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For diving PG beats Subic hands down. All Subic has is a few wrecks but very poor visibility and not much else. The bar scene is not bad. If Diving is priority go to PG. Many sites, all near the shore. Cheap diving. Has variety of sites and marine life.

Nice report. Im also based in Singapore with a non diving spouse and take all my live aboard trips solo! I am going to Tubbataha later this month on the Infiniti. I hear you on the big stuff. I did Socorro right before Covid and saw 11 types of sharks, dolphins and Mantas. I dont think that's...

I have been lucky to always equalize automatically(not by blowing but something I can just do inside my ears) so I can descent pretty fast if I want to. I dont think there is anything wrong with me!

For any halfway decent video you need to manage the camera actively. Which means having it in your hand. I just use a stick. Ive tried wrist mount and sticking it in my BCD etc and the results were crap. Like others said, once you have a bunch of dives and stable trim and buoyancy the video will...

I started out with a cheap Cressi computer. Worked well for a long time. A few years ago when I got much more into diving (liveaboards in exotic places) I upgraded to a Shearwater Teric. I debated getting the transmitters but in the end I did not. Thats because no matter what I would always use...

Im 55 so maybe not quite Senior yet. But I have never been into Shore diving where I have to lug equipment, so only boat for me. I also prefer very little surface swimming which I find exhausting (I'm not a great swimmer to start with) so like the dive boats where you dive from a dinghy and get...

What is means to me is ability to go on live aboard trips that require it as a min qualification since a typical LA has dives deeper than 20m and drifts dives and night dives etc. I have dived with "advanced OW" divers who bounce up and down like a yoyo and flail around flapping their arms like...

I made a You tube channel with some videos from Komodo, Sipadan, Similans, Phi Phi, and Malapascua, All videos with GoPro except Sipadan where some footage is from a professional photographer who accompanied us. Komodo, Similans with GoPro Hero 7 and others with older Gopros. Color correction...

Very interesting thread. Im doing a Banda Seas liveaboard in Oct but not a crossing. Just Ambon too Ambon. The water temperature is interesting. I was just planning on my 3mm wet suit which I used all over Komodo with no problem. 24-25 C is a bit chilly with 3mm but I can manage if its just a...

I saw the dragons on Rinca island and there didn't seem to be too many people and lots of dragons. No cruise ships or mass tourism that I could see.

Honestly the AOW seems a bit of a money scam by PADI. Out of the 5 dives the PPB was actually useful, the navigation a little useful (all the dives I do I follow the guide anyway) and the other 3 no better than a fun dive. But it clears the way for any dives taken on a typical live aboard so...

I exclusively use a GoPro and have been able to produce some pretty nice looking videos. The new GoPro 7 has good white balance adjustments and doesn't need the red filter. Its small and easy to carry. I use a small buoyant stick which I clip onto my BCD for entry and exit. Having said that, if...

It varies by dive op. On m OW cert dives in the Big Island of Hawaii my instructor took me to about 85 feet. The water was so clear and I was too new to notice until I looked at the depth gauge. He said he wanted to see if I would get narcosis. I didn't. On the other end, in the Maldives the...

I just have one large dive bag. I put everything including my clothes in there. I put high value electronics (computer, go pro) into my carry-on back pack. I do try to avoid tight connections and an overnight at the destination before the live aboard sails also reduces the risk of bags not...

The purpose of the skills is primarily safety. Why would you want to avoid learning them and still expose yourself to the risks of diving?

No comment on Aqualung but I do agree with the notion that you should do more diving before buying gear. You may find you don't even like diving that much or find that you do it once a year on vacation. The trouble and cost of lugging your gear for 4 dives is probably not worth it, and that's...

I have the Scubapro Hydros and was experiencing the unbalanced air issue when it was new. A dive master suggested rinsing the inside and then storing it inflated. That stopped the fabric from sticking to itself and creating air pockets. Still sometimes on the surface if I put a lot of air into...

Wow. Thats a lot of time at sea between dive spots! Long sails in the open ocean can be dicey as you found out. My trip is just Ambon to Ambon so probably not venturing as far out in the open ocean. Also earlier in the year (Oct not November) so hopefully decent weather and hammerheads.

Im doing Lady Denok Oct 19-25 Ambon to Ambon. So a bit later than you unfortunately.

Thanks all for the feedback. I booked the Banda Sea October trip. I will do Raja later in the season as well. Im taking a year (or more) off work and diving is one of the main activities I plan to do. I want to hit the big Indonesia spots. Did Komodo last Oct (amazing!), Banda this Oct and Raja...