By Vandit Kalia, Dive India Scuba & Resorts, Havelock Island
The Aqualung Pro HD BCD is a personal favorite of mine. I owned the previous version of this (Seaquest Pro HD, before they were re-branded) for several years and found it an extremely comfortable jacket-style BCD.
The air pockets have some structure to them, so the air bubbles doesnt move all over the place (as in some other BCDs) and robust tank support and structure in the back means that the tank stays firmly put, without rolling from side to side.
This BCD has integrated weights and one feature i consider near-essental – trim pockets. These are weight pockets located around your shoulders: by storing 1-2 kg there, you can move the center of your buoyancy higher up, which allows you to get a better, neutral trim (in other words, you can hold any body position you want – horizontal or inclined – without any issues).
This system of distributed weights (2 integrated weight pockets and 2 trim pockets) gives you more ditch options: if you are diving in cold water where you need to plan for the contingency of dropping weights, this gives you more options as compared to a weight belt (which is all or nothing).
The Aqualung Pro HD BCD uses a high-denier fabric, which is more robust, more abrasion-proof and less likely to fade or look raggedy over time. Lastly, the BCD comes with more than enough lift to handle cold water diving as well (13kg of lift for a size M).
And it has more than enough D-rings and attachment points to hold all your accessories. As I mentioned earlier, I used to own this many, many years ago and sold it because i was diving with a tech harness only. In terms of price/performance, this is probably one of the best BCDs in the market today, period.
For more information on Aqua Lung Pro HD BCD, please contact us.
Suzanne Michelle Coombs Appointed As IDC Staff Instructor
We are proud to announce that we have appointed Suzanne Michelle Coombs as the primary Staff Instructor for our dive centers in Bangalore and Andaman Islands. Suzy Coombs has the distinction of being one of the deepest woman divers in the world, when she dived to a depth of 500 feet (152.4 meters) off the coast of Sweden. This announcement comes as good news to all Indian dive enthusiasts, as they now have a chance to learn and train with one of the most accomplished divers in the world.
Suzy Coombs, the new staff instructor at Planet Scuba India
Planet Scuba India Pvt Ltd has been providing scuba diving training and dive holidays around the world for the past three years. We are India’s first inland dive center based in Bangalore and we have expended our operations to Andaman Islands with the Andaman Diving Academy based in Port Blair.
Suzy Coombs started her diving as a BSAC diver (British Sub Aqua Club) in England when she was 18 and quickly became an Instructor with her local club. Her passion for diving led her to decide, at the age of 20, that she would like to dive outside the UK. She got involved in a research project in Tanzania where she had her first warm water dive.
Since then, she has converted to a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor which allows her to teach new instructors and undertake technical dives. She has worked with several different dive centers in several different countries, mainly Egypt. She has moved to India to spread awareness about scuba diving in India, a country whose coastlines have the richest marine life and has yet to be explored.
Deep Diving
Mention a “deep dive” and watch the reactions. Novice diver want to know what it’s like. More experienced divers who have been a bit deeper chat with excitement. Those qualified to venture to 40 meters show enthusiasm, though somewhat tempered with respect for the challenge deep diving presents. There’s something a bit attractive, exciting and mysterious about ‘ going deep’
As a OWD 18 metres marks the depth limit to which you’re qualified to dive. This limit isn’t arbitrary it’ based on no decompression limits, nitrogen narcosis an air supply but even if you’ve only made a few dives, you may be curious about deeper dives, perhaps simply to visit specific dive sites below 18 meters.
The Deep Adventure dive will satisfy some of this curiosity and give you access to some of those dive sites by qualifying you to dive as deep as 30 meters, in conditions as good as or better than those in which you have training and experience. You can do your deep dive speciality on the up coming Maldives Dive Trip. Just sign up with us and get ready to explore the deeper side of Maldives.
Drift Diving
As promised here is a write-up on drift diving speciality. This will be available on the Maldives Trip and it highly recommended as Maldives is one of the best places to enjoy drift diving.
If until now your experience has been that current are something you fight to swim against; drift diving will give you a whole new perspective. Drift diving grew out of the philosophy, “if you can’t beat them,join them” and is the prevailing practice in many areas with nearly continuous strong currents.
Drift diving can give you a real adrenaline pump. At some drift dive sites,the current rips you along far faster than you could swim, or even cruise with a DPV (Dive Propulsion Vehicle), sailing you along effortlessly. Some divers compare drift diving in clear water to hand gliding or horizontal sky diving but no airplane needed and you don’t have to worry about your chute opening.
Advantages of Drift Diving
- Drift diving usually requires little effort. During the dive, you just go along for the ride, buzzing through the scenery with the current “swimming ” for you.
- Drift diving opens up dive sites that are nearly impossible to visit any other way. In particular, rivers and some reefs are constantly in strong current that precludes non drift dive techniques.
- Since you are floating along in the current, you cover more area and see more on a drift dive.
- Many types of drift diving relieve you of having to return to or look for a specific exit point. The boat travels with you.
All you have to do right now is contact us and book for your drift diving speciality for the Maldives Dive Trip happening this month. Don’t miss out on a great oppurtunity!!
Soon to a blog near you.
Well, which goes to say is this blog, but yes coming soon i will be putting up some dive specialities that one can learn and master, i will start with a few that you can do right away at our up and coming Maldives Trip. Stay tuned, Also leave a comment if you are looking for any particular specialties or want something particular to be highlighted (scuba diving related and NO! Girls in bikinis have nothing to do with scuba diving). Stay tuned avid divers.