Helpful Diving Info
Do I Need to Know How To Swim to Scuba Dive?
This is a question that I often get asked, and really it is not as simple as YES or NO. Here is some explanations and reasons why.
If you want to become a certified scuba diver by doing the PADI Open Water Diver Course, the answer is yes. In the PADI Open Water Diver Course it is specified that you have to be able to swim continuously for 200 metres. This can be with any stroke however it does need to be continuous without stopping. There is alternate option and that is you do a 300 metre mask, fin and snorkel swim. Some do find this easier to the 200 swim.
You also have to be able to tread water or float for at least 10 minut [...]
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Helpful Diving Info
The Best Phuket Diving Season
Scuba diving is an activity that can be enjoyed all year round in Phuket, Thailand. With Phuket's warm waters, diverse marine life, and stunning underwater scenery, this tropical paradise offers a unique diving experience to divers of all levels. However, there are some seasons that stand out as the best times to go diving in Phuket. In this blog post, we will discuss the best season for scuba diving in Phuket.
The high season for diving in Phuket is from November to April, with late December being one of the busiest periods for tourism & scuba diving in Phuket. During these months, the sea is calmer and clearer, offering excellent vis [...]
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Diving Health
Medical Fitness for Scuba Diving
For all of those that have started a PADI scuba diving course you will be familiar with Medical Fitness for Scuba Diving form. For those about to start a course it will generally be the first piece of paperwork you see.
The purpose of establishing fitness to dive is to reduce risk of a range of diving related medical conditions associated with known or suspected pre-existing conditions. This has no reference to their diving skills.
Scuba diving does involve some risk and pre-sexisting medical conditions can make the risk of a fatality while diving much higher. As a result, the regulations, requirements and medical standards relatin [...]
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Everything Else
Scuba Diving Phuket – Recovery After the Pandemic
The Phuket scuba diving industry took a pretty big hit during the COVID pandemic. Phuket was isolated from the outside world for almost 18 months. During the period there were times when there was no scuba diving in Phuket at all. Even our local beach dives at Kata Beach were banned for an amount of time.
The Phuket scuba diving industry is heavily reliant on international visitors and some businesses are almost 99% dependent on international divers.
It was a very tough time for scuba diving in Phuket. A lot of scuba diving instructors returned to their native countries and employment within the scuba diving was slashed. The pand [...]
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News & Special Offers
Killer Whale Spotted Off Patong
The Phuket Post reported that an Orca (Killer Whale) has been spotted off Freedom Beach, Patong on the 8th January 2016.
Freedom Beach is is situated near Tri Trang Beach on the southern edge of Patong Bay Phuket.
The Phuket Post wrote;
The Orca or Killer Whales can be found in all oceans, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups which are the most stable of any animal species, but there is only one single Orca seen in the picture.
Suchart Ratthanareungsi, Director of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) said, [...]
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Everything Else
Why does my scuba mask fog up?
Fogging scuba or snorkeling masks have been a scuba diving issue since scuba diving first started.A foggy mask can ruin a dive. Here we will try and work out why does our scuba masks fog up?
The basic principle on why a mask fogs is a simple one. In the simplest term, temperature inside the mask is greater than the outside of the mask. The temperature difference occurs because our body temperature inside (skin, forehead, breathing) is around 37 degrees Celsius or 98 degrees Fahrenheit and the water on the outside of the mask is less than the water temperature.
Very basically, the temperature difference causes condensation (assiste [...]
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Courses
Learn to Scuba Dive – Understand Your Options
There are a number of different options for those who want to learn to scuba dive. Here they are for you to help you understand.
For some people scuba diving for the first time is a very scary or intimidating experience. It is important to have an experienced and understanding instructor for your first underwater encounter.
If this is your first time underwater you are in for a real adventure. You are about to experience a new world, everything changes, you are light, agile and free like you have never experienced before. Once you have tried it you will never be the same
If you have never been scuba diving before and you want to [...]
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Everything Else
What I look for when Employing a Scuba Diving Instructor
Here are some tips about what I, the boss looks for when I am employing a scuba diving instructor.
Being a PADI Scuba Diving instructor is one of the best jobs in the world. Given that PADI has dive centres in 186 countries around the globe, this could give a dive instructor the opportunity to travel and work. I don’t think there is a dive instructor out there that does not dream of working their way around the world and diving in exotic locations.
However, with over 170,000 PADI Pros already out there and 1,000’s of new divemasters and instructors coming through each year, only the best will be able to fulfill the dream. [...]
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Helpful Diving Info
Common Mistakes Newly Certified Divers Make
As a newly certified diver, everything is new & exciting. The PADI Open Water course does a great job of teaching you the safety aspects of diving and get you comfortable in the water. However, as a new diver, you will most likely make some rookie mistakes. Diving should be a fun and enjoyable experience so try and avoid these common mistakes that newly certified divers make.
Slow down! If you are a newly certified diver there is no need to try and keep up with that old salty sea dog on the boat who has 1,000’s of dives. Take your time gearing up and remember to do each step of your pre-dive and buddy checks. Once in the wate [...]
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