For those recreational Scuba Divers who are getting bored of ordinary dives, and are looking for a new underwater thrill or adventure, how about something that incorporates scuba diving and the thrill of treasure hunting? We are talking about the newest rage known as Scuba Geocaching that is rapidly becoming more and more popular each day.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term Geocaching (pronounced Geo-Cashing), it is a game played worldwide that was born with the advent of the handheld personal GPS device becoming increasingly cheaper and popular; it involves hiding of a ‘geocache’ or a container with a logbook and some kind of ‘treasure’ usually a trinket, and then the GPS co-ordinates of the location of the cache is uploaded to a website along with some clues. Anyone with a GPS device can attempt to locate this ‘geocache’ and if found, can sign their name in the log-book, take a picture of the trinket, or take the trinket itself replacing it with one of their own for the next Geocacher to find and post their find on the website. Geocachers follow strict rules to always replace the cache and leave behind an object for the next person to find, and also try and ensure that the Geocache itself isn’t stored in plain sight where a ‘non-player’ might chance across the cache which is usually a Tupperware box, or plastic tube and remove it from it’s location.

What started out as a terrestrial based game, has recently turned into Geocachers coming up with increasingly difficult locations to hide their treasure, and it was only a matter of time before a Geocacher combined his/her love for Scuba Diving with the game and started  underwater Geocaching.

Scuba/Underwater Geocaching follows the same rules as regular terrestrial Geocaching, with the exception of several challenges. Underwater Geocaches can be placed anywhere from lakes, to reefs or deep ocean drop-off but within recreational diving limits. Firstly the Cache itself needs to be waterproof, able to withstand water pressure, corrosion, and should be negatively buoyant so that it stays underwater. The most popular Geocaching portal geocaching.com stipulates that any underwater cache that needs special equipment  (such as Scuba Gear) to find, must be classified as a category/Type 5 (T5), and increases the difficulty of the hunt.   Additionally for underwater caches, GPS co-ordinates will be taken from where the boat anchors, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact underwater location without providing visual reference clues of its whereabouts underwater.

Mostly underwater geocaches contain a waterproof dive slate, or waterproof log-book so that the diver can open the cache and fill out the find details underwater itself. In this case often a net mesh bag is used as the cache. You can also create a ‘multi-cache’ where one stage is submerged and you have to dive for it with a clue to an on-shore cache containing the logbook.

As with anything that is submerged, owners of the cache will need to check on it regularly, or design it in a way that it doesn’t affect the stage if it gets wet. Fine silt on the bottom of sea or lake beds disturb easily, often covering the cache making the search almost impossible sometimes.

Nevertheless the challenges involved in locating an underwater geocache is what makes the activity even more fun and exciting. So look up your local Geocache listings and see if you can uncover one of these underwater treasure troves. Happy Hunting!

Photos from flickr by: topherous, Scouse_and_Jules, Bill.Roehl, brianellin, Nemo’s great uncle

Cancun’s National Park West Coat of Isla Nujeres is currently the site of the world’s largest underwater museum, which when completed will feature more than 400 concrete sculptures of figurines.

Cancun’s Marine National Park facing the increased pressure of the 750,000 tourist that flock to its coasts each year combined with the devastating effects of climate change, has been the cause of its dying and declining coral reefs. In an effort to lure away some of the tourist from the reef, the Mexican Government commissioned the creation of the underwater museum at a cost of  US Dollars 350,000 featuring sculptures created by  renowned British underwater sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor.

Jason de Caires Taylor is the underwater artist who created the world’s first underwater sculpture park at Grenada in the West Indies, and draws on both Mayan and Contemporary influences to design his masterpieces. Using a PH Neutral concrete to design each of his 400 sculptures, the intent is to encourage algae and coral to freely grow on the concrete which will cause these sculptures to change appearance over time and form an artificial ecosystem where tiny fish and marine creatures can thrive.

Each sculpture has been carefully lowered at varying depths around the National Park, the first installation taking place in November 2009 when the museum opened with just three sculptures. By April 2010 it is expected to have over 250 sculptures ready and installed with the target of 400 to be standing by by 2011. Authorities say that after the target is reached, the museum will be opened up to other artist that will be allowed to contribute to the collection.

The Marine Park Museum is a stunning place to dive and a unique experience to move around from sculpture to sculpture. Both Scuba divers and snorkelers can visit the museum, and experience the eerie human almost lifelike forms submerged in the blue.  With age these sculptures will constantly change in appearance drawing people back to them just to see how they’ve progressed with time.

Article By Noel Boivin of TheSharkGuys.com

Like a man who gets a disparaging nickname after being seen naked following a dip in cold water, most killer whales are burdened with an unjust moniker, being neither unusually bloodthirsty nor whales – they are the dolphin equivalent of the morbidly obese family member who needs a wall knocked down to get out of the house.

Pliny the Elder, likely embittered by everybody referring so bluntly to his advanced years, summoned the descriptive powers of a man with freshly poked out eyes when he wrote: “A killer whale cannot be properly depicted or described except as an enormous mass of flesh armed with savage teeth.” Apparently, specifics such as “black and white in color”, “big as a motherf’ing really big boat”, were beyond Pliny.

The view of orcas as predatory threats to mankind remained until the creatures were studied and it was found that they were not motivated primarily by a desire to chomp on human extremities. That understanding came partly as a result of research undertaken on orcas after they were captured and put on display in the 1960s. When it was observed that Moby Doll, the first orca to be captured and displayed, didn’t pop off the heads of every second marine biologist it met, researchers concluded that killer whales weren’t the menacing predators that Pliny and his lot made them out to be. In other words, they were the ideal candidates to perform circus-like stunts that may be aberrations of nature, but for which SeaWorld and the like can charge a hefty per-head fee.

Marine parks operate on the Victorian notion that we can better understand nature’s majesty by removing animals from their native habitat, locking them up somewhere the public can gawk at them without being mauled and, where possible, by teaching them skills so they can earn their keep, like riding unicycles or reading sheet music. These parks are skilled at maintaining the pretense that the creatures on show are enjoying themselves and not merely anticipating a fish-guts-based reward.

There are times, however, when the primal nature of creatures not intended by evolutionary processes to play beach volleyball and splash package tourists surfaces, as it did at a Florida SeaWorld recently (See Entry No. 1) when a trainer was drowned by an orca. It wasn’t the first time – even for that particular whale – and isn’t likely to be the last until we realize that nature should be left alone or at least kept at a respectful distance – 32 feet, the spray distance of bear repellent, is about right.

Here are The Top 7 Captive Killer Whale Attacks of All Time!

7. The Fins of the Father
Tillikum is the orca responsible for last week’s death of a trainer at Orlando SeaWorld and indeed, all of the top three killer whale attacks on this list (wags have dubbed him a “serial killer whale”). He is also the father of Ky, a whale that in 2004 at a SeaWorld show in San Antonio displayed the old man’s penchant for taking marine park trainers on unscheduled jaunts around the tank.

In a stunning blow for nature in its battle against nurture, Ky stopped listening to his trainer’s commands and began ramming him and knocking him under water each time he came up for air. The trainer waited it out and eventually emerged unharmed from the incident; though one reckons the bottom half of the wetsuit would have had to go to the cleaners. Afterward, the trainer was remarkably calm for a man who had been nearly drowned by a six-tonne marine mammal, saying, “It looked like Ky lost a little bit of focus.”

6. Shame on Shamu

Shamu, Namu and Ramu are the brand names given to SeaWorld orcas while they’re performing. In 1971, a 22-year-old secretary rode the first Shamu, a legend in orca circles, as part of a publicity stunt. Perhaps unaccustomed to the snapping cameras and harsh glare of the media spotlight, the whale threw Eckis off, kept divers from entering the pool to rescue her, and bit her on the leg as she was finally able to make her exit.

The secretary was left with several lacerations and puncture wounds from the attack. For stunned fans of the Shamu show, the incident was the marine park equivalent of Elvis putting the boots to a puppy at a live concert.

5. Whales Play Trainer Ping Pong
When grisly incidents happen involving wild animals in captivity behaving, well, like wild animals in captivity, attempts are made to rationalize the actions of the animals in terms humans can understand and appreciate. One of the most common is the suggestion that when the killer whale is engaged in the kind of behavior it would use in the wild to, say, drown and eat a sea lion that it is in fact “playing”.

In March, 1987, SeaWorld San Diego trainer Jonathan Smith, then 20, found that playtime is no fun when the other kids in the pool are the size of buses and homicidal. Smith was in the water performing with two whales, when one of them seized him in its teeth and shot to the bottom of the pool before resurfacing with Smith bleeding and spitting him out. Rather than scrambling for the exit or signaling the harpooners, Smith waved to the crowd, who after all had paid damn good money to see a performance. Then the second whale picked up where the other had left off and slammed him into him. Playtime continued as the whales repeatedly dragged him to the bottom of the pool. He managed to escape, but emerged with cuts around his torso, a ruptured kidney and lacerations on his liver.

4. Splash Landing
Divers who don’t properly survey their landing points are a menace in public pools, and, of course, the larger the diver, the greater the peril. But imagine lolling about in a pool, mid-Sunday afternoon swim, only to look up and have the light in your world eclipsed by the descending specter of a diver 60 times the size of Oprah Winfrey.

In 1987, John Sillick, then a 26-year-old trainer for SeaWorld San Diego, was performing a routine with two orcas. He was riding on the back of a female orca, when a fully mature male, Orky, perhaps incensed by the minimal effort that went into naming him, jumped and came crashing down on Sillick. This is enough to warrant an asterisk in any published sentence in which a marine park official stresses the low number of captive killer-whale related fatalities over the years. Survival in this case, like all others on this list, cannot be considered much more than a fluke. Sillick nearly did die, sustaining fractures throughout his body and requiring six operations in 14 months so that he could be “reconstructed”.

Special Mention: In 1987, Joanne Webber, a trainer at SeaWorld California, broke her neck when an orca landed on her during rehearsal as a result of a miscue.

3. Tillikum and the Drifter
Top of the list of awkward points for SeaWorld PR flacks trying to put a positive spin on last week’s trainer killing: the fact that the orca involved, Tillikum, appears to be an incorrigible recidivist – he’s tied to two deaths prior to the most recent one. The second death with Tillikum’s fin-prints all over it involved a 27-year-old man who gained access to Orlando SeaWorld afterhours and found his way into Tillikum’s tank. (Yes, the Darwin Awards people have recognized this man’s contribution to the gene pool). Park staff found the man’s body draped over the whale’s back behind the dorsal fin the following morning. He died apparently of hypothermia, though scrapes on the body suggested he might have been dragged along the bottom of the tank, which falls in line with the MO the orca established in the other two deaths.

After Tillikum was found with a corpse in his tank, SeaWorld’s then executive vice-president Victor Abbey made one wonder whether he is able to differentiate wild animals from their animated counterparts when he said: “This isn’t a bad animal. He’s a good animal.”

In his film, Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog said in reference to the bears Timothy Treadwell “befriended” before they ate him, “I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature.” Extrapolate that to all wild animals and we tend to agree.

2. Tillikum’s first strike
If we were to take a leap and think of killer whales along the simplistic lines suggested by Victor Abbey, then surely an incident involving Tillikum that occurred eight years and involved him drowning a 20-year-old biology student would put him in the “bad egg” camp. On February 20, 1991, Keltie Byrne slipped and fell into the orca pool at Sealand of the Pacific a now defunct marine park in British Columbia. Tillikum was in there with three orcas and Byrne had just finished a show with them. One of the whales grabbed her in its teeth and began dragging her around the pool. When she tried to scramble out of the pool, the whales pulled her back in, screaming, and she drowned. Several hours elapsed before park officials were able to extricate her body from the tank.

An inquest was held and, surprise, it was determined that the trainer’s death was the result of the whales playing a game that got a bit out of hand.

1. Tillikum and the Florida trainer
Tillikum’s killing of a trainer at SeaWorld Florida prompted this blog. Late last month, Tillikum grabbed 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau by her ponytail and drowned her in front of horrified spectators, including screaming children, who will likely be reliving that day in their nightmares for some time to come. Park officials and rescue workers tried to rescue Brancheau, but, minus the crucial weaponry that would have been their only hope in this situation, they couldn’t extricate her from the creature’s teeth until 30 minutes after it had snatched her from the side of the tank and by then it was too late.

The trainer’s death reignited the debate about killer whales being used in marine parks and also a bizarre take on the situation from the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Ellis. “The fact that they’ve been in captivity for 60, 70 years and not attacked anybody makes this a very surprising event,” he said. He followed up this erroneous statement with his attempt to make like Jonah and get inside the beast and try to guess at its motivations for the attack. “This was premeditated, and for whatever whale reasons, the whale did this intentionally.” More helpful analysis followed: “Whatever prompted the whale to do this, it behaved in killer whale fashion. That’s what it uses to attack with. It doesn’t have hands, so it uses its teeth – it has a lot of them.”

The most worrying quote came from another AP story. Larry L. Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, in Louisville, Kentucky, said the attack could drive up attendance at marine parks among teens and young adults.”It’s not going to draw families necessarily or older people who would typically visit there, but there is an age group that gets excited about the risks and the potential for drama and it may attract some of those folks,” he said.

Killer whale shows would go from being an obscenity in the face of nature to an exhibition made more exciting by the prospect of someone’s ghastly death.  These Sharks will stay out of the no-splash zone.

Click Here For Some Biting Comedy & More From TheSharkGuys.com

Spectators at Orlando’s Sea World were witness to more than just some cute looking Killer Whales also known Orcas jump out of the water and do a few tricks, on Wednesday 24th February, 2010. It was during a show packed with an audience, that a Killer whale named Tilikum snatched a trainer from a poolside platform with its jaws and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her as spectators watched horrified.

Officials fail to confirm that it was an attack, saying the 40-year-old female trainer- Dawn Brancheau slipped or fell into the tank leading to the horrific incident. Eye-witness’ however, clearly told reporters a different tale, stating that the trainer was rubbing the 12,000 pound whale’s belly, when it suddenly took off really fast, came around right up to the glass, jumped up grabbed the trainer by the waist and started violently thrashing about till just a shoe came floating up to the surface. More than a few witness’ recount events of the incident in the same way and park authorities and the Sheriff’s Office maintain that it was an accident with no sense of foul play.

This was not the first incident the same Killer whale Tilikum was implicated in. Two previous deaths were linked to the same whale in the past, another trainer that was performing with the whale in Canada in the year 1991, while the second incident though not confirmed as an attack was when a naked body was found in its tank in 1999. Other deaths and attacks by killer whales at different Sea Worlds and this recent one included have sparked off the age old debate of keeping this wild marine animal and others in confined tanks.

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) commonly known as Orcas belong to dolphin family. Quite unlike it’s portrayal in ‘Free Willy’ the Hollywood blockbuster Orcas are not the friendliest or nicest of whales. In fact they are quite the predators in the ocean and hunt sharks, marine mammals including sea lions, seals, walruses and even large whales. Although they aren’t a direct threat to humans, they are known to be aggressive when kept in tanks, as big as they are to us may seem bath tub sized to the whales that are used to swimming thousands of miles across oceans in their life.  With nearly two dozen attacks since the 1970s by captive killer whales it’s clearly a sign that they are not meant for captivity and shows plain cruelty towards these animals.

This incident is in stark contrast to the story – Beluga Whale Saves Free Diver from Drowning

*Photo Credits: photos by milan.boers and eschipul on flickr

What may seem just like any other mountain lake, the Pavilion lake in British Colombia, Canada is being termed a biological mystery, drawing teams of astro-biologists and astronauts from NASA and CSA to explore in it’s depths.

The seemingly normal picturesque lake situated 420 kilometers northeast of Vancouver among the limestone cliffs of Marble Canyon, is not unusually large or deep, not especially acidic or alkaline; nor are there high concentrations of minerals dissolved in its water. Yet, it is home to colonies of Microbialites which are carbonate rock formations that look like coral, but are thought to be produced by primitive bacteria. These ancient structures were common from 2.5 billion to 540 million years ago, and are one of the earliest remnants of life on Earth. How these microbial formations manage to survive in Pavilion Lake in such large quantities, in various shapes and sizes unlike anywhere else on Earth has baffled all. But, no one’s pondering that fact, considering themselves lucky with the discovery as research of the Microbialites and their formation in Pavilion lake may be key in the search for life on Mars and make it easier to identify potential forms of extraterrestrial life on future missions to Mars.

Space agencies like NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) along with number of research institutions all over the world set up the Pavilion Lake Research Project and have been studying the lake for several years. Scuba divers retrieved samples from as deep as 100 feet below the surface for analysis and the deeper parts explored by DeepWorker submarines just large enough for a pilot to squeeze inside. NASA and CSA sent astronauts to the scene for space exploration training saying that the lake bottom was like the surface of another planet altogether. Scientists, technicians and even astronauts with limited scientific field experience are trained to perform good scientific observations while contending with the stress of operating underwater as if it were space.

Bizzare isn’t it, that the life we’re searching for on planets like Mars may be just like what we have right here on Earth, in a Canadian lake!

*Photo Credits: All photos by SpacePhotoBill on flickr.

For all you underwater photography enthusiasts out there, here’s a bit of good news. The leading underwater photography website DivePhotoGuide.com recently announced the launch of the highly anticipated free series of comprehensive underwater photography tutorials written by professional underwater photographers.

If you’ve ever just picked up an affordable point and shoot with housing to capture and share those sights of the underwater world with friends and loved ones or investing in some more advanced underwater photography gear these tutorial guides are just the thing to get you started or fine tune your skills to get some stunning shots down below. Written by professional underwater photographer Jason Heller and DivePhotoGuide.com editor Matt Weiss, along with contributions from several world renowned professional and award winning underwater photographers, such as National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, Martin Edge and Alex Mustard, the guides include great pictures that illustrate each technique.

The easy-to-read tutorials are for photographers of all levels and cover a wide array of topics right from understanding of basic principles and techniques or underwater photography to creative techniques that include- macro, wide angle, super-macro, composition, lighting, surf photography and so on. The simple objective- to learn how to take GREAT underwater photos. The next time you hit the water we suggest you be prepared and armed with these  practical underwater photography tips that promise to help you with some rewarding underwater images.

DivePhotoGuide.com: The popular underwater photography website DivePhotoGuide.com has been a valuable resource to a community of over 50,000 underwater photographers around the world since 2005. In addition to the new free techniques guides, the website features underwater photo galleries from the top pros and amateurs in the world, daily underwater photography and ocean related news, in-depth articles, a comprehensive underwater photography equipment guide, travel guide, event calendars and a monthly photo contest with prizes.

It’s a pretty well known fact that Canadian film director, producer and screenwriter- James Cameron has a love for the Ocean and of Space & Alien life. One of the most well known Celebrity Scuba Divers, his love for these two subjects is apparent in most of his movies right from the ‘Alien’ series, ‘Titanic’, ‘The Abyss’, ‘Volcanoes of the Deep Sea’ and is even clearly seen in his latest blockbuster and superhit movie ‘Avatar’. Now you’re thinking, you get the Alien bit about ‘Avatar’, but you don’t see anything to do with the Ocean, right? Well if you look closely, Cameron’s influence of Scuba diving and love of the sea with it’s fascinating and unique life is deeply embedded in the movie.

Some of the computer generated flora and fauna in the movie Avatar have an uncanny resemblance to marine life which Cameron himself has admitted to being influenced by in interview about this movie and his past work. Remember the scene where Jake Sully (Worthington) wonders off distracted by his surroundings, while Dr. Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and biologist Norm were busy collecting samples,  he comes to a patch of rather tall spiral looking flowers they call ‘Helicoradian flowers’. On his touch the flowers shrink or rather retract into the ground…sound familiar to the Christmas Tree Worm you’ve seen when you went diving? Only the Christmas Tree Worm is a lot smaller than in the movie as seen in the picture above.

How about the seeds of the sacred tree Eyra? Their movement seem strangely familiar to that of jellyfish? Well these similarities to marine life in Cameron’s movie are far from coincidences.

James Cameron has previously been quoted saying-

“I learned to scuba dive in a pool. It wasn’t until I moved to California that I ever even scuba dived in the ocean. But I just loved it. I loved this idea that there was this alien atmosphere right here on planet earth. I knew that I was never going to be an astronaut and visit another star system or land on another planet, but I knew I could explore an alien world right here.”

- James Cameron

When asked about his Aquatic influences in an interview about Avatar, he replied:

“I just swept in every design influence in my life. I’ve always had this deep respect for nature and a lot of my youth was out in the woods hiking around. I was a total science geek. I spent over 2,500 hours underwater and I’ve seen things that are absolutely astonishing on the bottom of the ocean. It really is like an alien planet. I’ve always felt like that’s something I’ve been able to do was live out a science-fiction fantasy adventure for real in my diving work. So yeah, there’s a lot of stuff there. There’s even a lot of stuff in the shallow ocean that’s influenced things. The Banshee wings are based on the colourations of tropical fish, for example. We were a little concerned that these large creatures wouldn’t scale with these incredibly vivid colour patterns, but we managed to make that work.” - James Cameron (see full interview)

It also comes as no shocker that Cameron’s next project is yet another water influenced movie titled ‘The Dive’ based on a true story of a Cuban free diver Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras and Frenchwoman Audrey Mestre who went on to break several world records under his guidance before dying in 2002 while competing. “It’s a drama, a love story,” Cameron said. “This will require underwater photography, which will look gorgeous in 3-D.”

So, we’re certain to see more of Cameron’s scuba diving influences in his future endeavors. And when you watch the much talked about sequel to Avatar which is speculated, keep your eyes peeled for more such similarities to the water world.

*Photo credits: photos by Nick Hobgood, Loimere on flickr

Heron Island, Australia, Dec 20^th 2009: An Australian teenager is in a stable condition in Hospital after being attached by a Shark, while diving off the coast of Heron Island in Queensland.

John Pengelly, 19 yrs old,  was diving with two friends at Lamont Reef off Heron Island when a three-meter bull shark bit him ripping a deep 20cm gash in his forearm. Pengelly who is reported to be a free diving champion was said to be spear fishing with his two friends when the incident occurred at around 7:45am on the 20^th of December. His companions immediately came to his assistance and tied their t-shirts around the gash to stop the profuse bleeding.

The victims are reported to have approached a passing fisherman vessel for assistance.Surprisingly the vessel refused to take aboard the wounded diver, but instead only radioed  the authorities for assistance.  The group had to sail back to Heron Island on their small craft which took half an hour before the Royal Flying Service airlifted Pengelly to Royal Brisbane Hospital for surgery to repair the several damaged arteries, tendons and bone damage.

Pengelly, who was questioned in recovery after his surgery said he had just returned to the surface after shooting a Mangrove Jack fish when the shark attacked him from below, catching him totally by surprise. He stated it was probably an inquiry bite, a case of mistaken identity from the part of the shark.

photos by: adman_as, cliffandally, fabiogis50

Imagine zipping around not on but underwater on a cool scooter, the Scuba bike from Scuba-Doo allows you to do just that and more. Unlike other Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPV’s) where divers are required to be trained and wear heavy Scuba gear and equipment while using the contraptions, the Scuba-Doo doesn’t even need a dive mask let alone wear a BCD or scuba tank on your back.

The official Scuba-Doo website describes it as:

Scuba-Dooing means you don’t need to wear a mask or mouthpiece. The air tank and diving weights are on the Scuba-Doo motorised scuba bike.

You are seated on your Scuba-Doo, with your head and shoulders in a clear dome. Your air is constantly being replenished from a scuba tank, enabling you to breathe normally! (www.scubadoo.com.au)

At a rate of 2.5 knots and a max depth of 10m (32ft.) you can ride amongst the spectacular underwater world or remain stationary while you feed the fish. The best part about this underwater scooter is that it doesn’t require any specilized scuba training nor do you have to be a great swimmer to ride around on it. Even people with minor disabilities can enjoy this. All you need to do it sit on it and breath normally the fresh air replenished into the clear dome through the scuba tank carried on it, while enjoying the panoramic view of the underwater world. It’s an easy, relaxed and fun experience.

Released in 2004 for a whopping $17,000, the Scuba-Doo scooter is not exactly a scuba boy-toy for just anyone. It is however, a lucrative investment for resorts and tourist hire companies that buy the innovative high-tech toy to offer rides of about 60 – 90 minutes for prices that range from $50 to $65 on average.

So the next time you’re in Australia, Maldives, Malaysia, the Caribbean, Mexico, the Philippines or other tropical island resort, look out for these uber-fun scuba bikes to try out and go Scuba-dooing underwater! It’s a new and unique way to explore the ocean blues that comes with bragging rights.

*image source: www.impactlab.com

Snorkeling is a great way of seeing the underwater world, but has it’s limitations. While snorkeling allows your to view things from the surface without having to wear bulky gear and equipment, you can’t get up close and personal or see marine life at depths deeper than a couple of feet. Ofcourse you can duck dive to get a closer look at something but only for a few seconds by holding your breath. Scuba diving on the other hand, is the best way for that first hand experience of life in the deep blue. However, as exciting as it is to Scuba dive and be able to breathe underwater using Scuba gear and equipment, it requires hardcore training and certification to become a diver. This can be an expensive process for someone just wanting a one time experience of a trip underwater. Enter… “Snuba” a hybrid version of the two popular water sports- Snorkeling and Scuba.

Devised and developed in 1989, by California diver Michael Stafford, the underwater breathing system they called Snuba was introduced as a form of introduction to Diving, requiring only a half-hour lesson and no Scuba certification. In Snuba the swimmer uses fins, a diving mask, weight belts and a diving regulator just as in scuba diving. The main difference is that instead of an air supply carried by a diver in a tank strapped to his/her back in Scuba diving, Snuba uses a 20-foot air hoses attached to tanks on a raft above at the surface which follows you as you move. This unique underwater breathing system allows swimmers the freedom of movement without wearing heavy scuba gear which can weigh in excess of 27 kilograms (60 lb). Unlike snorkelers that are restricted to swimming at the surface, Snuba allows one to go to depth of 20 feet and swim near the bottom, at mid-water or closer to the surface depending on their comfort levels.

Patented by Snuba International who own the trademark and license it as a touring program, Snuba diving is an easy and fun way for couples, families, children (eight years and older) and seniors who have basic swimming skills and who may have never even snorkeled before to experience breathing underwater and view marine life up close. It’s almost guaranteed that once you try it you’ll want more…and when you do, you’ll have to turn to Scuba diving for longer, deeper and a more gratifying underwater experience.

Snuba diving is offered in over 70 locations around the world, including Hawaii, Florida, California, the Caribbean, and Cancun, Turks and Caicos and Cozumel, Mexico. For more visit: www.snuba.com

* Photo Credits: photos by triplezero and Amen-Ra on flickr.