Catalina Island, CA offers excellent diving opportunities year around. The following is a snapshot of what you may expect when diving Catalina island in all 4 seasons.
January - March: Expect the water to be the coldest of the year, between 54 to 62 degrees, but you can also expect the best visibility of around 50 feet and sometimes much more. The kelp thrives in colder water so the kelp forest will be lush thick and healthy. This time of year you can look for migrating grey whales, jelly fish, white sea bass and plenty of the usual customers; sheepshead, kelp bass and Garibaldi. Winter is my favorite time for night diving as schools of squid come near shore to mate and lay eggs. The scavengers are out in full force so expect to find an abundance of lobster, torpedo rays, angel sharks, horn sharks, sheep crab and much more. Night time turns every dive site into a sea life wonder land.
April - June: The water starts to warm up to an average of 62 to 68 degrees. This time of year we start to see the bat rays out foraging in the sandy sea floor and the pelagic fish are starting to come around to hunt as the large schools of bait fish gather near shore.
July - September: Make your reservations early because this is the best season for diving Catalina Island as an almost warm water destination. Water Temperatures range from around 68 to 75 degrees and visibility from 20 to 30 feet with quantities of sea life that you would think is only possible to be seen in an aquarium or on one of those nature shows on T.V. This is the time of year to see Giant Black sea bass, huge schools of bait fish, yellow tail, bonito, leopard sharks, soup fin sharks and many other warmer water fish to many to mention.
October - December: As the summer high tourist season ends, the crowds are smaller and the town is a little more quiet but the diving is as spectacular as ever. The water is starting to cool down but with a good wetsuit it is still comfortable at 65 - 70 degrees and the visibility is improving to 30 to 40 feet and sometimes much better. The kelp forest is still teeming with life and there is still a chance to see the giant black sea bass and leopard sharks and some of our other summertime visitors along with plenty of the kelp forest locals that we all love to see year around. The Autumn season also marks the beginning of Lobster hunting season when many hungry scuba divers come around to try to catch these delicious but elusive crustaceans.
So, you may need to switch from a 7mm wetsuit to a 3mm wetsuit as the seasons change but one thing does not change; Catalina Island diving is among the best diving in the world every month of the year and if you have not tried it, you are missing out. Make your plans to visit Catalina Island soon and experience giant kelp forest diving at its best.
Tim Sanchez is a scuba instructor and former resident of Avalon, Catalina Island. My website is an informational website created to encourage and help others to enjoy the wonderful sport of scuba diving by providing information and reviews of interesting diving locations, scuba education, photography and scuba gear. Please visit http://www.vistasbelow.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Sanchez
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
How to Start a Scuba Diving Career by Amiel Dave
For many people, a desk job is anathema. Even a job on land is not all that great. Some of these people get into a scuba diving career and end up loving it. Whether it is digging for forensic evidence in a riverbed or working in underwater archaeology, there are actually three general categories of professional divers.
Commercial Divers
The broadest category of scuba diving careers is commercial diving. But even within this category there are a lot of options.
The most obvious is probably being a diving instructor or guide. Instructing combines the same stresses of any kind of teaching with the additional element of students sometimes being nervous and the environment being potentially dangerous. Teachers and guides take responsibility for new divers' safety - a big job. Potential teachers must get certified in teaching scuba and will learn rules to do the job well.
There are also things that need cleaning up or hauling out of the ocean like shipwrecks and other debris. A scuba diving career in salvaging involves raising shipwrecks. They may be modern shipwrecks that are in a shipping path, or they may be old wrecks. There are salvage companies that just prospect old shipwrecks looking for whatever treasure they can.
A scuba diving career can also be part of engineering. Companies need divers to help them build and maintain underwater structures like bridge pilings and dams.
Public Safety And The Environment
Even if you live in the middle of a continent, hundreds of miles from an ocean, there are divers at work in your community. Police and rescue personnel need divers to search for evidence underwater and then help them to fish it out.
And of course, all kinds of environmental organizations, non-profits, and schools need divers on their projects. Scientists themselves dive as well as hiring other divers to help keep track of an ecosystem, for example. Divers can help catalog corals and fish, as well as testing for pollution, removing debris, and even creating man-made reefs.
To get into a scuba diving career, most people are divers first, then look for jobs they can do underwater. Salvagers, for example, generally love diving and then start salvaging, rather than loving salvage and then learning to do underwater work. Even someone who decides to become a marine biologist must look forward to diving, not consider it a bore. So a scuba diving career generally comes from an affinity for diving first.
Click on any of these links to find out more about scuba diving training, scuba diving career, and scuba diving course.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amiel_Dave
Commercial Divers
The broadest category of scuba diving careers is commercial diving. But even within this category there are a lot of options.
The most obvious is probably being a diving instructor or guide. Instructing combines the same stresses of any kind of teaching with the additional element of students sometimes being nervous and the environment being potentially dangerous. Teachers and guides take responsibility for new divers' safety - a big job. Potential teachers must get certified in teaching scuba and will learn rules to do the job well.
There are also things that need cleaning up or hauling out of the ocean like shipwrecks and other debris. A scuba diving career in salvaging involves raising shipwrecks. They may be modern shipwrecks that are in a shipping path, or they may be old wrecks. There are salvage companies that just prospect old shipwrecks looking for whatever treasure they can.
A scuba diving career can also be part of engineering. Companies need divers to help them build and maintain underwater structures like bridge pilings and dams.
Public Safety And The Environment
Even if you live in the middle of a continent, hundreds of miles from an ocean, there are divers at work in your community. Police and rescue personnel need divers to search for evidence underwater and then help them to fish it out.
And of course, all kinds of environmental organizations, non-profits, and schools need divers on their projects. Scientists themselves dive as well as hiring other divers to help keep track of an ecosystem, for example. Divers can help catalog corals and fish, as well as testing for pollution, removing debris, and even creating man-made reefs.
To get into a scuba diving career, most people are divers first, then look for jobs they can do underwater. Salvagers, for example, generally love diving and then start salvaging, rather than loving salvage and then learning to do underwater work. Even someone who decides to become a marine biologist must look forward to diving, not consider it a bore. So a scuba diving career generally comes from an affinity for diving first.
Click on any of these links to find out more about scuba diving training, scuba diving career, and scuba diving course.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amiel_Dave
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Phuket: An Amazing Scuba Diving Location
Phuket is located in Thailand and is very highly rated. In fact, it is among the world's top ten scuba diving locations. Exotic culture, adventure both above and below the surface, unforgettable food, Phuket has all the right ingredients for a perfect diving holiday. There are breath taking reefs and remarkable underwater rock formations in addition to the different types of marine life that are found here that provide some amazing opportunities for divers of all levels and persuasions.
One can go live-aboard diving and there are also daytrips and plenty of dive points, dive centers as well as dive courses available for the scuba diver. Liveaboard diving in Thailand from Phuket and Khao Lak with liveaboard boats to Similan islands, Richelieu Rock, Phi Phi, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, are good examples of where you can go to in this great scuba diving location.
Phuket and Phi Phi Island, which are among the top 10 scuba diving locations in the world boasts of splendid crystal clear water, awesome rock formations as well as an ecosystem that is vibrant and contains a lot of marine life. The water is also warm having average surface temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and there are hundreds of different varieties of both stony as well as soft corals surrounded by bright colored fish as well as other creatures of the sea which also includes some large reef fish. While stony corals are the life blood of the reef, soft corals are a prominent part of the reef. In some places they look like vast fields of undersea wildflowers.
For those who would like to see big animals there are the Whale Sharks as well as Manta Ray whose sighting is pretty common. In addition, there are also dozens of other picturesque island destinations that lie in close proximity and can be reached by day boats as well as live-aboard cruises, from Phuket. The consistent water temperatures make it possible to go diving throughout the year, right off the coast of Phuket.
For those who desire to visit this beautiful scuba diving location, they can look forward to having great food and under expert supervision they may enjoy their stay where the accommodation too, is very comfortable. And those who wish for Scuba certification, this extraordinary scuba diving location will provide many affordable Dive Shops where beginners may learn the basics and others may try out the master instructor certification.
Besides its outstanding water treasures, there is a whole lot more available right here at this wonderful scuba diving location in the form of beautiful beaches, gourmet restaurants, vivacious night life as well as a number of other attractions all available where and when one wants it. There are also popular dive centers such as Dive Asia, Colona Diving, Similan Diving Safaris, Moskito Diving, Blue Planet Divers, and Sea Bees Diving plus a number of others for those who desire to try out more of this scuba diving location at Phuket.
Source: Free Articles
One can go live-aboard diving and there are also daytrips and plenty of dive points, dive centers as well as dive courses available for the scuba diver. Liveaboard diving in Thailand from Phuket and Khao Lak with liveaboard boats to Similan islands, Richelieu Rock, Phi Phi, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, are good examples of where you can go to in this great scuba diving location.
Phuket and Phi Phi Island, which are among the top 10 scuba diving locations in the world boasts of splendid crystal clear water, awesome rock formations as well as an ecosystem that is vibrant and contains a lot of marine life. The water is also warm having average surface temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit and there are hundreds of different varieties of both stony as well as soft corals surrounded by bright colored fish as well as other creatures of the sea which also includes some large reef fish. While stony corals are the life blood of the reef, soft corals are a prominent part of the reef. In some places they look like vast fields of undersea wildflowers.
For those who would like to see big animals there are the Whale Sharks as well as Manta Ray whose sighting is pretty common. In addition, there are also dozens of other picturesque island destinations that lie in close proximity and can be reached by day boats as well as live-aboard cruises, from Phuket. The consistent water temperatures make it possible to go diving throughout the year, right off the coast of Phuket.
For those who desire to visit this beautiful scuba diving location, they can look forward to having great food and under expert supervision they may enjoy their stay where the accommodation too, is very comfortable. And those who wish for Scuba certification, this extraordinary scuba diving location will provide many affordable Dive Shops where beginners may learn the basics and others may try out the master instructor certification.
Besides its outstanding water treasures, there is a whole lot more available right here at this wonderful scuba diving location in the form of beautiful beaches, gourmet restaurants, vivacious night life as well as a number of other attractions all available where and when one wants it. There are also popular dive centers such as Dive Asia, Colona Diving, Similan Diving Safaris, Moskito Diving, Blue Planet Divers, and Sea Bees Diving plus a number of others for those who desire to try out more of this scuba diving location at Phuket.
Source: Free Articles
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wreck Scuba Diving Training
Scuba diving is an underwater sport that has its own thrills and adventure. However, it is not advisable to undertake a diving expedition alone and unsupervised, least of all without the appropriate training. There are many locations in the world where experienced and professional guides conduct deep-sea diving tours.
These guides are well acquainted with the underwater terrain and know all the dangers, such as predator fish and underwater currents, that might be lurking in the diving area and how to combat them. Most of all, these supervisors are highly trained in life-saving exercises and mainly shark attacks. Some locations are famous for wreck scuba diving training as well and attract scuba divers from far and wide.
Importance of Wreck Scuba Diving Training Wreck scuba diving is a dangerous activity, and ample training must be imparted to the scuba divers before allowing them to undertake an exploration of an underwater wreck. A wreck is a ship that may have sunk off the coast or out at sea. The older the wreck grows, the more dangerous it is to swim among the sunken vessel. The parts deteriorate and may collapse at any time and trap the diver.
There may be weeds growing in the passageways of the wreck, which can trap a swimmer, and no one will be able to locate him or her in time. Wreck scuba diving training imparts all the knowledge one must have to survive in troubled times underwater. This includes the SOS signals one must use in order to attract attention and how to use the safety equipment, such as underwater flares and safety equipment.
Know Your Depth Many wrecks are mapped. This means that the divers are taught where to swim and dive and where to not venture. Some wrecks have safety signs and identifiers. If a diver gets stuck or trapped, he can signal his location to another diver and have rescuers on the way before long. Many wrecks are located at vast depths of the sea and oceans.
Divers must have the relevant knowledge of how deep they are allowed to dive and how long they can stay there. Deep sea diving has its hazards. Prolonged diving can produce symptoms of the bends, a very painful situation where the diver suffers from excessive nitrogen dissolving in the blood because of the pressure of the sea. It is a life-threatening situation, and divers must know the early symptoms of the bends and return to the surface well in time.
The sights of wrecks and the experience of wreck diving can captivate a diver who may lose track of the time spent underwater. Wreck scuba diving training makes divers aware of the dangers of the deep and imparts the necessary training they need to counter the dangers as well.
These guides are well acquainted with the underwater terrain and know all the dangers, such as predator fish and underwater currents, that might be lurking in the diving area and how to combat them. Most of all, these supervisors are highly trained in life-saving exercises and mainly shark attacks. Some locations are famous for wreck scuba diving training as well and attract scuba divers from far and wide.
Importance of Wreck Scuba Diving Training Wreck scuba diving is a dangerous activity, and ample training must be imparted to the scuba divers before allowing them to undertake an exploration of an underwater wreck. A wreck is a ship that may have sunk off the coast or out at sea. The older the wreck grows, the more dangerous it is to swim among the sunken vessel. The parts deteriorate and may collapse at any time and trap the diver.
There may be weeds growing in the passageways of the wreck, which can trap a swimmer, and no one will be able to locate him or her in time. Wreck scuba diving training imparts all the knowledge one must have to survive in troubled times underwater. This includes the SOS signals one must use in order to attract attention and how to use the safety equipment, such as underwater flares and safety equipment.
Know Your Depth Many wrecks are mapped. This means that the divers are taught where to swim and dive and where to not venture. Some wrecks have safety signs and identifiers. If a diver gets stuck or trapped, he can signal his location to another diver and have rescuers on the way before long. Many wrecks are located at vast depths of the sea and oceans.
Divers must have the relevant knowledge of how deep they are allowed to dive and how long they can stay there. Deep sea diving has its hazards. Prolonged diving can produce symptoms of the bends, a very painful situation where the diver suffers from excessive nitrogen dissolving in the blood because of the pressure of the sea. It is a life-threatening situation, and divers must know the early symptoms of the bends and return to the surface well in time.
The sights of wrecks and the experience of wreck diving can captivate a diver who may lose track of the time spent underwater. Wreck scuba diving training makes divers aware of the dangers of the deep and imparts the necessary training they need to counter the dangers as well.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Colorado Diving Gear Experts Help Prepare You by Wayne Hemrick
When you're ready to explore the deep, go to your local Colorado diving gear experts. Not only will these people assist you in purchasing the equipment you need for your Colorado scuba diving vacation (and this idea isn't at all far-fetched), they can also provide you with training for your certification in scuba divng. Colorado has several lakes and rivers where you can try out your new dive equipment; Colorado dive experts can also arrange scuba diving adventures in other parts of the world as well. In fact, for the "hard core" among us, a Colorado diving gear supplier is the best place to get started.
Colorado Scuba Diving Vacation Destinations
Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, Turquoise Lake outside historic Leadville, scenic George Town Lake in te Clear Creek Basin and Officer's Gulch are just a few of the Colorado scuba diving vacation spots you will want to check out. If you prefer to stay in the metro area, you can visit Chatfield or Aurora Reservoir , which are within an hour's drive from Denver; the latter contains the remains of a two-engine aircraft dating from the Second World War, giving divers the opportunity to explore a sunken wreck. In any case, you won't have to go far to enjoy scuba diving, Colorado may be landlocked, but there's no shortage of diving opportunities.
Farther Afield
There are of course more traditional destinations at which to go scuba diving; Colorado diving experts can recommend destinations and often have access to "package tours" which can save you money. Just ask about these the next time you visit your local Colorado diving gear supply store. In some cases, when you buy your dive equipment, Colorado diving stores may even offer a deal that includes training and a trip to a popular diving spot.
Get Started Today
Your diving adventure starts with a visit to your nearby Colorado diving gear outfitters. These folks are very passionate about what they do and are more than happy to offer advice on how to get started scuba diving. Colorado is a good a place as any to to purchase dive equipment; Colorado is also an excellent place to get your diving certification. Stop by and get acquainted with the experts at your colorado diving gear outfitters today.
Wayne Hemrick writes about--Colorado Diving Gear Experts
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Hemrick
Colorado Scuba Diving Vacation Destinations
Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, Turquoise Lake outside historic Leadville, scenic George Town Lake in te Clear Creek Basin and Officer's Gulch are just a few of the Colorado scuba diving vacation spots you will want to check out. If you prefer to stay in the metro area, you can visit Chatfield or Aurora Reservoir , which are within an hour's drive from Denver; the latter contains the remains of a two-engine aircraft dating from the Second World War, giving divers the opportunity to explore a sunken wreck. In any case, you won't have to go far to enjoy scuba diving, Colorado may be landlocked, but there's no shortage of diving opportunities.
Farther Afield
There are of course more traditional destinations at which to go scuba diving; Colorado diving experts can recommend destinations and often have access to "package tours" which can save you money. Just ask about these the next time you visit your local Colorado diving gear supply store. In some cases, when you buy your dive equipment, Colorado diving stores may even offer a deal that includes training and a trip to a popular diving spot.
Get Started Today
Your diving adventure starts with a visit to your nearby Colorado diving gear outfitters. These folks are very passionate about what they do and are more than happy to offer advice on how to get started scuba diving. Colorado is a good a place as any to to purchase dive equipment; Colorado is also an excellent place to get your diving certification. Stop by and get acquainted with the experts at your colorado diving gear outfitters today.
Wayne Hemrick writes about--Colorado Diving Gear Experts
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Hemrick
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