with Wetsuits and Skins.  If you haven’t checked them out…you should!

 

There was much, much more and you should check out the following link to see a few video’s of the Floor.  http://www.demashow.com/dema2011/public/enter.aspx

2012 is going to be a very exciting year for diving!

Destination: The Grand Bahamas, Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort

A whirl wind adventure to the Caribbean for pennies on the dollar! Last week I had no plans to be whisked away to a luxury resort in the Bahamas. Now I sit on Vision Airlines premier flight from Richmond, VA enroute to be “Wined and Dined and dived!”

This is one of the advantages of being a PADI Pro, something lovingly known as the “FAM Trip” (Did I mention we have a GoPro night scheduled 30 November?). “FAM” for familiarization trips are where Dive locations, Airlines, Ministry of Tourism’s team up to educate Travel brokers and Dive Shops on the advantages of planning trips to their locations. It’s typically a great deal and an outstanding way to get first hand information on potential new travel locations.

This morning I rose early (4AM) and traveled to Richmond Airport. I had never flown from that airport and I have to say, “Not Bad.” Vision Airlines begins its direct flight from Richmond to Freeport in November, so today was a test run as well. (I guess we were already on Island time!) No worries as they checked us in to our hotel (Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort) while we waited we had plenty of time for a nice breakfast. Full plane, free drinks…so far so good.

Flight is away, the party atmosphere continues.  The Bahamanian Ambassador flew with us and welcomed us to his Island.  (<2 hr flight direct from Richmond on Vision Air - Sweet!) A quick bus ride to the resort and a grand welcome to the Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort.  Free Bahama Mommas are flowing and a small trade show is inside.  As soon as I am recognized as a Diver I am whisked away across the street to the UNEXSO Dive operation.  Here I am informed that the boat will be leaving shortly, and we are off to a Shark Dive at "Shark Junction!"

We line up and the show begins.  I don't want to ruin the story...you'll need to experience it yourself!  A short boat ride back and lunch is waiting for me. I chat with other divers eating lunch and then off to get ready for the evening festivities.

The Evening party began at 6PM.  Conch in many dishes, open bar, dancing music and a parade! About 9PM the party moves to the Casino and goes on to the wee hours of the night.  Absolutely fabulous!

A full day of tours the next day, including Stuart's Coves new location at the West End and back to the airport!  Bags already there!  They had free Bahama Mammas again and we fly home when the plane is loaded!  Yahoo!  What a great time, what a great dive location with tons to do and what a friendly island!

I'm in for another Grand Bahama!