Scuba Diving

[sally]

I have noticed that there are a few members out there that have an intrest in scuba diving! Thought I would start a thread so we could exchange experiences and and talk scuba......no dirty talk either,you know who I am talking about!!! I know some of you certain guys are going to say you like diving but i am not talking about "that" kind of diving!!!

[FerrariSucks]

I will have to get some lessons and let you know, best I have done is snorkling in Durban

[Kirsty]

I am a certified Scuba Diver. Ah, it rocks. So peaceful under the water away from the surface craziness.

I have scuba dived a few places: The Florida Keys (5/10), The Comores (8/10), Mauritius (8/10), in a shark tank (10/10) - almost pooped in my wetsuit though, very thrilling.

I dig scuba diving, but I have a hard time getting under the water. I freak out when I am on the surface waiting to go down. I hate not knowing what is under me. I get so freaked on the surface I almost hyperventilate. But once I am 10 feet under I calm down completely - I become a water baby. It's the weirdest thing.

[Poison]

I haven't done any scuba diving either but I have gone snorkling in the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland..

[dvenables]

Been diving a few years now.... Mostly in a dry suit. Uk waters are cold. Went to Mexico and did some diving out there.. 3/10 No sea life really...Like a bath compared to uk though so a plus side to the cold water.... Only problem is i found out what fire coral can do to you....

[sally]

i have been diving for about 3 years now, i have all my own equipment, so i can just take off to the east coast with friends! there are so many wrecks here in dubai, unfortunatly with all the construction and the building of the world and palm islands, it is murky and the visibility is crap! The east coast is much better!! I believe that there have been dolphins around MV dara (a wreck on the dubai side) so i am hoping when i get a couple of days off i can go check it out for myself!!!
I love diving, just being able to see "another world" and feel totally relaxed, its amazing! but like i have said before, you either love it or you hate it!!!

[biffon]

never been Scuba but ive been snorkling/spearfishing for many years...
We are really lucky here in Perth as the water is crystal blue most of the year with 20-50m visibility! and there is a huge variety of undersea life, from Whales/dolphins/sharks to coral/caves & amazing sealife....

[Bianca]

Never done scube either although I am interested - just need to make the time to learn! Love snorkling and am def taking my gear with to Oz in March!

[tongtastic]

never been scuba diving either but would love to learn how to do it. Went snorkling at the Great Barrier Reef in November/December last year and was just amazing! Are you going to go there Bianca? I would recommend it.

[Bianca]

yep we are going and have booked with Poseidon! Can't wait!

[tongtastic]

I bet you can't. how long you going for? we did ours with quicksilver - thats the one that you get off the boat and onto the jetty. i'm dying to go back!

[Bianca]

We are going for a few weeks!! So excited!

[sally]

you guys are so lucky!!!

[tongtastic]

you will be able to go there one day sally and you will just love it!

[sally]

Its not that i cant go there, i can, i just dont have enough time to go scuba diving there, the layover is too short. i will just have to go for a holiday!!

[Nyala]

I would love to dive but I'm claustophobic and haven't given it a go. I'm afraid I'd panic once I was down there. I have a friend who dives around Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne and he is always full of enthusiasm about how beautiful it is, maybe one day I'll do it.

[Steve Scott]

For thoes of you who have not dived, take the chance if you get it. I've been diving for the past six years and teaching it for at least 4 of them. You will be surprised on how many people who were not so sure have become dive-a-holics. If anyone has any questions, i'll do my best to help out.

[sally]

Thanks Steve!!! My advice to anyone thats not sure PADI do a discover scuba package, that is one way to see if you like it or not!!

[sally]

I was given devastating news yesterday! I went to get a certificate from the Dr who specialises in scuba diving, and was told that i will never be able to dive again. this is because last year when i was sick, my lung collapsed and it could happen again if i go diving cause of the pressure, and i could die!! I told him that i had been diving since then and he said that it might not happen now, but one day it could.
So if anyone knows anyone in dubai, who would like to buy a full womans scuba kit, please let me know.

[Bolty]

Thats shit news man... sorry to hear that

[biffon]

That is a shame Sally cause i know how much you enjoy it....
im really sorry to hear this....
So what are the implications for your flying, surely being pressurised and depressurised twice a day, every day must do something to you?

[sally]

The cabin is pressurised, so it fine to fly. The dr said that if i had a collapsed lung caused my truma ie. stabbed with a knife then i would be aloud to dive but because it was caused by a bad form of flu i cannot dive, apparently it was a spontanious collapse.
People who suffer from asthma,epilepsy,and have had a spontanious collapsed lung are not allowed to dive at all.
I am so gutted, i still feel sick to my stomach! I was like a baby yesterday, couldnt stop crying!!
If you do dive, enjoy every dive you do, take it all in and think of me for a few seconds!!

[biffon]

I think i know how you feel Sal, Sias, lianas boet, has bad Asthma and he has also had to give up diving which was a real passion of his... now he just does snorkling... i really feel for him cause there werent many things he really enjoyed.. and scuba was one of them.

aah well time to take up skydiving methinks!! :D

[Bianca]

Shame Sally - what a blow! My heart goes really go out to you hun...

I guess this means I will never scuba then as I have asthma as well... oh well - I guess at least I don't know what I am missing where as you really do....

*HUGS*

[sally]

Thanks everybody!! Its not very nicebut i am sure i will find something else, wakeboarding maybe? Nothing will beat scuba diving though!!!

[tongtastic]

thats just shocking news sal, sorry to hear that. i'm the same as bianca, got a touch of asthma, being going slowly so will never know what you are missing out on. wakeboarding is fun, i've tried that, was too scared to mad on it unlike some of my friends who did back flips etc etc, one had a blood nose - was pretty funny as he was trying to show off. let us know what you decide to take up!

[sally]

i spoke to the guys at the dive centre, they were gutted, but have said that i must still go see them and that i am still part of the "familly" , i was also told that i could go on the boat and help out, and if i wanted i could help them at the shop and work at the front of the shop and sort out bookings!! they are fantastic guys!!!

[Steve Scott]

Thats not good sally, sorry to hear it, well look on the bright side, at least you can still snorkel.

[sally]

i have a problem when snorkeling, i breath normally and forget that there is a hole and end up choking half to death!!!

[tongtastic]

i kept doing that when i was snorkeling on the barrier reef - not fun at all especially the salt water going up your nose!! thats good that you can still be part of the 'fam' though sal, atleast you will still be involved with it all.

[sally]

yeah, true, but nothing will beat going underwater and experiencing the life down there!!

[sally]

Right, has anyone been diving recently?? and new places that need to be explored?? and hints and tips??? come on guys lets keep this thread going!!!

[igundwane]

Use expanding foam in your lung ,,,,, it wont collaspe :) means you can still keep diving

[Armstrong-Abbott]

Right, has anyone been diving recently?? and new places that need to be explored?? and hints and tips??? come on guys lets keep this thread going!!!

yeah, come on guys, tell us your new stories...................:smiley20:

[zimboykie]

Does diving on the Aliwal Shoal at Umkomaas, south of Durbs & coming across a 4-foot (ok, l know things look a tad larger underwater) raggie give me much cred? Very cool experience & a great place to dive. I did my PADI advanced in Gibraltar in 2000 & that too is a very cool place. Paphos in Cyprus was ok but nothing fantastic. Is anybody else like me in that you are tired of looking at fish when you dive as the charters l've been with at these places just lead you around looking at aquatic life? Are cave diving & wreck diving worth getting into as l'm looking for something more fulfilling down below?

[sally]

wreck diving is amazing, did a few in dubai and love it!! definatly worth doing the course!!!

[sally]

anyone been diving recently?

[joemac]

Never tried Sal, but I might one day

[Angelshark]

Last time was when I skippered that 86ft gullet in Ras-Al-Khaima. free dived to find the wreck. After dropping the diver down I surfaced and the crowd on the boat started to shout and scream. I turned around to see a shadow, not to shit myself I just stayed still, put my face under the water and saw the biggest turtle I have ever seen, this guy stuck around the wreck and swam with me and another diver. We had close to 10m vis and saw some big Hamour. No eels tho.

[Strawbs]

:smiley19: I'm not allowed to scuba dive, ever... :smiley19:

So it's snorkelling for me! :smiley36::respekt::dancingemote::10outof10:

[Angelshark]

Why?

[Chick]

No eels tho.

Well - no eels - then I am not going there..

[Zulu]

Start my Padi course on Monday.

Looking forward to it.

[sally]

you will love it, well....you either love it or you hate it, its a bit like marmite!! AS you are making me miss scuba diving!! did you see any dolphins??

[Strawbs]

Why?



Because my lungs collapsed last year and no diving place will ever insure me! Plus due to the fact they had collapsed, they are weakened, so could buckle under pressure again! :smiley19:

[sally]

strawbs, i had the same thing happen to me!! it was the kukiest feeling ever!!!

[zimboykie]

A question to Sally &/or Steve as it sounds like you guys have been diving a while (or to anybody else for that matter): can you offer any advice on what type of dive computer to get? I know we'd all love Suunto Stingers or Vypers (& somebody else to buy them for us!) but for somebody like myself who has no need (yet?) of something offering nitrox/mixed gassses, the more specialist/complex options, etc, can you suggest a decent, reliable make of dive computer? My thoughts are on either a Uwatec/Aladin Pro or Oceanic device (probably something on Ebay to be honest) so is one better than the other for what it's worth? The screen sizes on the Uwatec models are decidedly larger for better visibility but what about ease of operation as the Oceanic models (some or all?) seem to only have 1 button so do they offer as much as the Aladin models which from pictures seem to have 3 or 4? Any advice is welcome.

Cheers

[sally]

to be honest i had a mosquito and it was fantastic!! even told me when it was safe for me to fly again!! It was easy to work and was not complecated at all.

[Angelshark]

A question to Sally &/or Steve as it sounds like you guys have been diving a while (or to anybody else for that matter): can you offer any advice on what type of dive computer to get? I know we'd all love Suunto Stingers or Vypers (& somebody else to buy them for us!) but for somebody like myself who has no need (yet?) of something offering nitrox/mixed gassses, the more specialist/complex options, etc, can you suggest a decent, reliable make of dive computer? My thoughts are on either a Uwatec/Aladin Pro or Oceanic device (probably something on Ebay to be honest) so is one better than the other for what it's worth? The screen sizes on the Uwatec models are decidedly larger for better visibility but what about ease of operation as the Oceanic models (some or all?) seem to only have 1 button so do they offer as much as the Aladin models which from pictures seem to have 3 or 4? Any advice is welcome.

Cheers

Dude there are so many, for reliability and affordability, ease of use, the Suunto X series, The D series are too complicated and tooooooooo expensive.

[lurchandpasta]

Have done the snorkeling in some very dirty waters in Zim with some rather large crocs, never had the chance to snorkel in the sea, and never had the chance to dive deep. I have to agree with some of the posts here, there is a whole new world under water (and what I have seen is nowhere nearly as beautiful as what can be found in the reefs)

I have also snorkeled some pretty clean water in Zim. I am hopefully looking forward to going on a scuba course sometime in the not too distant future (depending on health).

If anyone can give me some pointers, I would be most grateful.

[sally]

do a discover scuba course first, you will either love it or you will hate it!! I really loved diving!! but a friend of mine hated it!!

[lurchandpasta]

do a discover scuba course first, you will either love it or you will hate it!! I really loved diving!! but a friend of mine hated it!!I love the snorkeling, so I don't see any reason why I should hate going deep. The main reason I need to do the course is to learn how to equalize properly, because when we used to snorkel, every now and again we would go to deeper water (+/-15mts), take a deep breath and dive to the bottom, I would suffer with ear ache.

[Angelshark]

Pich your nose and blow out of it at the same time when you feel the pressure building. And on the health side of things LIE! I did or I would never have been able to do the course. I have Asthma but never had a problem, if I do I will just CESA no worries

[sally]

eish, rog, what if you have an attack out of nowhere and you cant breath, even when you do CESA, you still have to wait before reaching the surface or you could get the bends!

If you do have any medical problems alway tell the truth, if anything should happen and they look at your medical history they will not pay out or have any responsibility!
Diving can be a very dangerous sport as are many other sports, you just have to be careful and sensible.
I know people who have died because of being stupid and not checking their equipment, not being honest and telling instuructors they have a heart condition etc

I told the truth when i did my medical about my lung collapsing, and they said i will never be able to dive again, i was gutted, but if one day i do decide to go diving my lung might collapse and then i could die.

my life or taking a risk???!!! its not a hard decision

anyway thats my 2 cents worth, and rog you know how i feel about you taking chances!! I hate it cause i am always so worried i am going to lose my best friend!!

[sally]

oh by the way, snorkeling and diving are completly diffrent, but that is my opinion! I cant snorkel to save my life, i was too used to breathing normally under water so when i put a snorkel in i breathed normally and had half the sea in my lungs!! It was so painful i decided i would never do it again!

[jiggs]

I am an advanced Instructor with the BSAC and have been diving for a long long time I operated the recompression chamber in kariba for a few years that is a cool experiance to try if you get the chance. I was the chairman of KURS I would kill for a dive in Dubai try Kariba in the rainy season.

[sally]

you wouldnt catch me diing in Kariba no chance. Dubai was fantstic to go diving but with all the dredging and building of the palms the vis is not as good as it first was, the east coast was also amazing, fish, turtles, dolphins and i do believe a whale once, think AS has the pic. Just wish i could still dive!

[jiggs]

Its a sad day when you are not able to dive anymore, I have not dived for a while and less chance here in the destert, but would be shattered if the ability was taken away from me. Will get to the red sea one of these days or back to Dubai if Iget lucky.

[boards]

Its a sad day .... if Iget lucky.

you get lucky? wat? even with my pink book you couldnt pull your own wire!!!:smiley18:

[Angelshark]

Diving in Dubai is crap to be honest, if you want to dive in the Emirates then the best places would be Fujairah or Ras-Al-Khaima. From RAK you can get to the Musandam and have one of the best divesof your life. I will be operating dive tours out there along with fishing charters so if you interested pm me for furhter details.

[sally]

I agree with AS, but i would definatly recommend Egypt for diving too!!

[Sam Edwards]

My brother is doing a course now and LOVES IT with a vengance!! I wanted to learn but as I have asthma I guess thats a no no, Oh well some you win some you dont. Sounds like a awsome thing to do and Sally and Peas sorry you cant do it anymore.

[Sam Edwards]

As for Mr Jiggs Are you INSANE??? why on earth would you want to dive in Kariba with all them flat dogs??

[jiggs]

I dived every where in Kariba for more than 10 years did all sorts of jobe from salvage of boats to bodies. I am also an advanced instructor - hell I love Kariba

[Sam Edwards]

I dived every where in Kariba for more than 10 years did all sorts of jobe from salvage of boats to bodies. I am also an advanced instructor - hell I love Kariba
Did you never have any run-ins with flat dog'S?? :smiley35: Rather you than me:whistling:

[jiggs]

Never - even went looking for a guy that got chomped in the Zam near Rukomeshe below Chirundu but we did very quick dives there and it wasnt deep. Once went to collect a croc at Deka that a hunter had shot and the croc sank so we were asked to dive it out

[SpaRHawK]

As for Mr Jiggs Are you INSANE??? why on earth would you want to dive in Kariba with all them flat dogs??

Kariba was very popular with divers... was quite lucrative at one point will numerous okes making a very good living from servicing the houseboats and pulling dropped screws from the harbours to looking after the kapenta rigs...

If I remember correctly Kariba had only one of two decompression chambers in the Sub saharan africa region...

[jiggs]

two actually The army had one and ZRA had one which we maintained for a few years but gave it back after it need ed too much $$$ to get it fit for DAN certification but we saved a couple of people and had a lot of fun with it

[kimfromzim]

Did you ever dive in the bottomless Chinhoyi pool?

[jiggs]

Yes we used to take our students there after their course - I also went as deep support for some south africans who went to bottom - I only went to 57m to meet them on their return

[Sam Edwards]

One of my bosses mates died diving in those caves cant remember his name, but they seem to think he got disorientated or something no one realy knows. Guess diving has its dangers like any other sport.

[jiggs]

cant remember his name was he from Byo? he was he last guy that I know of that died there

[Sam Edwards]

Yip that would be the one about 9 years ago now possibly 10 years ago

[jiggs]

I went there to help look for him - they found him under a shelf and got lost also dived by himself very stupid.

[Sam Edwards]

Yip that is the exact one

[jiggs]

Yip that is the exact one

Adrenalin Safaris - Dive Alone Die Alone

Quite sad he had a really nice wife and new baby if I remember correctly

[dallas]

scary stuff!!! I am too chicken of deep water to dive!!! but am faschinated with everything under the water!! strange hey!!

[jiggs]

You should do a scuba orinetation day, many clubs have fun day where they will take people in the pool give them the basics so they can see what its like.

[dallas]

it is the open water that scares me I cant watch it on tv even.......If I could get to the bottom without going through the open waterfrom the surface to the bottom then Id be fine!!!

[jiggs]

I used to take students for their first few dives from the edge and walk in - difficult in the ocean but there are places certainly in Moz - Inhassoro and Vilankulous.

[dallas]

sounds divine...I could do the snorkeling on the top of the water in shallows....but all of that sounds amazing!!!!

[jiggs]

moz is ideal for that I did many dive there in shallow 5m water so much to see