Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Diving the Southern Red Sea with Absolute SCUBA




While most people say it’s great to be back home, we’re back from the thriving waters of Egypt with mixed emotions! After many trips of superb diving & delicious buffets, we know Egypt never disappoints! Our recent trip to the Red Sea in South Egypt strengthened our drive to Dive Egypt Till We Drop with its beautiful people & abundant reefs as we soaked in the Egyptian sun.
After meticulous planning & thorough research, we find ourselves on-board an uber luxurious vessel on an adventure to the Southern parts of the Egyptian Red Sea. The Red Sea attracts many a diver with its protected marine ecosystem, abundance of species & clear blue waters. The Southern waters are calmer so diving is more relaxed and perfect for divers looking for bliss & tranquillity underwater with easier diving conditions. Departing from Port Ghalib, we made our way through legendary dive areas like St. John’s Reef, Fury Shoals & the world famous Elphinstone Reef.



Our ultra-spacious vessel boasted 12 premium AC & en-suite cabins fully equipped with a TV (which no one switched on) and mini bar too (which was more frequently visited)! To top this off, the staff on board was very experienced, warm, hospitable & eventually became friends. At the risk of sounding a bit like a hog, just the buffets were worth making the trip for.
Each of the 21 dives we did brought on a surreal experience and showed us exactly why the Red Sea is held in such high esteem. Beneath the surface, life on the vibrant and colourful coral reefs thrived as if untouched by human exposure. Fury Shoals brought on an added surprise of dolphins underwater which didn’t seem to be bothered with us divers. Witnessing such conscious creatures in their homes was a treat to the eyes and will remain in fond memory. Macro life came alive as critters scuttled across the reefs making our Night dives full of action! But with all that these waters had to offer, the intricate cave systems of St. John’s reefs stood out for the feeling of solitude it left us with. The towering pinnacles covered with live coral & almost ethereal like swim-throughs left us with a sense of awe and respect for nature.



It’s hard to put into words an experience that is so surreal. So, to take you through our journey we’ve put together a little video of our journey to the thriving reefs of Egypt’s southern waters & its glorious cave systems.



Please share this video with friends, family, enemies and even strangers. Make sure to get the best experience by viewing in Full HD at 1080p (60FPS) with max brightness & headphones on!
Now back on solid land enriched with our shared experiences, our group of 25 people grew connected by mutual respect for our oceans and love for diving. Now the only question that remains is “Where next?” And so, we’ll spend our time scouring through the best dive destinations in the world to craft dive trips the “Absolute SCUBA” way. If you’d like to stay tuned to our upcoming destinations or want to begin your life of adventure, visit us and we’d be happy to share.



We hope to see you suspended somewhere in the Blue someday.
Shaun Patel, PADI OWSI

After starting his diving back in 2011, Shaun went professional in 2013. He’s logged in over 1100 dives since then.

Follow us on Instagram | Like us on Facebook | Subscribe us on YouTube
About Absolute SCUBA
Absolute SCUBA is the brainchild of two seasoned Dive Industry professionals, Seemant Saxena and Siddharth Pujari. Between them, they share a collective experience of over 15 years in the Dive Training, Scuba Certification and Dive Travel business.
Want to experience SCUBA in the City? Book your spot here
Happy & Safe Diving always – Team Absolute
www.absolutescuba.in | info@absolutescuba.in | www.scubaindia.in
+91 9860003456 | +91 9970983456

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

10 points to bear in mind when you get serious about diving

10 Points to take your Diving to the Next Level
Recently certified as a PADI Open Water Diver? Want to take your diving to the next level? Enhance your skills or simply explore this Blue Planet a bit more. Here are 10 points that can take your diving to the next level

1. Sign up for PADI Specialties:
Whether you’re looking to simply improve your buoyancy control with a Peak Performance Buoyancy Speciality or straight out explore mysterious wrecks, PADI offers a massive range of Specialty options to choose from. Some personal favorite Speciality courses include EANx Diver (Enriched Air Nitrox), Digital Underwater Photography and the Night Diver Specialty. Check out the table below to figure out which ones call to the diver in you.
PADI Courses Flow Chart

2. Go deeper! Go for PADI AOWD
If you feel 18 meters is just a number, make sure to sign up for a PADI Advanced course. You must complete 5 different types of Adventure dives for this course out of which two dives are mandatory. A deep dive to 30 meters (100 Feet) is one such mandatory dive. The second is a Navigation Dive which sharpens our ability to successfully navigate underwater. For the remainder of the three Adventures dives, you have a bunch of options from learning more about Marine ecosystems to doing your first Night Dive. This is definitely a course worth doing if you have not yet.


Buoyancy Control Device
3. Get yourself some Personal Gear
With an adventure sport like SCUBA where your life depends on your Gear, it’s great to be able to trust it completely and there’s nothing better than having your own equipment. Start off with a Mask that fits your face well. Move on to getting yourself some Fins after trying a few types. Next, a wetsuit or drysuit for personalized fit and hygiene.  Take your time and ask for professional guidance while looking for a BCD, Regulator and Dive computer to make sure you get something that suits your style.

4. Learn to be an Emergency First Responder
It’s highly comforting when your dive buddy is trained as an Emergency First Responder. This course takes you through emergency responses like CPR and Rescue breathing as well as Secondary Care like managing cuts, fractures and choking. What’s awesome about this course is that it’s handy in non-diving related situations as well. Also, you don’t even have to be a certified diver to sign up!

5. Take some far out dive trips to more challenging dive destinations
It’s more than likely that beginner divers start off at slack diving conditions like a lagoon or a shallow reef. However, the Oceans and seas are diverse and as you clock more dives and confidence; it’s time to venture out to some of the more challenging and rewarding dive destinations. These places may have stronger and sometimes unpredictable currents but the landscapes, coral reefs and fish life are found in abundance. If you have not yet, plan a visit to places like Komodo, Deep south Maldives, South Egypt(Red Sea), the Galapagos Islands and Fiji among many others.

6. Stay in touch with SCUBA at your Local Dive clubs (If possible)
Unless you live by the Sea, staying in touch with your skills isn’t always easy, right? Wrong. Land-based dive centres and dive clubs often have equipment and training facilities where you can refresh, sharpen or learn some new skills. Try to find a pool with a dedicated diving well which has some depth to it like ours. Want to experience SCUBA in the City? Book your spot here
Our training facility in Pune

7. Refresh your Dive Theory
Staying current with this highly theoretical sport and reading your Manuals often is one sure shot way to take your diving to the next level. A deep understanding of the theory behind the sport is what makes a diver safe and confident.

8. Sign up for some Technical courses
Feel limited at just 40 meters deep? Change your gasses and go deeper with Technical diving courses. This is a great way to explore other avenues of SCUBA and really reach places explored by just a few.



9. Try a Liveaboard
If you ready to step up your diving, a Live Aboard is a MUST! Experience dive locations that are far out and impossible to reach by smaller boats. Diving from a Life aboard promises some spectacular sights and sightings both on surface and underwater. It is not uncommon to log up to 4 dives each day on some of these trips and visit ecosystems that are out of reach for the land-based diver.

10. Go Pro!
Take the plunge and become part of a global community of dive professionals. The Dive Master course is challenging but extremely rewarding. Earn the chance to call the Oceans your office and live a life in communion with Nature. Check out more on the course here.
Where ever you are on the diving ladder, remember to stay sharp, fit and focused.  Also, stay away from the boat ladder when someone else is climbing up! Share your tips and tricks that you use to sharpen your dive skills in the comments section below.

Follow us on Instagram here | Like us on Facebook here

About Us:
Absolute SCUBA is the brainchild of two seasoned Dive Industry professionals, Seemant Saxena and Siddharth Pujari. Between them, they share a collective experience of over 15 years in the Dive Training, Scuba Certification and Dive Travel business.

Happy & Safe Diving always – Team Absolute

www.absolutescuba.in | info@absolutescuba.in | +91 9860003456 | +91 9970983456

Some images are courtesy of the world wide web

Adrenaline Scuba diving at the Komodo islands – a first hand report

A kaleidoscope called Komodo Of shrinking planes, tiny airports and fantastic folk One makes the mistake, living in India that I...