Pipeline Surf Point

Don’t let sight restrictions prevent you from enjoying the wonderful sea life on your next scuba dive or snorkeling experience. Make sure you take advantage of every way possible to increase your field of vision.

Many of us suffer from nearsightedness (trouble seeing things at a distance) or farsightedness (trouble seeing things up close). In everyday life people deal with these problems by wearing some kind of corrective lenses like glasses or contacts. Another way that is becoming increasingly popular is laser surgery on the eye that restores good vision without any future dependency on corrective lenses. This procedure can cost many thousands of dollars and most insurance companies don’t cover this type of surgery.

Seeing underwater is a different story. Contact lenses can be worn when scuba diving because the mask provides an air pocket between your eyes and the water. The most common and economical contacts are disposable soft lenses. These are the best to use when scuba diving or snorkeling because if your mask gets knocked off or floods for any reason it’s not costly to replace any lost lenses. Some contact wearers keep a spare set with their scuba gear in the scuba mask case.

A very important part of your scuba diving equipment is the mask. It helps provide a clear range of vision for the diver. Many scuba diving masks can be purchased with corrective lenses prescribed for that persons needs. Check with your optometrist once a year to get the prescription you require. Generally the optical lenses are available in a wide range from -1.0 to -8.5 (for nearsighted) and +1.0 to +4.0 (for farsighted). The lenses can be made of either plastic or glass. Keep this in mind when you look for a suitable scuba diving mask.

You Should See What You’re Missing

One of the most satisfying feelings of scuba diving is observing marine life in its natural surroundings. Don’t cut corners when it comes to your scuba gear; get what is most conforming to your needs.

Let’s face it, the time you have underwater is precious and limited. Don’t be inconvenienced and waste valuable time fixing problems with a scuba mask on your next scuba dive or snorkeling experience. It can also be embarrassing if you hold up the entire diving group or miss the dive altogether because of faulty scuba gear.

There’s a lot more to consider when investing in a scuba diving mask than you might think. Everyone has a unique face and head shape. It’s important that the mask conform to your face and create a water tight seal. A mask that doesn’t seal properly can be very frustrating and limit the enjoyment on your trip.

Here is a good way to test for a suitable fit. Take the mask and put it on your face (the way it will be when diving) without the strap used to hold it. Inhale slowly and the mask should stay put. If inhaling harder is required or the mask falls off, most likely this isn’t a good fit. The goal is to restrict the amount of water seeping into the scuba mask to as little as possible.

Comfort is also important when it comes to scuba gear. Be sure the silicone strap fits nicely around your head and doesn’t pull your hair. Adjustments of the strap can be made on both sides of the mask to achieve the best comfort while diving.

Another option to consider is the type of lenses in the mask. Two basic choices are the side-view lenses or the flat regular type. Side-view lenses can improve your field of vision.  If you wear glasses a good idea is getting a mask with optical lenses prescribed to your needs.

Try to prevent a difficult and possibly dangerous situation before it happens. When purchasing scuba equipment or snorkeling gear, do your homework and get what is necessary to meet your recreational requirements.

Koh Krok:
The Western face and the Southern point of the island are where the corals are. The corals start on the sand at 15m and extend right up to near the surface. An excellent site for a drift dive as the prevailing currents run parallel to the island. Large “bommies” are a feature of this site; Staghorn, brain,Mushroom and table corals are in abundance. Neptunes,  Barrel  and blue sponge are amongst the soft corals found here. Bushy Antipatharian corals can be found at the deeper sections.

The southern point is home to a few turtles and Pufferfish, Parrotfish, “Half and Half” Wrasse and Six banded Wrasses are plentiful . One section of the West face has an area covered with giant sea anemones along with the usual Anemone and Clownfish. Schools of small Barracuda, Jacks and Tangs can be seen at the North point. There are a few small caves at the southwest end allowing entry only at high tide.

The area is great for snorkeling, in particular the southern point. Another benefit for divers and snorkellers, is that there is little or no surface traffic of speedboats and jetski’s.

Koh Larn:
The left of the bay there is a breakwater of large boulders. Along the seaward side of this breakwater the area is good for snorkeling and diving, although the diving is very shallow. As you continue South West towards the head, the corals get progressively deeper, extending down to about 15 meters. At this point you round the head and come upon an area of short gullies with rock walls about 3m high. The sandy bottom offsets the walls and the corals very well. The marine life is plentiful and good and the area is home to a few Turtles and numerous Grey Nurse Sharks.

Still with the same area, set off to the North East from the bay towards the cliff face on the island. The diver will find an area with flat sandy bottom and many large coral heads and groupings, Here you will find numerous Giant Sea Anemones with their inhabitants as well as a variety of Elephant Ear Anemones and the Black and White Clown Fish. Many divers may have seen these clown fish and observed their habit of disappearing into the mouth of the anemone as the divers approach. These fish make very good photographic subjects.

A point to note around these islands is the large number of fishing boats that operate with their nets very close to the reefs. It is a pity that the authorities cannot control the practice of netting so close to these islands as they are visited daily by thousands of visitors hoping to view the excellent corals and the myriad of fish.

Koh Sac:
Koh Sac is a small almost kidney shaped island lying just to the North of Koh Larn. It is very popular with the large numbers of Asian tourists that come to Pattaya, and the waters can be very busy particularly in the mornings. From midday onwards the tourists tend to depart, leaving the divers and snorkelers to enjoy the beautiful bay and plentiful corals. This bay is well protected from the prevailing winds for most of the year and the water is calm and clear.

Please see my article “Scuba Diving Pattaya’s Koh Sac Island” for greater  detail.

For further information please visit Adventure Divers Pattaya at www.pattayadivers.com

Phoenix, AZ. The Academy of Scuba today announced that it has officially opened a training facility in Phoenix Arizona.  The Academy of Scuba’s new facility is located (North Central) off Happy Valley Road and 20th Avenue.  The Training Facility’s address is 2060 W. Whispering Wind Drive, Suite 264, Phoenix AZ 85085.

The Academy of Scuba’s Training Facility is unlike most Scuba shops.  The focus is solely on training and the facility caters to unparallel classroom training and the administrative offices support our dive staff to ensure timely certification and materials delivery.  The Academy of Scuba uses state of the art technology including eLearning, digital displays, the latest training multimedia, surround sound and GoToMeeting™ to assist in its training.

The new training facility will support the Academy of Scuba’s Complete Diver Program™.  The Complete Diver Program is the most comprehensive training program in the Scuba industry.  For $360, participants can get certified in Advanced and Rescue Courses, over 40 different specialties and attend a series of workshops and clinics to help them become great recreational divers.  These programs are offered in conjunction with SDI/TDI, PADI, NAUI, Divers Alert Network, Emergency First Response, and SeaSigns programs.  For more information on the Complete Diver Program go to http://www.completediver.com

The Academy of Scuba is preparing a second half calendar filled with Recreational, Technical, Professional, Wreck, Rebreather, and Cavern/Cave classes.  Furthermore, the Academy of Scuba will have a series of Science Diver programs as a part of its commitment to environmental awareness and educate divers on potential hazards to marine life and the places we love to dive!

About The Academy of Scuba™

The Academy of Scuba is an SDI/TDI Dive Training Facility, a DAN Training Center/Business Member and a SeaSigns Instructor Development Center. The Academy of Scuba is an industry innovator for developing, marketing, implementing and reinforcing advanced level Scuba diver training programs. The Academy of Scuba focuses on training with an emphasis to create “great divers”.  The sole purpose of the Academy of Scuba is to not just put people in the water, but to keep people in the water. The Academy of Scuba assists divers in increasing enjoyment, adventure and safety through better education and more frequent dive experience.

http://www.academyofscuba.com

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With the recent shark bite in the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico off Sanibel Island comes the usual media blitz about the dangers lurking in the waters.

But let’s put this recent nip in perspective.

In the period between 1882 and 2007, there were a documented 5 unprovoked shark attacks in the WHOLE of Lee County (the county where Sanibel Island is located). And regarding attacks leading to mortal wounds, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, 4,406 people drowned in America during 1998. That’s about 550 times as many deaths as caused by sharks in an average year.

OK, sharks exist, and once in a great while, one takes a human sample (and more often than not the shark is just looking to see what species the human is before attacking: thankfully most of them are none too keen on the way we taste).

Five bites in all of Lee County in 125 years is hardly worth panicking over. But if you are the panicking type, here are some suggestions for making your Gulf visits as safe as possible: 1. Always swim in a group. Sharks most often attack lone individuals. 2. Don’t wander too far from shore. Doing so isolates you and places you away from assistance. 3. Avoid the water at night, dawn, or dusk. Many sharks are most active at these times and are better able to find you than you are to see them. 4. Don’t enter the water if bleeding. Sharks can smell and taste blood, and trace it back to its source. 5. Don’t wear shiny jewelry which does attract sharks.

But the reality is that it is unlikely that you will ever sight a shark on Sanibel much less be approached by one. And if you are approached, stay. Erratic movements will just make the shark curious as to whether you are edible. So be calm in your movements.

All that said, the risk of a shark bite is infinitely smaller than other “dangers” on this beautiful, tropical island. And these can be easily avoided.

Sunburn, heat exhaustion, and sunstroke are much more prevalent than are sharks. So, wear sunscreens, hats, foot protection, sunglasses and extra clothing. Rent an umbrella or sit in the shade as much as possible. Drink plenty of water. Any time you visit  the beach, bag up and bring all these items and a first-aid kit down to the beach with you. A day at the beach – or an entire family vacation – can be easily ruined for each and all by bad sunburns, headaches, sunlight sensitivities, heat exhaustion or worse.

Equally prevalent is the lightning storm that can generally be spotted well in advance. Florida is the lightning capital of the USA, but not the world, the international title held by Africa. Lightning storms ares a serious risk for those at the beach. When you see the skies darkening, leave the beach and head home. Why take the risk to see if it will blow by as it often does?

The joys of a Sanibel Island vacation outnumber 1000 to 1 the dangers. And the dangers are largely preventable. So shouldn’t you be thinking of making plans to visit paradise now?