It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the maldives or malDIVES is a great place for diving. Due to its very specific geographical situation and remoteness, the Maldives archipelago is the perfect example of why liveaboard diving holidays are perfect for the keen divers.
Liveaboard diving cruises meet all requirements of a perfect diving holiday at once: it provides top accommodation, excellent food, socializing with fellow divers and people having the same poles of interest. Relax on sun decks, go for a swim or a snorkel peek between dives, and of course, it brings the best of an ecosystem of discovery through the variety of dive sites visited and the extreme range of dive capacity offered.
In one word, Liveaboard is the way to go for the enthusiastic divers. Liveaboard vessels will start their journey from nearby Male international airport, and will follow the yearly patterns of current and nutrients fluctuations to ensure divers the maximum chances of big pelagic seeing such as sharks, manta rays and whale sharks, who start their migration through the Indian Ocean from off the Maldives, through the Seychelles, to end off Mozambique and follow warmer currents up to Tanzania, Kenya and the Horn of Africa where they achieve their migration and prepare for the way back.
Planet Scuba India is offering an exclusive dive trip to the Maldives at incredible rates.
3 Star Luxury Liveaboard
12 Aug 09 – 17 Aug 09
Rs 59,950
Rescue Diving
In the PADI Rescue Diver dvd they call it ‘Serious Fun’ when it should be more accurately titled “Seriously tiring”. It isn’t just the physical aspects of the rescue diving course that tires you out. The mental aspects of being constantly alert to danger is what takes the toll on you. But it is not all gloom and doom. The course itself is very fun. It has its moments of sheer slapstick comedy you could only find on a television sitcom.
My course was a devious plot from the start. I had been informed that my open water scenarios would be held a day later. So i was pretty much not thinking about it while enjoying my 2 fun dives. Well, that is abit of a stretch. My first fun dive left me scratched from trying to do a walrus beach assault speciality(that is a whole different story) So i was taken by surprise when someone while snorkelling suddenly shouted he had a cramp and was struggling. It didn’t strike me yet that it was a test so i responded as the training instructed. Stop Breathe Act. I didn’t jump into the water straightaway as what i would have done. I looked around the boat and found a life buoy with rope attached and swung it out. Sure after that i had to swim in and rescue a “panicked” snorkeller. The devious part was that the instructor didn’t wait for me to heal up from my scratched incident at the rocks. He cunningly used that as a stress test and threw me into the fire. It was a good thing i was pretty ready.
The fun didn’t end after that, there were 2 more scenarios thrown in before we headed back to the jetty. Heck, while at the jetty there was a YET another incident. This time in full view of spectators waiting for the next ferry. So there was panicked shouting from the stands as an added realism bonus. After a successful save there was even applause. The final scenario was held the next day. I have to say that it wasn’t as easy. The only way you can ever be 100% prepared to handle an emergency is to train for it every single day. But when scuba diving is concerned there is no such thing as 100% sure. There will be some elements to shake things up abit. I remembered what a Divemaster on the boat told me while i was preparing to go out and make a save. ” Don’t worry about doing all the right things. Doing a save half prepared is better than NOT doing a save at all”
I am glad i went through the course. It has taught me a valuable lesson in keeping my head together and not panicking. It also allowed me to see my first shark ever. Now THAT IS SERIOUS FUN!
AOWD
That would be Advanced Open Water Diver to all those who aren’t initiated. What is the major difference between a OWD and AOWD you ask? I shall give you the simple answer. You get to go deeper. Almost twice as deep. As an OWD your maximum diving depth is 18 meters. As a AOWD you get to go down to 30 meters.
The thrill of going deeper to explore the deep blue is something that can’t be explained. Well it can be explained, there are many blogs and magazines that could wax lyrical at what it means to go deep. But i would place a bet that writing how it felt and actually being there is a world of difference. Anyways here’s how our AOWD class went.
We got certified as OWD students right there on the boat. The instructor then explained the next dive would be our first as AOWD dive. We dove in and learnt about PPB (Peak Performance Buoyancy) then we went on to do Boat Diving (that basically means diving off a boat) and then we went on to a rather thrilling Night Dive. If you have swam in the open ocean at night then you are about 1/10th of the way of getting how it feels. Try swimming in the dark about 15 meters below. With a torch to light your way you are mesmerized by the life around you, jelly fish that glow and seduce you, fishes you have never seen, the trance like movement of the soft corals. Just when you thought you would be swimming in the dark, you are taken by surprise at the amount of things you can see.
The next day we did the last two dives that would qualify us as AOWD. Navigation and Deep. The former was pretty straight forward, you needed to know how to use a compass and learn how to find your way around the ocean. The Deep. What can i say. It was probably the best dive ever. When you see your depth gauge point at 30, you have a moment where you disbelieve it. Then you take it in your stride and start exploring the varied and very beautiful sights that surround you. Trust me getting the AOWD is a must for any OWD. It just opens you up to so many diving areas around Andamans and around the world.
So, what are you waiting for? join us at PSI to get your OWD. Courses are running at full steam. Get started. Get diving right at your doorstep.
Zero to Advance
How long does it take to go from a non diver to a PADI-Advanced Open Water Diver? All it takes is 5 Days. WHAT?? NO WAY!! IMPOSSIBLE? It’s true. just 5 days.
It begins with 2 days of classroom lessons and pool sessions. Then take a 3 days relaxing trip to the Andamans and completing 9 dives and getting qualified as an Advanced Open Water Diver. Sure you can take the same time do a even more relaxing holiday and get qualified as an PADI-Open Water Diver. But this is me we are talking about. We got to go the whole way or no way.
But i will tell you this, it was a beautiful experience. The classroom sessions give you a feel of what to expect. I shall be honest and say some parts of it were dry but hey all classroom lessons are generally on the dry side. The pool sessions however were good. You get to learn the basic skills in a safe and conducive environment. It puts you at ease and gets you acquainted with the equipment that you will use in the open waters. Also its the best excuse to cool yourself off in this summer heat.
PADI-Open Water Diver: The first 2 days in the island was spent getting certified as a OWD ( we use short forms from here on cos, for one thing it sounds cooler. 2ndly i can’t be bothered to type out the whole thing) The first time you are on the boat and putting on your gear, there is a fleeting moment in the back of your head which says ” am i doing the right thing?” that fleeting moment soon disappears when you roll backwards from the boat to the water and is replaced with a siren that goes ” HOLY *#*$&# what the hell is happening” But when you surface and are lazily floating, you realise this IS the life.
You begin the first couple of lessons learning to breathe normally and adjust to your surroundings. You start to feel comfortable in the water. It feels as if you are back home. You gain more confidence moving around. You start to enjoy yourself. Then it hits you. You are breathing underwater. It seems like almost 2nd nature to you. You see the corals and the fishes. This seems like the most natural thing to do. The OWD course teaches you to move underwater, performing tasks that you need to learn. Like defogging your mask (we are waiting for them to create mini internal windshield wipers) learning how to be buoyant so that you don’t crash land on top of aquatic life. You learn and enjoy yourself at the same time. It does not get better than this.
AOWD(Advanced Open Water Diver) shall be continued in my next installment. But first i shall leave you with some pictures.
Exploring the Exciting & Exotic
Planet Scuba India is taking you to India’s very own beautiful and exotic Andamans for the next Big Dive Trip!! Join the growing army of Scuba Divers of the Bangalore Dive Club for this unforgettable tour! Get your friends and family along. Its a deal you cannot afford to miss!!
Training before Trip!!
What’s more, this deal gives you more than just a dive trip. We have arranged training programs that fit right in so if you or your friends cannot dive, learn before you go to the Andamans. Once you are there, plunge right into the sea. As a special arrangement, our instructor, David Perry, has arranged one PADI Open Water Diver certification program (3 days, 3 hours a day and one day in the Pool or as you fix up with the instructor) and, during the trip, an Advanced Open Water Diver Course. It can’t get better than this. REGISTER NOW! Just call us and we will register you.
Andamans’ Havelock Island is a beautiful place to dive at this time of the year.
Trip Schedule (17th March 2009 Night to 22nd March 2009)
The schedule for our Dive Trip to Andaman, Havelock Island is as follows:
Tuesday 17th March 2009
·8 pm meet and board the Sleeper Coach or Private Bus
heading to Chennai(coach / flight depending on popular demand)
Wednesday 18th March 2009
·5.50am departure from Chennai and arrive at Portblair
around 7.55 am.
·8am Breakfast and leave to jetty
·2.00 p.m. boat loaded and ready to set sail
·5.00 p.m. reach Havelock Island, check the conditions and
choose fabulous dive sites and take rest and get ready to dive next day.
Thursday 19th march 2009
·8.00 am. Breakfast and get ready to dive
·10:15 – 11:15 Dive deep into the Blue and feel the stress
of city life fade away
·11:15 – 12 Sit back on the boat while our competent staff
switch tanks and prepare your gear for the next dive. Feel free to swap
exaggerated tales of the first dive and what you saw (we all know it looks
bigger under water)
·12 – 1 Suck or sit back on your second tank on us, that’s
up to you but we will ensure that you are given every opportunity to enjoy
another dive site
·2.00pm get ready for 3rd dive and later head back to the
resort for a late lunch and chill out for the evening
·7:30pm early dinner, stories of the deep, great company
that you will find it hard to pull yourself away to get a good night’s sleep
and charge up for the next day
Friday 20th March 2009
·7am breakfast and ready to leave by 8
·8:30am on the boat and following the same routine as
yesterday
Saturday 21st March 2009
·7am breakfast and ready to leave by 8
·8:30am on the boat and following the same
routine as yesterday and head back to Portblair with another 3 dive
day racked up in your log book
Sunday 22nd March 2009
·7.00 a.m. all packed up, checked out and ready to head back
to Chennai and then back to the grind at home in Bangalore