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Bangkero posted:There are plenty of DM training centres in SE Asia. Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia are the popular places that come to mind. Many DM interns will find long term housing and work as dive guides while interning to get some spare cash (unless you have another skill you can provide ie F&B or resort management experience). The Philippines sounds good as I'm already going to be spending up to a month in Indonesia surfing and I hear Thailand is kind of tapped out. Would I have to arrange some sort of Working Visa or would that be sorted for me? Any catches to try and avoid? Is time of year a factor? I'm looking at July/August/September at this stage.
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Mar 9, 2016 00:34
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I'm doing some trip planning and it looks like the cheapest way to get from Indonesia to the Philippines is through Malaysia. Given this I thought I could do a spot of diving here on my way, any recommendations on the shortest time to get a few good dives in? Note I will be diving in Indo, Philippines and other SE Asian countries.
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Apr 28, 2016 06:11
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Trivia posted:I've dove in all of those countries. How long will you be in each? If you have lots of time, then Sipadan in Malaysia and Komodo in Indonesia were amazing. The plan was a month in Indo (but my focus is on bodyboarding there, not diving) then a couple of weeks to a month in Philippines. I could do maybe up to 2 weeks in Malaysia. I'm pretty flexible all around but do want to do Thailand, Vietnam etc so can't spend all my time before that. Probably 3-4 months in SE Asia in total. There is no way I can afford to do a liveaboard in Palau. I actually looked into this on your suggestion a while back but holy poo poo it's expensive.
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Apr 29, 2016 01:01
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I had an OOA situation in one of my first dives after doing my Open Water. Since then and getting older and respecting the environment more I basically have a mantra of you can't check your gauges too often. There is no harm in taking 5 seconds to just have a look.
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May 17, 2016 02:52
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Just watched Diving into the Unknown (great documentary by the way!). What I wonder though is how were they communicating underwater? Sounds like talking into the regs. Does that work in fresh water? Also are their drysuit with built in hoods that seal on your face? It looked that way. Does that work well?
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May 28, 2016 06:35
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Putting straight alcohol in your ears probably isn't the best idea. Get specific drops which contain some alcohol. However I don't think this relates to the question. Are you talking about fluid buildup in the inner ear? This happens from trauma and for me usually goes away within a day or two.
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Jun 3, 2016 21:30
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I'm planning a big 4.5 month trip which will have a decent amount of diving in it. My current predicament is that Sipidan and the surrounding region is considered 'High risk' by my countries travel advisory. This means that the travel insurance I'm going for won't be valid if I go there. Is this spot a must dive? I've heard nothing but great things but I will be going to Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand so perhaps I will get just as good diving there?
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Jun 15, 2016 09:26
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Okay well that makes me feel better, thanks. My travel advisory is basically saying that that whole coast area from Kudat from Tawau is high risk.
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Jun 16, 2016 23:22
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Red_Fred posted:Okay well that makes me feel better, thanks. My travel advisory is basically saying that that whole coast area from Kudat from Tawau is high risk. Okay based on this my girlfriend wants to do her Open Water course either in the Philippines or Malaysia. Excluding the above locations can you guys please recommend some shops? Don't mind paying a bit more for a shop that knows what they're doing. Also a bonus would be if that area has good diving for me so I can keep busy while she's on the course.
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Jun 18, 2016 10:06
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lord1234 posted:So Scuba.com used this to advertise for Father's Day....well done Scuba.com Is this a photo of that dad and kid that died in the cave a while back? Otherwise I don't get it.
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Jun 24, 2016 08:02
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Squashy Nipples posted:What does this thread think of emergency GPS/radio devices? How common are those? Do any agencies recommend them? I feel like it's a small chance to use it but when you need it you really need it. Has anyone done a liveaboard from Cairns or Port Douglas? Recommendations?
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Nov 15, 2016 19:54
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asur posted:Cairns has a reasonably sized airport so I think there are more options. I flew in from Sydney and then flew out to Auckland. I would expect in general that people coming from the US are also not visiting just Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Yeah CNS is an international airport as we are flying in direct from Auckland, although there don't seem to be a lot of flights internationally.
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Nov 17, 2016 04:16
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Sticko posted:I did a week with Mike Ball, very professional and slick but you definitely paid for it. They went up north to Lizard Island and then out to the Coral Sea. Dive sites varied in quality, but the Coral Sea ones were generally the best. Cod Hole, which was their big marketed site was probably the weakest as it had been decimated by cyclones over the last 10 years. They're probably the best (and Spirit of Freedom from what I've heard) in terms of dive sites and comfort, but they're very very pricey. Not sure about more affordable options. I'd definitely go back if given the chance but other places are higher up my list now (Komodo/Palau/Raja Ampat/??? So many I'd like to go to). That said, this was all mid last year, so before the latest round of bleeching. Spirit of Freedom is all booked when we go and Mike Ball doesn't look like we can do it unless we go over New Years which I'm not that keen about. Might just need to do a 1 night one or something.
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Nov 21, 2016 19:54
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Oakland Martini posted:Sounds like Red_Fred can't do it, but in case it's of use to anyone else, I did a 5-day trip on the Spirit of Freedom in July 2014 to Osprey Reef and the Coral Sea. It was really, really good. Among other things, we has two dives in a row with four very curious Minke whales at the widely-regarded Steve's Bommie site. Best live aboard I've done aside from the Galapagos Sky.  think I'll be restricted to day trips or we might be able to do a 1 nighter.
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Nov 22, 2016 03:43
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lord1234 posted:Earned my GUE Tech1 rating this past week. Awesome class with lots of learning. Got to do it in Lake Mead, NV which was a uniquely cool dive site with some cool sites and decent viz. Congrats! We need more tech diving discussion in this thread, I miss all the posting from Bishop and others. 
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Nov 27, 2016 03:27
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Trivia posted:If money's no object, go to Palau. Amazing reefs and a few wrecks, lots of sharks, little in the way of current. A good variety. Also Sam's Tours has unlimited house reef diving, so you can take a tank after you're cert'ed and practice all you want on your own. I can't recommend enough. If I had $1 for evey time you mentioned how great Palau is I might be able to afford to go!  I'm always checking and flights are always insane. One day...
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Nov 28, 2016 01:30
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let it mellow posted:dude I'm assuming your girlfriend knows what's going on but nitrox isn't for deep dives, I have no idea what your mix was on this dive but you were probably hitting or exceeding your max depth if you really went that deep That's exactly what I was thinking when I read that, oxygen toxicity is no joke. Also nice story I guess?
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Dec 11, 2016 04:10
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I'm currently in Port Douglas and have been using a gopro for my dives. I'm using a Backscatter handle and filters and getting pretty good footage on my 4 silver. The only issues I'm having are some shakiness (which will be my technique) and not getting close enough. Can see for sure that lights are in my future though. As soon as you're past 5m the light just goes.
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Jan 2, 2017 10:51
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let it mellow posted:Be careful with combining a light and a red filter, it won't be good. Also you'll find that the light doesn't do a thing for you that the filter doesn't, except when you're trying to take photos or videos of a lobster or something like that in a crevice. Anyway, you'll figure it out pretty quick. Can you elaborate a bit on this? I thought that pretty much lights always meant better colours? There was a pretty good article on the Wirecutter which explained a lot of this but I don't recall there being any mention of lights and filters not working together.
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Jan 4, 2017 06:17
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let it mellow posted:this is the answer: Yeah this makes sense to me now. I'm not convinced that using lights instead of filters won't improve things though. Unless you mean 5m and shallower?
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Jan 8, 2017 08:01
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let it mellow posted:Like anything else, it depends. Yes, generally speaking light is better than compensation for light loss, but some of it depends on the water clarity, the distance of the shot and how easily you can aim your light away from your subject. Google back scatter to see what I'm talking about. I probably should have been more clear and said I'm shooting video with a gopro. The red filter works pretty well but overall it's still a bit washed out unless I'm really shallow or really close up.
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Jan 9, 2017 04:11
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Snorkeling with manatees? That would be so awesome.
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Jan 16, 2017 00:59
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I need to start pulling out some stills from my GoPro. Had an awesome Moray encounter this past weekend, turns out they are just misunderstood. Still ugly as gently caress though.
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Feb 7, 2017 23:13
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DeadlyMuffin posted:Good luck! Yeah! Don't give up on water sports. Good luck with your recovery.
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Feb 9, 2017 09:08
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I really should sign up for a garbage collection dive. I'm thinking about finally buying regs. My LDS have helped me narrow it down to SP mk25/G260 (or S600) or Apeks DST/XTX50. I'm erring on the side of the Apeks as they are a bit cheaper (one plus of Brexit), environmentally sealed and come standard with flexi hoses. What is the gooncensus?
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Feb 27, 2017 01:21
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MrNemo posted:They're both bullet proof regs with pretty international servicing options and easily available parts. I've got a set of Scubapro R295s with a mk17 and they're great regs. The Apeks are pretty much the gold standard of British diving and the XTX50s are an excellent choice. The Scubapros might have a slight edge in international support and parts if you travel a lot for diving. It's funny, aesthetically I like the look of the G260 the most but not if it means I have to pay $200 more for it. Any opinions on flexi hoses? I've never used them before.
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Feb 27, 2017 02:44
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MrYenko posted:Oddly, I just got the SP Mk25evo/S600, and my girlfriend dives the Apeks DST/XTX50, so I can actually directly compare the two, since I've dived both. (Though the Apeks only once, and pretty shallow.) I would agree about the rentals except my shop rents Aqualung Legends which I understand are pretty much up there with the Apeks and SP I mentioned.  Think I'll just go with the Apeks, thanks everyone.
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Feb 27, 2017 21:24
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MK25 are piston and they aren't sealed. I don't really know anything about piston vs diaphragm though.
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Feb 28, 2017 04:29
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I always struggle with gear bags. I usually carry a few 'occasional' things in my dive bag to each dive but then don't want to chuck them in with my wet stuff as it means I then have to wash them as well. I can't figure out an efficient way to do this. Also I feel the pain about washing gear as all I have is a tiny shower in my apartment. I soaked my new regs in my kitchen sink!
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Mar 5, 2017 23:18
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That crab!  great photos.
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Mar 6, 2017 05:32
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cowofwar posted:So I moved from BC to Ontario in 2008 and haven't used my dry suit, BCD and regs since then (9 years). I just used rental stuff on vacations. I'm moving back to BC in July and will start diving again with my own gear. What do I need to do? Dry suit has seal cancer so the latex seals need replacement. I'll have to rent a tank and throw the regs and BCD in to the bath tub to check for leaks I guess. Presumably I need to have the regs serviced. Do BCDs need to be serviced? I would take it all in to your local dive shop. BCDs don't strictly need servicing but you may as well get it tested for leaks along with your dry suit. Also the rubber might be on its way out for the o rings and other bits. No point risking your life over ~$100 it costs to service your gear when it's been that long. Usual intervals are 1-2 years.
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Mar 7, 2017 01:24
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My drysuit rings need replacing! The soft ring that is glued to the suit has cracks around the rim which means it doesn't seal. Anyone else had to do this? My suit is a Waterproof D7 pro. I got this suit second hand so I'm hoping it's nothing I've done.
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Mar 9, 2017 02:14
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They are Waterproof silicone seals. My shop said they had never seen it happen before. They are going to have to re-glue the soft ring part back on. Should be good in the end as I've always thought they leaked more than they should but was always told 'that just happens'.
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Mar 9, 2017 19:10
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How useful is the DAN membership? I'm covered locally if I have any issues and I always get travel insurance that covers me diving when I go away so I wouldn't need the DAN insurance part.
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Mar 10, 2017 02:33
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lord1234 posted:If you live in the US, chamber rides and the chopper ride to said chamber are NOT covered. Thats what DAN is for. And they do some great diving research, it's worth it. Trivia posted:I had to get insurance as part of my DMT. 75 dollars for absolute peace of mind was a bargain if you ask me. Especially since the nearest hyperbaric was a long chopper ride away. I recommend if you dive in remote areas (and it's not going to break the bank either, you're a diver ffs). Well it's mainly that in New Zealand we are covered by ACC for accidents (which includes camber visits etc.) and then when I'm travelling I'm covered by my travel insurance as I don't tech dive. This means my DAN membership would really be for the magazine and to help them do research, or are there other benefits I'm not thinking of?
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Mar 10, 2017 06:55
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Spaced God posted:Cozumel dive report: had to skip my safety stop on my second boat dive because of a gear failure. That sorta hosed with my head for a bit, but we managed to go back and kill do some lion fish hunting and other fun stuff. Absolutely loving gorgeous wildlife and reefs. There sounds like there could be an interesting story here...
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Mar 19, 2017 01:05
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Icon Of Sin posted:I keep mine on a finger spool, and they both stay clipped to the D-ring that's right behind my hip on my BCD. Whenever I clip mine to my BCD the double ender unclips from the hand spool when I enter the water. Is there a trick to stop this? I now pretty much put it in my drysuit pockets.
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Apr 8, 2017 05:53
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pupdive posted:Andy from the UK has a video about this, and using those search terms gets me nowhere for finding the video to link for you on YouTube. But if someone can find the link, watch it, do what he says, and it will never happen again. That video was super handy, thanks. Do you have one that shows deploying the DSMB when it is not already attached to the spool? I tried looking on Youtube but 9 out of 10 are already attached when they begin.
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Apr 9, 2017 07:04
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My DSMB is a Halcyon one which means you can only use your mouth or a hose. I don't think I'll ever use a hose as it just seems to fiddly, like you say, in an already fiddly task. I have to say really like using my DSMB in place of the anchor line when hanging on a stop, makes it really easy to stay neutral.
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Apr 10, 2017 03:36
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tesilential posted:I'm not worried about spit in the ocean, but the infections that can be transmitted through spit in a bucket. I get sinus and upper respiratory infections pretty easily and would rather not rinse my mask in a cesspool of other people's pathogens. Similarly I don't worry about poop in the ocean (i do it all the time When and why are you pooping in the ocean?
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Apr 28, 2017 00:42
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) but I would definitely worry about a turd floating around the mask bucket.