Neal Skrenes: Six things to know about Dive & Travel Insurance

Neal Skrenes

After a recent event that caused the cancellation of a dive trip three years in the planning, Mike and Lisa asked me to write about my experience with dive and travel insurance. So here are six things I think you should know about dive and travel insurance.

1. Be aware that Dive Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance are not the same thing, and that many Health Insurance Policies may not cover diving-related injuries or expenses.

I am a firm believer in Diving Medical Insurance and have been a member of DAN¹s Master/Premium diver policy since I first became aware of them in 1988. Other divers belong to other programs; having coverage is more important than which program you choose.

Something that not even all DAN members know, or understand, is that basic DAN insurance IS NOT TRAVEL INSURANCE, per se.

While it¹s true that DAN membership also includes a form of travel interruption and cancellation insurance, in order for DAN¹s medical evacuation policy to take effect, you must be ill enough to require evacuation to make a claim. DAN trip cancellation coverage only covers the DIVING-RELATED portion of your trip.

For example, if you booked a flight/room/diving trip to Bonaire and come down with a cold or ear infection, only your dive trips on the boat would be covered by DAN . . . because, according to DAN, you can still sit on the beach with a cold.

2. All dive accident policies require care to be first prescribed by a medical professional, documented in an itemized bill, reported to the insurer in a timely manner and other important details. You¹ll need to follow your policy rules to ensure coverage, not always an easy task in remote areas.  Sick as I was, I knew I¹d need proof that I had seen a doctor or visited an emergency room, so I asked for and obtained copies of the doctor¹s notes and the bill for services and medications. I also planned to see my own doctor as soon as I arrived home.

I think the main thing that confuses some divers about DAN is that the trip cancellation/interruption insurance included with DAN Preferred is that it applies only to diving-related cancellations:

"This benefit pays for the losses described below that an Insured Person incurs for a trip canceled up to the time and date of departure for a Sickness or Injury that would substantially impair his or her ability to dive. "

But it's not general-purpose travel insurance; it doesn't do anything for you if a hurricane wipes out your trip, someone dies, there are travel delays, lost baggage, etc.

3. As I began traveling to exotic destinations, I realized I needed coverage over my trip costs. Fortunately, DAN also realized this and offers "travel insurance² packages through its website.

Note that cancellation insurance must often be purchased and paid for within a specified number of days from the date that the trip¹s first deposit is due to be paid.

4. You aren't likely to need trip cancellation insurance if you're just getting into the car and driving 50 miles to the beach (or quarry). However, if you¹re planning a major dive trip that requires paying out a good deal of money and flight time, it¹s something to consider and I hope my advice is helpful.

5. What Good Travel Insurance Covers:

Cancellation - You become ill and need to cancel your trip

Missed Departure - A road traffic accident or some other delay causes you to miss your flight

Vacation Abandonment - Airport strikes cause you to abandon your trip altogether. (Cancellation is the one of the more common reasons people claim on their travel insurance policy); In my opinion, it's bad enough not being able to go on your trip, without the added blow of losing the money that you've shelled out, too.

Medical Expenses - You need to go to hospital, this can be very expensive should you need surgery. Medical expenses can be incredibly high in foreign countries; this is perhaps the most important reason for buying travel insurance, and consequently is the most claimed against. Do no underestimate how expensive medical bills can be!

Baggage - Your bags get lost or delayed in transit and you need to purchase new clothes to wear

Curtailment - There's an emergency at home and you need to go home, cutting your trip short

6. Points to Consider When Buying Coverage:

A common mistake is leaving travel insurance until the last

Minute. The best time to purchase your policy is as soon as you have booked and paid for your holiday. By doing so, you¹re saving money should you need to cancel your trip or if a strike is announced that disrupts your travel plans and you need to make alternative arrangements.

Lost Equipment Coverage generally covers only diving equipment that is worn on the diver's person that is "cut loose" and is lost or damaged as a result of a Covered Diving Accident.  For full coverage of lost diving equipment you should have separate sports gear coverage added to your home or renters insurance policy.

In my case I was glad to have purchased both DAN Medical Insurance and DAN Travel Insurance - though I missed out on some long anticipated diving I received adequate compensation so that I did not lose most of my non-refundable trip expenses.

The Six Highlights of the 2014 Trip to Curacao

As many of you know, Team Manta recently returned from Curacao, an island just north of Venezuela. Here are 6 highlights, in no particular order, of this trip.

Number One: The Diving

Duh, that was the point of the trip, but what I liked about the diving this time is that most of the dives were relatively shallow.  This positively affected the dives in different ways. With the sky’s overcast many of the days, the sun obviously did not penetrate the water as deeply as it does on clear days. Staying shallow allowed us to better see the corals and their true colors. Every diver knows that shallower dives mean longer dives. Even for divers with less than optimal air consumption rates were able to squeeze an hour out of most of the dives. Finally, our newer divers were neither a limiting factor to the group, nor were they left out of the dives everyone else was doing. 

Number Two: New Divers

Speaking of new divers, we brought back four new Team Manta members this trip.  Any of you who have taken a class from me knows that I highly recommend that new divers immediately sign up for one of our week long dive trips as a way to really cement their skills. (Not to mention how much fun they will have!) This trip, we had four people completing their open water dives. In some cases, if I fail to convince students that they need to dive locally with the group, I certify students and they go on their way and I never know if they continued to dive or if they remained at the skill level of a newly certified diver. On this trip I had the opportunity to guide my students through their four open water dives, and then to see them assert more independence, diving with me as a dive buddy, feeling relaxed and comfortable. Eventually, they became comfortable diving with another certified diver as their dive buddy. I am proud of them and know they will continue to dive and enjoy it.

Number Three: The Lionfish Hunt

Our dive operation, Ocean Encounters, has their own answer to the lionfish problem on their reefs.  They spear lionfish on different reefs in rotation.  They count, measure and sex the catch for statistics and submit that information to research on the issue.  The divers on this dive acted as spotters, banging on their tanks when they found a lionfish, and pointing it out for the dive masters, who then speared the invader and put it into a collection tube.  After the dive, we were shown how to filet the fish safely and were given a certificate for a free lionfish meal at the Iguana Café and they were delicious!  I am proud to say that we dispatched ninety lionfish on that dive.  Sadly, there seems to be an endless supply of them throughout the Caribbean.

Number Four: The Night Dive

Night diving is a must on any dive trip.  This one was a real delight.  All the divers were able to stay spread apart so all of us could see things without being finned in the head. There was plenty for all of us to see, too.  Lobsters strutted boldly along the corals.  Hunting octopuses, seemingly undisturbed by our lights, performed their color and shape changing tricks for us.  Tiny red shrimps peeked out from formations.  We hired a videographer from Turtle and Ray Productions to document the dive.  You can see this here.

Number Five: The Ostrich Farm

If you go to Curacao, be sure to make time to venture out to the Ostrich Farm.  This is a unique operation is which nothing is wasted.  The ostrich meat is sold to restaurants, eggs used in baking and breakfasts. Crocodiles ate the waste from the butchering.  Goats ate the weeds out of the aloe fields. The pigs ate the scraps from the restaurant. It was really impressive. We took a guided tour and learned a lot about the animals, and even got to feed them. 

Number Six: The Restaurants

Mike and I ate in a lot, but when we ventured out, it was memorable.  Augusto’s, located adjacent to Lions Dive, where we were staying and Ocean Encounters, the dive operation, was a convenient spot to get a quick and relatively inexpensive lunch. They served good burgers, veggie or chicken sandwiches and pasta.  Our traveling companions talked us out of our culinary comfort zones, convincing us to try Indian food at Bollywood restaurant.  Unsure what all the dishes were, we had our friends, Sean and Karen Bellinger order several dishes to share.  This was a good way to experience a new cuisine and each dish was wonderful! If you are into Argentinian style beef, try El Gaucho, a nice restaurant the overlooks Willemstad. Don’t count on Argentinian beef, though.  The beef served is US Black Angus.  Finally, do not miss Zambezi at the Ostrich farm.  They will even transport you to and from the restaurant, so you can feel free to try their special cocktails or imbibe a wonderful South African wine with dinner.  Everything they make is great, and of course the ostrich steaks are fresh! Oh, and dessert! Yum.

If you want more information about our trip, check these videos and the trip report on our website.

A Pebble Cast Into a Pond Creates Ever Expanding Ripples

Recently I heard a radio show in which the hosts were talking about how an event or activity can change the course of one’s future.  By extension, these changes also impact one’s family and circle of friends. It got me thinking about how scuba diving has affected me and my family.

It all started with a family vacation to the Bahamas. Our son, then 9yrs.old, was interested in marine biology and the ocean, so we thought the Bahamas would be a great spot to expose him to the ocean in a much more intimate way.  We purchased snorkeling gear and took a short class to learn how to use it all before we left. Arriving at Stuart Cove’s Dive Shop in South Ocean Bahamas, we signed up for a couple of boat snorkeling trips. One of the spots we snorkeled was the remnants of the airplane prop from the James Bond movie, Thunderball.  When we got to the wreck, the certified divers dropped down before we got into the water to snorkel. The whole time I was in the water I watched the divers exploring the wreck and knew that that is where I wanted to be. 

As soon as we got back home, I was looking into diving lessons.

Lisa and I were certified the following October in time for a trip to Aruba for the production awards for the company that I was working for. Though our first ocean dive was somewhat terrifying, it was wonderful as well. The first thing Lisa said to me after we surfaced from that first dive was, “We have to get the boys into this”.  I signed Dylan and Boomer up for classes as soon as Boomer was old enough to be certified. The boys were certified on their first dive trip to Bayman Bay Club in Honduras.  Little did I know that that trip would be beginning of our sons’ training for international travel.

We were fortunate enough to be able to take the boys on several dive trips throughout their teen years. By the time they went off to college both of our boys seasoned travelers.  I think that it also opened the door to other adventures.  When our older son, Dylan married Dominique, we of course pushed for her to learn to dive. She had no problem with that as she is adventurous as Dylan, so we taught her to dive one summer that they were home.  They were living in Taiwan at the time, and with the couple now both certified, they took the opportunity to dive in the Philippines and Thailand as well as the Sea south of Taiwan. They also traveled to Cambodia and Viet Nam. Our younger boy, Boomer, has also headed out to other adventures and travel. His career as a geologist takes him to some very remote and beautiful locations in the US and Canada. He spent 10 months on Admiralty Island in Alaska, where, unfortunately, he never got the chance to dive during crabbing season.

Diving in Cayman Brac with family and new friends

As for Lisa and I, diving turned to a passion that led to becoming Instructors, having a dive shop and of course more dive travel, expanding our destination list to many local diving venues we had never hear of. Who knew a trip to the Bahamas would set into motion the events that would influence all of our lives? It has for you too because you just read this blog.

Six Things to lLook for When Planning a Dive Vacation

Of course, divers and non-divers alike will enjoy a Team Manta tropical vacation, with all the details already figured out and the promise of a fun group of divers to hang out with, but what if you are charged with planning your own trip?  Here are six things I think about when researching new destinations.

Number 1

How long will it take to get to destination? If you only have a week to get away from the job, relax and dive, dive, dive, then a destination that will require 2 or more days to reach may not be the best choice.  The need for a couple of days’ travel is understandable when you are traveling from here to, say, the Pacific, but less popular destinations, though they may be closer, may also take extra time to reach.  The airlines will make frequent trips to popular places like Cozumel or Grand Cayman, but the lesser traveled spots, such as Dominica usually will require an overnight somewhere along the way.  I am not saying to rule out these more remote destinations, because if they are hard to reach, they are likely more pristine, but you may want to wrangle a few more vacation days to make it worthwhile.

Number 2

What are the diving conditions? Just because you are headed south, don’t assume the water will be warm. Remember that ocean currents can bring cool water even to places with scorching temperatures on the land. When researching the water temperature, be sure to specify the month that you will be traveling to take into account the seasonal differences.   The water temperature, of course will impact your choice of exposure gear.  Find out if there will be current, whether it is generally a mild current, or if you will be doing drift dives.  If you are drift diving, do not leave home without a surface marker buoy and a whistle or some other device to signal a boat at the surface.  What is the visibility? Visibility can change with the season, and you may not want to take a trip to some distant location only to have the same visibility you can get at a local quarry.  Diver forums can be a helpful resource but the information can be a bit biased. In order to obtain the most reliable information about this stuff, contact a local dive shop in the location and ask the experts.

Number 3

Is it all inclusive? All inclusive packages are nice in that they remove the unknown of how much you will be spending on food.  The down side is that you lose some of the adventure of local dining and rubbing elbows with the locals.  All-inclusives are nice too if you plan to have an aggressive dive schedule that may not allow for long meal breaks.  On the other hand, if you, for example, you would like to only dive in the mornings and explore or relax in the afternoons, then a breakfast only or an all on your own package would be the ticket.

Number 4

Is there shore diving near the resort?  I love to shore dive and feel that availability of shore diving adds value to your dive package, but be sure to get particulars.  It really does you no good if the reef is far from shore or if the shore diving spots are on the other side of the island from your resort, unless, of course, you have a vehicle.  You may want to get information on the relative difficulty of entry and if there are local restrictions as to where or when you shore dive.

Number 5

Are there biting bugs?  The thing with warm, sunny destinations is that bugs like them as well as we do.  If the location has biting bugs, it is not a deal breaker, but you need to prepare.  It is good to know if they have no-see-ems, mosquitoes, or other biting insects so you can plan on delegating some of your luggage space (and weight) to bug spray.  If you are headed to a malarial area, you will definitely want to bring repellent with DEET, but if you are only worried about nuisance bugs, Avon’s Skin So Soft may be do the trick without the stinky smell.

Number 6

Where is the nearest chamber?  No one expects to have a dive accident, but it is prudent to locate the nearest recompression chamber and consider the difficulty and expense that may accompany a trip for treatment.  I really recommend DAN insurance for a fail-safe in case of an accident.  In some countries, you will not even get treatment unless you can come up with the cash to pay for it!  If the chamber is not close by, you may want to hedge your bets by planning your dives a little more conservatively.

These are a few of the things I consider when choosing a dive destination, and I’m sure there are more.  These six are a good start, though.  You need to figure out what your travel priorities are and ask the right questions of informed individuals.  Finally, do not forget that you may have to take into consideration the wants and needs of your traveling companions, especially if they are non-divers.  I hope this helps the next time you plan a dive trip!

Six Things: Reasons to Expand Your Dive Horizons

First of all I want to say thanks to all of my faithful blog readers who let me know that they missed my post last week!  That makes me feel so good!  Anyway, this week’s blog has to do with pushing your personal scuba envelope and to expand your expertise.

A customer stopped in the shop the other day and we chatted about dive gear, travel bags, equipment we considered essential for diving and other stuff.  As I talked about the upcoming summer schedule and the planned trips to Curacao and Utila, he told me that he always dives in Cozumel.  I asked him why that was and he told me that he was used to it, had found a dive operation that he liked, and always had a good time there, etc. Though these are valid reasons for returning to a dive destination, I reminded him that there are a lot of islands and dive spots out there and he should consider trying something new, but as he said good-bye and left I figured that he will probably never take that suggestion.  Since this conversation has bothered me for the last several weeks, here are my 6 reasons to expand your dive horizons.

#1: See how different dive operations conduct their dives.  

I did a lot of drift diving in Cozumel, Cancun and Grenada, to mention a few places, but each operation had a little different way of doing things.  How do you know that the first place you dove follows the best safety practices?  How do you know if there is an easier way to do one thing or another?  For example, I thought that every dive operation had divers drop off the boat, descend, and then drift along the reef while the boat captain watched the bubbles as they came to the surface.  Now, I always marveled at the ability of the boat to find the divers, but what happens if another group is diving by my group?  Whose bubbles should he follow?  When I went to Grenada, I saw a different way.  There, the divemaster towed a Dive Flag as a surface marker.  In addition, all divers were required to have their own surface marker buoy (SMB) in case they were separated from the group.   This left no doubt for the boat captain as to where the group was.  In addition, as divers became low on air and wanted to ascend, they could do their safety stop next to the dive flag, assuring that they would not be run over by the boat, or that they would surface and the boat would not know where they were.  The fact that each diver had his own SMB gave even more security in case the buddy team somehow was too far from the dive flag to ascend next to it.  

#2: Experience a new kind of diving.

Early in my diving career, I did not do much local diving.  I was intimidated by the low visibility and lacked proper exposure protection.  Today, I see that there is plenty to see in fresh water and regret that I did not do this sort of diving more often.  I also feel that the challenge of lower visibility has made me a better diver and dive leader.   In addition, when I am in an environment where the visibility is great, I am even more comfortable.  You may have tried some night diving or wreck diving in your Advanced Open Water course, but doing these types of dives in a new environment, can really expand your knowledge.   Don’t make these experiences a “one and done” sort of thing.  It take a few dives to really pick up on what it takes to be proficient in a particular type of dive.

#3: Meet new people

I often comment that I have met some of the most interesting people on dive trips, from the mine owner who sells wooly mammoth tusks that he finds when digging in new areas, to the inventor turned underwater photographer.  Not to mention the friends who actually live in our back yard that we first met on some Caribbean island 1500 miles home.  Picking other diver’s brains is a good way to decide where your next dive trip will take you!

#4: Compare different ecosystems

Not all lakes are the same, just as not all reef systems are the same.  In fact, it has been my experience that when coral heads are separated by sand, they often have different fish populations. In fact, it was quite funny on our trip to Cayman Brac to see that the grouper that was following us around one coral head was chased away by the grouper on the next.  I found Honduras to have the most colorful reefs, and Bonaire to have the greatest population of fish.  When we did our northern Wisconsin dives last summer, I found it particularly interesting to see that some lakes had, for example abundant snails, while another had none.  One would have a huge bass population, while the next would have mostly bluegills.

#5: Take in the land sights.

When I am visiting another country, I try my best to have a local take me around to show me what they consider to be the best sites of their town/country.  Both educational and enriching, hearing the political opinion of a local can bring a whole new perspective to my world view.  Keep an eye out for indigenous birds and other wildlife. If the island you are visiting is small, don’t be afraid to rent a vehicle and explore on your own.  It helps, of course to read up on the spot ahead of time and plan your excursion so you can hit at least the high points of the destination.  

#6: Experience the cuisine.

When you take your land excursion, be sure to ask for suggestions as to where to sample some of the local dishes.  One highlight of a trip to Barbados was enjoying an el fresco meal of flying fish and rice and beans, the signature dish of the island.  Each island has its own favorite spices and flavorings that often put an unexpected twist on a familiar food item.

I truly believe that if divers get stuck in the rut of only diving in the familiar spots, they never truly develop as a diver, never pushing their personal envelopes.  They may have many dives logged, but they never challenged themselves to apply their diving knowledge in a new way to a new situation. It is like a person from Europe who vacations in New York year after year and professes to know all about the US.  The knowledge he has is superficial at best.  To be a well-rounded diver, one must get out into the world and dive and experience this wonderful planet!

Fond Memories of Cayman Brac

I remember the first time I dove in Cayman Brac.  Mike and I wanted to take our boys, 21 and 14yrs., on a diving trip over their Easter break, and found a good deal on a condo rental and dive packages on the Brac.  Our previous dive trips with the boys were to Guanaja, Honduras, where we stayed literally in shacks perched on the hill. While that was a wonderful adventure, and the boys sure didn’t mind the rustic conditions, Mike and I were looking for something a little more civilized and easier to get to.

Cayman Brac, the dive pier.  This is where the magic starts!

Upon our arrival at the airport, the resort staff met us and delivered us to the front desk for check in.  Our condo was clean and spacious, a restaurant, the Captain’s Table was next door, and there was a bar right next to the pool.  We tossed our bags in our rooms and trotted over to the dive shop to sign papers and find out what the schedule was going to be like. After the usual formalities, we were each given a mesh bag and instructed to put our dive gear in it for pick up in the morning.  What?  I am not going to be lugging my gear over the hot sand like a tropical Quasimoto?  The next morning, when we boarded the boat, there were our bags.  We all set up our gear and settled in for a ride out the reef.

The boat captain pulled up to the mooring and crew deftly attached the vessel to it. Next the divemaster, Vicki, briefed the dive.  I had never heard such a thorough briefing, with details on sight name, profile, time, critters to look for, a whiteboard map of the sight, pointers on entries and exits, and boat procedures.  I know now that this is exactly the way a dive briefing should be done, but clearly, not all shops follow that formula.  The completeness of the briefing made the dive that more enjoyable and relaxed.

The dives were incredible with 100ft+ visibility and spectacular underwater panoramas.  As with all the Cayman Islands, the Brac is known for its wall diving and the ability to take advantage of the clear water that allow dives to 100ft with enough light for photos and plenty of things to see.  I was glad, though, that they eased us into the deeper dives as the week progressed to allow us to reacquaint ourselves with our gear and work out any anxieties we had.  Vicki did a great job guiding us and pointing out many interesting fish and marine creatures.

Dylan demonstrating good buoyancy skills
Also, Dylan was growing his first beard which in picture look like a mustache 

Back on the boat after our inaugural dive, we were told to have a snack and some water while the crew changed out our tanks.  That’s right, we never touched our gear again the whole week, except when actually diving.  In fact, I never had to carry my gear at all, except to board the boat post dive.  When it was time to dive, we walked to the bow, sat on the bench, donned our fins and a crew member brought us our BC’s.  We slipped them on, did one more pre-dive check, and made a giant stride into the blue.  

During the week, we saw tangs, grunts, angelfish, flying gurnards, assorted rays, reef sharks and many others.  Every dive was just as magical, and Jason, our other divemaster for the week, was equally caring and professional.  As with all the dive trips we have taken with our kids over the years, it was a wonderful week of shared experiences and quality time as a family, away from the hubbub of daily life.

Boomer just cruising along!

Yes, I often look back nostalgically on that first trip to Cayman Brac, remembering it as one of my favorite spots from early in my diving career.  This week we return to the Brac, as shop owners, trip leaders, and dive instructors, to see if the magic is still here.  Stay tuned.

As always, like this blog on Facebook, share it with a friend and leave a comment! Until next time, Cheers! NOTE: Hello everyone, this is Dylan. I do the posting for the blogs but don't really chime in much. For this one, I wanted to say that while I have dove all over the Caribbean and in some parts of Asia, Cayman Brac remains my favorite place to visit and dive. Vicki and the rest of the staff have always been awesome to dive with and I often mention them when talking about great dive operations. Also, I should state that I have been blessed with a lot of great diving experiences due to the love and support of my parents. I am very grateful to them for that. Happy Easter everyone! Mom and Dad, I hope you have a grand time in Cayman Brac!

An Adventure in Cabo

I get to talk to a lot of people in a day; seasoned divers, new divers, aspiring divers.  I can talk about the courses we offer, the equipment that we sell, what our next trip will be and where we will dive this summer, but the question that always have difficulty answering is, where is my favorite place to dive.   I guess the trouble is that each place has its special charm: a memorable critter sighting, a great dive crew, a fun group of fellow divers.  Some dives are just great simply for the adventure we had while diving it.  That said, I’d like to share one of my real adventures dive with you.

My husband, Mike and I were on a trip, sponsored by a company that he worked for, to Cabo San Lucas Mexico.   Cabo San Lucas, found on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, is known to many as home to former Van Halen member, Sammy Haggar and his nightclub, Cabo Wabo Cantina.  Since it is on the Pacific Ocean, I naturally wanted to see about diving while we were there.

I did a little research and found a dive shop close to the resort we were at and booked a couple of dives with them, but what really piqued my interest was what many websites declared Cabo’s “must dive” place, Cabo Pulmo.  I made arrangements for Mike and I and four other divers on this adventure, and adventure it was!

As it was a bit of a drive from our resort, we needed to have ample time to get there, do our dives and return in time for the formal dinner at night.  I arranged for someone from the dive shop to pick us up and deliver us to the site.  Now, one thing to keep in mind, I never met anyone from this shop in person.  I only corresponded via e-mail.  The second thing to know is that while Cabo San Lucas in quite developed, Cabo Pulmo is billed as being like “Old Mexico” and they are not kidding.  Our driver picked us up bright and early and piled our gear into the back of the vehicle.  We sped off into the traffic, often on the wrong side of the road, mind you, and drove and drove until we literally ran out of road.  This lack of pavement did not deter our driver, however and we continued on, trailing a cloud of dust.  As our surroundings became more desert like and remote, I was beginning to worry that we were being hauled out to the wilderness to be robbed.  I could see us now, stripped to our undies, wandering lost and thirsty in the Mexican desert.  Fortunately, everything was on the up and up and we made it to the dive shop safe and sound.

It was…rustic.  In fact, it was not a “shop” so much as a covered gathering place with a kitchen in the corner of a parking lot.  We were greeted enthusiastically and informed that we were in for a treat since I had booked the dive and lunch and they would be making fresh fish tacos for us when we returned.  (Goody)  After the formalities: forms, releases, C-card viewing, were done we were directed to the beach.  The first thing I noticed was that there was no pier and no dive boat, just a skiff beached forlornly on the gravel.  Suddenly, a truck appears from the parking lot and it motors over to the boat and pushes it into the water.  We turn our gear over to the staff, who wade out to the boat and drop it on the deck and assemble it all.  Next, we are instructed to wade in and get into the boat.  Are they taking us out to a bigger boat that is moored somewhere out of site?  No!  This little skiff IS the dive boat.  By now, I’m sure that our fellow divers were vowing that they would not be leaving the dive arranging to me.  

Once we reach the dive site, the divemaster gives the briefing and explains that we will enter the water all together.  We were to sit, two divers on each side of the boat, and on the count of three roll back simultaneously.  The penalty for bad timing could well be the loss of some teeth, so it was important to do this right.  We rolled off and enjoyed a wonderful dive, viewing the only living coral reef in the eastern Pacific Ocean.  The fish life was abundant and colorful.  The water, a bit cooler than I had anticipated at 75F, made me feel thankful that I tend to “over dress” for my dives because I hate being cold.  Once the group was low on air, it was time to ascend.  At the surface, we were instructed to remove our BC’s so the crew could pull them into the boat and swap out the tanks.  I figured this is where we would be robbed, left to bob, lost, in the Sea of Cortez, but fortunately, that didn’t happen either.  The question, though, was how we would get back into the boat, as there was no ladder.  Well, let me tell you, we JUMPED back into the boat, like a silverhead carp!  Actually we would get ourselves half way in and then the crew would pull us in the rest of the way.  Mike especially, was not amused.

We were on our way to the next site when we heard some barking.  The boat captain excitedly spoke in Spanish to the divemaster and pointed at a sea lion that had just surfaced.  In a few moments, another sea lion surfaced, chomping a flopping fish. The DM excitedly told us to gear up, we were diving here.  As rehearsed earlier, we rolled back in unison and descended beside a large bait ball.    I can only describe the sight as hypnotic; thousands of fishes acting as one giant organism, swirling like a piscine tornado.  As we wondered at the orderly gathering of fish, we were equally impressed with their precision dissipation as they parted ranks to allow a sea lion through, hopefully without one of them ending up as dinner.

We watched this spectacle for some time, and then finally continued exploring the area.  When we once again flopped ourselves into the boat, we could not contain our excitement at what we had witnessed.  It was clear why this was a “must dive” for this area. 

Back at the “shop”, we sipped beers as we talked about the dives while our lunch was prepared.  There was no doubt that the fish would be fresh, as we had to move from our first chosen table to avoid being downwind from the aroma of gutted fish.    The lunch that was served was out of this world, and all in alI, I felt vindicated for my choice of dive site.  After lunch, we drove back to civilization to get ready for our for our company function, bubbling with stories of our day’s adventure. It sure beats the heck out of lazing by the pool!

That is all for this week! Tune in next time for more stories and dive related flim flam! Below is another video of a Sea Lion chasing fish in Cabo. As always, share us, like us and leave a comment for some feedback. Until next time, Cheers!

Six Things you need to know so you are not “that guy” on the dive boat

If you’ve done any amount of boat diving, you have probably run into “that guy.”  The one no one wants to be buddied up with, the one that everyone is annoyed with, the one who never seems to beable to follow the dive briefing and procedures.  Boat diving has its own set of rules of etiquette that are so much simpler than Miss Manners guide to high tea, so there is no excuse for you to be “that guy.”

#1: Ask permission of the crew before boarding the boat.  
Dive boats can get crowded with everyone milling around and the crew will appreciate being able to get all of their prep work done without having to climb over everyone’s bags, be interrupted with questions and generally have their pre-dive flow disrupted.

#2: Once your gear is assembled, stow all of your other belongings out of the way to leave room for others.  
The best way to avoid losing some small but essential item is to keep your gear organized and in your bag, rather than have it strewn throughout the boat.  Clip your mask to your BC, tuck your fins under the bench where your gear is.  Put on your wetsuit just up to your waist so you will not overheat on the way to the site, but still be able to easily pull it on the rest of the way when the time comes.  Since they have a funny way of separating from each other, put your booties on.  This will have the added bonus of making you a little safer moving about on the slippery deck.

#3: Do not rinse your mask in the camera tank.  
Defog belongs on masks, but it can be bad if it gets on sensitive camera gear.  The photographers in your group will be tempted to cut your air hose underwater, Sea Hunt style if they end up with a big blog of defog in the middle of all of their pictures.  If there is a designated mask bucket, use it to rinse your mask, but if there is not, it is okay to apply the defog to your mask and then scoop some water out of the camera bucket to rinse your mask.

#4: Listen to the dive briefing 
Even if you have dived with this operation or at this site many times and feel as though you could give the briefing, still stop and listen.  At the very least, stop and gaze in the direction of the DM with your mouth shut as the briefing is given because others need want to hear what is being said.  In addition, procedures may have changed, and you may end up being the one who doesn’t know what to do in case of emergency instead of the seasoned diver who is really a help in a clinch.

#5: When it is time to gear up, gear up.  
Do not dawdle around trying to be the last one in.  Turn on your air, rinse out your mask and get ready to step off.  While it can vary depending on the conditions or the process followed by the dive operation, it is preferable that you enter around the same time as your buddy, however, if this is impossible, then enter without him and wait at the surface, or a few feet under the boat, if staying at the surface is not advisable.  Just be sure that you and your buddy have agreed on where you will meet.

#6: Respect the limits for depth and time set out by the dive leader. 
You may more air left in your tank when the time is up, but you still should ascend when you get the signal.  The crew may be trying to get you back to the resort in time for lunch, or wanting to allow enough time to get an adequate surface interval.  If you decide to go deeper than your dive leader has planned, you may risk being on your own if anything goes wrong.  For example, if the dive was planned to 100ft and you decide to dive to 120ft, your divemaster may not be able to go down and get you if you are narced or you have any other problem, especially if he is using nitrox and that deep a dive puts him in danger of oxygen toxicity.
So many dive sites are inaccessible except by boat and dive operations like to have their dive boats filled as close to capacity as possible, but observing a few rules of boat etiquette can go a long way towards making the excursion enjoyable for all.  In addition, you will never be referred to as “that guy.”

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Tater’s Journey towards Divemaster. As always, please share this blog, leave us a comment or follow us. Until next week, cheers!

Reminder!  Manta Divers is adding another Buoyancy Clinic at the Rec Plex on March 9 at 8am.  Call to reserve your spot.

Team Manta Travels to Bonaire

Well, Team Manta is off on another adventure, this time to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. We started out Saturday, January 12 at 2:30am with a limo ride to the airport. After running the gauntlet of check in, baggage weigh ins, security checks and body scans at Chicago O’Hare airport, we squeezed sardine like into our seats and were winging our way to a week at the Caribbean’s most famous dive island.

We arrived at Flamingo International airport at 3:05pm local time. We were hoping that the reward for braving the scary wee hours of the morning would be that we would have enough time to check in, attend orientation, and then DIVE. Alas, it was not to be. We got to the dive shop after 5 pm and they were closed, however, we still could snorkel, so a bunch of Manta Divers who just couldn’t wait grabbed their snorkel gear and hit the clear, turquoise water. We will have to go to the orientation on Sunday morning and start our dive week then.

We were told that the stores all closed at 6 on Saturday and all day Sunday, so we had already sent Mike to the store to get at least a few essentials to get us through the next couple of days. He came back with a supply of cold cuts, bread, fruit, snacks, soda and beer, but everything was quite pricey. I suppose it beats eating in the restaurant. One thing I should have brought, but did not is bug spray. For how windy it is on Bonaire it is surprising how many little biting insects there are. Not everyone complained about the bugs, though, so perhaps they just like me better.

Our next order of business is to find out where to watch the Packers game. It appeared, based on the TV listings, that we have a choice of watching it in our condo or at the pool bar, but after the Ravens’ overtime win over the Broncos, the island networks decided that they had had enough of American football and switched to soccer! The silver lining, though was that we were spared witnessing the Packers’ loss and we when to bed earlier and caught up on much needed sleep. We will be ready to dive tomorrow.

I did take a little time to explore the property, so take a look at the attached photos. Stay tuned for the next Manta Divers blog, “They named it Angel City but the devil was in the entry and exit.”

Packed and ready to fly!

Sleeping, diving, eating and parking all in the same place?
How could I lose?

Dive boats!

Gear check

Airport, car port, same thing right?

There are two flavors of air: Nitrox and Regular

Go Pack Go!

Airport

The rowdy kids always sit in the back of the bus!

Da Plane! Da Plane!

Bonaire is great except of the tourists