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All, A friend of mine is considering taking a trip to Costa Rica (May 9th, I believe that is the rainy season). for mostly land based attractions, but also some diving. He and his girlfriend are considering staying at a resort in Playa Arenilla in the Gulf Of Papagayo. Could anyone...

One more question. Any wreck dives in the Galapagos?

thanks for the info Stu. DMC

Roatan Man, I am writing to ask you from some further insight on diving in the Galapagos. I actually spent 3 months down there as an intern for Galapagos Sub Aqua in 1995 (my father is Ecuadorian). I have since become an instructor but have not had a chance to go back yet. I am...

I actually went to St. Mary's College, but go figure, never dived down in Southern Maryland while I was there. I have always heard there is diving there, mostly shallow and mostly for fossils and such (which can be fun). I have pasted a couple links, including one on a German U-boat (U-1105)...

I also took a calculus laden Oceanography class (Physical, Chemical, Geological, and Biological) in graduate school. It was a great class. You learn a lot about ocean currents and how they affect weather, temperature and biota. You also learn about plate and shelf movements as well as...

Limited, I also would recommend the BVI's for diving (although the shopping in St Thomas, USVI [watches, electronics etc] is great). The BVI's are more laid back and the USVI is a little more fast paced in general.There are ferries that run all the time between the USVI and BVI, so you can...

Thanks for the input Crispy, Kbeck, and NetDoc; I figured Boyton was the place to go. Do you have any preferred Scuba charters in the area? I'll have to check back with my other two coworkers who are interested in diving to see what kind of dives (drift, wreck etc) they would like to do...

Well, You could try telling new divers that piranhas are actually very shy fish (as long as they are well fed!). Anyways, the poor fish won't survive a winter in Michigan. Heck, how many people get to log a dive with Piranha anyways? Sounds exotic. David C.

ScubyDoo makes a good point in this thread. Taking an advanced diver course is actually a very good idea soon after taking the openwater course. This allows the new diver to have several additional dives under the supervision of an instructor. The instructor in an AOW course can then further...

I would second the opinions on taking the rescue course. IMO it helps your confidence diving as well as adding rescue techniques to your skill set. At least in PADI, the Master Scuba Diver rating is an aknowledgment of certifications accomplished (Rescue, 50 dives and 5 specialty certs as...

Hello all, I am attending a conference from November 1-8 in Orlando, Florida. I am looking into doing some diving. I have looked at previous threads suggesting some of the springs, as well as West Palm and Boyton Beach. So i have two questions. First, for those floridians here, how far...

Bear, You can ask your instructor to fill out a referral. Then call some of the outfits where you will be vacationing to see if they will accept it. Most major shops/agencies should. With the referral, you can complete the skills that are not complete with another instructor. The...

Eyy, Since your original question concerned free diving on days you are not SCUBA diving, there should not be any problems with that. As for diving on days you dive, the consensus seems to be to wait a few hours before free diving. Some competition free (non SCUBA) divers have claimed...

Pescador, Point taken. I only meant to illustrate how a SCUBA diver can develop significant tissue loading at depth with a constant supply of nitrogen. For a short free dive, there would not be sufficient absorption and off gassing to significantly decrease the partial pressure of...

Piscean, I do know some great sites for free diving in the Galapagos or BVI's if you ever go to either. I try not to free dive off the east coast myself...it's a bit to cold, murkey, and soupy for my freediving tastes. Dmc

First let me restrict my commentary to the recreational/enthusiast realm of free diving. Extreme free diving a la Pipin Ferraras causes physiological effects that are more complicated and beyond what regular free divers would experience. With that said, free diving, by itself, does not result...

Artsprite, I am sure you will have a great time in the BVI. I don't know much about the Windjammer cruises, but have seen them in the BVI. They are quite impressive ships (I think it's the White Cloud? in the BVI). I have done a couple hundred dives all over the BVI and love it. There...

I use the Genesis Nitrox Resource. Simple, but nice.

Duckdive, Yes The Galapagos were pretty much unforgetable. I was actually born in Ecuador and had an internship at Galapagos Sub Aqua (Dive shop on Santa Cruz) set up in between college and graduate school. It was a pretty good deal getting to dive for free and paid some in return for...