|
 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 |
