Impossible is nothing

Some certified divers find pool practice meaningless. But I think it can be important even when you dozens of dives. I have a friend who can't dive regularly. She often dives as my buddy so appears in many of my photos. Under water she's relaxed, she barely use air, her buoyancy is perfect- but only from the 5th minute of the first dive. Somehow she has problems with the first dive of the trip especially when she hasn't dived for a while.

Next week our group will go to the Adriatic sea for a dive trip and I offered her to join me on a pool practice. She came and when we drove to the pool I said my plan is to do some challenging exercises. I said "to swim around for an hour is useless so prepare some difficult but rewarding under water tricks". In the first 5 minutes she was scary as usual. So we started with the simplier skills. In a few steps we did the mask clearing, mask removing, buddy breathing. But we didn't stop. We swapped our masks under water. We did it while we swam. We removed each other's mask. We made mask clearing during buddy breathing. And finally I showed to do buddy breathing and mask swapping. Although until this point she did everything fine my buddy became nervous. We surfaced. She said she wasn't able to do it. I said "OK, I believe you - but first let's make a last try". So we descended. We started buddy breathing in a calm rhythm. I removed my mask. Later she removed hers. We swapped them, cleared them - and that's all.

After the pool session I said to her she can be proud. This is not a typical exercise during the OW course. To be honest it's quite useless in the real life but very good if you want to know your limits. Hopefully she won't be so nervous next time during the first dive. It's very good to experience you are able to do more than you expected. Now she surely know she's better diver than she thought. That is the reason why I like pool dives.

Underwater Explorer

I like books about scuba diving. I especially love the stories from the beginning of underwater exploring and those handbooks which are easy to read but helpful. As a diver I realized many years ago everyone can learn how to clear mask or be perfectly buoyant- sooner or later. But to enjoy diving is something else.

Certainly all of us look for different adventures. There are guys who feel an inexplicable love for underwater caves. Another ones adore the world of extreme depths. Wreckers, photographers, dolphin maniacs- surely a lot of way to enjoy being under water.

I think majority of us have a common favorite: shallow reef dives in warm waters. Maybe that is the most perfect environment for recreational diving. We don't need bulky thick wetsuits there, the air in a tank will last easily for an hour, and so much to see!... How much, exactly? More than you'd think.

Recently I ordered a book from Annamarie and Danja Köhler because it seemed interesting. The Underwater Explorer is colorful with dozens of wonderful photos but the words are even more exciting. The authors write about what and how to see in a coral reef: what kind of animals live in the bottom or holes, how can you find the shrimps or frogfish, and so on. And it tries to teach how to SEE and not just swim under water. It's as important as mask clearing skill if you want to be a competent diver. So I recommend this very useful work for everyone who after less (or more) dives wants to understand a little bit more the life of coral gardens.

Stats

I watched all NFL games last weekend. When I saw how the Giants defeated the Packers I had to think about statistics. The 15-1 was nice, but on the field not two bunch of statistics played against each other but teams of human beings. Whatever the numbers predicted I saw the struggling of some great sportsmen.

You can say this blog is about diving, why I do I write (again) about the football? Well, I remember when I read a question in the forum about Red Sea conditions. I've been there for a dozen times and I saw many nice things but sadly I can't say what will you see exactly. Usually the winter is windy. But I had trips in February when the sea was incredibly calm. Usually there are more sharks in specific seasons at the Brothers. But I talked to disappointed friends who saw only one small shark in the blue for a few seconds during a whole week.

So you can ask about conditions and possible encounters and I try to answer honestly but hopefully nobody will attack me after a rough week in the Red Sea... Forget the statistics and predictions. Surprisingly not the boat or the sea matters but you. You are the one who can enjoy shallow reefs with a lot of tiny fish and crabs instead of challenging offshore reefs if the weather doesn't allow long sails. You have to go for the touchdown in protected bays: go to dive and try to have fun. Maybe you won't get the sharks but will meet turtles, dolphins or a seahorse. The most important stat is your measure of enjoyment, and the major factor is you...

An artificial buddy

And a forum topic, again. An excited diver shared his experience about his "malfunctioning" Suunto dive computer. He added some photos as well and the other readers suggested to check the manual: it was a simple deco stop. He didn't understand his own instrument's signals. If a diver is lucky he or she can miss the decompression stops because these modern computer doesn't allow diving on the real limits. But a guy mentioned a story where the dive master trainee ran out of the water showing the computer which became "crazy". Yes, she missed the deco stops. There are beginner divers who don't know much about their computers but a DM shouldn't be that lame. (It sounds like if you couldn't understand the signs of your buddy and instead of using your head you pull out her or him from the water...)

Sometimes it seems the only solution is simple: let the computer dive on his own while we humans would stay on the safe deck. Let's make it clear: the computer is a sophisticated instrument which helps us to dive safer. But it doesn't decide instead of us. If somebody ascends fast or misses a deco stop the computer will sign and it won't get the bends but the diver. In my opinion those agencies who don't teach using a dive computer even during the beginner course should change their approach. I kindly ask who saw any freshly certified diver to calculate with the dive tables? Since most of us prefer liveaboards and unlimited shore dive resorts all around the world using a traditional dive table is nonsense. In my opinion a dive course needs to educate about real life situations. If the instructor knows all of his students will buy a computer soon he should explain the basics of the computer diving. Some people responds there are "Diving with computer" courses but I confess I'm sick of "perfect giant stride", "mastering mask clearing" or similar useless certifications. A diver with an OW card should be able to dive in normal environments and use the essential equipments- safely!

Even better if he understands their working a bit. If they would learn a bit about the different algorithms they wouldn't prefer a dive computer because it's more liberal. I think all the computers are safe but there must be a reason why all of them started to become more conservative. It's easy to find out. Just look around on a dive a boat: older people or very young children, many overweighted and unfit women and men go under water regularly. The more conservative algorithm is the better. Maybe the bottom time at 30 meters will be 1 minute less? Who cares? If I check the air consumptions I see many divers shouldn't dive deeper than 15 meters with a single tank. I don't understand those who love liberal computers so much: why don't they dive without any instruments? They didn't use any in the past and they didn't get the bends regularly. For me safety can't be compared to a bit more bottom time. I'm old enough to find interesting things in shallow water. The proud smile of the divers who can surface minutes before me because of their liberal computers doesn't annoy me. Not our computers will need a treatment in the chamber but us. If we did the same profile my extra 2-3 minutes of decompression does matter whatever the other computers show!

The first dive computer, the Deco Brain changed the way we dive but it seems nowadays it doesn't only help us. The diver who has a computer but don't know how does it work won't enjoy the improved safety. Just remember the story above about the diver who jumped out the water skipping the decompression stop! Another common mistake is the blind faith: it's possible to do decompression dives with the computer, enjoying the more bottom time with the more liberal computer but don't forget, all manuals say sometimes the diver has the bends even if they follow the orders of the instrument. Not the computer should decide about the way you dive: be more conservative, be safe diver on your own. So treat your computer as a reliable buddy who you trust- not as a guiding light or a passport to push the limits.

3D

When I was a beginner I wasn't able to see everything around me. I think it's usual to swim without realizing the third dimension: I just look to the left or right when I searched my buddy and forgot to look up or down. I think it's an important new skill when you start to move naturally in this real life 3D movie.

Sometimes it helps you to find the other divers faster or simply don't slip your notice a shark below or a manta above you. And sometimes it helps you to avoid dangerous situations. There is a really nice dive spot near Safaga in the Egyptian Red Sea, Tobya Arbaa. I like to dive here: the huge towers are covered with corals and many small fish lives around them. The night dive is spectacular as well. The only problem is the army of spiny lionfish. During daytime they don't move too fast but in the night these fierce predators join divers and follow their torches. Whenever they find a small prey in the ray of light they attack.

I knew it and kept a distance from the seabed because they usually swim under the divers. If you descend too much you find their spikes in dangerous vicinity of your body. This time a beginner diver joined the group who didn't know this. And he simply didn't look under himself. We saw about a dozen lionfish around him which calmly followed his torch. We swam about 2-3 meters higher and started a baffling action with our dive torches: with the rays tried to attract away from our beginner buddy. He didn't notice the danger until we told him what we saw on the surface. And this wasn't the only one occasion when I saw nasty situations which were easy to avoid or solve if the divers could have seen in 3D. A typical problem when the diver is descending or ascending heedlessly and kicks other divers' mask or lost his own. Whenever you go under water don't forget to check what's above or under you- it's very useful if you don't want to feel but to see lionfish' spikes.

Color me pink

I have many friends amongst divers. We often discuss diving related topics, like new equipments, exotic destinations, courses. A lady said recently after an intro to tech diving course her instructor declared: 'The divers' color is the black!' She told me whatever the big bold technical divers say she keeps her pink fins.

I approve of her decision. I feel I must support all those people who want to show their personality even on a dive boat. This lady has her own style, she prefers colors like pink. Why should she choose a black set of diving equipment just because somebody somewhere suggested this? I know many rules in diving which I found useful and important. The right color of your wetsuit or fins isn't one of these. I'm sure there are extra trained guys who would be able to tell a hundred reasons why to wear black all the time but I don't care about them.

Diving for me is the perfect recreational activity where everybody can find joy and excitement. And as everywhere, we feel much better if we are proud of our stuffs. Somehow the scuba equipment manufacturers seem to go back in time and black is the dominating color as it was 50 years ago. There was a short golden age of fancy colorful suits in the '80s. Some of them were funny, other ones are stylish- the divers had plenty of choice.

Now they can choose black-blue or greyish-black designs. Only the minority of the brands offer suits with small pink (shock! horror!), red, yellow or white color panels. I remember when we bought a wetsuit this spring to my girlfriend. We thought there is only one color design, the gray-black but I found the red-black ones in the manufacturer's website. In the shop they didn't have any of this style, they needed to order it from the factory! A tiny red panel on the upper body would make it impossible to sell for Hungarian diver ladies? I don't think so.

I'm the advocate of the diverse color pattern equipments. I don't think we should look like twins under water in our black suits and BC-s and yellow fins- I know what I'm talking about, whenever I browse my dive trip photos I find dozens of 'men in black'. Just have a glance at the picture below of a dive boat and count those wetsuits which primary color aren't black. I remember Henry Ford's words about the Model T: 'you can have it in any color as long as it is black'.

So I recommend at least special accessories. I even had a bright pink weight belt, a friend said Hello Kitty fans would fight for it. Some people thought I looked damned funny but when in a crowded dive boat they tried to find their weight belts amongst the similar ones I felt I didn't look laughable but they did. Hopefully my friend won't sell her pink fins and someday she can buy pink suit, hood or boots as well. We are not the same. We don't like the same colors. And the most important: we don't want to do the same dives. When I hear 'black is compulsory' from an instructor I worry about my beloved fun dives. Who knows if he tells next time I need to dive exactly the same way as he does? Color me pink but I vote for bright colors, exciting designs and everybody's unique approach, pace and style of diving.

It's fresh

I think there are a lot of people in the world who hasn't ever dived in fresh water. There are a lot of people who live as close to the sea as I to the local quarries. Many divers think freshwater diving is the ugly, disappointed stepbrother of ocean diving. They say it's a cheap but much worse substitute of the real diving for those who live far away from the warm tropical seashores. (It's a typical situation, by the way.) And there is a handful divers who deeply adore lakes, freshwater caves and never travel to exotic destinations.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes, there are awful, murky lakes where you can be certified but it takes some time until you forgot the bad experience. I had my first open water dives in a nearby quarry, the visibility was 1-2 meters, and because we were absolute beginners it became worse in 2 minutes. My instructor couldn't see my face so he checked my mask removing by touching my face- if there wasn't a mask, I did it. Later I had dives in other lakes, some of them was better, some of them was boring and tiring. In a few dozen dives you learn the basics of the navigation and you'll be able to find the crabs and fish so normally every freshwater dive seems enjoyable.

But there are some differences. As I started exploring in the neighboring country I found the Austrian lakes much more exciting. The many fish of the Erlaufsee, the pikes of the Neufeldersee, the 40 meters visibility of the ice cold Grüner See was as stunning experience as a dive in the Hurghada area of Red Sea. I go to Austria because I love to dive there not because I don't have the chance to travel to Egypt. I'm proud to be the first amongst my friends who dived these waters on my own and shared my adventures. Since then many Hungarians visited those lakes which I reviewed in our website. There must be many more great freshwater dive spots in Europe (and even more in the World!) which worth visiting. I recommend to start exploring those lakes and rivers and find the hidden gems. I promise I'll write about my favorite ones in this blog too.

A diver out of water

Even a liveaboard trip doesn't mean you spend 18 hours under water. And the usual diving holidays' two tank daytrips last only for a few hours. When you prepare to spend your free time on a dive trip you have some easy choices. If there is WiFi, you can surf the internet, but who's interested in the politics and economics when think about the next dive? Anyway, don't forget your computer as you can check your photos, you can ask expert advise why it's overexposed or blurry. A dive trip is a perfect place to practice and you'll learn a lot during a week if there are some more experienced photographers around. Surprisingly an expert is able to show the right way with a few words. I know sometimes we are too shy to show our photos but that is the way of mastering your skills. Everybody was a beginner...

Sometimes I'm surprised when someone complaining about the lack of the TV in the room or cabin. Scary but true: we can live without the loud, flashing box. (OK, I'd miss the really entertaining Arabic music channels in an Egyptian hotel, but that's only an exception.) If there is a DVD, you can watch movies. Or probably only one single movie for several times? I've been to trips where I became crazy after the replays. One of the memorable movies was The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher: they always had to stop because of the next dive and started from the beginning again 2 hours later. On my last liveaboard trip the hit was the Kill Bill. When I heard 'What should we watch? Kill Bill again?' for the third time I went to the upper deck. But in the upper deck we had to be careful because in July in Egypt was extremely hot for sunbathing...

So I spent many hours in my cabin with reading. I confess e-books changed my life. I used to read a lot in the past but since I have my small netbook I read even more. Later I bought a real e-book reader and I'm happy with it: it's lightweight, on its memory there is space for dozens of books and it works for weeks without charging. I love it!

Before you remind me I write a few words about the other people on the boat. Yes, you don't need any books, DVD-s, gadgets if you travel with friends. You hang in the bars in the evening or drink in the saloon of the boat. You discuss the dives and you hear nice, frightening or unbelievable stories from past trips. You make new friends, some of them you'll meet on future trips where you can share the same old stories. And there are the local dive masters who can tell you about the local conditions, myths and one in a lifetime encounters. The dives AND the people who you travel with can make your trip unforgettable so be open-minded and don't worry if there isn't a TV around- the real life is way more interesting than the reality shows.

Oldies but goldies

I was certified in 1999 so I bought some items of my diving kit a decade ago. Surprisingly I still use them regularly because they do their job. Let's make it clear: there are new inventions and ideas but the basic scuba gear 10-15 years ago was as good as the newest ones. I own a pair of Mares Quattro Avanti fins which is the favourite amongst professional divers although the original Avantis were invented in the eighties. The tech divers adore the Jet Fin- it was designed in 1962 by Georges Beuchat! You'll see many new fins tested by the dive magazines from year to year but in my opinion only the best split fins can be compared to the good old ones. (And many divers simply don't like the way of swimming in split fins, they have to choose one of those decent classic designs.) Some new fins has awfully weak buckles which break easily, the new, super slim mask frames anything but sturdy.

I still have my first regulator set too. It's an AquaLung Titan LX Supreme. It works fine in depth or in cold waters (I even dived under ice with it), easy to find an AquaLung service center who will make the regular checks (not repairs, my one works flawlessly since I bought). Sturdy, reliable in every conditions, not too expensive- there aren't any better model for an ordinary diver despite its age. There are old-school unbalanced piston type regulators like the Scubapro Mk2-R190 which widely used in dive centers all around the world for decades. The simple BCD-s are nearly the same for many years, the weight integration doesn't change the basic set-up- the difference is the comfort. One of the few real innovations in scuba while the new, stylish design of the second stages or new colors of wetsuits doesn't mean an evolution.

Or there are the dive computers. I bought a Suunto Favor ten years ago and it still works. It knows everything what a recreational diver needs except nitrox capability- that's the only reason I bought a new one. The wonderful new computer lasted for 1,5 years so I started using the old Favor again. Some people mention its algorithm doesn't manage safety stop but for god's sake, I can add 3 minutes to the bottom time I see in the display when I ascend to 5 meters! I become crazy when I hear about 'firmware updates'. I want a dive computer which works perfectly from the day of purchasing. The sophisticated new algorithms don't make a dive safer but a more conservative way of diving does, regardless of the instrument you wear. An extra 500 USD you spend on an expensive dive computer won't make you invulnerable.

I think I shouldn't write more about this, hopefully you understand what I mean. I'm not against the new designs, materials, ideas but I'd like to see more reliable, affordable, proven equipments in the shops. Luckily most manufacturers offer the classic models as well and I suggest to every newcomer in the world of scuba diving to choose those ones which the experienced divers recommend and use. Anyway, if you try and like a cool new stuff let me know- whatever I said I'm interested in everything related to diving. Who knows when will I have to renew my kit...

Top 5 Red Sea liveaboard tips

The Egyptian Red Sea liveaboard trips are really special. The value for the money is incredible, you can join an all inclusive week long trip with 20-22 dives even for 600-700 euros (800-900 USD). The boats are huge (28-40 meters long) and the typical safari boats offer twin or double cabins with en-suite bath, toilet and A/C. Maybe you think a diver can't make a bad decision with prices like this so nearly doesn't matter which trip he chooses. But as a seasoned Red Sea traveler I can make this picture a bit more detailed so here come my advices. Maybe the first questions are: when, where, who?

1. Many people use to say the Red Sea is an all year destination so doesn't matter when do you arrive. Well, the water isn't cold in any season but there are differences. In February in the north you can expect only 20-21 Celsius degrees which isn't comfortable in a 2 mm wetsuit if you plan 4 about hour long dives per day. The winds are stronger so taking on the wet diving suits isn't much fun. In August the water can be 29-30 degrees hot, some divers just pick up their tanks and submerge. If you prefer the lazy warm water dives, travel between June and October.

The article continued here.

A perfect travel companion

When I'm on holiday I can spend a week on a liveaboard boat without internet connection easily. I leave all my problems behind- sleeping, eating, diving is the schedule. Nowadays more and more accommodations and boats offer free WiFi internet and certainly I regularly use it. (If there isn't I don't miss but when I can connect I do...) Usually only check my mails and have a glance on our website but anyway, I need something to browse the net. I found the smart phones too small, and I like keyboard so prefer notebooks instead of tablets.

Notebook? I should say netbook. The trends change too fast, the netbook ruled the world two years ago but now everybody wants an iPad- except me. About a year ago I bought an extremely cheap netbook, an Asus Eee PC 700. The 7" display is small, the internal memory and the SSD drive is small and the whole netbook is small too. Some friends use to laugh on my tiny and slow computer but when I say I spent less than 200 USD on it they say it's a reasonable price. For me it gives the chance to connect to the net and check the usual websites in a few minutes. I can make some basic modifications on my photos before I post them on the Facebook. I would be able to post an entry to this blog. Do I need more? If I'm on holiday it's definitely enough.

I can recommend the older and newer low end Eee PC-s to anyone who want a cheap but working solution. And I have another idea: download the freeware operating system, the Pupeee Linux which has an internet browser and every other important tools. It's small and fast enough even on weak hardware. I'm really satisfied with the Puppeee and I donated some money to the creators. Now I have a complete system. And even better, it's Linux-based which means I'm not afraid of viruses written to Windows when I connect to exotic WiFi services of the world.

Flyin' high and low

Nowadays not the decompression limits or the sharks are the most frightening things for the divers but the baggage allowance. Those lucky guys who lives near a tropical seashore now finish the reading and I envy them. Most of us regularly fight at the check-in desks and try to negotiate with the ruler of the bags. As I usually fly by cheap charter airlines I learnt many tricks and I share some of them.

First of all: measure your bags at home. Sometimes you'll be really surprised to see the weight. Yes, we often pack a lot of useless items. You won't need that fancy leisure suit on a liveaboard trip. A spare BCD's extra weight would cost more than rent one in your destination. Maybe you love your plastic coated pink weight blocks but for a trip you can try simple and similarly heavy local ones. After a few dive trips packing will be much easier as you bring only what you really need. Certainly a beginner don't have the experience but ask your friends, maybe they'll share their checklist of the most important items.

When you buy your first set of diving equipment always check the weight. Most of the manufacturers have lighter BCD-s for the traveling diver (that was the reason I chose the Cressi Light Jac). The full rubber fins are always heavier than the plastic ones. In a tropical sea a cheap 2-3 mm thick overall will be enough and it weighs much less. Choose a soft bag- some people say the hard and heavy plastic suitcases protect your equipment but if you spend a huge amount of the price of a new equipment on the extra weight it protects the income of the airlines not your valuable pieces.

Pack smarter, put the expensive smaller pieces in your carry on bag, a regulator set and your computer will be within the limits. You can make a small extra bag for the photo equipment. Some people buy a vest with many pockets where they put small items. Nobody will measure the weight of your clothes. Anyway, always read carefully the terms and conditions of the airlines, maybe you should print if they offer extra allowance for divers, etc- when you travel back it helps you if the check-in crew in an exotic county say they haven't even heard about them. Sometimes you don't book a direct fly. Maybe the different airlines allow different allowances so check all of their conditions.

Maybe the most important thing is the preparing for the worst case scenario. Don't travel without cash and credit card. Sometimes you need to pay some extra money but if you compare it the priceless moments of your dive trip it isn't worth too much debating. In a few days you'll remember only your underwater memories...

The first question

There are many essential things in the exciting science of diving. But somehow the people usually remember only one thing before their open water course. There are some common mistakes (e.g. pure oxygen in the tank instead of compressed air), some typical but useless questions ('How long can you stay under water with a single tank?') and the one which seems so exciting for many beginners: 'Can someone really pee in the wetsuit?' I think my instructor heard it a hundred times so he just smiled: 'Yes, you can- but you shouldn't, especially during the pool practice!'

After a few years in diving I smile too but on the other hand I can think about the importance of this issue. To pee or not to pee? Sounds like a philosophical problem: you can do it- but would you be able to do it? Well, when I was a beginner I joined an organized trip in Tunisia. We went to a small wreck, the water was warm, everything was nice but after 30 minutes I felt the uncomfortable urging at my hip too. When we were about to finish I hesitated what to do. I didn't pee in my suit, but sadly we hadn't back fast to the shore and dive boat was too small, there wasn't a toilet. At last the skipper started the engines but I knew it would take 20-25 minutes to reach the harbor. Even worse, the dive center was in a garage where nobody built toilet. So I made the fastest checkout in my life and started to run to my hotel. To be in the cozy toilet of the room was one of the memorable moments of our holiday. So I learnt sometimes in diving the question is not about possibilities but needs...

Lost

The underwater navigation is a mysterious segment of science. I read stories about disorientation even from diving instructors while other divers always find the way back to the boat regardless of their certification. I try to master my navigation skills from my first open water dive after certificaton.

After I got my card I hadn't dived for a while. When I joined a dive club's weekend trip to a nearby freshwater lake I was the one who hadn't a car so getting there was an expedition in itself. I met my buddy who was as inexperienced as me and my equipment which was as imperfect as my skills. Luckily I didn't have to worry about depth or dive time as I didn't get any instruments- my buddy neither. I won't ever know how long and how deep was that dive but hopefully we didn't brake any decompression rules as the maximum depth of the lake was about 10 meters.

Navigation wasn't a problem too without compass. Our 'plan' was spend under water some time. We descended into the murky water, tried not to lose each other. Luckily we didn't but we did lose the trail. As beginners we swam a lot, too much, and didn't check our position. When we were low on air we ascended. Our air consumption was high so the distance from the shore wasn't more than 4-500 meters. Our surface swim was long. Too long. I had enough time to think about preparations. The lack of our knowledge and the missing briefing from the experienced members of the dive club resulted a boring but not dangerous swim. I was a beginner but somehow I felt it isn't the right way of diving. Certainly long swims would keep me fit but in the open sea the distance could be 20-40 kilometers which sounds a high impact workout. Sunburn, dehydration, fatigue- if somebody doesn't pick him up the drifted diver can be very skinny in 24 hours.

There aren't any serious conclusions. We learn by experience and the lesson to learn for me was avoid too much swim under and above water as well. Better to keep an eye on the compass or the terrain than being lost for 5 minutes- or forever.

Dive! Try?

Recently in Croatia I saw some people who were really newcomers of the underwater world. As their instructor prepared them for the very first intro dive I saw their excitement. Maybe some of them will be certified divers someday and will enjoy diving as I do.

Or not? Just after they finished I had a chat with one of those brave ladies who tried diving in the Adriatic. It wasn't her first intro experience and we discussed the differences. Equipment, dive group, length of the dive- maybe there aren't two identical discovery diving course in the world. I remember when my girlfriend attended an intro in Greece while I was diving. The boat was full of people, mainly beginners, they had the simpliest briefing what I've ever heard: 'Don't touch anything, keep breathing normally, if any problem occurs somebody will get you out of the water!' Five 'divers' went into the water in the same time, and divemaster trainees pushed them to the 2-3 meters depth. Everything was chaotic. The dive center knew the program wouldn't make too much people starting a course or even try another dive so they asked a lot money for the first intro dive and only a small extra for a second- majority of the guests didn't give another try after the first frightening diving experience.

A few months later we traveled to Tenerife. I organized my dive again, and my girlfriend wanted to make an intro. We finished the dive and then the instructor made her equipment, did a briefing, then went to dive. One qualified instructor with one beginner, slowly, calmly and their dive lasted for 50 minutes. It was the experience which helped my girlfriend to decide she really wanted to enroll an open water diver course. And when I talked to that girl in Croatia, we found out the intro experiences are so different. And the worst thing: an inexperienced guest simply don't know if her or his first dive is safe or a crazy and dangerous adventure. I asked this lady: did you see the certification card of your instructor? 'No, but he was definitely qualified.' I said I could only hope so. I was on a dive boat in Egypt where advanced divers with 25-30 logged dives made intros. If everything goes smoothly, their experience is enough. If something occurs they lack the knowledge to avoid the worst case scenario. But there are dive centers in the world who sell their programs but don't provide the proper crew or equipment.

I don't know the solution. It would be funny if a totally beginner would try to teach the correct way of discovery diving. But somehow we should try to take care of our friends or family members who want to do their first ever underwater breaths. So help them with advices, bring them to reliable dive centers and if we can, keep an eye on their first dive. If we choose well they can be divers in the future. But only those people will be our enthusiastic dive buddies who don't afraid of submerging after a terrible intro dive.

The Big 50

I was preparing for my first saltwater dive when I glanced to a dive log. There was a magical number: 50! 'She is very experienced, she has fifty dives!' I whispered to my girlfriend. I think I adored my new buddy. The dive goddess was an American lady in her thirties and I thought would I ever be an experienced diver with that much dives?

Since 2001, the start of my regular trips, I had many chance to dive with beginner divers. To feel their excitement when they ask how many dives I have can be satisfying. But on the other hand I've already met many divers who has much less dives but as good divers as me. You can ask what 'good diver' means to me. No, not those who dive to 70 meters with single tank of compressed air or swim faster than Michael Phelps but the divers with perfect buoyancy, low air consumption, careful moves and a sense of catching sight of the underwater life. Diving is a special competition where not the 'faster, stronger, deeper' rule apply. Maybe with 50 dives I wouldn't confess if I envy somebody regardless of her or his logged dives but as I become more experienced I'm quite happy to see those smart new divers. It's better to dive with them- you can say I'm selfish. Yes, I am. After many dives where other divers stirred up the silk or frightened away the hiding animals I appreciate the good dive buddies.

So the question became simplier. If I meet a new diver I'm not interested in 'how many' but 'how'. And I'm able to decide if I want to dive with them more even without asking them. The nice numbers in your logbook won't tell a word about this. And certainly my logbook is useless too- something to remember. For the buddies I should be a good diver but it's much easier to collect 50 dives than doing everything well on every single one.