How To Find Your SCUBA Diving Holiday - Part 2

Before you start searching for your perfect SCUBAleader, dive instructors and/or dive guides. Depending
diving holiday it is important to realise what it is that youon the location, you will either dive alone with your
are looking for. If you are an experienced diver thenbuddy or in a group with or without a dive guide. Diving
you probably know already what kind of diving you likewith a dive guide has several advantages and has
the best. But if you have never dived before or youproven to be more than useful.Often you will dive
only dive once in a while than this is just the article fortwice or three times a day with surface intervals of 2
you.There are many types of diving, varying fromhours or less. Sometimes it is possible to do night dives,
easy to extremely difficult. Some examples are:certainly worth the experience.Shore diving
Shore diving is usually done by loading the equipment
live-aboardin a Jeep or truck and driving over land to the dive
day trip boat divingsites. Although there are so called 'house reefs' that
shore divingallow divers to walk in straight from the dive
cave divingcenter.The dive site is only a little walk or swim away
wreck divingfrom where you are dropped off and usually offers
technical divingthe same conditions as diving from a boat. It is a good
idea to ask for instruction on how to enter the water,
This article will only focus on 3 of those: live-aboard,considering possible waves and currents. Expect to
day trip boat diving and shore diving.Live-aboard divinghave diner during your surface interval in a restaurant
holidaysclose by the dive site.Shore diving can be more
SCUBA diving on a live-aboard usually means lots andintensive then boat diving because of walking on land
lots of diving. Typical days contain of 4 or 5 dives perwith equipment or because of surface swims to the
day however this totally depends upon the trip.dive site. However, shore diving takes up less time and
Depending on how many days you go, you cangives you more freedom since you are not 'stuck' on a
except to end up with 30 or 40 dives extra in yourboat. No worries for sea sickness either! It is also the
logbook.When you dive on a liveaboard you arecheapest option.So how do you make your choose?
expected to be an 'experienced' diver, meaning thatYou will have to think about what it is that you are
you should feel confident underwater. There are oflooking for. If you are looking for a holiday just for
course liveaboards where even inexperienced diversdiving and not much else than live-aboard diving is a
are welcome. It is important to realise that, if you aregreat chose. Liveaboard holidays usually offer great
making 3 or more dives a day, you should keep trackdive sites and lots of dives. There is a price tag
of all your dives and preferably dive with a divinghowever.If you still want the freedom to do other
computer. Nitrox is another good solution to keep thethings that just diving but still want the luxury of boat
nitrogen level in your body relatively low, making itdiving, then day trip boat diving is probably the best
safer for you to dive.Live-aboard diving usually meanschoice for you. Day trip boat diving gives you the easy
the best diving with the biggest fish and the betterentry's (most of the times) and there is no need to
coral reefs. Because you have the possibility to gowalk with equipment (except to the dive platform). Do
further from shore, you will experience the dive sitesrealise that even day trip boat diving usually takes up a
that are the most spectacular.Expect a lot of dives,day, although it is possible to day half a day. Most of
lots of sun bathing, and lots of sleep. Be careful withthe times you will return to shore somewhere in the
the alcohol in the evening, don't drink and dive!Day tripafternoon.Shore diving offers you the ultimate freedom
boat divingand gives you the opportunity to enjoy the
Difference from the live-aboard diving is that you startenvironment and culture of the country you are staying
and return to shore every day or every few days,in. Drives to dive sites can be very exciting and highly
meaning that you normally don't sleep on the boat. Dayenjoyable. Enjoy your surface intervals by arranging
trip boat diving usually starts at the dive center wheredifferent activities such as a game of volleyball on the
you will meet the staff and/or maybe drop off yourbeach or something.---I hope this will help you a bit in
gear. The dive sites are usually not for away, divechoosing your perfect diving holiday. Keep in mind that
centers try to be within the dive site with 1,5 hours.most diving destinations can offer all these types of
Briefings are usually done before you reach the divediving and often you can do boat and shore diving with
site, as well as setting up the equipment. It is probably athe same dive center.If you need any help with making
good idea to set up your diving equipment before youyour choice then do not hesitate to contact me.Youri
reach open sea, this will prevent possible motionVlagYouri Vlag (from the Netherlands and living in the
sickness; this also gives you the chance to fix anythingUnited Kingdom) is an experienced PADI instructor and
in time if necessary.The crew on a day trip boatEFR instructor and has worked as a dive guide and
usually consists of a captain and boat boys/girls, a tourdive instructor in Thailand and Egypt.