Diving in Turkey

Last but not least, scuba diving in Turkey is an amazing experience. On the Western coastal side, you get to swim and explore many coves, bays, caves, ancient wrecks and see the wild life in front view. Fethiye, a small town near Antalya and Bodrum, is known to have really fun scuba diving spots. There, diving companies offer opportunities to see caves, islands, and marine reefs to explore. Other available scuba diving spots are Bodrum, Marmaris, Alanya, Kas, and Gallipoli. These other areas offer a variety of wreckages and caves to explore, which can bring your scuba diving experience to another level. If its affordable to come to Europe to see these amazing spots, please dont hesitate, enjoy!

Fun and Adventure... AT NIGHT!

So you say that you can't afford to go to these far away places and enjoy diving there, but you want more excitement than just regular beach diving?

That's excellent, for I agree with you. This is why I preferr to do night diving. It is just so peaceful and adventurous. Anything and everything can happen at night. There have been dives I have gone on at night where the water is so clear that I can actually turn off my light. There have also been those that I just keep asking myself, "why did I ever go on this dive?"

However, if you want to go diving at night you need a good light, so look up the link and check them out. UK is one of the best dive light companies around.

Islands of Greece

First off, are the islands off the country Greece... what you will see there is interesting sealife, volcanic cliffs, with waters that are clear so you can see many feet below. Awesome places to see...On the southern coast of Crete in a village called Chora Sfakion, you can find a company, Notos Mare, that serves as a diving operation for tourists and scientists alike. They offer many local trips for explorations for a small fee.

Beauty of the Mediterranean Sea

Nothing can match the beauty of diving spots of the Caribbean Sea in the West. Cozumel and Barbados, are examples of great places that I have never been to but I am sure they are amazing to dive in.
Now the next spot I would advise you to go to are several islands in Europe along the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, of course this would require you to fly to Europe to see these beautiful diving spots. You can use your study abroad or just go on a giant European trip as an excuse to see these islands and to dive in and explore. This sea ranges from Israel all the way to the Gibraltar, below Portugal, hence your Euro trip. It is known to have many beautiful islands and locations set right next to the sea, named to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

Some of these islands are mainly off the coast of Turkey and Greece. There are also many spots off the coast of France and Italy. There are soo many things to dive and explore in the Mediterranean Sea. So we will go from island to island and explain what you can see there...

Barbados, THE LAND OF PIRATES!!!

Now, the next place that I went outside the USa was Barbados. This island is also located in the Caribbean. This island is full of wreck from ships throughout the centuries that it has been there. The reefs on this island are less protected and therefore are free for plandering. The group that I went with were determined to find bottles off the reefs. Now, when I say bottle I don't mean Coke bottles, I mean old old bottles. I myself found a torpedo bottle (similar to the one above) that was at least 120 years old.

All in all this island was a virtual paradise that allowed for some old time pirate excite for plundering in the ocean.

Outside the USA...

Where to go diving outside the USA?

I personally have only been to two different places outside the USA. First let me induldge you with some tales of Cozumel, Mexico, which lies in the Carribbean. The water is clear and the fish are vibrant. The reefs are protected here so there is no touching anything whatsoever. Most of the diving here is what they call drift diving. All that this means is that you jump in the water and the current is so strong that you sit back and just let it take you. Luckily for us when you go you tend to be dropped off by a boat and then picked up, so you don't have to work back agains the current.

Where to go, where to go...?

So, now you are a certified diver...where do you continue to go diving?
The main answer is Laguna Beach. Beach diving is free, well except for the air fill and the drive down there, but it is definitely cheaper than paying to go on a boat. Laguna offeres a variety of different beaches from Cresent Bay, a more open beach, to Shaw's Cove, a more secluded protected cove in the beach. Some of the coves require paid parking, but all offer something different, so go on and dive the all.

NAUI or...

So some people have been asking me which organization should they go to for certification? Now, in the old days the main two organizations were more equal as far as their requirements and their criteria, but not this is not so. NAUI is the organization that I have my certification through and they are by far the best organization out there. They try to teach you to rely on your skills not on your equipment. PADI is the main rival to NAUI, but with the certifying of a dog without attending a single class this organization has been brought under scrutiny. PADI, or as I say old school PADI is great, but not modern PADI. PADI tends to make the divers rely on their higher priced equipment instead of their better skills.

So if you want to get certified I would tend to go through NAUI.

Equipment: Regulators (I LIKE SHERWOOD)

Regulators! What does it regulate? What is it for?

These are all good questions! A regulator is the piece of equiptment that attaches to your tank and that you breath out of. There are two different parts to this regulator, reg for short, called stages. The first stage attaches to your tank via a screw called a yoke. From here the first stage decreases the pressure from inside your tank, which if it is an aluminum tank is 3,000PSI and if it is a low pressure steel tank is 2,250PSI. The first stage regulates or reduces this pressure down to a more reasonable pressure that the line is tested for. Then the air is sent down the line to the second stage, the part that you breath out of. Now there are two different second stages attatched to your first stage. The main is normally your best second stage, but to be on the safe side you need a second one called an octopus. This second stage is where the pressure surging down the line is reduced to pressure less than about 20PSI, so that you can breath it and not blow your lungs out.

The regulator that I use and love is a Sherwood Maximus. I know and love this regulator. The octupus that I use is a Tusa Duo Air, which is both an octopus and a BC inflator.

Intro to SCUBA

What is SCUBA? I mean what does the word S.C.U.B.A. mean? It means Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. From this a person can realize that the diver is going to be underwater and contained by himself/herself and not reliant on another for their air source. SCUBA is definitely among some of the most awesome adventures left on this planet, for you know that you are now venturing into the last frontier no fully explored on this planet.