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We dived on Aitutaki about 10 years ago and enjoyed it; I think the dive shop was Bubbles Below. They do stay outside the reef between dives and the sea can be pretty rough. We are going to Rarotonga this September and I actually stopped by this thread hoping for a dive shop recommendation. I...

Thank you. The symptoms presented well after I was off the boat on both occasions. I didn't ruin anyone's day. I really appreciate all the great advice from Christi, but once again I'm kinda sorry I posted at Scubaboard. I won't do it again.

I've been diving for 25 years. No, I'm not going to quit; I'm just looking for realistic ways to manage the risk.

There was only one couple during the week this trip that was using nitrox, so air versus nitrox wasn't usually an issue. Divemasters were all using air. You mean about the surgery or about the PFO? I'll pass on the surgery, thank you.

I got certified for nitrox several years ago; I hadn't been using it because of the extra expense, but I will in the future. (Strangely, when I asked about nitrox during a trip to Australia, in response I got an angry lecture about diving on drugs; apparently the guy thought I meant nitrous.)

We did decide that every trip is going to start out with a shore dive to make sure weighting is correct and we get a "break in," since we can normally afford only one or two dive trips a year and that's plenty of time for rust to settle in to skills. I also live near both Lakes Michigan and...

I was diagnosed on this trip with what was described as a "very small" PFO, although why it became a problem after nearly 25 years of diving is a puzzle. Clinic in Cozumel said it was too small to make surgery an option. The deepest dive this trip was about 80 feet, I've spoken with the...

Well, I suffered round 2 of DCS in Cozumel last week. (First one was five years earlier, also in Cozumel.) I've spoken with two doctors and DAN since; they agree on using EAN 36 in the future, watching hydration, using air tables to plan dives, avoiding exertion, and planning for long surface...

We were there last week (October 11 through 18) and I don't have much to add; the initial description is pretty accurate. TVs are being replaced with flat screen, although the only English news was HLN, which is pretty much tabloid. We were there for Hogtober, which means 2,000 Harleys riding...

Ggun, I completely agree about Columbia Shallows and Devil's Throat. I've done the Throat, don't care if I ever do it again....I much prefer the Catedral, which is nearby. Ironborn, my experience with 3P was based on only a few dives on one trip; although I'd definitely hesitate to use the...

I was interested in reading this summary because our experience with 3P wasn't positive. We're going back to Coz for the first time in about 4 years this fall and will be considering 3P again along with Aldora, as I believe our previous stand-by is no longer in business.

You['ll probably pay something well in excess of $300 for a day of boat diving from Cairns, and you won't see the best of the Great Barrier Reef. I'd say don't do it.

I can't contribute any information as far as cruises but I will add my voice for Fakarava. We used Tetamanu divers; one thing that surprised us (we've dived in Tahiti before) was the water temperature - 88 at the surface and 84 even down at 95 feet.

A couple from Detroit, Rich and Barb?

We stayed at Raimiti - it's an incredible place. If you're staying on the lagoon side the bathroom floors are crushed coral, so do take a pair of flip-flops.. (The floors are wood on the ocean side, and the bungalows are larger.) Also remember that there's electricity only from 7 a.m. to 9...

FWIW, we just returned from Fakarava. Our trip was marred somewhat by a severe tropical storm that decided to hang on for several days (and that blew the roof off our of bungalow at 3 a.m.), but we would definitely go back. We used Tetamanu divers at the South Pass; since there's a weight...

I will just throw in, as I did on another thread...we were in Fakarava in February. The few dives that we were able to get in were amazing; then a severe storm hit the island....blew the roof off our bungalow and 3 a.m. and continued to rain in torrents the rest of the time we were there...

Let me add a vote for Fakarava. Our trip was less than ideal because a fairly severe storm hit the area, but the dives we were able to do before the storm were outstanding. We used Tetamanu divers; since there's a weight limit on Air Tahiti we used rental equipment and it was by far the nicest...

We're staying at Raimiti; we've been to Tahiti before but never to Fakarava. I'm really looking forward to the dives there. Thanks for the response!

One thing, although it doesn't deal with the time of the year, to anticipate is that some dive shops are CMAS/CDIP which means you do one tank a day with no restrictions on bottom time.