The Maldives. The name of this country alone conjures up images that make most dive enthusiasts float away on a SCUBA daydream. These isolated atolls in the middle of the immense Indian Ocean have sat firmly among the top five tropical dive locations worldwide for decades. This is the place to go for big and plentiful marine life and a top-side view of picture-perfect deserted islands, their white sandy knolls rising only a meter or two from the lapping waves, dotted with swaying palm trees. Within the Maldives, the Central Atolls preside over the country’s dive scene. This area’s underwater treasures were the first-discovered and remain some of the best-loved. You can find everything here- whale sharks, reef sharks, mantas, coral, swarms of fish, and macro-critters- and it’s all within spitting distance of the international airport on Male. There’s hardly anywhere else in the world where you can step off your plane and plunge into world-class diving so easily. Where to go North Male Atoll: North Male diving goes back to the beginnings of the Maldives dive scene, but its dive sites are well-preserved. Coral cover here is better than South Male and Ari. Perhaps its most famous dive site is Manta Point, a cleaning station for the winged giants that receives so many visits you might actually lose count! Manta-viewing opportunities like this owe their thanks to the tiny blue cleaner wrasse, a roughly 10 centimeters long fish which eats parasites living on mantas’ skin and in their mouths, a service so beneficial to the mantas’ health that they virtually wait in line to get it. For coral in North Male, Banana Reef is a long-time favorite, which thickets of healthy branching coral. Other great dive sites include the pinnacle Girifushi Thila and the Victory Wreck, a shipwreck which has grown
The Maldives. The name of this country alone conjures up images that make most dive enthusiasts float away on a SCUBA daydream. These isolated atolls in the middle of the immense Indian Ocean have sat firmly among the top five tropical dive locations worldwide for decades. This is the place to go for big and
On November 4th, 2016, we set out to colorful Cuba, in hope to dive in one of the Caribbean's best kept secret - The Gardens of the Queen archipelago, located just south of the main island of Cuba. Diving in Gardens of the Queen is said to be one of the most incredible experiences for the avid scuba diver, with beautiful healthy coral reefs, abundance of marine life and most importantly - SHARKS! Plenty of them, up close and personal. As you will read below, our expectations were met with flying colours! Gardens of the Queen DELIVERED! We started our adventure in Havana, where we all gathered at Iberostar Parque Central. Parque Central is located right in the epicenter of Havana Vieja (old Havana), overlooking their little "Central Park", a short walk from the famous Obispo street, the impressive El Capitolio building and the Grand Theater of Havana. The lucky ones who arrived early or a day prior, joined me on a lovely day tour in Old Havana, with Erika, our knowledgeable guide, who took us through the main highlights of Havana and provided fascinating background stories on every spot. We had plenty of time to experience the local atmosphere, purchase some genuine Cuban cigars and Rum and drink a couple of Mojitos. After the tour, we gathered the entire group for dinner in the most delightful, cozy restaurant in the heart of Old Havana called Ivan Chef Justo. Booking in advance is highly recommended. Prices were very reasonable and the food was delicious! Our hosts provided excellent service and we were excited to meet our dive buddies for the upcoming week. Fast foward to 3:30am - the hotel wake-up call abruptly ends our peaceful night sleep. Time to wake up! We're going to see some SHARKS! We grabbed a quick early-AM
On November 4th, 2016, we set out to colorful Cuba, in hope to dive in one of the Caribbean’s best kept secret – The Gardens of the Queen archipelago, located just south of the main island of Cuba. Diving in Gardens of the Queen is said to be one of the most incredible experiences for
Who here isn’t familiar with that warm and wonderful sensation you get just a second after urinating in your wetsuit. That magical moment when you forget about the cold water around you and everything feels pleasant and fuzzy... Probably only half of you will admit knowing that feeling, since the diving world is divided in two: Those who pee in their wetsuit with pride and those who will never admit doing it, or just never tried. Which half are you on? Avoiding heart explosion Let start with this – You pee in your wetsuit because you have no choice! This is backed up by very good physiological reasons. When our body is immersed in water, the blood volume increases. Luckily, our body has mechanisms to balance that out and keep our blood volume normal, so more blood will flow towards our kidneys and by releasing more liquid from the body, the blood volume will remain normal! To make a long story short – you pee to prevent your heart from exploding. That reason alone is enough for me… But let’s continue anyway :) Why do I pee more in cold waters? You’ve probably noticed that cold water increases the urge to urinate. There’s a perfectly good scientific reason for that as well. When we are cold, blood vessels which are close to the skin shrink, causing the blood to concentrate at the center of the body, flowing to vital organs to maintain body heat and increasing blood pressure. This increases the blood volume in the center of the body, causing the same effect as we discussed before – the need to get rid of liquids by urination. This phenomenon is called Immersion Diuresis. I won’t drink so I won’t have to pee! If you think that drinking less will solve
Who here isn’t familiar with that warm and wonderful sensation you get just a second after urinating in your wetsuit. That magical moment when you forget about the cold water around you and everything feels pleasant and fuzzy… Probably only half of you will admit knowing that feeling, since the diving world is divided in
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the ocean. Last month we went on an adventure, to explore the shore diving capital of the world, while learning UW photography from a skilled professional and having a blast! Buddy Dive Resort and Dive Center The week surpassed all of our expectations. We arrived to Buddy Dive Resort, a lovely complex which feels more like a small and pleasant village. We were greeted by a charming lady at the reception named Carmelita, who took us to our room. We took the Studio, which was very large and included a great little kitchenette, small desk with a couple of chairs and a very comfy bed. You can also choose to get the 1-br unit, which includes a large living room in addition to the above. Shortly after checking in, we received our pick-up truck, as part of your Dive n’ Drive package. To get a sense of the true freedom of diving in Bonaire, you want to get a truck. With your truck you can roam the island freely, diving wherever and whenever you please! Once we’ve settled in the room, we headed out to the dive shop for a mandatory introduction and filling out forms. Bonaire has been a nature reserve since the 70s, so they take conservation very seriously and make sure each diver knows what they’re doing and adheres to all the instructions. At this point you will also get your marine park tag ($25), which you will need to wear on your BCD at
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the
Not to touch!! You’re probably familiar with those photos posted on FB, of people holding Starfish on some exotic beach, or holding a Sting Ray or Shark like it’s their pet… I personally find that incredibly annoying! I’m sure a lot of you would agree with me. This is not necessarily the fault of the people in the photo, they are just not educated enough. It’s mainly the fault of the people or the organizations which allow it. In my travels around the world I have seen quite a few dive masters and dive instructors feeding, touching or poking marine life to steer them closer to the divers, hoping for better tips. How would you feel if someone penetrated your house with a giant stick through the window and started poking you? I’ve seen quite a lot of snorkeling instructors lifting poor animals, which were minding their own business, only to get a few screams of excitement from a couple of girls in bikinis. There are better ways to hit on girls!! This is the source of the problem… So what would happen if you pet turtles, Sting Rays and other marine life? Getting bitten, burnt or stung are some of the dangers. Frankly, I don’t blame them. If a stranger would pick me up and start stroking me, I would bite him without hesitation. You will also expose these beautiful animals to diseases and infections. You see, many marine life have different types of slime on their skin (AKA Bio-Films), protecting them from various infections. Once a human lays hand on them, that protective film is compromised. Each animal also has defense mechanisms, to protect them in case of attacks. Those defense mechanisms are often dangerous to humans, if not deadly. Curiosity killed the cat as they say. A
Not to touch!! You’re probably familiar with those photos posted on FB, of people holding Starfish on some exotic beach, or holding a Sting Ray or Shark like it’s their pet… I personally find that incredibly annoying! I’m sure a lot of you would agree with me. This is not necessarily the fault of the
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the ocean.. Last month we went on an adventure, to explore the shore diving capital of the world, while learning UW photography form a skilled professional and having a blast! Here are some of the highlights for the week! Join us next year for another diving adventure in paradise and learn how to shoot like the pros! Click Here for more details
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and
Shooting people UW is pure art. Benjamin Von Wong takes it to the next level. His latest work took place in Fiji, the South Pacific island nation. It involved a model acting as a "shark shepherd", with a beautiful white dress and sharks swimming around her in a magical UW cave. To create the perfect conditions for the shoot, Von Wong and his team had to do every thing in a two hour window (11am-1am) during the exact time when the sun rays enter the water in a perfect angle and the shark are most active. The amazing model Amber Bourke - a champion freediver, had to stay as still as possible so that the sharks will get close to her, you can see the surreal result yourself. This project supports a great cause. Von Wong wants to raise awareness for the threat of extinction Sharks are facing. His goal is to create a no-kill policy for Sharks and to start a new dawn for these beautiful creatures. If you find these shots magical and you wish to know how to take breathtaking photos of people underwater youself, you are welcome to join us on an UW fashion photography workshop with Zena Holloway.
Shooting people UW is pure art. Benjamin Von Wong takes it to the next level. His latest work took place in Fiji, the South Pacific island nation. It involved a model acting as a “shark shepherd”, with a beautiful white dress and sharks swimming around her in a magical UW cave. To create the perfect
When you go to dive centers around the world, you will usually encounter a dive master who is 100% certain that he knows exactly how much weights you really need. In many cases, he will be wrong! Don’t let him decide for you. He is likely to give you a default answer which might be wrong and misleading. Be responsible for yourself and put some thought into your lead! To determine the amount of weights you need, to dive safely and comfortably underwater, you need a deep understanding of the subject. One thing is certain – Proper weights make you a better diver! Let’s go over some of the misconceptions which are well spread around the world. Take 10% of your body weight in lead A common rule of thumb, adhered by many divers, claims that a diver must carry weights equivalent to 10% of his body weight. While that does give you a certain range of the amount of weights you need, it does not take many important factors into account. Factors such as muscle, fat, height, gear and exposure suit are crucial when choosing weights and should be taken into account. For example, muscles sink and fat floats. A muscular man weighing 180lbs would probably need much less than 18 pounds of weight (even with a long 5mm), whereas a short stalky fellow weighing 180lbs might actually need more than 18lbs. This rule has actually led to many over weighted divers. Don’t be overweight! Most beginner divers, and even some of the more experienced I know, dive with too much weight, either consciously or without knowing. Very bad practice! There is a common belief among new divers that it’s better to sink fast than to have a hard time going under. News flash! When using proper weights, it
When you go to dive centers around the world, you will usually encounter a dive master who is 100% certain that he knows exactly how much weights you really need. In many cases, he will be wrong! Don’t let him decide for you. He is likely to give you a default answer which might be
