Any other divers on the board?

Anyone interested in diving? Anyone with questions about it?

Yea.
I'm a divemaster for NAUI and CMAS.

Nice

I'm a NAUI Instructor

go hunter go hunter

I got a serious question though:

will you teach me for free?

Sure, well it can't be free, you will need to pay for your registration and your student material. But you know I wont charge you to teach you

YEA...

Been diving since i was 12 years old...

Got somewhere in the region of 60 odd dives, so i've done more advanced dives than i should have done for a Open Water NAUI Diver...

Dad is a Master NAUI Diver (i think that's what they call the one before Dive Master) done over 200 dives, been diving since 1983 i think...

MAN I'M RUSTY WITH THE TERMS...

Would have loved to have gone up to Dive Master but i can't afford the courses & i Dive every chance i get it's not a lot in the last 5 years i've done about 10 dives (if it is that much)

I can't even remember the last time i dived at Sodwana, it's just too expensive to go there so lately where diving Aliwalshoule (Spell Sucks) & Shelly Beach = Shark Dives 32m down 8km into the see...

I think i must save up a bit again go visit Gran & have a Dive Or So...

Well Enjoy You're Dives Guy's Think Of Me When You're Down There...

I must admit I haven't been to Sodawana for a while either. I just never get the time. If I don't go soon, I'll forget how to dive.
Hunter, do you instruct privately, or for a school?

I only have a NAUI Advanced Open Water Plus. Haven't been diving for over a year

excuse my ignorance, but where in the hell do you jhb guys dive ?

Privately Nuf, also assist with a couple of schools when needed.

Training dives in JHB are done at Bass Lake or Miracle Waters blood105, but I go down to Aliwal Shoal or Sodwana once a month Doing the training inland and then going down to the coast for fun dives is a great way for new divers to feel more comfortable. Diving in the ocean for the first time can be quite a scary experience, which is why doing some training in a quarry before hand really helps with the divers confidence.

Nuf you must join us at Miracle one day

Where is Miracle Waters? I know where Bass Lake Is, done a couple of dives there (Water IS BALDY FREEZING)

Would Also Like To Dive There If You're Going Let Me Know & I'll Try & Make A Plan!!! What's the costs for Miracle & Bass Lake These Day's???????

Hope I'm Not Out Of Line Asking???

Miracle Waters is just outside Hartebeespoort (spelling), entry there is R30 and R20 for an air fill.

Bass Lake is R45 entry and also R20 air fill.

Miracle doesnt have nitrox filling though, but its quite an enjoyable dive, normally warmer and clearer than Bass.

Dived Bass all this winter, lowest it got was 12, rather cold, so moving down to Aliwal and 23 was a dream come true

I hate cold water. I've never been to Miracle waters, only to bass lake. I hated it as I frooze.
Hunter, give me a shout next time you go. I probable won't dive (I don't like lake dives) but will definetely join you for a beer aftewards

The worst part about not diving for so long is the jealousy over my father. He is even building a place as Sodwana. He's there so often the 'Nkosi' gave him some land. He stays down there for months at a time and even assisted in the whole Cealacanth (sp? - SillyCunt) expedition with National Geographic. And I'm up here staring at pc's all day.....it sucks.

Man thats awesome Nuf! I wouldn't mind moving to Sodwana

What Diver Would Mind Moving To Sodwana?

Almost became a Skipper for one of the dive company's there, had the application form (knew the right people) & everything, then the company i work for now phoned & i took there offer MAN I WISH I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW, Then i would be Working At Sodwana Now

Nuf: I'm Seriously Yelous Of Your Dad

Bass Lake - brings some memories...

PADI Open Water here - think I dived 3 years ago last... Really need to do it again. Should save up - I'll need a new wetsuit

Sodwana was the most breath gulping place I've ever saw...
AWESOME

NO ARGUMENT THERE!!!

* 7Mile; Had The Some Of The Best & Most Beautiful Dives Ever There!

* 2Mile Caves & Overhangs; Breath Taking & Great Fun Swimming Under Some Of The Overhangs!

* 2Mile Stringer; Saw Sting Ray's, The Dive Master Called It Doing A Ballet (Spell??? Dance Swan Lake,ect) The most Fish I Ever Saw On One Reef That Same Dive!

* 9Mile; The 2 Corral Trees Are Just Awsome!!!

* 5 Mile; Small reef but Very Nice On A Calm Sea Day!!

* Not To Mention Just Snorkling Behind The Rock Right At The Beach, There was more than once where i spent more than a hour Snorkling Back there! Took out a couple of Killograms worth of lost Fishing Wights! Me & My Dad's Diving Wights are made of the lead we got there!

F#(K Now I Wanna Go Again

Only have NAUI – Open water 1.
So still very inexperienced with less than 20 hours at Bass and Sodwana combined. I really enjoy diving tho. But my last time was like 2 years ago.

I have heard about Miracle Waters and would like to go check it out some time.
Are there any good camping sites nearby?

Edit: Coldest I ever experienced was 15 and 13 in some thermals at Bass with a Farmer-John, ffs that was Cold.

You can camp out at Miracle itself, they also have chalets for rent.

We must organise a pm dive day

What are NAUI and CMAS. I thought that PADI was the way to go. Is there any difference between the qualifications? Which one is more internationaly accepted? I want to do one of the courses this summer.

Everyone loves and swears by their institution. Padi says Padi, NAUI says NAUI and so on and so on.
To be totally honest, they all much of a muchness. They all go about different ways to teach the same thing - Diving.
I changed from NAUI to CMAS purely as it was cheaper. NAUI and PADI are the biggest organisations and both are recognised world wide. I've dived in Hawaaii and others I know in the Red Sea, Maldives, etc. and have never had any trouble with NAUI. CMAS is an institution that originally started in France - the Jauq Coustou (sp?) origin. It's also recognised world wide but is not as widely know as the others. NAUI is dollar based and is therefore quite expensive to belong. Correct me if I'm wrong Hunter, but don't they charge you a couple of hundred dollars per year just so you allowed to Instruct ?!
CMAS charged a couple of hundred Rand.

Well I am an Advanced diver with a NAUI qualification. If you look where I stay, well, there is very little place for me to dive. However there is a lot of deep diving and training going on at an old mine called Batgat. The best dives I have ever done are at Sodwana. As for the different types of training, you'll all get to do the same activity at the end so it really makes no difference. The thing that normally makes the most difference is your confidence level and your instructor.

Diving rocks, and I can't wait for summer again so I can go swin with the fishes.

What's the longest dive you guys have been on? Over 10m of course. And what is the deepest you've been?

Longest: 1hr15min - I was frikken freezing at the end
Deepest: 40m

you guys?

Longest: 1h20min - ran outta air
Deepest: 44m

The next thing I'd love to do is drysuit, rebreather and deep dive training. However that's all heavy bucks. I enjoy diving and don't really need to do any other training. As long as I don't freeze to death I'm happy and as long as there's something for me to see.

asterix: PADI is the largest organisation today, NAUI was the first organisation. There are others such as CMAS as Nuf said, as well as SSI.

Yeah every organisation will harp on about itself, but truth be told it all comes down to your instructor, if you have a shit instructor it doesnt matter what agency you go with.

I prefer NAUI as I feel there standards are a little higher, I am a PADI Assistant Instructor so I feel I can make that call

Yeah I pay a yearly instructor fee, included in that is your new instructor card and quaterly magazines from NAUI and a mag about the dive industry. Liability insurance can be included in that as well. So while it is a bit steep it is still cheaper than PADI which is pound based

Longest dive: 2hrs 15m, but that was only at 16m. Half of that time was at one spot on the reef watching two clown fish and their babies

Deepest: 92m and it was not much fun at all, technical diving is great, until you start your deco stops.

CC drysuits are the way to go, especially if you going to be doing technical diving and yeah I would love to get a rebreather as well

Serious bucks then.

Yea
On the Cealacanth expedition, the guys had a bottom time of about 10min with the total dive time (including deco stops) of nearly 3 hours. Their last stop was 30min at 3m.

Hell Yea... Just not in Sept but October or anytime after that is Great


* Longest Dive: 55Min at ±15meters with a Single 12Liter Cilinder (Came up with 80Bar Left, Buddy Was Empty Not To Mention Everyone Els In The Group Had Been Out For More Than 15min by then)

* Deepest : 32meter (Shelly Beach Shark Dives & then i must just add that you ride 8km into the ocean, THAT'S PAST THE BIG SHIPS SHIPPING LANE )

Not bad for a NAUI Open Water One Diver Hey?

As an Open Water diver you should not be going past 18m.

But yeah lets have a dive day in Nov then

Still beginner here:

16M deepest.
45Min max - I'm heavy on da air.

Quite a few of us here, so out of you Gauteng guys who would be keen on a dive day in Nov?

I know, it warried me alot when we went down for the shark dives, so my dad & i found out from a couple of diving places (including the place we where going to dive with) & all of them asked how many dives i've done before, by then i was on about 50 odd & all of them said i had enough diving experiance to go deeper they'ed just recomend i go down the first time with someone that has dived that deep before!

My dad has, so problem solved! HIS QUALIFYING DIVES WAS ON 36meter (Wonder Gat) as a Open Water One Diver must add this was in 1983 i think & he has done over 200 dives so i was in good hands!!

Didn't have any problems!!!



Count me in...

45min is not bad at all for air consumption. I don't like diving more than 40min anyway as I start to get very cold.

Yea 45min is Really not bad! i avg about 50min a dive started at about 25-30min a dive (THAT'S HEAVY ON AIR)

When you're still new, or when trying something different, it's natural for your air consumption to go through the roof as you're anxious. 45 mins really is not bad. I can say that at 44m I was seriously narced, but then I didn't really know what to expect and would be much more prepaired for it next time.

It was quite funny once, at about 35m on this one dive, I don't know what happened but I was "happy". I am always in control, but this dive I swear that I saw a fish and it was smiling at me. Freaky. Then I found two twigs and had a sword fight with my buddy. It was seriously fun!

Shark dives at Sodwana must be one of the best dives anyone can do. At about 15m you have plenty of time as well.

Where do they do Shark dives at Sodwana? I heard there was a spot just between 2mile & the beach where there is sharks but i didn't really believe the guy cause his got a history of making up stories!!!

The Raggies move up from Aliwal to Sodwana during October, so that might be what he means. I have not seen many other sharks at Sodwana.

Want to shark dive? Go to Protea Banks!

The guy is right. The reef is called 'quarter mile'. The only sharks I've seen at Sodwana are Raggies and a Zambezi (sp?).

I tried to dive at Protea Banks once but couldn't as the conditions were terrible.

Yeah its not an easy dive site, strong currents, deep and the sharks of course.

But if you get it on a good day its amazing, pretty intense having a 5m Tiger shark come right up to you

Protea Banks is there by Shelly Beach Right? Cause man that day we saw about 30 odd sharks...

Haven't dived Aliwal's sharks yet, everytime we where there the people we where diving with wanted to go somewhere els!



'quarter mile' that's the place! Man i'll have to go to Sodwana again sometime... What's the cost per dive there lately?

Any of you guys Nitrox certified? Must admit its one specialty everyone should do. Anything that extends bottom time is a bonus IMO

For dives on Protrea Banks especially its a necessity, I mean who wants to spend 5minutes at depth

hunter, I promise I have so many different things I still want training in. Nitrox would be one of them. All to enhance the diving experience.