Thursday, December 23, 2010

Surfing in Australia -- Never mind the myths, check out the facts

The mythology of Australian surfing gets both overdone and underdone occasionally. The underdone version would make anyone think all you needed to surf in Australia was a pool cleaner, and the overdone version would have anyone learning ballet rather than surfing.


Photo: newsimg.bbc.co.uk

The beaches
Australia is very well laid out for surfers- Beaches everywhere around the country. Some beaches are great, some are like mazes:

  • Currents: If you’ve always wanted to see South America, Antarctica or Eastern Africa, some currents will be happy to oblige. Keep an eye on these things, and check them out with the locals.
  • Rips: You’ll find all the experienced local surfers have a lot of respect for rips. These things get nasty, and even strong swimmers can get into trouble.
  • Rocks: The Australian coast has a lot of very large coastal rock formations which extend offshore in some pretty unlikely places. You do need some local knowledge for the rocky beaches.
  • Life savers: These guys know what they’re doing, and if you’re in trouble they’ll risk their own lives to help. So pay attention if they say something’s not a good move, they mean it.
  • Popular beaches: Some beaches, like Bondi, are good surf beaches with a sad habit of attracting civilian non-surfers. Play safe, because these big crowds tend to be exactly where you don’t want them to be.
  • Bush beaches: The really wild surf beaches, particularly in Western Australia, are brilliant, but being out in the bush without some backup can be a real problem. You need good communications and to know how to get help when you need it.
  • Beach campsites: Check out any local dangers on land and sea before setting up camp.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Skx173 Diving Watches Review

The Seiko SKX173 Automatic Dive Urethane Strap Watch is the most popular of the best classic dive watches for sale today.The watch is very easy to read. You can read the time at one glance. It is because Seiko SKX173 have the white-colored hands and markers on the flat black history. It is also 21-jewel automatic winding timepiece. What is so good about winding functions , this watch will keep working when you wear it or during everyday routines for instance working or driving a car. This wristwatch doesn't have battery power, and no need to worry about dead timepieces since it will keep powered as long you put on your wrist. Count on me! This vintage design and style Seiko dive watch also got features such as the scratch-proof hardlex crystal clear crystal, light case, easy to read bar markers, and lumibrite technology display that makes this watch very easy to read whether on nights or while you scuba diving into the deep ocean. The Seiko SKX173 also looks excellent for daily use, besides for scuba diving activites.



Whether you are a scuba diver or not, you need to take a glance at the water proof features of your wristwatch. Water-resistance ratings are listed in specified depths, generally in meters. The depth ranking actually shows the results of tests performed in a stress chamber, and not sea depths. This wristwatch tested to two hundred metres and complies with all ISO requirements. If you are still making a decision what one divers wristwatch you should prefer, then the Seiko SKX173 is the best pick .

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Vanuatu Diving is the best

You will not find any place that is better to get experience and to do scuba diving than in Vanuatu exactly where the waters are the perfect temperature as well as the conditions are consistant, with 5 scuba diving bases located around the main is of Efate (Port Vila) and 4 around the outer island of Santo to select from? For that initial time diver you will discover that most of the leap operators offer an Uncover Scuba Leap, as long as you are ten years outdated and up and are wholesome then there is no reason why you won't be in a position to give diving Vanuatu a go. The hardest component from the Uncover Scuba dive is the completing of the paper work and getting your moist go well with around the right way.


Photo: vanuatu-vacations.com

Right after finishing your health-related questionnaire your teacher will then go via a flip chart. This chart explain how you can equalize your ear, how to breath and what machines you will probably be using. The next step from there it's in to a full set of scuba gear and in to either a swimming pool or of the beach for familiarization together with your machines. A couple of dive operators provide their 1st time divers a chance to apply some fundamental skill inside a swimming pool and some dive operators make use of the shallow waters of the seaside.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Underwater art: an innovative gallery in Thetford Mines

Are you a diver in search of an original, out-of-the-ordinary dive? Do you enjoy art? Then you might want to go to Thetford Mines, Quebec, for a very innovative art gallery: the international Aquart festival. Every year, artists are challenged to make art for an underwater gallery, and you visit by putting on diving gear and swimming through the exhibit. All you need is a plane ticket, a travel insurance and your diving equipment, and you’re on to a new experience!


Photo: tourismeregionthetford.com

It happens every year, and only for the month of August, when hundreds of divers come in to practice not only their diving skills but also cultivate their taste in art. It is set in an old asbestos mine, which was flooded and turned into a diving lake. Some people had the idea to set works of art at the bottom, to attract divers who would otherwise be diving into sunken ships or other popular diving destinations.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Thinking of getting married? Vanuatu should be on your shortlist

While some visitors may enjoy simply lounging on the beach or taking land tours about Vanautu, others may want to experience a little more of the clear and soothing waters of this side of Paradise. Participating in watersports is a great way to enjoy the Vanautu sun and surf. Vanautu offers a variety of water activities that help create lasting memories.


Photo: accommodation-photos-vanuatu.com

Snorkeling is a must, kayaking is always fun, and a tour through the largest village in Vanautu, Mele, is a real treat. The Glass Bottom Kayaking tour package offers all that, and is one way to take advantage of the Vanautu vacation experience. Have a four hour morning or afternoon adventure, that will offer a guided air conditioned tour through Mele Village, to some awe inspiring snorkeling, glass bottom kayaking, and a refreshing light lunch.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Want some Journey? Try then Scuba Diving

For many individuals the query concerning scuba diving lurks inside the again of their minds, the question of obtaining a scuba diving certification. The optimum technique is always to indication up which has a scuba diving school which constructs its curriculum using a recognized scuba instructing agency. These kinds of scuba certification businesses standardize and symbolize diving instructions and operators alongside promoting the sport plus the marine environment.


Photo: dahon

Immediately after you may have full the coaching you'd probably turn into a licensed a scuba instructor. After this you could well be allotted a scuba driving license which would mean you can lease scuba gear and diver operators.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Top 3 Diving Destinations in the Caribbean

You’d think that in a world that is over 70% water, finding diving destinations would be an exercise in taking a dart, finding a map on a wall, closing your eyes and letting it fly. But oh no, all too often we wrestle with pamphlets when all we really want is to slip on our masks, verify our diving gear and check that our travel insurance covers our passion for underwater adventure. There is always a need to find that new hidden gem, that fresh secret spot, that undiscovered ripple of water that, once broken, reveals to us the hidden rewards of the deep. But the more we look, the less we find and the more frustrated we become. But fear not, brave aquatic explorers, there are still hidden treasures to be found (even if someone else found them for you first).

Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Underwater
Photo: scuba-diving-smiles.com

Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman
Don’t let the name scare you away. A particularly special jewel in the Caribbean Sea, this terrifyingly named vacation spot boasts some of the clearest water, providing excellent conditions for underwater photography. Combine that with some beautiful sun rays bathing the water in glorious light and not only will you have an amazing time while you’re there, the pictures you’ll take will make everyone jealous they didn’t tag along when they had the chance. But lighting conditions and sunlight aren’t enough to make pictures beautiful—you need something special to fill those memory cards. And that’s where the Bloody Bay Wall name comes into it. With a wall that begins at 18 feet and is covered in both coral and sponges of all shapes, colours and types, the only proper way to describe the Bloody Bay Wall seems obvious--bloody beautiful.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How to Use Your Pool to Get Fit For Summer

Your pool can be the best thing you can have for your health. Swimming and water based exercise are part of the world's major professional athletic training regimes, and whether you're 5 or 95, it can do you a lot of real good. Every part of your pool equipment, from your pool cleaner to your pool heater, can get you very fit in a hurry.


Photo: mslaura

The physics of getting fit in the pool
Swimming and other types of water exercise are particularly good for exercising whole muscle groups. These exercises require a lot of fine muscle movement, coordination and most importantly good breathing techniques. Your pool is doing you good from the second you enter the water.

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Sharks Bay Experience, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Sharks Bay offers a stunning holiday location, located east of the southern most point of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, Sharks Bay is part of the popular Sharm el Sheikh region, located only 8 km away from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport.

diving sharks bay
Photo: Matt Biggs

With an average flight time of around 5 hours to Egypt from the UK, fast forward your clocks 2 hours ahead as you bask under the glorious sunshine, on golden beaches and in cooling seas.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Scuba around Stradbroke Island, Australia

One of Australia's great scuba sites, complete with whales, Stradbroke Island is right next to Brisbane. The locals have managed to avoid over development and the water's great. This is the southern end of the Barrier Reef. It's colorful, beautiful, and has the Queensland lifestyle Aussies find so addictive.

Diving with Shark at Stradbroke
Photo: abc.net.au

North Stradbroke is the big island, and it's off the north ocean side that the best scuba diving happens. This is like an underwater zoo. There are manta rays, dolphins, whales, leopard sharks, the fantastic, incredibly colored sea slugs, barracuda and divers who spend their whole holiday underwater if they can.

Friday, July 30, 2010

A Huge Wreck Artificial Reefs diving

The Oriskany Reef is an artificial reef made from and old air craft carrier its quite a huge "wreck" I use the term loosely as it was deliberately sunk to produce a new reef environment. A look at Oriskany an artificial reef a sunken aircraft carrier off the coast of Florida.


Photo: diver_meg

The Oriskany reef lies off the coast of Florida and is not recommended for novice divers as by US Marine Law it has to be a minimum of 55 feet navigational clearance from the surface to allow shipping to pass comfortably over it. Having said that it is that far down you do not have to go down very far to get a good view of it.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Explore the Wondrous Underwater World With Scuba Diving

The word scuba diving drives thoughts in our mind that change our definition of normal. It is an out of the world experience. Most of the people of this world might have never seen the underwater world in reality. It is truly a world by itself, but only those who take up the challenge of scuba diving can see for themselves how glorifying it seems. This sport, however, is not as tough as getting floatplane rating or float rating, but it is definitely a mind boggling experience. At times, it seems to be a link between life and reality.


Photo: richard ling

It is an amazing experience to browse through the rocky coral reefs, and watch the sea's creatures blend into their surrounding. This makes them appear as part of scenery rather than actual living creatures. It is not less than a fantasy world. Many people just fancy the amazing world present underwater, while very few muster up the courage to go for scuba diving, and watch the beautiful scenery come to life. If you never took the chance to go for scuba diving, you might have missed on the exuberant display of colors by the lively creatures present underwater. If you fancy that world, then trust your instincts, as there is no better adventure than that in the underwater world.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Keep Away From Bump And Bite Attacks By Shark

It look so each summer passes have the number of shark attacks being reported throughout the world. Some would believe this must mean there is an increase in the number of sharks attacking people in the sea. Figuratively speaking, an increase in the population could result in an increase in attacks and more people to damage.


Photo: scrapetv.com

More people are injured and killed on land while driving to and from the beach than by sharks in the water. Shark attack injuries are also less common than injuries afflicted on the beach, such as spinal cord damage, jellyfish stings, dehydration, and sunburn. More people require sutures as a result of sea shell lacerations on their feet than shark bites. You have a better chance of being hit by lightning, dying from a bee sting or being hit on the head by a falling coconut, than you do of being attacked by a shark.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Some Underwater Photography Techniques

Some wonder wheat swimming in the ocean is like, but don't wish to learn how to dive. Underwater photography can bring the underwater world to the surface. Underwater photographers have taken it upon themselves to bring the underwater world to those who don't wish to dive or never had the chance. While all photography is an art the underwater world needs special skills to bring the highest quality alive. Unlike wildlife photography the underwater world needs to be viewed up close. That is to say the marine life needs to be photographed closely. This is because of the water.


Photo: PhotopediaPhotos

The water refracts images often distorting them so the closer you are to your subject the less water you have between you and the subject. Underwater photography requires a great deal of patience. You subject may swim quickly by like the shark, whale or dolphin, or they may hide with in the coral popping out only when danger is not felt. Water holds particles; most usually living organisms called plankton because these particles often float by while you are trying to take a picture you can loose contrast and sharpness of the image. Marine life uses the premise of hiding more than speed or survival of the fittest. This means you will often find your subject camouflaged rather than out in the open.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Scuba Diving Accessories For Beginners

Choose your dive center very carefully - then, if you enjoyed your scuba diving course, trust them to outfit you with the best dive accessories for your type of diving. When you select your dive center start by establishing the credentials of it. Generally, the more status the dive center has, the more it has been audited for quality and customer service. If possible, choose a PADI 5 Star Career Development Center. Failing that, try a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center and so on down the retail status list.


Photo:
Kaptain Kobold

Other training agencies have similar ratings. Word of mouth is another very strong indicator as most people tell others about a bad experience. After you have completed your course, unless you are totally focused and do it beforehand, you will want to buy your diving accessory. There are literally thousands of different dive items on the market and each scuba retailer offers a selective few brands. Normally these equipment lines are complementary so that the dive center should be able to satisfy novice or experienced recreational divers through to highly experienced technical divers.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Learn Scuba Diving Is So Easy

There is nothing quite like scuba diving. There were only three of us going on the dive, and the two others accompanying me were fully PADI certified, so they didn't need any instruction. That particular dive required that I have classroom lessons that lasted 4 hours. There was a lot that the instructor explained to me during that time like how to use the equipment, what decompression is, what to expect, how to use the buddy system, etc.

Learn Scuba Diving

We did a confined dive first, the afterward went out to the reef for the open dive. The dive itself was amazing and exhilarating for me even though it was what is called a non-decompression dive, only to 40 feet. I had been a snorkel for years, but had never been that close to a reef and fish. For those who crave more diving adventure such as deep sea diving and wreck diving which would take them much deeper in the water they would need much more training, and PADI certification.

It is so easy to learn to dive. Not as hard as you might think. PADI certification can be obtained fairly easily, and at your own pace. There are books and videos that you can obtain to help you through the course. Your instructor will give you a short test at the end of each course. After you have completed what is called knowledge training you start diving. You first experience confined dives and then open water dives. Confined dives take place in a pool or a shallow body of water. The first time I put on the equipment and went in the water we were just waist deep.

Once you have mastered confined dives and proven yourself to your instructors you will have the opportunity to go on open water dives with the instructor. Where you will be diving will make the decision for you as to what type of equipment you are going to need. As my dive was in the warm Caribbean waters I didn't need any type of wet suit. I wore a BC vest. However, on deeper cold water dives you will want to make sure you are equipped with a dry suit that will handle cold.

Liquid Image 5.0MP Video Scuba Mask

One that seals against your face well. You'll need a good mask. A pair of booties and fins. You'll need a snorkel, a buoyancy compensator vest and a regulator with a gauge and a second mouthpiece. You'll want to do a lot of research on equipment before buying. As with most things technology is constantly changing scuba equipment. You'll want to talk with friends and instructors as to their recommendations.

There is a fairly large initial investment and you want to get the best you can for the money you spend. If your mask isn't tight enough and leaks, or if your fins are too tight and rub your heels that is what your mind will be on instead of the wonders of the sea. You also want to make sure that you're comfortable in all the pieces of your scuba gear. By the way, I would like to suggest Liquid Image which you can take Underwater video by your self too.

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Beauty Underwater of Caribbean

The warm tropical of a Caribbean scuba diving vacation with salt clear waters, year round warm weather and beautiful white sandy shores of the Caribbean a perfect vacation destination any time of the year for scuba diving. There are over 30 destinations for you to choose from and every one of them has wonderful year round scuba diving available. One of the lesser known Caribbean scuba diving vacation destination is a beautiful island called Antigua. With gorgeous hot, white sandy beaches plus plenty of historical attractions, make this destination very memorable.

Antigua Beach

The main difference between all the choices is if you want to experience the vacation with lots of other tourists or do you prefer to skip out on the tourist attractions and go for more of the local resident feel. Most of the scuba diving here in Antigua, other then the southern shores, is not deep; but with the stunning coral reefs, most divers do not mind the shallow waters. A once spectacular Caribbean scuba diving vacation destination is the island of Montserrat.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Diving with Kindness Giant - Whale Shark

The whale shark is a slow moving filter feeding shark, the largest living fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 41.50 ft and a weight of more than 21.5 tonnes, but unconfirmed claims report considerably larger whale sharks. This distinctively-marked fish is the only member of its genus Rhincodon and its family, which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. The shark is found in tropical and warm oceans, lives in the open sea with a lifespan of about 70 years.

Whale Shark
Photo: whale-shark.org

The species originated about 60 million years ago. Although whale sharks have very large mouths, they feed mainly, though not exclusively, on plankton, microscopic plants and animals, although the BBC program Planet Earth filmed a whale shark feeding on a school of small fish. The whale shark is a filter feeder one of only three known filter feeding shark species. It feeds on macro-algae, plankton, krill, Christmas Island red crab larvae, and small nektonic life such as small squid or vertebrates. The many rows of teeth play no role in feeding; in fact, they are reduced in size in the whale shark. Instead, the shark sucks in a mouthful of water, closes its mouth and expels the water through its gills.

During the slight delay between closing the mouth and opening the gill flaps, plankton is trapped against the dermal denticles which line its gill plates and pharynx. This fine sieve-like apparatus, which is a unique modification of the gill rakers, prevents the passage of anything but fluid out through the gills, trapping anything above 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter. Material caught in the filter between the gill bars is swallowed.

Whale sharks have been observed "coughing" and it is presumed that this is a method of clearing a build up of food particles in the gill rakers. Whale sharks migrate to feed and possibly to breed. The best dives in the world for swimming with whale sharks have been visited by Dive The World and you could go there too. While some people are intimidated by its size, the whale shark is actually a gentle giant keen to avoid confrontations and generally trusting of humans.

Diving with Whale Shark
Photo:cancuncd.com

Considered the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark is a cold blooded cartilaginous fish like any other shark. It breathes through gills. Its tail is vertical and moves from one side to another when it swims, unlike other warm-blood animals which have parallel tails and breathe through lungs like the whale, dolphin and dugong. Whale sharks can weigh over 9 tons and grow up to 12 metres in length, although there are questionable, unconfirmed sightings of specimens up to 18 metres in length.

They can generally be found in the entire Indian Ocean in depths of up to 130 metres. The whale shark is easily recognised by its immense size and a 2-tone pattern of light spots and lines on a dark brown dorsal surface. Unlike that of most other sharks its enormous mouth is terminal in position and can be opened wide to filter large amounts of water for small fish, squid, crustaceans, and other plankton organisms.

Sources: dive-the-world.com, wikipedia.org