Plans for new Tempe Sea Life Aquarium excite Scuba divers
Merlin Entertainment Group, based out of the United Kingdom, announced that it intends to build a $15 million, 26,000 square foot aquarium next to the Sports Authority at Arizona Mills in Tempe Arizona. Merlin Entertainment is the owner and operator of Lego Land in San Diego. “This will be Merlin’s 30th Sea Life Aquarium“, said spokeswoman Julie Estrada.
This will be the second aquarium to open in the Valley of the Sun over the last year. The World Wild Life Zoo opened its three building aquarium in Litchfield Park (adjacent to the zoo) and plans to open a fourth building. Visitors to Phoenix’s west side can visit the Aquarium and see species from local lakes to far off Southeast Asia. The World Wild Life Zoo Aquarium also features a shark tank and an interactive stingray tank. Read more
Scuba divers earn college credit
College campuses around the country are back in session. There is a new throng of freshmen flooding the counselor offices trying to make sense of this “college thingâ€. A new crop of seniors are combing through their transcripts seeing where they may have some “holes†that need to be filled so they can graduate in the spring.
This is great news for degree seeking Scuba divers. Anyone seeking a degree from an accredited university can benefit by being Scuba certified. In fact, Scuba diving can be a fun and enjoyable way to fulfill your Physical Education or Recreation requirements for your Associates or Bachelor degree. Read more
Becoming a Certified Scuba Diver
There are 2 primary items to think of when going for certification. Number one is to pass a health exam by your doctor. You may wish to make sure that you are in good condition before taking up this demanding sport. You don’t need to discover while you’re hundreds of feet below the surface that there is a difficulty with your heart, lungs or consciousness. The next thing to understand is that you’ve got to be able to swim. It is not a priority to grasp a bunch of swimming strokes, however, be ready to swim about two hundred meters and tread water or float for approximately ten mins.
There are around two thousand scuba diver training centers in North America, so you might find one fairly close to your home. Make sure that the diver center has a good reputation, you may find inventories of this scuba equipment on the web. 2 of the certification agencies, PADI and NAUI have lists on their Internet sites which will assist you. Read more
Scuba diving dry in Arizona – It’s a dry heat
As the summer rolls to an end around the country, the Phoenix area is still scoring 100 degree days. Unlike most cities around the United States, summer doesn’t come to an end on Labor Day weekend.  In fact, it is common to have 100 degree days well into the month of October. And, when those cool days come, it is a welcome relief to most residents in the valley of the sun.
However, for us Scuba divers, Labor Day is a signal to start thinking about the cooler water that will soon follow. Diving in the Phoenix area is a year round activity. In fact, most divers prefer the winter months as the water is clearer, more dive sites are available (due to lake conditions) and there are less boaters on the water. The trade-off: water temperatures get significantly cooler in the winter months. Read more
Rocio del Mar Liveaboard makes the Sea of Cortez its home
The Sea of Cortez, one of the most unique bodies of water on the planet, is the closest “salt water” for Scuba divers in Arizona. This amazing place has lured folks like John Steinbeck, Jacques Cousteau and millions of others for its romance, sea life and quaint oceanside hamlets.
Legendary diver Jacques Cousteau described the Sea of Cortez as the “world’s aquarium” and the “Galapagos of North America”. Cousteau was referencing the plethora of sea life that travels up and down the Baja and Sonora coasts throughout the year. It is an amazing and impressive collection that could entertain even the most seasoned diver with new and exciting finds dive after dive. Read more
Scuba Divers: 10 tips to better buoyancy
On the first day of Scuba class, a student learns how important buoyancy is in diving. Once certified, a diver will spend a better portion of his/her training perfecting their buoyancy. Simple fact, buoyancy is more art than science. With good technique, the right training, ongoing practice and the right equipment, you can perfect your buoyancy. The goal of any diver is to hover effortlessly through the water. When you “dial in†your buoyancy, you will reap the benefits such as, better air consumption, dive with less exertion, protect the environment and safely control your ascents and descents, Great buoyancy means you are diving safer and having more fun.
Following are ten tips to assist you in developing better buoyancy:
1. Get more training: Most divers often use bad habits to compensate for poor technique. Without the right training, these bad habits become memorized and hard to break. Stumbling through the water becomes the status quo for many divers. Get enrolled in a class. Learn the right techniques to proper buoyancy. Perfect the ultimate skill for being a Scuba diver, without the crutch of bad habits. With more training, you will achieve the goal of spending as much time as possible, during your dive, neutrally buoyant. Read more
What does it take to get certified to Scuba dive?
Hundreds of thousands of people get certified to Scuba dive every year. Some of them are doing it for a one-time thrill on their honeymoon. Others are getting certified as a first step, in many, to a (underwater) world of adventure. In either case, taking a beginner lesson and getting your Open Water Scuba Diver or Scuba Diver certification is the first step.
All beginner classes are structured in a similar fashion. The class has two parts, knowledge development and in-water work. Regardless of the agency (whether PADI, NAUI, SSI or SDI), there is little variance in this first step. The most important factor is choosing an instructor in which you feel comfortable. To get certified as a beginner Scuba diver, you must complete all the knowledge development and pass a final exam and you must “master” your in-water skills. While this may seem daunting, it is generally pretty easy for most people. And, it can be done in as little as a long weekend. Read more
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