Similan Liveaboard scuba diving trip lives up to it’s reputation March 22, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment
I have been following a great set of reports covering a trip made on a Similan liveaboard by a writer on Travel-Dive, Mark Milburn. The Similan Islands, located about one hundred kilometers northwest of Phuket, are composed of nine granite islands covered in tropical jungle. They have been designated as a national park and there are no resorts on the islands. Mark’s liveaboard trip also included the islands of Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock, and it looks like there is some great diving in this area.
Water visibility still not recovered in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Wilma March 22, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : News, Uncategorized , add a commentApparently divers in Florida are saying that the waters are still murky in the Southern Keys nearly 6 months after Hurricane Wilma. Heartland News state that visibility in the Middle and Upper keys is fine, but some people are expressing concern that the southern area has not recovered and this may effect the 700 million dollar tourist industry in that area.
It’s not uncommon for a hurricane or any big wind storm to stir up bottom sediments, which temporarily cloud the water. The superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary says the sediments normally settle within a few weeks.
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Snorkels: What are they good for? asks Divester March 22, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Uncategorized, general , add a comment
Divester are starting the season with a bunch of articles regarding scuba theory, which should prove to be interesting and no doubt, a little controversial. To start the ball rolling Will O’Brien has published an article on snorkels, a piece of equipment he is obviously in favour of. I have to say that I used a snorkel on only a couple of my scuba diving lessons and now only ever use it for one thing, and that is snorkelling!
I agree with Bill Reals, who has commented on divester, that there is no use for a snorkel on technical dives, as they simply get in the way of all the other gear and we have multiple ways of solving the problem a snorkel is designed to solve, running out of air on the surface. I could hardly use one on a cave dive! Will countered with a statement about a guy who jumped in the water with empty tanks! Sorry, but why would anyone jump in the water without checking the air, gas, whatever in their tanks?
Nope, I am not convinced. My snorkel will stay in the dive bag, unless snorkelling in some nice tropical paradise. 
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Top 100 Dives in the World, updated for 2006 March 22, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : News, Uncategorized , add a comment
SCUBA travel readers have voted for what they think are the top 100 dive sites, and there are a few new diving destinations hitting this hot list of great dives. Here is the top ten ;
1. Yongala, Australia
2. Thistlegorm, Egyptian Red Sea
3. Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
4. Barracuda Point, Sipadan Island
5. Shark and Yolanda Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
6. Navy Pier, Australia
7. Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
8. Big Brother, Egyptian Red Sea
9. Liberty, Bali, Indonesia
10. Elphinstone Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
I don’t know how busy the site is but there are a couple of my favourites in that list, particularly the Thistlegorm and Shark/Yolande Reef.
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Roatan: A Scuba Diver’s Dream March 15, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment
I saw this great article on the street.com, by Jennie Lay. Roatan is a island near Honduras, which lies between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, which is known more for all the political troubles and unrest, than as a holiday and scuba diving destination.
Many years ago the area was a haven for pirates, shipwrecked slaves and colonizers from England, but now it seems that Roatan is becoming more popular with scuba divers, and there are plenty of diving facilities available for visitors;
An untold fortune teems below the sea around Roatan. Therein lies a healthy, world-renown coral reef, and Islanders are determined to keep it that way. Devoted local dive-shop owners and dive masters took reef protection into their own hands a couple of years ago with a grass-roots revival of the Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park. The marine park now shelters the stunning reef along Roatan’s most heavily used stretch of coastline — including West Bay, West End and Sandy Bay — and includes a patrol staff that organizers say has virtually eliminated poaching on the reef.
But what of the diving? What can a scuba diver expect to find at Roatan?
The description Jenny gives of the diving sounds fantastic and it seems that Roatan is yet another diving destination to place on the wishlist;
Roatan’s underwater visibility is outstanding. The variety of soft and hard corals is immense and vibrant, and there are two fine wrecks to dive just offshore. Wherever you swim, the variety of fish is astounding, from bitty coral-banded shrimp to elegant spotted drum fish, chummy grouper, turtles, eagle rays and even whale sharks (the world’s largest fish). Some of the best dives, though certainly not all of them, include Texas, Pablo’s, Spooky Channel, El Aguila and the Bear’s Den. Night dives feature the globally rare phenomenon called “string of pearls” — imagine tiny strings of light, each a lightning bug floating in the dark sea as far as you can see, like a 3-D version of the introduction to Matrix or the twinkling tails of a gigantic firework. Phosphorescence is lovely, but Roatan’s string of pearls is even better.
Jenny goes on to talk about places to eat and other things to see, so go take a look.
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DiveBar, a sports bar made for scuba divers, helps with sea-sickness March 14, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Uncategorized, general , add a comment
A new sports bar has been created for scubadivers by a nutrition company in the US. Apparently Divebar is designed to replenish all the energy expended during diving and also help with sea sickness, as it contains ginger, and also aid digestion, with the use of papaya and pineapple. It sounds like quite a mixture!
The company says its delicious, but then, they would. Wonder if it will ever make it over to the UK?
Here is their latest press release, aimed at dive shops wanting to sell the bar;
Dive Bar is a delicious and nutritious sport bar made exclusively for underwater enthusiasts. Since its launch late last year, Dive Bar has made a huge splash with customers and retailers from coast to coast. And now, for the month of March, we are having a 15% OFF SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER on our Dive Bar Counter Display! The counter display is great for last minute, add-on sales. It contains 4 boxes of 18 Dive Bars each, neatly displayed with an attractive P.O.P. header card. We also have special volume discounts on our floor displays and power centers.
Dive Bar is a high energy snack bar with enough Ginger to help settle the stomach and ward off seasickness, and Papaya and Pineapple enzymes to aid in digestion. But the best part is the incredible taste that will have your customers coming back for more. It’s the perfect pre-, post- or in-between dives snack. You always knew that your customers craved sport bars as a convenient snack while diving - now they have one created just for them!
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