Scuba Diving Equipment in Virginia: Underwater Camera Systems

As I mentioned last week, one of the things that I like best about SCUBA diving is being able to take photographs underwater.  I love photography in general and Underwater Photography makes scuba diving that much more fun.  It allows me to relive my SCUBA diving vacations over and over again.  This week we will look at the different types of underwater camera systems that are available to us today.

In the past we were limited to film cameras for any type of photography, whether on land or underwater.  The advances in digital photography has been a major benefit for underwater photography, making it easier than ever to get incredible colors and vibrant photographs. You can also take lots of pictures on a single dive rather than being limited to one roll of film. There are three basic types of cameras that are used for underwater photography:

The Simplest is the Point and Shoot Camera: These are compact cameras that are easy-to-use.  Point & Shoot cameras are designed for casual pictures of friends, families and events. These are the least expensive cameras.

The Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera (Digital SLR) is for the diver who is relatively serious about photography. The cameras have multiple lenses you can choose from and other accessories. These are the most expensive cameras.

The Full Feature Camera bridge the gap between point-and-shoot and Digital -SLR by offering a moderately compact, easy-to-use camera with many (but not all) the features of a Digital SLR. This camera tends to be much less expensive than Digital SLR, but more expense than point-and-shoot camera.  The Sealife Underwater Camera is a good example of this type.

All of these cameras are dependent on an underwater housing to protect them.  Many cameras are available that are supposedly waterproof and some are even made for snorkeling.  None of these, however, are suitable for scuba diving.  A good waterproof housing is a must and can often cost as much or even more then the camera does.  Among the best underwater camera housings are the Ikelite Underwater Camera Housings.

Manual White Balance Correction: White balance is how your camera reads the color of your subject and its surroundings.  By adjusting the white balance you can control the correctness and brightness of the colors in your photograph.  Since colors are often filtered out underwater, being able to adjust your white balance allows you to capture more realistic color and detail in your photographs.

External Flash Capability: Light and color are both lost underwater.  The ability to add extra light will greatly enhance your underwater photographs.  Even though most cameras have a built in flash, it is not very bright.  An external strobe will provide far greater detail and color.

Full Control Access: Your camera has a host of controls to allow you to adjust your photographic settings as needed.  Some underwater camera housing only allow you to take the picture.  Have buttons or tabs on the back of the camera housing to access these controls will allow you many more options when taking underwater photographs.

Wide Angle Lens Ability: The closer you can get to your subject the clearer your underwater photograph will be.  A wide angle lens gets you closer adding more detail and color to your photographs. Digital SLR cameras allow you to adjust your camera lens ratio.  The dome port on the front of your housing must be large enough to allow the SLR lens to move in or out.   Most point and shoot and most full featured cameras do not have this ability.  If the housing can accept a wide angle lens on the front, it will allow the photographer to accomplish the same thing.

Underwater Camera Buying Tips: When selecting an underwater camera select one that can grow with you as you progress in your underwater picture taking ability.  Having the capability to add an additional feature. like  a second strobe or an extra lens or filter will allow you to increase your ability without having to invest in an entirely new system.

The PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course is a great way of learning how to use your equipment safely while Scuba Diving.  The next most important thing is to get out and dive and take pictures.   At Aquatic Adventures in Alexandria Virginia we offer this course year round, and it is particularly popular on our Scuba Diving Vacation Trips.  You will be surprised at how good you can become with practice.

Scuba Diving Travel – Cane Bay St Croix

On of the most popular activities at my Dive Center in Northern Virginia is our Dive Travel.  Scuba Travel is very popular today and by providing Scuba Diving Trips it gives our former scuba students and current customers an opportunity to stay active as Scuba Divers.  In February of 2013 we are going on a dive trip to St. Croix.

Cane Bay cottages are located directly across the street from the palm tree lined Cane Bay Beach and affords guest unlimited shore diving access to Cane Bay Wall, one of the Virgin Island’s most popular and accessible dive sites.  Although several dive sites are easily dived from shore, most do require boats.  Cane Bay’s Dive Shop is strategically located to allow short boat rides to the heart of the best diving in the area.

The Cane Bay Wall, rated as one of the top dive sites in the entire Caribbean, offers something for every level of diver.  Less then 150 yards from shore, at a depth of only 25-30 feet is the reef terrace.  This beautiful living coral garden is filled with soft and hard corals of every type.  Teeming with tropical fish and aquatic life, this site is truly a diver’s dream.  The Wall begins in 40 feet, plunging to 3,200 feet in areas of vertical drops, or more gradually in slow sloping areas.  Nineteenth century anchors and large deep water sea life can be found along the wall.

We will spend an entire week (February 9 – 16, 2013) at Cane Bay Cottages in St. Croix.   Included in this 8 day, 7 night package is five days of two tank boat dives, and unlimited beach diving.  Cane Bay Cottages are located directly across the street from Cane Bay and is near Cane Bay Wall for convenient shore diving.  The Cottages are also within walking distance to restaurants ranging from barefoot and funky to romantic fine dining.

Airport to hotel transfers when we arrive and depart are also included.  The entire package is incredibly priced at only $1089.00 in the Mountain View and $1199.00 in the Ocean View Superior Cottage.  Prices are per person double occupancy and is based on two divers per room.

This is very good price for the diving and amenities and a vacation that you would not want to miss.  There are only two Cottages in each category so available space is limited.

Join us on this or one of our other Dive Trips.  All of our Scuba Vacation Trips are led by a Scuba Instructor, which makes these trips a great place to complete some of your Scuba Diving Continuing Educations Courses.  We try to offer scuba travel trips throughout the year in many different exciting locations.

Join us for your next great Aquatic Adventure.

Booking My Scuba Diving Vacation Trip in No Va.

I live in Northern Virginia and have always wanted to learn to scuba dive.  Many years ago I took the plunge (no pun intended) and decided to learn to scuba dive in No Va.   Naturally I went to a Northern Virginia Dive Center to do so.  Almost  all of us learned to scuba dive so that we could go on exotic scuba diving vacations and explore the undersea world.  Now that we are certified there is no reason not to plan for that next great aquatic scuba diving vacation or trip.

Where do I want to dive on my Scuba Diving Vacation?

There are many locations that offer excellent Scuba diving vacations.  The most famous are the Cayman Islands, Bonaire and Cozumel in the Caribbean.  The Bahamas Islands also offer some very good diving. The Caribbean is not too far away and not overly expensive to get to.  The Sea of Cortez on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico is another great location that is easy to get to.  In the Pacific, Australia is probably the most well known but it is literally half way around the world.  Fiji is just a far away but is priced much more reasonably priced.  In the middle of the Pacific is Palau and Truk Lagoon, which offer incredibly sea life and some fantastic ship wrecks.  Off the coast of Ecuador are the Galapagos Islands that offers excellent diving with some awesome large creatures like hammerhead sharks and whale sharks.  These are fantastic sounding dive trips so how do I decide which to take?

How do I decide which Scuba Diving Vacation Trip is right for me?

The different resort locations just listed all sound great.  How do I know which one I will like best?  The answer to that is pretty simple.  Find a local Dive Center that you know and trust that specializes in Scuba Dive Travel.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, located in the Alexandria area of Northern Virginia has been leading Scuba Diving Vacation Trips since the 1980′s, and is also a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center.  Aquatic Adventures is a specialist in Scuba Dive Travel and offers four to six group Dive Trips every year.  In addition Aquatic Adventures also offer individual Scuba Travel for those who are not available for one of their group trips.  When you speak with a Scuba Travel Specialist, like Aquatic Adventures they will take into consideration your scuba diving experience level, the type of diving you like to do, the amount of time that you have to spend on vacation and your travel budget.  They will help you select exactly what is best for you.

Why Book My Dive Travel With  A Dive Center Instead of a Travel Agent?

Travel Agents are very good for booking trips but a Dive Center is a better choice for Scuba Diving Vacations and Scuba Diving Trips.  The travel specialist at the Dive Center knows all about Scuba Diving and what places offer better scuba diving and what places offer the type of scuba diving that you would most enjoy.  The travel agent knows travel but they are not Scuba Specialists.  In addition the experienced Dive Center that specializes in Scuba Training and Scuba Travel will very often be able to save you money.  A good example is a Travel Agent will book you as a diver and will also book your training dives for you.  An experienced Travel Specialist Dive Center, like Aquatic Adventures, will know that the training dives include the boat fees so they will book you as a non diver for the days you are training so that you do not double pay for the boat.

What is the Best Time for a Scuba Diving Vacation?

The Caribbean has seasons just like the rest of the world.  The water in the Caribbean is up to 10 degrees colder in the winter then the summer.  The peak season for the Caribbean is winter when the rest of us are locked in with snow, sleet and cold weather.  A winter Scuba Diving Vacation is a nice escape.  In the summer the rates in the Caribbean are lower then the winter so many people like to take a summer Scuba Diving Vacation Trip.  The Spring and Fall is my favorite since there is a nice balance in the air and water temperature making it the most pleasant time of year to Scuba Dive.

What ever your choice my be you will have a great time.  When you are ready we are ready to help you plan that next great Aquatic Adventure.

The Best Scuba Diving Equipment in Northern Virginia – Buying a Buoyancy Control Device or BCD

Why Should I purchase a BCD and not rent one?

Deciding to purchase Scuba diving equipment rather then renting it is a big decision and on of the best ones that you as a Scuba Diver will ever make.  And of all of the major pieces of Scuba Equipment in Northern Virginia the first to purchase is your Buoyancy Control Device or BCD.   Why is the BCD even more important to purchase then a regulator?  The answer is that your BCD comes in sizes and regulators do not.  Since we are all built differently and no two of us are exactly alike finding a good buoyancy control device that fits properly is hard to do and almost all of us would be better off with our own.  One that fits us properly rather then just wearing a rental BCD that probably does not fit exactly as it should.  Another reason is that men and women are obviously built differently.  Most resorts have generic BCD’s available for rent.  When on vacation you use what they have on hand whether it fits perfectly or not.  Consequently, rental BCD’s do not give you the control that your own Buoyancy Control Device would.

Selecting Scuba Diving Equipment Northern Virginia – What Buoyancy Control Device should I purchase?

This is an important question because Scuba Diving Northern Virginia is different then scuba diving elsewhere.  Why?  For one thing the water locally in Northern Virginia is colder then elsewhere so Scuba Diving Northern Virginia requires a heavier wetsuit then elsewhere.  A heavier wetsuit means that the Scuba Diver needs more weight to counter the thicker wetsuit.  Consequently, since the diver is using more weight the Buoyancy Control Device in Northern Virginia needs more lift then a BCD used in warmer waters like the Caribbean.

The trained staff at a Northern Virginia Dive Center like Aquatic Adventures will know this and help you select a BCD that can be used locally as well as on a Scuba diving vacation or trip to places like the Caribbean.

What Type of Buoyancy Control Device Should I Purchase?

There are several types of Buoyancy Control Devices and selecting the proper one for yourself is not overly difficult.  Start by selecting a local dive center that has a good assortment of quality brands of Scuba Equipment.  Scuba Pro Dive Equipment and Zeagle Diving Equipment are two of the finer lines of Buoyancy Control Devices available.  Zeagle Diving Equipment specializes in rear inflation BCD”s while SCUBA PRO has both jacket style BCD’s and rear inflation BCD’s.

Jacket Style BCD’s are the most popular and part of the reason for that is they have been around longer.  Another reason is that most dive centers and resorts use less expensive jacket style BCD’s in their rental line and people very often tend to purchase what they are most familiar with.

Jacket style BCD’s tend to be less expensive then the rear inflation BCD’s.  Since the jacket style BCD has a bladder that wraps completely around the diver it sometimes squeezes the diver when inflated and creates more drag when diving.  The rear inflation BCD has a bladder behind the diver so it is more comfortable and has less drag and resistance in the water.

Both styles are acceptable.  If you want a more traditional BCD, are not concerned with drag and resistance, and like feeling the squeeze so you know how much air you are putting into the BCD and want something a little less expensive then the jacket style BCD is perfect for you.  If you want less drag and resistance, to be more horizontal at depth and desire a more streamlined BCD for both diving and for packing then the rear inflation BCD is the way to go.

What is the Most Important Feature of a Buoyancy Control Device?

The single most important feature is how well it fits followed closely by does it have enough lift?  You will spend a considerable amount of time in your BCD so it should fit very comfortably.  Women especially have problems with fit and unless they are close in size to a man they should look for a BCD specifically built for a women.  If the BCD is uncomfortable it will effect your diving.  If you are concentrating on the discomfort  you will not be concentrating on diving (time, depth, etc) and you will also not be enjoying yourself as much.  The issue of lift we spoke about earlier.  Since most of us scuba dive in many different areas we often have different exposure protection for different areas and that changes the amount of weight that we might wear on a dive.  Our Buoyancy Control Device must be able to accommodate all of these.  It is far better to have more lift then you need rather then too little.

What Are Some of the Best Buoyancy Control Devices Available Today?

In the jacket style BCD the Pro Glide BCD by Scuba Pro Dive Equipment is perhaps the finest on the market.  The Avid BCD by Sherwood Diving Equipment is also an excellent jacket style BCD.  In the rear inflation Buoyancy Control Devices the Knight Hawk is an excellent BCD designed for men.  The Lady Hawk is the women’s version and both are made by Scuba Pro Dive Equipment.  Zeagle Diving Equipment makes the Stiletto for men and the Zena for women.  Both of these are excellent BCD’s and are modular so they can be custom fitted by the Dive Center.

A Final Word About Buoyancy Control Devices:

Which ever Buoyancy Control Device that you select make sure that you have seen it, held it and tried it on before purchasing it.  Always buy from a Dive Center and not on-line, that way you know the people who are helping you are divers and know dive equipment and not telephone order takers, who probably are not.  Be sure that the Dive Center is an authorized dealer for the brand Buoyancy Control Device that you are buying, like Aquatic Adventures in No Va.  Last, but not least, make sure that the Dive Center fits and adjusts the BCD before you leave the Dive Center.

Now, go out and enjoy that next great Aquatic Adventure!

Selecting a Scuba Diving Wetsuit in Northern Virginia

Scuba Diving is popular all over the United States, not just in warm climate areas like Florida or the Caribbean.   My Dive Center, Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy is located in Alexandria, Northern Virginia where we have a large number of scuba divers.  Divers in this area need scuba diving wetsuits for the colder water in this area and often a second wetsuit for diving while on a scuba diving vacation or trip to the Caribbean.

Selecting the right scuba diving wetsuit is important for your comfort and  safety.   There are several sports that use wetsuits but wetsuits designed for other sports generally do not work properly for scuba diving.  That is because sports like kayaking and windsurfing require a loose fit in the arms for paddling and are designed to drain when the participant is out of the water.  Scuba Divers are constantly under the water so the suit fits tighter and has less dexterity since divers do not use their arms.

Scuba Diving Wetsuits for Warm water scuba diving

Many of the scuba divers in this area scuba dive primarily in warmer water locations, like Florida or the Caribbean.  Divers in these areas prefer a thinner scuba diving wetsuit like a 3mm suit.    These wetsuit are usually one piece jumpsuits like the H2 Wetsuit or the Thermoprene scuba diving wetsuits by Henderson.  Henderson wetsuits are the finest made and Henderson is a pioneer in new wetsuit materials.  Women, who traditionally get colder then men would use either a 3mm suit or perhaps a 5mm suit.    Another alternative for women is to use a neoprene shorty on top of the 3mm wetsuit or a hooded vest underneath like the Scuba Pro Hooded Vest.

Scuba Diving Wetsuits for Cold Water Scuba Diving

There are a lot of scuba divers in the Northern Virginia area and many of us train and dive locally.  Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy offers scuba diving certification year round in Northern Virginia.   We do our training dives in a local lake.  In addition there is a large amount of wreck diving up and down the Atlantic Coast.  Divers in this area would use a 7mm scuba diving wetsuit.  They would also use neoprene hood and gloves for extra warmth. The Scuba Pro Hooded Vest could also be used under the 7mm Henderson Wetsuit.

Henderson USA wetsuits has a new line of extra warm wetsuits called Aqua Lock.  These wetsuits offer an interlocking wrist and ankle to prevent water entry insuring extra warmth.

Aquatic Adventures – Dry Suit Diving – DUI Dry Suits and Dry Suit Training in Northern Virginia:

Some divers in this area also scuba dive with dry suits.  The DUI Dry Suits for scuba diving are very popular and the highest in quality.  The DUI TLS-350 is perhaps the most popular of all dry suits sold in this area.  Dry Suit diving is very different then regular scuba diving and it is recommended that anyone using a dry suit for the first time take a Dry Suit training course like the PADI Dry Suit Diver Course.

Dry Suit diving has become so popular that DUI now has a Dry Suit for warmer water diving – the 30/30 Dry Suit.

Aquatic Adventures – Children’s Wetsuits – Children’s Scuba Diving Courses and Children’s Scuba Diving Equipment in Northern Virginia:

Today children as young as 8 years old can take pool only scuba lessons such a the PADI Seal Team course.  Here they learn the same scuba diving skills that adults learn.  Once they reach the age of 10 they can take the PADI Junior Open Water Course.  Proper scuba dive training for children should be done by Instructors who are experienced in teaching children. At Aquatic Adventures we not only train children but have trained many Boy Scouts in preparation for Sea Base and the Scuba Diving Merit Badge.

Children get much colder then adults and it is vitally important that children have the appropriate thermal protection of a wetsuit.   Buoyancy Control Devices and even the length of scuba regulator hoses often have to be adjusted to accommodate the smaller sizes of children.
The scuba diving wetsuit is a personally fitted item and one of the first pieces of equipment that the new diver should purchase.

Selecting A Dive Center:
Selecting just the right Dive Center involves more then just finding the one that is closest to you.  Just like an auto mechanic or someone to repair your home, you want someone who is qualified to do the job, takes pride in their work, is willing to work with you if there are problems and whose charges are reasonable.

What To Look For?
One of the best places to start is with friends who are divers.  They may already have a relationship with a local Dive Center that they would recommend.  Even if they do you might want to do some checking on your own.  I live in Alexandria which is in Northern Virginia so I might want to conduct an internet search for: Scuba Lessons, Northern Virginia or Scuba Classes, Northern Virginia or even Dive Center Northern Virginia or Scuba Certification, Northern Virginia.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Training:
Once I have received the list of Dive Centers that comes up under these searches I would try to narrow the list down.  In an earlier post I talked about the different Scuba Certifications (March 2, 2011).  I personally prefer the courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI.  Consequently, I would look to see which ones from the initial list are a PADI Dive Center, preferably a PADI 5 Star or PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center in Northern Virginia.  A PADI 5 Star Dive Center offers more courses and services then a regular Dive Center.  IDC stands for Instructor Development Course which is the training program required to train Scuba Instructors.  Therefore a PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center would offer the highest level of certifications as well.

At this point you would want to look on their webpage to see what courses they offer.  Does the course list match the areas of diving that you are interested in; such as underwater photography, Deep Diving or Divemaster or Scuba Instructor Training.

In addition to regular Scuba Courses there are many related Dive Courses such as those offered by the Diver’s Alert Network or DAN.  DAN specializes in research and training related to medical issued that influence scuba diving protocol.  Many Dive Centers offer a variety of DAN courses and the more experienced ones are designated as a DAN Training Center.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Equipment:
Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport.  It is most helpful if your Dive Center sells and services scuba equipment.  Look to see that what lines of equipment that they carry.  No Dive Center can carry all of the lines available nor would you want them to do so.  Check to see if they carry some of the major ones, if they have a good inventory of items on hand and if the sales people in the Dive Center are knowledgeable about the products that they carry.  A few phone calls or emails can help establish this part.  Some of the major lines of scuba equipment are Zeagle Scuba Equipment, Sherwood Scuba, Aeris Scuba, Henderson Wetsuits and DUI Dry Suits.

Narrowing The List – Dive Travel:
While I really enjoy teaching scuba diving I must admit that I enjoy leading the Dive Center sponsored Dive Trips even more.  There is a big advantage to diving on trips that are led and sponsored by a Dive Center.  Most of the hard work and research are done for you.  These trips should be led by one of the staff at the Dive Center.  Preferably by a Scuba Instructor so that continuing education scuba courses can be conducted on these trips.  Going on a scuba diving vacation when all the work, the research, reservations and bookings are all done for you makes it so much easier and so much more enjoyable.  You also have a group to socialize with after the dives and usually never have to worry about finding a dive buddy for the dives since you are in a group.

Take a look at the Scuba Dive Travel section of the various Dive Center’s webpages.  Look to see if they offer Dive Travel?  Is it throughout the year?  Do they go to a variety of different resorts and locations?  Will they help you book your own trip (Individual Dive Travel) if your schedule does not match that of the Dive Center?

Adding It All Up – Making Your Selection:
Once you have looked over all of the above options you are then pretty well informed.  You should be able to see what each Dive Center offers and most often one will stand out as being able to provide everything that you are looking for.  This will probably become your own favorite Dive Center.   The next step is easy.  Go in take some classes, go on a trip, maybe add to your collection of scuba equipment and just have fun, and enjoy your Aquatic Adventure!

Aquatic Adventures:
At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy we specialize in Aquatic Adventures or Scuba Dive Travel Vacations.  Next May we have a live-a-board dive trip scheduled to the Bahamas.  Let take a moment and look at what we might see and experience.

The Bahamas Islands:
“The Islands of The Bahamas offer an array of dive experiences like no other destination in the world. There are sunken Spanish galleons, inland blue holes, caves and forest-like coral reefs, teeming with marine life. We offer 25 different dive destinations in our country. Some of the most exciting experiences allow enthusiasts to swim and feed reef sharks, an experience offered nowhere in the world except The Bahamas. More importantly, the people of The Bahamas are as committed to the art of hospitality as they are committed to preserving the unique ecology of our island home.”  Says Neil Watson, President of the Bahamas Diving Association.  This is what dive travel is all about.

Live-A-Board Diving on the Aqua Cat – May 19-26, 2012
Live-a-board scuba diving and snorkeling in the Bahamas on the Aqua Cat offers a large variety of dives: shark feeding dives, blue holes, high speed drift dives, walls and shallow patch reefs.  Each week we will cruise Nassau, Bahamas to the remote islands of the Exumas, and especially the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.  This is the ultimate escape aboard our own private luxury yacht.  Fine sand beaches, snorkeling or diving among lemon sharks and sting rays, or hiking the trails of pirates and bootleggers of years gone by.  No crowds, nor set itineraries, nothing to do but sit back, relax, and choose from an incredible variety of live-a-board activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, sunbathing, and island exploring.

What will we see?
Due to its great diversity and diving we have made several land based trips to the Bahamas over the years.  On these trips the amount and variety of sea life is incredible.  An underwater photographer’s dream.  Below are a few of the underwater photographs that I have taken with my Sea Life Underwater Camera on previous dive trips.

Beautiful sand beaches mean there is usually pretty sandy bottoms at many of the dive sites.  Sandy bottoms are where you will usually find Hermit Crabs walking about.  The prolific sea life means lots of fish swimming around the coral formations.  Lion fish are from the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  Until recently that was the only place to find them while diving.  Now they are common place on most dive sites in the Caribbean since they do not have any predators locally to keep their numbers in check.

During the day squirrel fish can be seen near holes in the coral.  At night they are found roaming free.  Algae grows wildly in the warm clear waters of the Caribbean and if not kept in check they would literally cover the corals, keeping the sunlight from reaching them.  Thus the corals would die out.  Pin Cushion Urchins each the algae thus keeping it in check.   The underwater digital photograph below shows the trail that the Pin Cushion carved in the algae while grazing along.  You will also notice the bits of coral and sponge that stick to its spines – these provide camouflage that helps hide it from its predators.

Everyone talks about the fish and even take Fish Identification courses but the corals are often overlooked.  The soft corals are very pretty like the rope sponges and sea whips that sway in the current.  Many small critters hide in the reef.  Christmas Tree worms are small worms that bury themselves into the coral.  They stick their tales out to filter feed off the plankton that floats through the water.  Barrel sponges are another prolific and popular soft coral.  They feed by taking water in through their porous sides.  The water then flows through their spongy body allowing it to filter out the food, again plankton, and expelling the water out through it center tube.

One of my favorite reef critters is the Flamingo Tongue.  This snail feeds on the Gargonia or other soft corals.  It is a very plain white or off white shell but the animal has a very pretty spotted mantel that covers the shell when it is out feeding.  Spiny Lobster are cousins of the American Lobster that we see in restaurants.  These lobster do not have claws and are scavengers on the reef.  During the day they are found near holes in the coral or under ledges.  At night they roam free to feed.

The Southern Stingray swims over the sandy portions of the reef searching for food.  It eyes are on the top of its head and the mouth on the bottom.  It uses smell to ferret out small worms and crustaceans in the sand.  Stingrays are related to sharks in that they are both cartilaginous – they have skeletons of cartilage not bone.  Caribbean Reef sharks are just one of the many sharks that are plentiful throughout the Bahamas.  These beautiful creatures are majestic and fun to see cruising by.

Our trip to the Bahamas is May 19-26, 20012

.  It will not only be a great diving vacation but an opportunity to work on that diving continuing education like underwater photography course, Aware Fish Identification or Boat Diver.  Since there are so many night dives conducted while on a live-a-board dive vacation the PADI Night Diver Specialty is also a good one to work on.

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy - Specialty Dive Courses in Northern Virginia

Previously we have looked at the PADI Open Water Diver Course and the value of following that up with the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course.  There are dozens of other potentially fun and rewarding PADI Specialty Diver Courses that are worth looking at.

Just as before you want to find that Dive Center that offers you the options and choices in dive courses and dive equipment that appeals to you.  Ask around, often the advise of friends is helpful in finding a quality dive center.  Once you find your ideal PADI Dive Center look to see what courses appeal most to you.  Feel free to avail yourself of the expertise and experience of the Instructors or Divemasters at the Dive Center for advice.

One of the best first Scuba Specialty Diver Courses is the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Course.  This course deals with the various aspects of proper weighting, proper fin kicking, and proper techniques of scuba diving.  The idea is to learn how to move through the water with a minimum of effort.  You want to be able to maneuver through the water without creating extra motion that might might scare the fish.   This is not only an excellent course in its own right but is a great first step to many other courses like: Underwater Photography, Wreck Diving and even Aware Fish Identification all of which you want to be able to move within spaces without silting the bottom or creating other underwater disturbances.  Peak Performance Buoyancy is a 2 dive PADI Specialty and we try and start our PADI Advanced Open Water Course with one of these dives.  It is the perfect specialty for the new or experienced diver.

Wreck Diving is probably the second most popular of all of the PADI Specialty Diver Courses.  The idea of diving on ship wrecks is exciting.  Many of the ship wrecks on the East Coast of the United States are ships that are actually a part of history.   Many were torpedoed during World War I or World War II.  There are also several German U-Boats that were sunk during the war.  These are fun to dive on and really give you an appreciation of our history.  In addition there are several ships that have been sunk as part of the reef project.  They now form artificial reefs that are homes to countless fish and underwater critters.  Wreck Diver is a PADI 4 dive Specialty Course.

If the PADI Wreck Diver Course is the second most popular – what is the most popular and why?  The most popular of all PADI Specialty Courses in the Eastern United States is  PADI  Enriched Air – Nitrox.   By scuba diving with Nitrox or Enriched Air (air that contains more then the normal 21% oxygen) divers are allowed longer bottom times.  Longer bottom times mean more time to enjoy that incredible reef or ship wreck.  Many people also report feeling far less tired after diving with Nitrox then they do when diving with regular air.

Today we are in a very visual world.  Everyone today carries a camera.  If not a camera a cell phone with a camera inside.  The idea of diving on a beautiful reef and being able to bring back very special photographic memories is exciting.  It is one of my most favorite things about diving and a special passion of mine.  Underwater Photography and specifically the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course is incredibly popular.  It is especially popular on one of our Scuba Diving Trips.  Our Dive Center offers Dive Vacations or Store Sponsored Dive Trips several times throughout the year.  These are very popular with our former students and a great way to Dive Travel with people you know and to obtain PADI Continuing Education Courses at the same time.    During the PADI Underwater Digital Photography Course you learn the obvious about photographic techniques such as composition but about features specific to the underwater world such as color loss, magnification and back scatter.  It is very easy to take photographs underwater and with the proper instruction (PADI Underwater Digital Photography Course) and practice you will get very good photos very soon.  Your PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center is a great place to look for that special piece of dive equipment – the Underwater Camera!

If your Dive Center has a Scuba Trip to Cozumel on its schedule – that is a perfect location for the PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course.  Cozumel  has some very outstanding reef systems.  They are all in areas that have some mild current so all of the dives are usually Drift Dives.  Drift Dives are dives where you do not navigate back to the boat.  The boat will follow your bubbles and be there when you surface after the dive.  It is fun, easy to do and allows you to explore double the area then you would normally.  This is a two dive PADI Specialty.

Speaking of Navigation another great course that is both fun and is also incredibly useful is the PADI Underwater Navigation Course.  This is a 3 dive specialty and teaches you how to use both compass and natural underwater topography to figure your way around underwater.

There are a whole host of PADI Specialty Diver courses out there.  Look around and see what interests you and dive right in!

Continuing Scuba Diving Education – Aquatic Adventures Alexandria Northern Virginia

Now that you are a Certified Open Water  Scuba Diver you naturally want to go diving and put that training to good use.  Believe it or not, the Open Water Scuba Course is just the beginning of your scuba diving education.  During the Open Water course you learn the basics of diving.  While the use of basic scuba diving equipment and the basic scuba diving skills is enough to get you started in your scuba diving there is a lot to learn beyond the basics.  For instance there are a host of different types of diving beyond the entry level that will add to your enjoyment of diving and the underwater world.

Most divers will take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course immediately after completing the Open Water course.  The Advanced Open Water Course picks up where the Open Water Course leaves off.  In the first course you are taught to dive to a depth of 60 feet.  This sounds deep but there are a lot of reefs, ship wrecks and sights to see that are deeper then 60 feet.  During the Advanced Open Water course you complete a deep dive and learn to dive to a recommended maximum depth of 100 feet.  In addition you complete an underwater navigation dive where you add to  the firs steps in navigating from the Open Water Course by using and Underwater Compass to navigate patterns while scuba diving.  Three more dives are included in the PADI Advanced Open Water Course.  These are usually dives in something that interests you like PADI underwater photography, wreck diving, multi-level diving

or even night diving.  The PADI Advanced Open Water Course can be completed in as little as one weekend and is well worth while.

One of the great things about the Advanced Open Water course is that it includes dives in several different types of diving.  These dives even count as the first dive of the corresponding Specialty Diver Course for these specialties, and divers who like this type of dive can go on to complete these Specialties and learn even more about them.  PADI Wreck Diving, where you learn to dive in and around ship wrecks, PADI Night Diving where you learn to dive at night when many nocturnal animals not seen during the day are out, and Underwater Photography, where you learn to safely take photographs of the sealife are among the more popular.  These can be done locally with the PADI Dive Center where you learned to dive.  Many of our former Open Water Dive Students will go on a Scuba Diving Vacation with us and complete several of these Scuba Diving Specialty courses while on vacation with us.

Divers who live or dive in cold water environments will benefit from taking the Dry Suit Diver course.  This allows you to dive in areas that might otherwise be too cold.  It also allows you to dive either earlier or later in the season when the weather and water is colder then normal.

Many great diving destinations like Cozumel offer great dives in areas with currents.  These dives are called Drift Diving since you follow the current instead of navigating back to your entry point.  This is a fun Specialty Dive Course and is often completed on Scuba vacation in these types of areas.

A fantastic course to take is the PADI Rescue Diver Course.  In this course you learn about the types of problems that can occur when diving.  By being aware of them you naturally take steps to prevent them from happening but should they occur you know what to do to minimize any problems.

The PADI Equipment Specialist course is a fantastic course even though it does not include any dives.  It focuses on the Scuba Diving Equipment that you use.  It shows you what features to look for in your Scuba Diving Equipment.  It will train you to get the most out of your equipment and even how to do field repairs and preventive maintenance.

A diver who has completed the PADI Rescue Diver Course plus any five PADI Specialty Diver Courses and has 50 or more logged dives can be certified as a PADI Master Scuba Diver.  This is a recreational diving certification that signifies that the diver has achieved experience in several different types of diving and is also prepared for emergencies.  It is a recreational certification not a professional certification or rating.

Those divers who are really hooked and want to get into diving in a deeper way (no pun intended) might want to look into the professional area of recreational diving.  Start with a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Center.  At this type of  Dive Center you will be able to go beyond just recreational courses and add the professional level of courses designed to show you how to teach the recreational courses.  The first professional diver course to take is the PADI Divemaster Course.  This course reinforces dive theory and skills and teaches you to assist in teaching situations and to lead certified divers on their dives.  The Divemaster Course is followed by the PADI Assistant Instructor Course then the PADI Open Water Instructor Development Course or the IDC.  There are even courses designed to teach Scuba Instructors how to teach the Specialty Diver Courses we mentioned earlier.  The most popular of these is the Master Diver Trainer Prep Course where Scuba Instructors are taught to teach the Specialty Dive Courses by a PADI Course Director or Instructor Trainer.

What ever direction you decide is right for you it will offer many benefits.  Taking more Scuba Diving Courses will make you a more skilled diver.  It will increase your comfort level and your level of dive safety.  The more comfortable you are the more you will dive and that is the whole point.  To be an active and capable diver.

Scuba Dive Training at Aquatic Adventures – Alexandria Virginia

How do you become a Scuba Diver? The first step to becoming a Scuba Diver is to enroll is to enroll in a recognized course of scuba instruction.  The beginner or first course is the Open Water Course.  There are many worthwhile Scuba Agencies available.  Like anything else, it pays to shop around; some programs are better then others, or at least there are several differences among them.

The Professional Association of Dive Instructors or PADI, is the largest scuba-training agency in the world. Because PADI has the most complete and widely recognized diver training programs, you can be confident that at Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, you are earning the most respected diver credentials available. The certification that you earn at our Award Winning PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center located in Alexandria, Virginia is even recommended for college credit.

The PADI Open Water Diver Course is divided into two segments.  Part One is Academic and Confined Water Training, better known as your Class & Pool Sessions.  Here the new diver learns the basic principles and knowledge of safe diving practices which leads to safe and enjoyable diving.  The Open Water Course used to be several weeks long.  Now due to improvements in the student kit or PADI Open Water Manual and DVD’s that show the new diver what these new skills look like, much of the training can be conducted at home.  Once the student completes the reading and viewing of the video they then complete the Academics with their Scuba Instructor.  The Scuba Instructor will go over these materials and personalize them so that the diver understands just how it applies to them and what they can expect when they are actually on their Scuba Diving Vacation.  Many Scuba Agencies or Organizations offer this part on-line.  The material covered is the same but the student does not have a live Instructor with which to interact and to explain exactly what to expect in particular dive locations.   On Line Scuba Courses are also usually more expensive then regular courses.

The confined water part is usually completed in a swimming pool.  The major items of Scuba Equipment, (wetsuit, Scuba regulator, buoyancy control device or BCD and Scuba cylinder) are usually provided by the Dive Center running the class.  Personal items for each student (mask, snorkel, dive boots and fins) are usually purchased by the student from the Dive Center.   These items are used when ever diving and are a good investment.   It is in the pool that the new diver learns the actual skills that will be used while Scuba Diving.    While there are several skills needed to dive many of them are actually “What Ifs”  What if something goes wrong.  Here the student learns about potential problems and how to prevent them.  And just as important if one where to occur how to safely and calmly handle the situation.

The Academic and Confined Water sessions can be safely completed in as little as one weekend if the materials are read prior to class.  Programs that try and compress all of this in one day are to be avoided.  They do not provide the necessary repetition and practice necessary to become a safe and proficient diver.

Once the first part is completed the student is ready for the Part Two: The Open Water Dives.  The Open Water Dives consists of four dives done under the supervision of a Scuba Instructor.  Here the diver demonstrates that they can dive safely and understand the basic skills.  It is not uncommon for a Scuba Student to take the Class & Pool at a local Dive Center and then complete the second part or Open Water Dives while on a dive trip or Scuba vacation.  While diving in an exotic location is fun, completing your dives with the Scuba Instructor you had in the pool has several advantages.  The Instructor knows you and knows your what you know and what you might want additional practice with.  Diving locally has other advantages as well.  You will usually learn better and learn to be more skillful in a local lake then you would at a Caribbean resort.   Which ever method you choose once you successfully complete the dive you are then Certified as an Open Water Diver.

As an Open Water Diver you are trained to dive to a depth of 60 feet.  You are also trained to know and understand the basic Scuba equipment.  Because the Open Water course only covers the basics most divers are advised to continue their Scuba Diving Education with additional Scuba Courses.  The PADI Advanced Open Water Course is the next step.