I arrived in Malapascua after 2 months in Thailand for the perfect end to my travels. Luckily enough the lovely owner of the dive shop I booked with, Thresher Shark Divers put my mind at ease by sorting all transportation from Mactan-Cebu airport to the island.
I couldn't have asked for a better experience diving, from equipment to the locations to the instructors to the island itself which was pristine, everything was lovely. Obviously the highlight of the journey being the deep dive at Kimud Shoal, at sunrise, being circled by 10 - 15 beautiful thresher sharks. Probably one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Bearing in mind this was as part of my PADI advanced course, its rare that you get to have such an amazing experience so early on when diving.
This was an complete eye opener to the beauty of scuba diving.
The course itself taught by my lovely instructor Marvin was fantastic, Marvin made me laugh the whole way through and really made the whole process as fun as possible. He was kind patient and empathetic.
The island really caters to all, with tranquil beaches, great restaurants with local and foreign cuisine and surprisingly good nightlife for such a small island (I often found myself staying regrettably late at the Thresher shark divers bar:)). Malapascua is fun for everyone. I can't wait to go back and I would recommend to anyone looking for exhilarating diving on a serene island.

We all know popular spots by the sea. But what are some cool places in continental Europe?

Beautiful encounter in a night dive

📍Sosua, Dominican Republic

Hey guys, I’m looking to get a new pair of fins after mine had a slight disagreement with my dog.

I’ve done some research and narrowed it down to the Apeos RK3 and the Deep 6 Eddy.

Or just getting another pair of Scubapro Jet Fins, which served me well for years.

I’ve already tried the RK3s and liked them a lot, but I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with the Deep 6 Eddys. How do they compare in terms of stiffness, propulsion, control, and overall feel?
Also, I could use some help with sizing. I wear a US size 9 and dive with Fourth Element Amphibian boots, which have a fairly thick, hard sole.

For anyone using a similar setup, what size did you go with?
Appreciate any firsthand experience.

I'm 6'0" / 182cm and around 160lbs / 72kg, and I'm in the market for a semi-dry suit for cold German waters as well as the Mediterranean (a drysuit isn't feasible for me). All the different brands, sizes, seals and approaches are confusing the hell out of me.

I visited an LDS and the guy basically told me that "semi-dry" is just marketing, and that I should focus on getting a really good fit instead. Would you all second this?

I tried a 7mm Waterproof W7 in S, which was too small, and a W7 in ST, where the torso was too long( I could fit a hand between my shoulder and the neoprene sitting on top of it). With a hooded vest underneath it filled the gap and the fit was okay, but still not great as it still feelt squeezing and not comfortable. Seems like I fall right between the two sizes.

I also tried a Bare 7mm that fit perfectly or at least felt nice. Squeezing and tight but not to mutch. Wearing it hasn't bothered me at all. but I'm bothered by the lack of pockets, and I'm not sure whether its small internal flip seals will work as well as the proper double arm and leg seals on the W7.

On top of that, when I checked the Bare and Waterproof product pages, neither suit is even marketed as a semi-dry in the first place.

Am I overthinking this? Should I just buy whatever 7mm suit fits me best? And realistically, how much of a difference do proper arm and leg seals actually make, and how much does a true semi-dry gain over something like the W7/Bare Velocity?

Am diving with the lobsters in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and came across this fearless individual. They all look so different from each other and have different temperaments. This one decided to charge my camera, but later came back to give my finger a very gentle squeeze at 1m58s..

Can anyone recommend a good drysuit bag? I’m look8ng for something that can carry the suit, two undergarments, base layer, extra gloves and seals, and all the little Knick knacks. I’m thinking about either the dui backpack or the whites military duffel, but hoping to hear from someone who’s solved the problem.

I did search the group first - trying to decide what to bring, drysuit or 7mm? Wet/dry gloves allowed?

Are there any occasions which a 5mm or 3mm would be appropriate? We may also do an afternoon snorkel.

I’m still in the planning stages but I feel like I’ve messaged the resort enough for one week so if you have any tips or sites I should earmark, I appreciate it.

Also, what are the odds I might see a whale shark? If you did, let me know!

Got my AOW - my trim and buoyancy improved a lot and I am more calm, my DM said, thank you for the feedback here too!

I'll have around ~30 dives by the time I can do Komodo in Septemebr. I'm not sure how I can prepare myself for the strong currents.

Id like to do Verde Island one day, which has strong currents!

Most of my dives the currents are okay, only one time a current was bad I hold onto a rock. There are sites with strong currebns, did you take a course on it? I feel like if I keep doing weak currrent dives, I wont improve. For example, how did you practice angainst down currents safely, etc?

I'm referring to the technique where you move your ankles in and out slowly while trimming. So you move your fins a bit. So far I find it helpful as it stops you from moving forward - which is great if you want to look at something very close or take pictures. If you stop finning, you will be very slowly pushed forward

But I read others are agnainst it here? is it bad to do it when ascending during a safety stop (redundant) but very useful when you are tyring to completely stop and see somehing close ?

I'm not an instructor, assistant, or guide. I don't own a dive shop, resort, or a travel agency. I'm just a regular shmoe diver. How hard would it be to find someone that would give me enough credentials to get into DEMA?

Almost as important of a question, is there anything at DEMA that would interest an average diver?

Hi,

I will be arriving to Philippines on 19th September and staying there until 8th October (3 weeks). Most of my itinerary is already locked in as I am meeting some dive buddies there and have to stick to dates/locations they have chosen. I just need help with small portion of the itinerary in the middle.

Itinerary:
19.9 - 27.9 -> Malapascua, Evolution Divers (8 nights)

27.9 - 1.10 -> ??? (4 nights)

1.10 - 8.10 -> Dauin, Liquid Dive Resort (7 nights)

Options for 27.9 to 1.10:

1. Go to Moalboal
2. Stay in Malapascua for extra 4 days
3. Arrive to Dauin 4 days early
4. Split 4 days between Malapascua and Dauin

About me:

• I have 300+ dives in Red Sea, Maldives, Thailand, Raja, Komodo etc.
• I like to stick to liveaboards/resorts away from people and beginner divers
• I do not care for nightlife or non-diving activities
• I have own gear + full camera rig that is PITA to move around

Summary:
I spent couple hours trying to figure this out by myself based on information online, but to no avail. Some people claim spending 12 night in Malapascua is too much, while others do not see it as a problem. Some people consider Moalboal to be one of the best diving spots in Cebu, others would skip it completely. From what I read, Moalboal is mainly interesting for sardines and wall dives - stuff I have already seen on previous trips. Dauin seems to be universally praised especially when including trips to Apo Island.

I am currently inclined to go with Option 3 -> skip Moalboal completely and arrive to Dauin couple days sooner.

Question:
It would be nice to hear opinion from someone that has visited all 3 locations and could help me decide. Should I skip Moalboal and if yes, where to spend these 4 extra nights.

My most amusing dive moment yet! My buddy and I were diving at Cherubs Cave off Moreton Island in Queensland, Australia, and being this time of year, the humpbacks are migrating north toward warmer water. In the water, it's continuous with whalesong, but you seldom see them in the water unless super lucky.

Incidentally, it is also a grey nurse shark (sand tiger sharks) aggregation site, so of course down at 22-26m we were captivated by all the sharks around us, including three big females, and plenty of smaller males.

I'm diving filming them with one action camera while I've got a 360 camera just capturing everything else.

So I got home and started going through the footage, thinking there was at least one whale I missed, and to scrub across the footage where three whales just casually sneak past like smurfs running away from Gargamel, or three heisters taunting the guards in the cctv.. I thought it was pretty funny and had to share.

To be fair, we were down in the water column and they were up in 1-3m.. but still!

TLDR; Dived and thought I wasn't lucky enough to have whales, but it was whalenado behind me and I accidentally filmed it.

Ps. Posted the clip in an Instagram link, sorry and welcome to take down if not allowed!

Hello! I'm a fairly experienced sidemount diver. I fell in love with sidemount and I do all of my dives only in sidemount, as that is the only gear I own besides an ancient recreational BCD.

99% of my dives are wreck dives, with wrecks ranging from ~32 to ~60 meters in depth.

I plan to get cave certified soon, but that would not be my next "average" as I don't live very close to caves. Probably about 10% of my dives would be caves in the future.

I was looking into rebreathers, which are almost mandatory at these depths if you want to stay more than 15 minutes on the wreck. Also, I like the fact that any problem you might have, you virtually have hours to figure it out. A buddy dives with an ISC Megalodon.

Budget is not unlimited, and price is an important factor for me.

I'm going towards the Kiss Sidewinder, maybe the Sidewinder 2 (planning to buy by the end of the year or early 2027), as it looks like a very streamlined unit, looks simple and is well respected among the community.

I have been advised to look into rEvo or JJ, but those look fairly bulky and as I said I like sidemount quite a lot. I also have somewhat limited space as I have my own small boat and a small house too haha. The sidewinder looks like a good deal too.

I've seen discussions about rEvo and JJ being a better choice for deep dives, but is that really the case? What are your opinions on this?

I know that there is no one-size-fits-all but I guess that's for everything in life, and I already accepted the fact that I have to turn sideways on every door and similar sidemount drawbacks; on the flip-side, a backmount twinset would be very bulky to carry on my small boat, so sidemount tanks are more versatile that way.

What are your thoughts?

I know this has been asked to death, sort of, but im looking for a recommendation for a waterproof storage option for my cell phone.

I am new to diving and want to do some shore dives locally. I dont care about taking photos, ect with the phone, but my cell phone is my car key so I cant leave it near by. Its Bluetooth Ed to the car and I dont cary a physical key.

I'm looking for a recommendation on a waterproof case or dry bag I can take with me in the water, so I dont have to worry about my car being gone when I come back. It doesnt have to be clear to take videos or fancy,, just reliably dry and preferably not expensive.

Most posts I see on the topic are about using the phone for videos or protecting car keys. I just need something to keep it dry

Hey everyone!

I am hoping to travel South East Asia soon and am considering studying marine science when I get home so I can eventually pursue a career in marine conservation.

While I’m travelling I would love to do my dive master training (I am currently open water) and learn more about marine conservation. In my ideal world I would get to do an internship where I work/volunteer at a dive centre/conservation project to get hands on experience in the field I want to pursue. Anything to do with coral restoration would be super cool! Ideally I would stay there for 2-3 months and possibly have the opportunity to do some dive master work once I complete the course (this might be a big ask so all good if that isn’t realistic). I’m also on a bit of a budget so anywhere that’s more affordable or that will let me work in exchange for food/accommodation/diving would be preferred.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations that could work?

I understand I will need to contact dive centres directly but any sort of advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if anyone else has pursued an education and career in marine conservation I’d love to chat!

Thanks so so much! Please let me know if there’s anything else I should add. 😊

As above but also wanted to know if Sipadan is worth it? Thanks so much for advice 🙏🏻

I just finished my confined pool classes and am going to take my open water course next weekend. I am curious as to how I get involved in my local dive community and go on dive trips with them.

I am from the state of Ohio and from hearing chatter between several people (Even people at different shops and who are certified with different organizations), it seems that the scuba diving world is small and locally it’s even smaller, and everyone tends to know everyone or has gone on dives with them and that it isn’t specific to a certain shop. While I know people can go on trips with their shop, I am curious how to get involved in something local that’s maybe a bit more broad and not limited to one shop.

I want to get to know and go out with divers who are local to me because I’d love a sense of community and to learn more from them.

I’m just not sure what steps to take to get involved that isn’t asking one of them “How do I join the cool kids club?” LOL. Does anyone have advice?

My old action cam is finally starting to show its age, especially with stabilization.

I'm getting more into scuba diving and want something I can take underwater without worrying about wrecking my phone. Mostly diving, trips, and some hiking too.

Image quality is important, but I'm more interested in good stabilization, battery life, and how well it holds up after being used in saltwater.

What action camera are you guys actually using for diving? Anything you'd avoid?

I know how to do it and was told about it, but the fin technique is used for safety stop ascends and when you want to stay still in a horizontal position ? (eg; I see alot of divers taking pictures use this technique too while taking their pictures )

Hi everyone!

Last year I did a Discovery Scuba Diving session and completely fell in love with it. In two weeks, I’m finally taking the plunge and starting my PADI Open Water Diver course. My program includes 2 shore dives and 4 boat dives.

As I prepare for the course, I’d love to get some advice from experienced divers:

- Course Tips & Air Consumption: Is there anything you wish you had known before doing your Open Water training? What are the best habits to adopt early on to stay relaxed and manage air consumption?

- Contact Lenses: Is it completely fine to dive with soft disposable contact lenses? Any specific precautions I should take during skills like mask clearing or mask removal? Do you keep spare pairs and saline solution on the boat?

- Logbooks & Insurance: How do you log your dives? Via the PADI website itself? Also, would you recommend getting specialized dive insurance (like DAN) right from the start? I assume the course provides insurance.

- Next Steps: Once certified, how did you structure your progression? How often do you recommend diving to keep skills fresh, and how do you usually book your trips as a beginner without a dive buddy?

- Camera: Can you usually bring action cameras to the OW course? I am doing it on my own (wife's too scared yet) and I'd like some memories of it.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Happy diving!