|
 Ah-hh,
your first exotic dive trip.
Colorful adjectives such as
swaying palm trees, aquamarine
waters, and fish storms are
words chosen by travel writers
designed to entice you. But,
what about currents, depth
considerations, and topside
activities once you reach
your dream destination?
In
this installment of Landfall's
Travelling Diver, we'll focus
on travel arrangements that
a novice diver should consider
when getting ready to embark
on a dive travel vacation.
This article should not be
considered the final word
on this subject. It is a guideline
to certain issues put together
by experienced divers relating
to questions we wished we
had asked before planning
our first dive vacation, along
with suggestions we wished
we knew when we got started.
PRE TRIP CONSIDERATIONS
Who
should be considered a novice
diver? It may be someone headed
to a tropical destination
to complete their certification
or it may be someone with
C-Card in hand, but a log
book with few entries. A novice
can also be a diver with previous
experience, but who participates
in the sport for only a week
each year on their vacation.
Long periods of inactivity
may make it difficult to fully
develop skills exhibited by
people who dive on a regular
basis.
Great, let's go! Where? Bonaire
sounds good. Your neighbor
just came back from Cozumel,
maybe you should try there.
A co-worker recently spent
two weeks aboard a dive boat
in the South Pacific. How
do you begin to sort through
all the options and considerations?
As someone fairly new to the
sport, you certainly don't
have the answers, and probably
aren't even sure of the questions!
That's okay because the questions
and answers you're looking
for can be found easily by
calling a travel agency which
specializes in vacations specifically
for scuba divers, such as
Landfall Dive and Adventure
Travel. A good dive travel
specialist can help you make
the choice best suited to
your personal list of expectations.
This list will be unique to
you as everyone has different
likes and dislikes. Your first
foreign dive vacation is an
important one. Your initial
trip, if pleasurable, will
be the springboard that can
plunge you into a lifetime
of wonderful adventures around
the world. Landfall's Travelling
Diver offers the following
suggestions:
TYPES OF DIVE VACATIONS
Dive
holidays fall into two major
categories, land-based resorts
and live-aboard dive boats.
Let's look at live-aboards
first. This is where people
who want to dive, dive, dive,
spend their vacation on a
"floating hotel".
This can be a true dive dedicated
trip, which usually visits
remote locations where there
may be little else to do.
Three to four dives a day
over several days can become
exhausting and feel more like
work than fun for a novice.
This is because most beginning
divers are still fine tuning
their physical ocean skills,
familiarizing themselves to
their scuba gear, and are
developing the stamina to
participate. Diving at a live-aboard
pace for a novice could result
in a loss of prospective of
what diving is all about;
critters, colors, and the
thrill of the adventure. Instead,
you could find yourself struggling
just trying to keep up with
the crowd. The remoteness
of live-aboards can also mean
long ocean crossings and rough
seas. Of course there are
exceptions to all of the above
situations so if you are thinking
of a live-aboard holiday,
talk to a dive travel specialist
to find the boat and program
that's right for you.
Land-based
resorts offer day boat diving,
usually two dives a day is
the standard routine. They
come in all shapes and sizes
in a variety of geographical
locales. You can choose from
a quaint, 10 room inn surrounded
by lush mountainous jungle
to a sprawling high- rise
hotel with color satellite
TV situated along a wide stretch
of sparkling white sand beach.
Certain
islands offer a wide variety
of nature activities. Others
have great shopping and eateries.
Whatever your poison, land-based
vacations can offer a greater
variety of things to do besides
diving. For some people this
is the perfect way to ease
into diving. Others who are
truly bitten by the bug may
want a resort with more than
two dives a day. Presto, try
a land-based resort with unlimited
beach diving which is usually
included free with the price
of the vacation package.
PEER
PRESSURE
Sorry
this theme is lacking in originality,
but it can't be said any simpler.
JUST SAY NO! The experiences
you encounter on your first
dive vacation will shape your
future decisions about diving.
Never, ever, let your travelling
companion or someone on a
dive boat, regardless of their
so-called position of authority,
pressure you into doing something
you don't feel comfortable
with or you don't feel you
have the skill level for.
JUST SAY NO. There is a big
difference between compromising
on an overdone steak in a
restaurant compared to contending
with a ferocious current headed
to who knows where in the
open ocean on your first exotic
dive.
 VISIBILITY
I
like pea soup as long as it's
served for lunch. I don't
enjoy it when it describes
the water clarity. Diving
isn't much fun if you can't
see the schools of neon colored
fish darting between corals.
Good visibility also has a
soothing effect making it
easier to make that first
giant stride into the unknown.
Some destinations may be subject
to better or worse visibility
depending on the time of year,
annual rainfall, island geography,
or unusual ocean conditions.
Be sure to ask about this
when choosing a destination,
especially if you are locked
into travelling at a specific
time of year.
CURRENTS
There
are currents and then there
are CURRENTS. Mild ones can
actually be conducive to beginning
divers, you just relax and
go with the flow. Follow the
divemaster and the boat follows
you and everybody has a wonderful
time. Some destinations are
known for having CURRENTS.
These can also be pleasurable
if you have a more experienced
open water background and
more dives under your belt.
Again, ask questions to determine
if the destination suits your
skill level.
WATER
TEMPERATURE
Don't
overlook this one. Just because
you are heading for the tropics
don't assume you can jump
in with just your bathing
suit, that is unless you have
plumage and not skin. Sixty-five
degree air temperature can
be real comfortable. Heck,
I run around in shorts and
a tee shirt in that kind of
weather. But an unprotected
diver would not last five
minutes in 65 water. The colder
the water, the more thermal
protection required. This
also means more weight which
could spell discomfort for
a novice.
THE
QUESTION OF DEPTH
Depth
should be a function of comfort
and skill level. You don't
have to push the limits to
see what's down there. Sunlight
only penetrates so far and
it is the shallows that support
the most sea life for this
very reason. I have seen divers
who have sharpened their skills
and good ole ocean sense early
on. These people are ready
to safely dive a bit deeper
and they thoroughly enjoy
it. I have seen others who
are not ready, and quite frankly,
have a terrible time. YOU
DON'T HAVE TO DIVE DEEP TO
HAVE FUN. However, you do
need to match your needs to
the proper destination. The
geological features of some
places make it necessary to
dive deep at nearly every
site. If this is an important
consideration to you ask about
the dive sites before you
buy your plane ticket.
PEER PRESSURE II (The sequel)
You
are finally at the resort.
Relaxed, rested, and ready
to dive. Wait a minute. Why
is that diver shaving his
beard with a dive knife? Look
over there. That guy has enough
dive gizmos to make the Rocketeer
jealous. In the restaurant
you overhear two other people
talking about their new depth
record from the morning's
dive. All of the sudden you
don't feel so good.
Relax.
Don't ever let anyone's actions,
equipment, or fish stories
influence your feeling towards
diving. If you start to develop
anxieties the key to overcoming
them is to communicate your
feelings. Start with the divemaster.
Be honest. If depth is your
concern ask, "What are
my options?" Don't worry
about what others will think
of you. A mature person is
not going to laugh. Hopefully,
they will remember what it
was like for them when they
were learning. If they can't
appreciate your concerns as
a new diver, simply place
them in their own special
category, "Dive Bubba".
Sooner or later you'll encounter
a bubba, it's inevitable,
smile at them but don't speak,
turn, and try your best to
avoid them during the rest
of your vacation.
DAY OF ARRIVAL
Does
your arrival day at the resort
have any bearing if you are
a novice diver? You bet! The
majority of people travel
to arrive at their destination
on the weekend. This initial
period is the time for the
resort divemaster and the
guests to become acquainted.
The general rule finds that
the first day briefings tend
to be the most thorough, covering
subjects ranging from boat
departure times and procedures
to an overview of the diving
and dive policies specific
to the area. These first couple
days allows the divemaster
the opportunity to observe
underwater skills of the new
arrivals. Once comfortable
with each other, dive sites
may become more challenging
and exciting. Divemasters
are human too. As the week
progresses, briefings become
more informal because the
divers have learned the routine
as entry and exit techniques
have been mastered.
Enter,
Denny Diver and his travelling
companion Dorothy on Wednesday.
They do not get the well rehearsed
speech that the others heard.
Everybody is going about their
business while Denny and Dorothy
are in a bit of a daze. They
begin to rush since everybody
else is ready to jump in.
A little anxiety begins to
build. Completing the dive,
Denny proceeds to remove his
weight belt, then fins, and
starts up the ladder. "Hey,
what are you doing?"
somebody yells. Oops! that
wasn't the way it is supposed
to be done, and back into
the water he drops to remove
his tank and BCD.
The
point to this story, continue
to ask questions once you
reach your destination if
things seem to be vague. This
incident I described, although
not a big deal, could make
some people feel uncomfortable.
Remember, divemasters get
tired of their jobs too, and
when things become routine
they can sometimes be taken
for granted. Overall, divemasters
work very hard and you will
find them very accommodating
to your needs.
One
more time to sum things up.
The key to successful dive
vacations is to COMMUNICATE.
First to a dive travel specialist
to help plan your trip. Second,
review procedures with your
dive buddy before jumping
in so you both have the same
understanding about the dive.
Discuss insecurities with
the divemaster and don't be
afraid to ask questions. Finally,
always ignore the dive bubbas.
By
following these suggestions
your first exotic dive vacation
and the many which will follow,
will leave you with memories
of swaying palm trees and
aquamarine waters long after
you've returned home.
Bon
Voyage!
Dennis
and Karen Sabo, both certified
scuba instructors, have over
21 years of dive travel experience
and are accomplished underwater
photographers. Their work
has been featured in Dive
Training, Dive Travel, Discover
Diving, and Scuba Times magazines,
and the book Best Dives in
the Caribbean.
Reprinted
with permission |