The Aquarium of The Pacific is a MUST DIVE!
The Importance of Adding a Computer to Your Scuba Kit
{Guest blog post by Bottom Times}
So, your new adventure has begun! You chose to invest time and money into a great sport and successfully completed your Open Water Scuba Diver certification! Congratulations…but now, what is the next logical step, or more to the point, the next logical place to invest your hard earned money? Although, I will always encourage new and seasoned divers alike to further their diving knowledge through continuing education, in my opinion, the next purchase that a newly certified diver should make after earning the initial certification is a dive computer. In later posts, I will break down the benefits to owning a full kit, but for an immediate return on investment, in my opinion, there is no better purchase than a dive computer!
Although many PADI instructors still teach the Open Water Scuba class with the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP), the option does exist, at the discretion of the instructor, to teach the class utilizing dive computers. While I do believe that all divers should have a basic understanding of the RDP, diving with a computer not only un-complicates the sport, it also provides the single greatest benefit of any piece of gear to a diver…it extends your dive times for deeper dives!
For those certified divers who were required to learn how to use the RDP during the Open Water course, you will remember that you can find your no decompression limit, or “no d limit” for a given depth by finding the depth in the upper left corner of Table 1 and following it down to the number in the black box. As you can see below, a dive with a maximum depth of 40 feet yields a no d limit of 140 minutes. A newly certified recreational diver would likely run low on air and end the dive long before the diver ever got close to the no d limit. In this case, diving with the RDP would likely not limit your dive time due to approaching a no d limit.
But, what if you quickly earned your Advanced Open Water and Deep Diver certifications and you want to dive on a reef that is at a depth of 116 feet? How would using the RDP affect your dive time versus using a dive computer?
When using the RDP, the dive profile is referred to as a “square profile”. This means that for any dive using the RDP, your maximum depth is also the depth for the entire dive. The RDP does not make allowances for shallower depths during the descent or the ascent.
Using the table below, you can see that diving on the reef at a depth or 116 feet would yield a no d limit of 13 minutes. Unlike the dive in the previous example, the limiting factor in this scenario for ending the dive would most certainly be the no d limit of 13 minutes.
Let’s look at the above example of a dive to 116 feet from an actual dive in Bonaire at Weber’s Joy using a dive computer. In the picture below, the numbers along the bottom of the profile indicate the time in minutes and the numbers on the left vertical portion of the profile indicate the depth in feet. As you can see, this particular dive was to a depth of 116 feet with a duration of 39 minutes with an average depth of 43 feet. At no point during this dive did I violate a recreation diving rule for depth or time. I was well within my no d limit, but if I plugged the numbers from this dive into the RDP table, I would have exceeded my no d limit by 26 minutes!
Because a dive computer is constantly calculating nitrogen loading based on depth, the dive does not adhere to the RDP square profile rules allowing a dive at a given depth using a computer to potentially be much longer than using the RDP. Remember, this is much more apparent for deeper dives where the RDP no d limit is the limiting factor.
Computers are simple to use, make logging dive much easier, and most importantly, as discussed in the examples above, extend dive times. They can cost anywhere from around 150 dollars up to a few thousand dollars, depending on what features you are looking for. Most dive computers are compatible with Enriched Air Nitrox as well, adding additional benefits for repetitive diving.
My wife and I dive the Shearwater Petrel 2 and the Liquivision Lynx. We both love the computers and would recommend either to anyone in the market. Because there are so many computers on the market taking the time to find the computer that best fit for your diving needs will ensure that your computer will remain part of your kit for years to come.
Downward Facing Fish?
{Guest blog post by OM Diver}
I am a yoga teacher, PADI Divemaster and Assistant Instructor in free-diving. For me these three aspects of my training fit perfectly together to improve my diving ability and time underwater (with and without tanks!). The jigsaw all came together during a course in Dahab, Egypt, where we trained in yoga and diving. So I will begin my story, and future series of articles on yoga and diving with my first experiences.
Boris takes a deep breath in and rises up from the floor, his head clearing a good meter off the sand, upside-down. With a long blow of bubbles he drops back down before rolling into a ball and gliding effortlessly into the blue. This is yoga-diving.
Two words rarely heard in the same sentence, and an unlikely hobby for the vast proportion of burly, gadget-heavy divers who would rather relax with a cigarette on the shoreline than flex legs over their head into the plow pose.
So rare is this marriage, that very few dive centres and guides explicitly use yoga in training and recreational diving. An online search revealed only Monica Farrell’s operation in Dahab, working out of the Reef 2000 centre at the Bedouin Moon Hotel. Along with instructors Barbara, Boris and Reiner, they offer yoga in combination with traditional scuba courses and diving on the local reefs including The Canyon and Blue Hole.
Yoga can help you relax before a dive, increase air consumption and teach you a few fancy poses to show off on your next safety stop. Boris explained that many divers struggle to descend at the start of a dive because of stress and anxiety, not weight and not necessarily ear problems. The universal ‘solution’ tends to be extra lead, rather than taking a moment to slow down, breathe deeply and allow yourself to sink on the out-breath.
Yoga diving is not about doing yoga poses under water – for that you need perfect buoyancy and a lot of practice. Just trying the lotus pose sent me into a backward roll as my weight tipped me off-balance. Each morning we did 90 minutes of Hatha Yoga to stretch and strengthen the body, and then took the principles down to the reef. This included a snorting exercise called the ‘breath of fire’, which can come in handy for clearing your mask, as well as slowly building stronger lungs.
Yoga also gives you a few tips for dealing with life above the waterline. “Your mind is like a drunken monkey, swinging from tree to tree, completely out of control” said Monica one morning. “Yoga says the way to relax is to empty your mind. To do that you need to focus. Standing on one leg is a pretty good way to focus the mind” she laughed as we wobbled in a line, arms flailing.
After a few days I found I was meditating on my audible breath through the regulator. Not so much away with the fairies, but certainly with the fish. Tucking my camera into my BCD pocket, I started to enjoy just watching the world go by rather than trying to capture it.
But there was another technique that seemed even more transcendental than scuba – breath-hold diving. I watched, mesmerised, as a freediver slid gracefully down her line into the dark, deadly depths of the Blue Hole. I felt compelled to follow, but the numerous plaques on the wall alongside the entry point are a testament to the misfortune of many divers who have perished here.
It’s no coincidence that many freedivers are also well-practiced in yoga. “It’s more than just breathing, it’s a state of mind” Monica explained. When I gave it a try, that state was of absolute calm and serenity, at least for a split second before the urge to breathe returned me to the hustle and bustle of the Dahab seafront.
A few tips I learnt from the course:
- Give yourself five extra minutes after setting up your gear to relax and focus on the dive before getting in the water
- Lie face down for a minute when you first enter the water as this helps to slow down your heart rate, and therefore your breathing (grab onto a line or your buddy)
- Breathe deeply from the diaphragm – that means your belly expands on the in breath and contracts on the out. For every one breath in, count two breaths out.
- Slow down
- Control your buoyancy, don’t let it control you
- Be here now (not in your future photo album imagining shots to wow your friends, not in the pub in forty minutes and not reciting your shopping list!)
Follow me on Twitter –> @om_diver
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Dive Doctor?
How many of you have a doctor? OK… Pretty much most of you. Now, how many of you have a dive doctor? What is the difference? Why does this matter?
We mention this because we are always influenced by other forces and sometimes we limit our ability to dive because of various appliances we are wearing, physical problems we are experiencing or possibly, poor guidance from our “trusted” physicians because, they themselves, do not have all of the facts surrounding the effects of diving on the human body.
The motivator behind jumping into this topic is the fact that I have been wearing braces on my teeth for the past two years and in my consultation with my orthodontist, one of the first questions I asked was, “Will this impede my ability to dive?” Fortunately, his answer was no and I have been on several dive trips where I have not experienced any difficulty with my braces and diving. I thought, at first, that I may have a mouthful with my regulator and two rows of braces but it felt no different from what I remembered in not having my braces. In fact, I think it has helped me improve my “bite” by holding the regulator in my mouth more securely without chewing on the mouthpiece. So braces are okay!
Wear glasses? Two options are available for you here. If you are like me and hundreds of thousands of other divers, you can simply wear contact lenses while you dive. Some of the mask flooding and clearing exercises may be a little more uncomfortable because you are focused on keeping your contacts, but with practice you learn to not panic so you can get the job done. I recommend practicing many times first in shallow depths under controlled conditions before you venture into heavy currents and try mask clearing exercises. The alternate option, and growing in popularity, is to have prescription lenses built into your mask. Many companies offer this and our very own, Esther, had this done with great success. If you are unsure where to start, connect with your optometrist and your local dive shop who can guide you through this decision.
Sinus issue? I’ve had this, too! This is where the dive doctor came into play. Until I found a dive physician, I was receiving speculative answers regarding a bloody discharge from my nose as I surfaced. After consulting a dive physician he provided me with both a prescription inhaler to aid the sensitive capillaries in my nostrils and sinuses prior to my dive and then provided me with techniques and suggestions in slowing my ascent to allow my sinuses more time to adjust to the changes in atmospheric pressures. The benefit of the dive physician was cemented in my mind from that moment.
Ear issue? This is tricky. I have been fortunate not to suffer from ear blockages or equalization problems. How many of you have had problems here? What did you do? I don’t profess to have the answer, but pool sessions or controlled dives in shallow depths will allow you to adapt to the underwater environment slowly and build a physiological confidence in an unusual environment. A dive physician may help here but they can always recommend an ear, nose and throat specialist who can carefully diagnose your problem. However, if you are ever in doubt when it comes to your ears or sinus passages related to congestion, it is better to err on the side of caution than risk the possibility of losing your hearing or suffering permanent damage that will limit your ability to dive. “When in doubt, sit it out.”
Finally… Are you claustrophobic? This is difficult to remedy and happened to be Lana and Esther’s biggest fear when we started off in diving. What can help here? A very patient instructor who will not push you beyond your own limitations and a pool or dive site with a gentle slope to depth will certainly allow you to test your bodies’ response to full submersion. Once you are ready for open water, start off in water with great visibility. We remember our first open water dives at Mamutik Island off Kota Kinabalu. The sandy shore was gradual and there was never any fear of being too far away from the surface. For Esther, once we got away from the shore, she immediately began to feel the claustrophobia subside because suddenly the water was clear and she could see 360 degrees around her. If you suffer from claustrophobia or anxiety, just take it slow and let everyone in your group know that you might need a little extra time to adjust. With a great instructor and understanding friends, you will be enjoying many dives in no time at all.
As with anything medical, we want to heavily emphasize that we are not discounting any non-dive physician recommendation to not dive, nor are we providing you with a blanket waiver to get out there and dive without repercussion, but we recommend that you seek the counsel of a physician who is also an avid diver and may be able to offer you options that other physicians are not aware of.
Happy Diving!
Diving Into 2000 Years of History
Back in June, we jetted off to Europe for a quick vacation. As we sat at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, with standby tickets set up to go to Lisbon, Portugal, we looked at the dreary weather that was blanketing much of that country and with a swift decision, we changed our plans to a destination offering significantly more sun; Tel Aviv, Israel. Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, armed only with a Lonely Planet guide-book purchased the day before, we made a decision to rent a car. We embarked on an improvised ten-day, self-drive tour around much of the country to explore the fantastic sites in Jerusalem, Palestinian Territories, Galilee, Dead Sea and Golan Heights.
Now, the very mention of “diving in Israel” conjures up thoughts of the Red Sea with a palate of colors decorating the coral reefs and fish teeming about. However, what if we said we chose to explore the Mediterranean dive sites? While lesser known, these dive sites are peppered with archeological possibilities and excite the diver’s imagination and Shira highly recommended them to dive at Caesarea.
A little history… The historic port city of Caesarea in Israel was established by Herod the Great between 22 – 10 BC and named after its benefactor, Augustus Caesar, who bequeathed this region to Herod following the victory at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Herod’s determination to make this city great, resulted not only in the creation of a great Roman city with coliseums, baths, theaters & temples but also the construction of the largest artificial harbor in the open sea. Built to Vitruvius’ specifications, the structure of the two moles (breakwalls) was a stunning achievement in using ingenious Roman methods of poured concrete; a method that would be lost for centuries. A tsunami between the 1st and 2nd century would become a factor in the eventual destruction of the harbor which was eventually unusable by the 6th century. To gain a comprehensive understanding of Caesarea, read more on this interesting history on the dive center’s website about the design of Caesarea Maritima.
Caesarea is now a National Park and it must be noted that there is a nominal park entrance fee. The site is simply gorgeous with numerous archeological sites above land as you make your way to the modern coastal esplanade. West facing, the design of the park is impeccable! A great deal of attention has been paid to tastefully blending the design of modern restaurants, cafes, shops and museums with the surrounding archeological beauty. And the beaches? Spectacular and only made better without a cloud in the sky! Wow. We haven’t entered the water yet and this place is already incredible.
We made our way to the Old Caesarea Diving Centre at the end of the pier. With a little advance research, we discover it is the only dive operator
located within the National Park and upon arrival, our first impression of the dive center was that of chaos and confusion. There were so many people everywhere! In fact, there were so many people in the dive shop that it was difficult to differentiate between divers and employees. We just needed to figure out the process for renting gear and getting started. Once the crowds seemed to dissipate, we found some counter real estate to talk to the coordinator and set up our time with a dive guide. The dive guide is necessary to explain the underwater archeological sites and review the dangers of the area. Getting outfitted with our gear seemed relatively easy as the rental coordinators were able to guess our sizes with a quick glance. Some of the equipment seemed a little old, but it was functional and would be good enough for the single dive.
Note: The dive center is very strict about only accepting certified divers. Without exception, your dive card, proof of dive insurance (i.e. DAN) and log book, with recent dives or a minimum number of dives, must be presented. All three are necessary to dive this unique historical site. We did not have our log book but the coordinators fortunately accepted the 30 recent dives as shown on our dive computers.
Before we dropped in the water, we were encouraged to discover the Mediterranean water temperature hugging the Israel coastline is much more temperate than previous experiences in the shared body of water around Italy’s southern island of Lampedusa. With temperatures hovering around 24˚C, Lana only required two wetsuits to keep her comfortable for her dive! Our dive master is a delightful Russian Israeli who really knows the area and explained the sites as shown on his map. He described the amount of swimming that would be involved above and below the surface as the archeological site is quite large and the underwater remains of the harbor are no different.
The dive had some interesting logistics. A dicey entry with moss-covered concrete steps into a one meter deep rocky bottom demanded each divers complete attention. Plan for a long swim to the site (10 minutes) and shallow depths can present buoyancy issues for novice divers (5 – 10m). The dive is pretty much at safety stop depth the entire dive and because of the shallow depth and concrete pylons in the water, it created a surge which can play havoc with persons who may experience underwater motion sickness. Halfway through the dive, Lana was feeling nausea because of a combination of the surge, her mask was too tight, and probably because she had two wetsuits on. It was a 70 minute dive of solid swimming and this left Lana knackered.
The dive visibility was pretty decent for the Mediterranean at about 15 meters despite a sandy bottom. Groups seem to be small at about 6-8 persons which is great and we were fortunate to be in a group with experienced divers from Israel and Italy. A safety buoy is necessary because there is a risk for fisherman lines off the pier and boat traffic nearby.
The true highlight of the dive is the opportunity to see the ancient harbor below, a collection of ancient (stone) and modern (iron) anchors below and the location of where the lighthouse would have stood. While the archeological dive site stole the show, marine life was still present. There was even a cool species of nudibranch which excited Tim. The dive guide was great at referencing the sites on the map under water, and with great coverage and discipline in 70 minutes, one dive proved to be sufficient as the group collectively decided a 2nd dive would not be necessary. Multiple dives are fine for those who want to explore more.
We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon like true divers; loitering around the Old Caesarea Dive Shop sharing stories, planting themselves at one of the cafes and then escaping the heat of the day by taking advantage of the museums and movie presentations which were exceptionally done. We followed up our below water adventure with an above ground exploration of the area as we explored the Roman and Byzantine ruins. Simply fantastic!
Caesarea may have 2000+ years of history but it certainly is well-established in the 21st century for modern-day conveniences. Many other sites may top your list for Israel, but Caesarea should definitely be considered. It will appeal to both diving enthusiasts and land explorers alike.
Sea Shepherd Visits Los Angeles Dive Center
What better way to spend a Tuesday night than with a great group of fellow divers at a local dive shop. Thanks to Eco Dive Center, we had the unique opportunity to spend time with the Sea Shepherd Organization and learn what their conservation efforts are really about. (To those of you in the Los Angeles area, Eco Dive Center holds a monthly diver get-together the first Tuesday of every month!)
We were very excited to learn more about Sea Shepherd and their adventures while filming of Whale Wars. To say that we learned a lot during their visit would be an understatement. They are a group of dedicated individuals who sacrifice having a “normal” life; leaving their families and friends behind, so they can help save helpless animals
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIgPe9joWbU]
As we settled in and began to listen to the seminar, we learned that the Sea Shepherd Organization has actually been operating since 1977, long before the inception of Whale Wars. We were further impressed by the fact that they have wildlife protection efforts not only in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary but also in, Taiji, Japan (where the documentary The Cove was based on), Fiji, Cocos Islands and many other locations around the world.
We learned that over 70% of the world’s population of sharks have already been killed, leaving many species of sharks nearly on the endangered list. This absolutely shocked us. As we continued to listen, we became more and more grateful for the dedication of organizations like Sea Shepherd. Not only does Sea Shepherd defend whales, but they are also involved in the conservation of sharks, seals, dolphins, and blue fin tuna.
Leaving the Sea Shepherd presentation we were overcome with sadness. However, as we thought about the message that the Sea Shepherd team delivered, our sadness turned to hope. With the efforts of organizations like Sea Shepherd, people around the world will be educated and inspired to take action to help save our oceans. The future generations deserve to enjoy seeing a whale, or a shark when they are out enjoying our beautiful world.
We have hope that through the combined efforts of Sea Shepherd and the other organizations in the world along with the voice of the scuba diving community, we will be able to make a difference and be the voice for the animals that are senselessly killed every day.
Thank you Sea Shepherd for leading the charge to bring awareness to the challenges that our ocean is facing and standing up to the world to defend it!
What are your favorite conservation groups? Let us know by commenting below.
Happy Diving!
Customer for {Sea}Life!
Guess who has their SeaLife back in their hands? This girl! I won’t bore you with the details, but let me sum up my experience in three sentences.
- Initial customer service contact was a little shaky.
- After all was said and done, and the camera was in their hands, their communication was fantastic.
- They handled the situation beyond my expectations and have gained a customer for life.
If you’re unsure about what camera to purchase for your underwater adventures, take a close look at SeaLife. Their camera takes great pictures and their customer service is great.
Happy diving!
No One Likes a Flooded Camera
Here we were, getting ready for our dive trip to Puerto Rico. We couldn’t have been more excited. This was going to be the 2nd time I would be using our Sea Life DC1400 Duo and the 1st time we would ever be diving in the Caribbean Sea. It was kind of a big deal to us.
After arriving and settling in, I did all the necessary checks (according to page 7 & 8 of the instruction manual) on our camera equipment to make sure that all was well before I jumped into the water.
And we were off. Time to dive Desecheo Island. The excitement level was through the roof. After our buddy check’s and dive briefing, we made our entry and began our descent. The landscape was just breathtaking. The sun was shining through the surface, making the colors of the coral some of the most vivid colors I’ve ever seen. It was so beautiful, I almost forgot to take a picture. Then the unthinkable happened. I brought my SeaLife camera up to my face to take a photo of the landscape and all I see is water floating around the housing. My heart sunk.
I then motioned over to my buddy, Dan, and advised that I would be ascending. We were only 25 feet down, so I made my ascent as quickly as I could without hurting myself. As soon as I got on the boat, I opened the housing, removed the camera, removed the battery, laid it out to dry and continued my dive. I tell you what… Scuba diving knowing that your camera has just let you down, is a terrible feeling. I don’t think I fully enjoyed the diving after that. All I kept thinking about were all the photos I won’t have to post for the world to see. What a bummer.
Now comes the fun part. I get to contact SeaLife to try to get this sorted out. I tried calling their 800#, but it kept ringing busy, so I did the next best thing and tweeted them. Got a response the next day, which I can understand, because it was the weekend.
So, I did what they suggested and called their number. I got through this time and got an agent (who will remain nameless) and explained my situation. So, here’s the deal. I know customer service. I also know that the first thing out of the mouth of someone who is representing a company should never be blame. Instead of being empathetic that a very large wrench has been thrown into our scuba diving vacation, I was told that it was MY fault because “if a SeaLife Camera were to fail, it would be on the first use.”
From March of this year (when we purchased the camera) to up until this phone conversation, I have had a very good impression of SeaLife. It was going downhill fast. I kept my cool and told the representative that I would follow all of the instructions on his email. Send all of the items that were damaged to SeaLife? Got it. I’m responsible for the shipping & packing charges? Got it.
After returning from our trip, I went straight to FedEx, had everything packed and shipped as per SeaLife’s instructions. Forty eight dollars and sixty cents later, my poor little DC 14o0 was on its way to Pioneer Research to get looked at. I guess all we can do right now is sit and wait . . . and hope we didn’t make the wrong decision to purchase a SeaLife camera instead of a GoPro camera.
Stay tuned. I will post an update as soon as I hear something back from SeaLife. Any of you have a SeaLife (or another underwater camera)? Have a similar experience? Share your stories with us!
Happy Diving!
Scuba Diving @ Island of Enchantment // Day 2
Our second day of diving was what many consider to be the best in Puerto Rico and left us wishing we had a few more days to dive here. For day two we took off from a beach called Playa Santa in the city of Guanica, Puerto Rico with Island Scuba. Owned and operated by Dive Masters Pedro and Nayda Padilla, Island Scuba is a professional and well run dive operation with quality equipment to rent and a spacious dive boat that can handle up to 30 divers. A huge plus to diving with Island Scuba is that they are only a 10 to 20 minute boat ride to some of the best diving that Puerto Rico has to offer. If the short boat ride isn’t enough to entice you, the beautiful wall diving should be enough to put even the most traveled divers over the top.
We had two dives with Island Scuba along Puerto Rico’s famous wall and we quickly saw why it is one of the most dived spots on the island. The first site we dove was called Two For You. This site has amazing topography. When you make your initial descent and see the bottom there is an undulating landscape with sandy bottom and large bommies covered with fish and coral scattered all around. Swim just a 30 or 40 feet and you fly out over the ledge looking down a beautiful deep wall down into The Continental Shelf. As you level out between 70 and 90 feet there are huge crevices in the wall running from the top and down as deep as you can see. There are large rock formations that have flat sandy cut outs that you can explore, and all along the wall, there are crevices to explore, so bring your torch to get a good look into the crevices and overhangs. Although the topography is the main attraction at this site, there is abundant coral growth with all sorts of trigger and surgeon fish, regular white and black tip shark sightings and many other beautiful reef fish. The coral is healthy and we were surprised to see scholemia (donut coral) and many plate corals along the wall along with sea fans, whips, xenia and many other colorful corals.
Our second dive with Island Scuba was a site our Dive Master Pedro called the No Name Reef. This was a great shallow dive to finish the day and we would highly recommend that you bring Nitrox for this one so you can extend your bottom time. Our dive was 50 minutes and we came up according to our computers but still had over 1000psi left in our tanks. This dive is 50 to 60 foot at its deepest points and filled with large reefs separated by white sand. You can swim along the white sandy bottom looking under the overhangs for turtles, lobster, crabs, sharks, grouper and all sorts of fish resting during the day. While you are searching the walls of the reef, there are all sorts of blennies, gobies and small fish darting in and out of their sand homes, these are always entertaining to watch as they poke their heads out looking at you as if they would take you on before darting back into their hole. Overall No Name Reef was a relaxing and beautiful dive that we would recommend if you have the chance.
Diving Puerto Rico has been a very pleasant surprise. To have such a great place to dive this close to the mainland US will definitely get us in the water much more often as we plan to come back soon. We hope that if you have been considering Puerto Rico or just wondering where your next dive trip will take you, that this blog has been helpful in making your decision.
Where will you dive next?
Scuba Diving @ Island of Enchantment // Day 1
What a pleasant surprise it has been to dive in Puerto Rico. In planning our trip to Puerto Rico we were, of course, excited for a dive trip but, as with any destination we had our concerns about how much we would really enjoy the diving. To our delight we found the four dive sites we experienced to be filled with life and topographies that offer many exciting scenes to enjoy while you are clocking bottom time.
If you are planning your own adventure to Puerto Rico, the first thing to consider is the size of the island. We were staying with friends on the East side of the island in San Juan. It is a beautiful city filled with great restaurants and active outdoor city life. We would definitely recommend staying a night or two so you can experience the energetic city and take in some beach time during the day. There are many beach front bars and restaurants to enjoy, so you can just leave your towel on the beach and go grab a tasty lunch or cocktail. The most important thing to know is, that almost all of the Puerto Rico’s diving is located on the West side of the island, a two-hour drive from San Juan. If you are planning on diving multiple days we would recommend staying on the West side of the island to avoid spending much of your day in the car.
There are many hotels, restaurants and beautiful beaches on the west side of the island. In fact, if you are diving with Taino Divers they have cottages right next door to the dive shop just steps from the beach. Taino Divers offers trips to Desecheo, beach dives around Rincon and other local dives. You can also take trips out to Mona Island if you book in advance (we recommend calling them directly for Mona Island bookings). Conditions and currents around Mona Island can be challenging and it takes good timing to be able to dive there. We dove with Taino Divers for one day and had a good experience.
Some divers will have reservations when they learn that they will be loading and unloading everyone’s gear, but it is necessary as there is a long stretch of sand that the gear needs to be carried across before it ends up on the boat. So line up and start passing gear. Once you are done diving for the day, Taino Diver’s has a great restaurant with an extensive menu including some of the best fish tacos we have ever had. Also located in the restaurant is a fun island style bar that even Jimmy Buffett would be happy to belly up to.
Our dives with Taino Divers took us to Desecheo where we enjoyed two spots called Candyland and The Aquarium. We agreed with the locals that visibility at Desecheo is 100+ feet and to be honest we were amazed because the winds were high and the swell was four to five feet. Despite the conditions on top, we enjoyed a whole day of 100+ foot crystal clear visibility. The fish life at Desecheo is abundant, with loads of surgeon fish, trigger fish, nurse sharks, eels, wrasses, turtles and a healthy population of small reef fish that add to the beauty of your dives. The corals at Desecheo are also healthy and abundant with sea fans, whips, button corals, xenia and many colorful variations of rock encrusting coral. The gently sloping topography at both spots in Desecheo is covered with a white sand bottom and large bommies filled with nooks and crannies to explore, many times housing lobster and small shrimp. Over all the dive sites at Desecheo are a must see if you are diving more than one day in Puerto Rico.