No reason to start this thread than out of interest how many STW'ers also Scuba Dive?
I started about 18 months ago, now completed nearly 60 dives and qualified to BSAC sports diver level. Off to Red Sea for the first time in 3 weeks on a liveaboard and cant 'kin wait!
Me, lapsed a bit but primarily a UK loving shore diver at PADI Advanced level. Daughter is doing her OW next year so looking forward to a bit more bubble making action in 2014
PADI advanced and deep water, love it but get skunked to often in this country. Best diving experience was Poor Knights in NZ and night dives around Goat Island
Occasional here - currently maybe one trip a year as a nice alternative to a riding trip. PADI AOW and 83 dives now having just got back from a week on a liveaboard from Hurghada clocking up another 20
I am kind of tempted to try and sneak in some UK diving next year though - I've done no UK diving to date other than on PADI courses.
I was a BSAC Sports diver too (still am I guess) but haven't dived for about 7 yrs. miss it like crazy but simply don't have the time or funds spare now with the kids. Not done much abroad, did a few dives off the Barrier Reef on honeymoon, but only uk diving. I was working up my depth diving in preparation of diving Scapa Flow before hanging up me fins. Enjoy the Red Sea. My dad's been a few times and loves it.
Haven't got any dives in this year but still class myself as a diver. PADI Rescue with coming up to 100 dives, most of them in the UK.
PADI Openwater here, not managed to get a diving holiday in for a year or so tho 🙁 Its been Snowboarding and Biking holidays instead.
You'll love the red sea its great, i've done a few holidays out there and loved the diving. Used my first time to Egypt to get my PADI.
PADI rescue, mostly in the UK but not been out for a very long time, it just became very hard work and the local club was a bit cack.
Looking to take the PADI course next year in Egypt, always wanted to do it just never had the funds.
No... I've tried numerous times as my dad is a Open circuit/eantd/nitrox/trimix/rebreather instructor and has been dying to get me into it for the last 20 years, I just don't like it.
anyway here is my Dad.
[img][url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/11295636265_5a4e3a3a94.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/66541880@N03/11295636265/ ]dad[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/66541880@N03/ ]passtherizla[/url], on Flickr[/img]
PADI ow but not dived in a few years, only done around 20 split over a few hols, not been on holiday in the last 5 years though!
lapsed diver me - RD with advNitrox from BSAC and used to dive UK, some of the best diving I did was in Norway which was no colder than here but superb viz and some stunning sealive
and lapsed freediver too- used to do that in the UK as well, in Dorothea quarry in a wetsuit... one of my ears didn't clear so I wasn't good at depth but my pool disciplines were decent, 5min20s static and some decent DYN too
suffice to say I don't worry about the cold on the bike
Not dived in nearly 4 years since Mrs TT is my dive buddy and our daughter was born, so pretty hard to fit in as well as our move overseas! I'm a BSAC / PADI bastard and she is a PADI Master Diver. UK diving was interesting in a 'drysuit restriction' kinda way. We both loved the diving in Dahab on the Red Sea - some great shore dives there as well as boat stuff, quiter than Sharm as well. Coldest dive was 2 deg C water and sub-zero air temps (Gildy if anyone knows it - and it was clear!) and a frozen reg experience, warmest were her 100+ dives when she lived in Guam 😥
Like many above I haven't dived for a few years. A couple of hundred dives, qualified as PADI Rescue Diver. A bit of UK diving but mainly overseas: Red Sea, Cyprus, Gozo, Thailand, Philippines, Maldives. For a few years all our holidays were diving based, but then the kids came along and meant holiday focus has changed a bit. Oldest son is now 8, and is doing a PADI Seal Team course at the weekend, which was his birthday present. he is desperate to go diving - which I am pleased about. Hopefully dive trips will restart in a year or two.
PADI OW here too. Not dived for several years until last May when I went out in. Cuba & took Nobby Jr on his first dive. He loved it, just a shame the weather closed in for the last couple of days.
On the up side, I now have a potential dive buddy rather than a reason not to go. 🙂
PADI AOW here. Mainly dived in the Red Sea and a few dives in the Caribbean. We used to go to the Red Sea a few times a year pre having kids. I've never dived in the UK but would like to give it a go sometime. You'll love the liveaboard for sure!
Edhornby who did you do your stuff in Norway with?
Wow! Loads more divers on here than I thought!
PADI Advanced OW with some deep, wreck and drift dives under my belt. Think I've got about 20 logged.
Learnt while working in the Caribbean ten years ago.
Not dived in ten years.
Coincidence? Possibly... 🙂
PADI AOW/ BSAC SD
Did AOW in Malta, inclding one of those deliberatly sunk tug boats - very good. best dive ever though was [url= http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159466/wreck_tour_12_the_port_napier.html ]HMS Port Napier [/url]off Skye -excellent dive and and bags of scallops. And a great storu behind the wereck Or one dive in the Forth off Kirkcaldy when some seals decided to come and play with us.
PADI AOW. Did it in Australia 11 years ago. Have not dived since but would love to dive at Scapa Flow.
If you ever do Scapa Flow, try and make a point of going on the block ships. I never fancied the German ships - too deep for me, but had a chance of going on a block ship (sunk to try and stop the germans getting between the islands to the east of the Flow) - brilliant - shallow, excellent vis, plenty wildlife.
By the power of gopro...
#prouddad
I was (still am) a SSAC Sport Diver. Did 400 odd dives but started to get lots of sinus problems (and not enough time) so jacked it in and bought a MTB. I do miss it and I've explored a hell of a lot of Scotland with it. I probably prefer MTB as I can go out on my lonesome haha.
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That's me getting sorted into underwater Hogwarts.
I think the water is that colour because of its proximity to Faslane...
PADI Rescue but haven't dived since about 4 yrs ago when i discovered riding a bike in the hills :roll:. Almost exclusively a warm-water diver as have done the majority of it in SE Asia although also experienced the Poor Knights which was chilly but great... Considered doing DM but the lure of riding in the hills/mountains every holiday i get put paid to that. Enjoyed my diving but enjoy riding more!
@tootall Gildy?....... Errrrrm yeah.
I learnt when I lived in the Far East, PADI Dive Master and BSAC Dive Leader. Got ~500 odd dives though none for a few years now. Loads done in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia oh and that diving paradise that is HK, 🙂 Gildy was a bit, errrr, shit for me after that. 200 Longueville Commons and a dead bus doesn't cut it after Jap 2nd World War wrecks at 50m in gin clear 20°c water.
Just to help OP get excited about the Red Sea, some snaps from the trip I got back from at the weekend:
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/11299251386_4abe3df5ab.jp g" target="_blank">
by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/garyhill/ ]Gary Hill[/url], on Flickr
PADI Advanced here, usually manage 4-5 dives in summer - living in Spain means most summers we make it to the beach... Best dive so far was off L'Estartit on the Costa Brava, wasn't actually in the nature reserve at Illes Medes but close.
BSAC Sport Diver. (From 1985!)
Never bothered with any other sport quals.
Mainly UK diving, NE coast, Farnes, Eyemouth, St Abbs etc.
Did Scapa a couple of times. As above, recommend the block ships as well the German wrecks. The Koln is a must do if you go to Orkney though.
I've done a bit of warm water stuff, Bermuda, Dutch Antilles and a little in the med. Tonga was probably my favorite overseas one though.
I went for a couple of solo UK shore dives in the summer, pottering about in 8m of water, in a little bay where I learnt to dive and snorkel as a kid. Still enjoy it but to do it properly takes all of your spare time and doesn't leave time for anything else.
I'm an ex diver. Started in 87, went through BSAC to Advanced Diver/Instructor then got all tekky and ended up doing mixed gas closed circuit rebreathers. Then in 2007 it all went a bit wrong (at 4m!) and I ended up getting CPR so decided I'd done enough by then end opted out. Did a few trips - Scapa, Malin Head, Norway, Red Sea, Med, Socorro area (off Mexico), Galapagos, Truk, Palau, Yap, Bikini but still felt a good day in the UK could match all of them. Was able to dive the Hampshire, Formidable and Leopoldville before they became off limits - all really moving dives and bring home the sacrifice and history they embody.
it all went a bit wrong (at 4m!)
YBOD by any chance?
Never liked the look of those Buddy re-breathers, just didn't seem very well engineered.
I considered (for about 10 secs!) getting one of the [url= http://www.ouroboros.technologyindepth.com/rebreather.htm ]VR technology rebreathers[/url]
@thepureist - ever been to Grenada? Your story is very similar to a guy I met while working over there.
@winston - no, KISS. It was unexplained at the time but all the armchair experts jumped on hypoxia as a cause. I'm now pretty sure it was a migraine - I'd never had one before and only had one since, but that left me curled up in a sweaty twitching mess panting for breath.
@pj - nope, not me guv!
Been diving for nearly 20 years but only ever in warm water so pretty infrequent. 5 liveaboard trips mean the dive logs got 200 or so dives in though.
Australia, Thailand, Turkey(!), Vietnam, Kenya, Mexico, Belize, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Northern and Southern Red Sea (that was a great 10 day liveaboard trip), Borneo, Sumatra, Bali, Gili Islands, Madagascar.
It's been a couple of years since the last trip. Getting itchy....
Future thoughts about Philippines, the further reaches of Indonesia, Pulao. Would be great to get back to the Maldives as well but seems to have got massively more expensive for liveaboards since we did most of ours. It was 14 years ago but we did liveaboard for £100 a day in the Maldives back then which was a bargain for the diving alone.
Where else should we be looking at? I always try to mix it up rather than just go to dive. A week of diving plus a week or two of walking/sightseeing.
PADI advanced and rescue diver, only really scuba dive when on holiday these days. Although I do spearfish around the Dorset coastline during summer, which is quite addictive...........
We always worry far more about the old man when he's diving closed circuit... he always has a back out plan and if the dive is shotted will leave equipment a deco stops but if he's re-breather diving its often silly deep too... bloody scary. I will quite happily dangle off a bit of string a 1000 feet above the ground but water is frightening.
I was a marine biologist in a previous life, so plenty of diving around that.
Best dives were the Poor Knights in NZ and with Bull Sharks followed by a slow ascent up through a wreck festooned with morays in Cuba.
Ace. Don't do much since I moved to the UK though.
I think my favourite dive was a wreck called Shakem which, at the time, was only a few years old. Lots of penetration (penetrating an old boat?) and loads of wildlife, not to mention loads of interesting stuff in the boat itself. Apparently the locals were freediving it as it went down and pinching things off her.
http://grenadagrenadines.com/explore/scuba-diving/dive-sites/shakem-wreck/#.Uqb6kpGpe2Q
Otherwise diving with nurse sharks on the Atlantic side of Grenada was amazing - they hunkered down to get some kip in a rock reef that looked like granite swiss cheese and the current kept their gills open. The current also allowed divers to drift over like aquanauts and actually stroke them while sleeping. Quite amazing, and beautiful, beautiful creatures - watching them swim made you realise how damned powerful and designed for purpose even the small ones were.
Learnt in the 90's and did a lot of diving in and around the Solent, which has a number of good wreck dives, upto about 8 years ago (Nitrox, AOW Padi). Vis was often carp though, with not much more than arms reach. Sometimes dived with friends on their RIBs and sometimes with a local setups. Some of the Subs and tankers around the south coast are fantastic on a good day. I got fed up eventually with having to book months in advance (they sold out quickly) and then when the day came, it was too windy to sail.
Dived whenever I have gone abroad to warmer seas. Last diving was done in Menorca 3.5 years ago. Do love it though 😀
Learnt 2 years ago, only warm water for us! Just got back from live aboard in Thailand with Similan Diving Safaris,last dive was my 50th. Padi AOW and enriched air. Simon, we did a week on the boat (4 dives a day) then did a week trekking and travelling around.
My 20 quid Lidl shorty wetsuit is fine when the water is 28C 😉
Lots of divers on here judging by the advice we've received in previous threads.
Do I win? 😆
Que willy waving:
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, IANTD Rebreather, NACD Full Cave, BSAC Adsvanced Nitrox, 5000+ dives and run a liveaboard in the Maldives.
Sounds great and it mostly is but today it is raining side ways, we have lots of painting to do during a maintenance week and there is no chance to ride my bike until May 2014 😥
Not sure we need to call Trimix to the forum ... did you know he was a dive instructor? 😉
PADI Divemaster, dived in Guernsey, Barrier Reef, Thailand, Red Sea, Cyprus and all over the Caribbean but haven't been in the water for 4 years, would love to get back into it but kids/cycling/work take up all my time now.
Munqe-chick - MemberNot sure we need to call Trimix to the forum ... did you know he was a dive instructor?
He may of mentioned it 🙂
PADI AOW and Nitrox here, dived all over the shop, deepest however being Scapa at 45m.
Currently doing IANTD tech course, though don't know what for !
Think I'll stick to riding my bike 😉
Well, interested in the gas management skills tbh - and there's loads of new kit required ....
PADI advanced and nitrox, done a few Red Sea live aboards you're going to love it. Loads of sea life and reefs are beautiful, wrecks are so-so but they are there. Have a great time
Do I win?
😆
You may have to duke it out with Trimix. 😉
Do I win?
I've dived HMS Royal Oak in Scapa. Do I?
Ha, I was wondering when that would come up 🙂
Actually I need to go diving soon, anyone fancy a dip in Stoney cove then ?
Ive some new equipment that needs testing out. (heated vest and new "bright as the sun" dive torch)
anyone fancy a dip in Stoney cove then ?
Sorry Tirmix but diving Stoney Cove is the STW equivalent of riding only trail centres on an Orange 5, after getting there in your Audi. Just not niche enough for here. 🙂
Yes, your right. But its a good place to check out new kit and not worry about tides, weather etc.
Im 3-4 hours from a proper dive site, so will have to make do. I did dive in the canal in Oxford once, that was niche (and pants)
My parents own a dive school in the Canaries. My sister and brother in law are also both instructors (but gave it up and got "proper" jobs in the UK when they wanted kids).
I did a try dive once...
Padi Open water, just really a recreational/holiday diver, something to do on holiday rather than sit round the pool.
I love it, but I have way too many expensive hobbies that I don't have time for as it is 😳
Been to Sharm on the Red Sea the last couple of years and the diving available on the house reef was superb, or a short hop across to Tiran on the RIB.
Didn't get a chance to go further afield as didn't want to be away from the family for too long (Non Divers)
Will do my AOW next time hopefully
to answer the norway question, theres a few uk boats and also some swedish/noggy boats doing liveaboard.
Personally I'd use bob on the halton (google mv halton).
PADI AOW - Mrs Carlos bought me the OW pack for a Christmas present some yrs ago, passed, loved it and been diving in Wales, English Quarries, Irish Sea, Greece, Mexico, Cuba, Mauritius. Got around 100 or so dives under my belt, got to a point that it was interfering in riding - choice was ride or dive cos I didn't' have time to do both. Needless to say riding won. Sold all my gear bar the dive wrist computer, knife, mask, fins, snorkel and booties. Still dive but only in warmer water when on holiday and still love it.
If any UK shore divers want a gentle ease back into it then let me know. We have a place in Brixham and I used to shore dive off the Breakwater quite a lot. The viz is usually pretty good and there's a fair bit of life but main thing is it is dead safe. I've got all my kit down there now and will be looking to get back in in 2014
@marin with Bob on the Gaelic Rose, a good few years ago now... we did the dive which has one wreck on the drop down with the tug underneath it, that was a cracking dive, including the rock that holed it that had the most amazing sealife on.
Did Scapa as well, that was great. saw a seagull at 15m chasing fish 🙂
I dived Scapa a couple of years ago & am going back again next year. Drove up from Birmingham with twinset & gear in the boot & my bike on the roof so I could ride Golspie, Fort William & the Lake District on the way home. That's how you plan a road trip!
Best diving has been the Normandy wrecks, Cocos Island and Julian Rocks for the shark action and Bonaire for the reefs. Regularly do Red Sea liveaboards though. Can't beat them for value & a chilled out week.
My brother was an instructor for years in Oz, saw a shark fatality at Julian Rocks a number of years ago, involved in the rescue/recovery.
I was visiting him a couple of months ago, and we went down to Byron Bay - had a look. Didn't get in the water ! 😉
To edhornby. I used to work for Bob. I may have cooked your dinner in one of my previous lives. I was out there with him on a couple of trips. I do miss my Friday nights in Bergen. Did three years on the Rose.