June 2006
Cayman DOT and Scuba Diving Magazine team up
US divers now have easier access to the Cayman Islands' dive sector, thanks to a collaborative effort by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Scuba Diving Magazine which joined forces to bring industry news and information to divers across North America. The Island was the destination sponsor for five of the ten tour stops in the mag's 2006 InTenCity tour, bringing scuba activities, demos and prizes to dive enthusiasts. Resorts and dive shops participated in the tour, teaming up with US dive retailers to make the 2006 tour one of the best ever. Stops included Mac's Sports in Clearwater, Florida; Divers Unlimited in Pembroke Pines, Florida; Adventure Scuba in Plano, Texas; Aquatic Realm Scuba Center in Centerville, Ohio; and Weaver's Dive & Travel Center in Boulder, Colorado. Divi Tiara Beach Resort, Ocean Frontiers/Compass Point, Brac Reef Beach Resort, Little Cayman Beach Resort and Divetech/Cobalt Coast were the stops' sponsors. -- Posted Tuesday, June 27, 2006 by chb
Report from a scuba lesson in Arkansas
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette printed this downhome report on a scuba lesson at Mountain Harbor Resort. -- Posted Monday, June 26, 2006 by chb
Scuba becoming popular in West Virginia?
Outdoor sports in West Virginia are usually whitewater rafting, rock climbing or skiing. Now the co-owners of X-treme Sports in Beckley think another outdoor activity will soon make a big splash in the Mountain State. “Scuba diving is really growing in popularity,” said owner Alan Floresca. “We offer the certification classes here and the pool training is done at the local YMCA,” Floresca said. “West Virginia offers great scuba diving opportunities, but it is rarely promoted by state tourism officials,” he said. There are plenty of places across the state that are great for scuba diving: Lake Stephens in Beckley, Summersville Lake (see picture), Mount Storm Lake, in Bismarck, and the Gauley and New rivers. “Summersville Lake has been called The Little Bahamas of the East,” Parent said. “Its predominately all rock and has a maximum depth of about 380 feet. The visibility underwater is incredible.” -- Posted Monday, June 26, 2006 by chb
Film maker/cave diver to explore Bermuda caverns
The Royal Gazette reports that Bermuda's underwater caverns are to be mapped as part of an ambitious project involving one of the world's foremost cave divers. Likely to showcase regions of the island never seen before, the study will be completed over the next year, its various stages filmed as a documentary – Bermuda High. Bermuda's schoolchildren will be invited to participate in the monumental task, presented with special technology that will enable them to track the movements of the divers from above ground. The project is being driven by the Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo, former natural history curator Wolfgang Sterrer and cave expert Tom Iliffe. [Read detailed interview with cave diver Jill Heinerth] -- Posted Saturday, June 24, 2006 by chb
Komodo diving cruise special
The Finsblog at finsonline.com reports of special scuba cruises in Indonesia's Komodo National Park aboard the Voyager. Originally built for the North Seas of Europe, the Voyager has been re-commissioned as an extended range luxury scuba diving liveaboard ship. The Voyager is a fully equipped luxury floating hotel and scuba diving platform, offering air-conditioned cabins and state rooms, saloons, internet access, Nitrox, a reading library and sundecks. Now that sounds like fun! [details] -- Posted Friday, June 23, 2006 by chb
Portugese seek to promote scuba in Algarve region
The Algarve is the southernmost region of Portugal and one of Europe's favorite holiday destinations well known for year round sunshine and excellent sandy beaches. Now the Portuguese want to promote scuba diving to Algarve tourists. Miguel Neves dos Santos, a biology investigator for the Portuguese institute of investigation of fishing activities and the sea, described how the underwater sport will be “treated as an activity developed from the viewpoint of economic sustainability. He warned, however, about the necessity of diving instructors and students to adopt an attitude of good practice in the sea, in order to reduce any damage to the reef or sea life caused by diving in deep waters. Each year, there are around 25,000 underwater dives in the Algarve.
-- Posted Thursday, June 22, 2006 by chb