Posted on Aug 19, 2009 under Scuba Diving |
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
Posted on Mar 17, 2009 under Scuba Diving |
Consisting of nine spectacular and un-inhabited islands that run from north to the south off of the coast of amazing Thailand, the Similan Islands National Park has quickly become one of the top ten diving destinations in the world. Most easily accessed by Similan Islands Liveaboard, the diving around the Similans and further north to the dive sites of Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and world famous Richelieu Rock are widely regarded as the crown jewels of diving in Thailand. Liveaboard Diving Thailand is an experience that should not be missed by divers seeking the best diving in Southeast Asia.
What truly distinguishes the spectacular Similan Islands from other top ten dive destinations is the tremendous variety of underwater terrain and the choices in diving it provides to divers of all levels. Dive sites on the eastern side of the islands are characterized by an almost overwhelming collage of color, it is like being part of a beautiful Monet landscape. Imagine sloping reefs, brilliantly colored anemones, crystal clear bays, monstrous rock formations, combined with an explosion of tropical fish and you will have the picture. This is a macro photographer’s dream world come true and the photo opportunities are boundless.
West facing dive sites are decidedly different than those on the east side of the islands, and will certainly provide a challenge for the more discerning diver looking for an adrenaline rush. Massive granite boulder’s covered with anemones and soft corals litter the white sandy bottom. Many of these monoliths plummet well beyond recreational diving limits. These dives are certainly deep and not for the faint of heart. Currents here are much stronger as well, providing an ample and rich supply of food for the larger pelagic’s such as Giant Mantas and the elusive Whale Shark. There is also an abundance of macro life to be found. Inspect the over hangs of coral bombies for ghost pipe fish, crabs, and a variety of frog fish. Frog fish, although masters of disguise can be found by those with keen eyes and patience.
The diving season in the Similans is from October to early May, every year. It is during this time that the seas are glass like, the visibility is outstanding, and the large pelagic’s, Whale Sharks and Manta Rays, are making their annual migrations to feed on yearly plankton blooms. The water temperature around the Similan Islands varies between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius, so most divers prefer a 3 mm wetsuit. Depending on environmental factors the water clarity ranges from 10 to 40 meters. Diving the nine islands of this archipelago is often combined with a few days diving the increasingly popular dive sites of the Mergui archipelago, which is further north in Burma. The Similan Islands National Park closes from May to October when western Thailand is experiencing the southeastern monsoons.
Thailand is one of the top dive travel destinations in the world and has something to offer to divers of every level. Booking your dive holiday in advance is a must when visiting this destination. The Similan Islands are in a protected national park and space on a quality Similan Islands Liveaboard is limited. Reserve your cabin months in advance. We recommend diving on Similan Liveaboards rather than by a day trip because there is so much to see. One day is not enough to truly experience the totality of this world class diving destination, but it is an option for those limited on time. Macro to massive the Similans justifiably rank as one of the absolute best diving destinations to be found anywhere in the world.
Technorati Tags: adventures, diving, Islands, liveaboard, liveaboards, scuba, similan, similans, thailand
