|
 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 |