St. Lucia Island Dive Sites

Posted on Sep 12, 2009 under Scuba Diving | No Comment

St Lucia is a beautiful Caribbean island known not only for its beautiful white beaches, hot sun and idealistic setting in sparkling blue ocean, but also for the amazing scuba diving adventure to be be found there. The island of St Lucia has flourished economically in recent years, allowing it to form a booming tourist trade, much of which is based around providing first rate scuba diving trips. As a result a large amount of dive centers and dive shops have opened all over the island, isn’t it neat that there are many diving facilities that any diver could possibly want. There are also ten different dive operators doing business on the island and 23 favorite dive sites to choose from.

One of the most popular diving sites around St Lucia is Anse Chastanet. This dive can be accessed directly from the beach, and has a sudden steep coral wall unlike any other in the world. The coral is a bright, vivid red and the wall continues around much of the island. Also on this dive, locals will insistently tell you of St Lucia’s equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster; a mysterious creature known only as the Thing. Although it is reputed to only be seen at night by all of the dive guides that refer to it, whether or not this local legend is true, there are frequent reports of sightings of this creature from locals and tourists alike.

Along the Anse Chastanet route there is another well known scuba diving area named Fairy Land. Its name is due to the strong current that flows through it, washing the coral and removing debris that decreases visibility in the water such as dirt and algae. If you have an interest in underwater photography, this is a georgeous spot and this gives a bright open appearance with clear water.

For those who would like to try wreck diving in St Lucia, there are the sunken remains of the Lesleen M. The Lesleen M is a freighter that was sunk in 1986 by the Department of Fisheries to form an artificial reef. It is 165 feet long and is in superb condition, allowing it to be discovered in its entirety. It is home for much of the exotic marine life that lives around the island and it is highly recommended if you want to view marine biology at its best.

There are a great number of St Lucia resorts to choose from, for those who wish to go to St Lucia for its diving adventure, and many of these are aimed specifically at divers, making it very easy to gain access to good quality diving facilities. Its great Caribbean setting and wonderful variety of different scuba diving sites available make St Lucia a place highly recommended as one of the best Caribbean diving locations there is.

Technorati Tags: Dive Sites, Scuba Diving, St Lucia Island, underwater, Wreck diving

Who do you turn to when you want to learn how to dive?

Posted on Aug 19, 2009 under Scuba Diving | No Comment

Diving is becoming a world wide sport Fad! Scuba diving has started to take over the world, now at every corner of the planet people are diving there. However there is a slump in the amount of people that are learning to dive. There aren’t in actual numbers that many beginners starting up Diving every year, there are however many professionals. The main problem suggested by some is that they don’t know who to go to, to learn.

Some people won’t even have a clue where they need to go to learn, or who to contact? In actual fact, there is only one group that is best to dive with and that is PADI. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors offer some of the best possible instructors to teach you how to dive. But you don’t have to go to a PADI centre to learn with them. The majority of all tour operators offer a PADI course with the holiday you book.

The most important thing to remember is that when booking diving holidays, you check that the Instructor is PADI qualified, otherwise you could be falling into a dive holiday that could not necessarily work out the way you want it. However it isn’t just PADI that can be trusted. The BSAC, also called the British Sub Aqua Club are a very well known diving organisation. They are happy to teach new divers and to help more experienced ones to reach higher diving qualifications.

If you want to try something a little more adventurous than just diving in the ocean, then I would recommend booking a holiday with a tour operator that has a PADI instructor, shark diving requires an instructor with some high profile skills.

If you are going on a Liveaboard diving holiday, then you need to make sure you have a qualified diving instructor with you, although it’s not as dangerous as wreck diving, it does have risks!

Technorati Tags: diving, Diving holidays, holidays, learning to dive, liveaboards, PADI, scuba, shark diving, Travel

Tips To Find Scuba Diving Vacation Deals

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 under Scuba Diving | No Comment

If you want a vacation to remember, then you should take a trip that focuses on scuba diving. Experience with this skill or sport is not important before going for it. In fact, many scuba diving vacation packages include certification, training, and practice. Thus, no matter your skill level with scuba diving, you can definitely find a scuba diving vacation deal that will speak to you and your interests. After seeing the offerings of the world one will try to make a trip which includes scuba diving. The world below the water’s surface is rich and plentiful: the animals and plants you see will surely impress even the most experienced of scuba divers. The following are some tips to help you find a stellar scuba diving vacation at the best possible price.

Travel Agents

If you want to find a scuba diving vacation that includes a little bit of everything, then you should talk to a travel agent. Such experts or professionals know the travel industry very well and will be surely able to hook you up with an amazing deal. Not only this, but they will be able to find you everything from scuba diving rental information and lessons to accommodations for everything from boats to hotels. If you really want to pack as much as possible into your scuba diving vacation, it is imperative that you talk to a travel agent. They will definitely have the information you need to make your next scuba diving vacation amazing and cost-effective.

Scuba Diving Magazines

There are a number of scuba diving magazines out and about. If you want to book a scuba diving vacation, then you should definitely take a look at such magazines. These publications can tell you which places are best for which kind of scuba diver, and they will probably have advertisements for trips, rentals, and lessons. Thus, such magazines are a stellar way to look into your scuba diving vacation options.

Internet

The Internet is a great place to look for a scuba diving vacation because it will enable you to search and find a wide range of information. This way, you can research the best places in the world for scuba diving, can look into all-inclusive vacation packages, and can compare prices. The Internet makes finding the perfect scuba diving vacation that much easier.

Technorati Tags: scuba divers, Scuba Diving, scuba diving magazines, scuba diving vacation, scuba diving vacation packages

Why You Should Learn To Scuba Dive?

Posted on Jul 29, 2009 under Scuba Diving | No Comment

how to scuba

August has been an exciting month for scubadiving enthusiasts. With the finding of Blackbeard’s flagship off the coast of North Carolina, the USS Grunion off the coast of Alaska and an underwater city near Japan, now is a better time than ever to learn to scuba dive.

With a PADI certification course, you’ll spread your time across classroom, pool and open water settings. You’ll learn about the various equipment, maintenance, first aid rescue, in addition to breathing and swimming techniques. Sometimes you can learn to scuba dive in just a few hours, while other times it can take up to four weeks. You can spend $69 at a small resort or $5,000 on an elaborate cruise. It all depends on your personal preferences.

Your imagination’s the limit when it comes to deciding where to take your lessons. For example, Sunrise Divers in Thailand offers a three-day, beginner, PADI-certified course plus two beach dives, two boat dives and a group lesson for $295. Intermediates can take a three-day rescue diver course in Egypt for $332. More advanced divers may want to spend four weeks in Honduras taking the PADI-certified divemaster course, where they’ll learn to become instructors and underwater tour guides. Five days all-inclusive at Australia’s Barrier Reef could set you back $562, but any seasoned diver will tell you it’s well worth it. Once you learn to scuba dive, you will never really forget. Once certified, you may want to add an $80, three-hour refresher course onto your Mexico vacation. You can check out www.adventuresportholidays.com to find a diving vacation that suits you.

When you learn to scuba dive, a whole new world opens up. Whether you’re in search of wildlife and plants or shipwrecks and treasure, this lifetime hobby is bound to be a rewarding one. Some even consider giving a scuba package to a loved one for a holiday or birthday. Everyone — from fifteen to fifty — can enjoy this opportunity.

Technorati Tags: cave diving, dive shop, divemaster, diving vacation, how to scuba, learn to scuba dive, scuba gear, scubadiving

U.S. Divers Hydrosplit Fins – A Review for Scuba Fins

Posted on Jul 13, 2009 under Scuba Diving | No Comment

To get the ultimate experience from any type of dive, be it recreational diving, open water diving or scuba diving, a great pair of scuba fins is needed. A new type of scuba fin has been designed by U.S. Divers, called the Hydrosplit fin, it combines comfort and speed to give you one of the most comfortable and hassle-free underwater adventures that you have ever had.

The earliest concept of the scuba fin was basically a flat plank of wood that was tied around the foot to give extra push while swimming and this was known as a swimfin. When military warfare started advancing during the World Wars, the technology and manufacturing of scuba fins started getting serious. Since then, scuba fins have not only improved with time but have also become a big part of any type of diving.

But like every other piece of diving equipment and general product in this world, people want better things out of it so manufacturers have to keep designing and making new concepts of the scuba fin. U.S. Divers’ new Hydrosplit fin is definitely the forerunner and the golden standard for future scuba fins. Here are a few of its amazing features:

Enhanced Underwater Movement

The main purpose for the creation of the scuba fin was to increase propulsion in the kick when swimming, enabling the diver to go farther at a much quicker pace. The Hydrosplit’s split blade technology is specifically designed to give you a more efficient kick and offers excellent power. Compared to other scuba fins, the brilliantly designed dual-composite split blade offers excellent power with a bit of contemporary styling and flare for that modern day look.

The feature that sets the Hydrosplit apart from other scuba fins is its Nature’s Wing split blade technology that increases lift and propulsion while reducing the drag and this enables a more efficient kick. An additional feature that adds to the enhanced movement of the Hydrosplit underwater is that it has co-molded flex zones which enable the fin to cup ad channel water fairly easily.

Amazing Comfort

Many divers suffer from blistering and chafing by wearing scuba fins and they need booties or socks for protection at times. This can be extremely annoying and painful at times as you cannot enjoy your dive to the fullest because there will always be some other painful feeling at the back of your mind. The Hydrosplit fin is known to be one of the most comfortable pieces of diving equipment to be worn even though it is a scuba fin.

The great thing about this pair of scuba fins is that it does not require socks or booties and the U.S. Divers Hydrosplit fin even has a comfortable foot pocket with an adjustable strap. That means that it does not cause blistering and chafing, thus allowing the diver to get the maximum enjoyment out of their dive. Adding the U.S. Divers Hydrosplit fin to your collection of diving equipment will ensure that you will experience the best comfort while on your underwater diving exploration.

Technorati Tags: diving equipment, scuba fin, scuba fins