Scuba Diving – Explore the unknown underwater

by Karan Sakhuja

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set (“scuba” originally being an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) to breathe underwater for recreation, commercial or industrial reasons. Using a cylinder of compressed gas to breathe (usually air, but sometimes other gases), scuba divers can stay underwater longer.

Scuba diving gives you the joy of floating inside the sea like a fish. In addition, there is the sheer thrill of watching the rich flora and fauna of the sea in their natural. The underwater city is a unique and diverse collection of colorful and weirdly patterned sea animals. Corals take pride of place in these reef cities. Scuba diving offer a fascinating world of under-water marine life, varieties of colorful fish, rare coral reefs, mysterious remains of sunken ships, etc

Specially devised for the deep sea diver, the Scuba gear gives an opportunity for thrill and adventure unparalleled and unimagined. You can scuba dive anywhere you can find water. Over two-thirds of the planet is covered by water, so you can dive almost anywhere.
Scuba Diving in India

The Indian coastline spread over thousands of kilometers spans the mighty waters of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. There are wide diving possibilities with the finest beaches, mangroves, backwater, and jewel-like island groups dotting the coastline. India is fast becoming a popular scuba diving destination in the world with the Andamans, Lakshadweep Islands, Goa and Karnataka turning out to be scuba diving hot-spots.
The Process of Scuba Diving

The whole process has only 4-5 basic steps to be followed:
• Check that all your underwater gears are in the proper condition.
• Get into your diving gears starting with the facemask to the fins.
• The nose will have to be blocked by the divers to enable them to ‘pop’ their ears, which help clear the pressure from your ears.
• The next step is to load weights into your belts to take you down. You can now get into your jacket with the gas cylinders.
• After you are through, this is the time go down in the sea. Also don’t forget to look for your support line attached to you.

Safety Aspects

How safe is scuba diving depends on how responsible the scuba diver is. What makes scuba diving seem riskier than other sports is the fear associated with drowning and the nervousness using a scuba system as “life support”. Many people are afraid of water, afraid of sharks, afraid of relying on a strange contraption of hoses and tanks to provide air in an airless environment.

Diving is dangerous if you are not properly qualified or ignore the rules. On the other hand, if you are properly qualified, follow all the basic rules and act responsibly, it is much safer than trying to cross the street. Responsible associations like PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) recommend a complete training and certification before diving in open water rather than merely a short training session and then being accompanied by a scuba chaperone.

Human errors are the cause of most diving accidents than due to attack by marine animals. Still it is incumbent for you to be aware of the kind of marine life you would be encountering in the area you want to dive in and whether they are dangerous. It is best not to provoke and to ask for immediate medical attention if bitten by any animal.
Pre-requisites to getting underwater

Physical Requirements

Children as young at 8 years old can start diving with programs taught in the safety of shallow water and aimed specifically at young children. From the age of 10 years old children can be certified as Junior Open Water Divers and those 15 years and older can be certified as Open Water Divers. There are no upper age limits.
Precautions

• Keep yourself safe from sharks, octopus or jellyfish. Try not to provoke them. When in any problem, ask for immediate medical attention
• Please make sure that you are not damaging the underwater sea environment by destroying the marine life.

There are certain things that one should take into consideration before going underwater:

Before going underwater:
• Ensure reasonable degree of physical fitness
• You will also need to be able to swim and float or tread water.
• Always heed to the advice of an instructor or expert and preferably take lessons.
• If you area first timer, a wet suit might be necessary to prevent losing body heat too quickly.
• Keep an eye out for the weather and any turbulence in the sea.
• Double check to see if Scuba Equipment is functional.
• Preferably have a diving partner.
• Even if a passion for adventure goads them to, people with cardiac ailment, pregnant women and blood pressure patients should refrain from indulging in scuba diving.

Most clubs hold classes for beginners throughout the year. Trained instructors are available for guiding the tourists and also casual skiers. Good quality equipment is available with the diving clubs and is generally included in the dive package. Diving centers are geared to cater to beginners as well as offers CMAS and PADI courses by certified divers. They also offer underwater photography courses. Typical Scuba stay may vary from 1 week to 4 weeks.

Levels of difficulty for scuba diving vary from the person who enjoys it as a recreation to the one who takes it as profession. You can start on the experience level and go up in the ladder from there. Next on the list will be scuba diver certificate, which will make you eligible to go on the next scuba diving under the supervision of a master diver.
Equipment Checklist for Divers

Here is a list of all the basic equipment you’re likely to encounter when you start diving.
• Alternate Air Source – It’s a backup second stage regulator and is used in the unlikely event that your primary fails or your dive buddy needs to share air.
• BCD – Buoyancy Control Device is the jacket worn by scuba divers.
• Booties – Neoprene boots with open heeled fins to keep the feet warm and are also used to protect the feet, particularly when shore diving.
• Compass – Handy navigational tool. Can be attached to gauge consoles, worn separately on the wrist, attached to the band of a watch or dive computer
• Cylinder – Commonly called a tank and is used for carrying compressed breathing gas (usually air). Made of aluminum or steel and available in various sizes with the most common size being 90 cubic feet / 12 liters.
• Depth Gauge – Used to indicate your depth (in feet or meters)
• Dive Computer – The most basic dive computers will tell you your depth and dive time but it is also common for dive computers to calculate no-decompression limits over multiple dives. Many newer dive computers will also track air consumption and temperature and some even have built-in electronic compasses. Dive computers are commonly found attached to gauge consoles or worn on the wrist like a watch and can now be found built into masks.
• Dive Knife -Helps to free yourself from entanglement, particularly from fishing line and is preferably not used as a weapon. Can be kept in the BCD or strapped to a leg.
• Fins – Long flat rubber or plastic extensions worn on the feet that allow you to swim with much greater ease and speed. Major varieties of fins are full-foot (which cover the foot like a shoe and are most commonly used in warm tropical water) and open-heeled (which have a strap across the back and are worn with booties to allow the feet more warmth and comfort)
• Hood – A neoprene cap that is worn over the head to keep it warm and can be thought of as an extension of the wetsuit. Generally used in colder waters.
• Mask – Contains a tempered glass and allows unobstructed vision underwater.
• Regulator – Used to breathe the air from the cylinder.
• Slate – Is basically used to communicate by writing underwater, taking notes, or drawing.
• Snorkel – Plastic tube attached to the mask that allows you to breathe while you’re swimming on the surface. It’s a good way to conserve the air in your cylinder while swimming on the surface. Additional features include purge valves and splash guards (to make it hard for water to splash in the top).
• Submersible Pressure Gauge – Tells how much air is left in the tank. Air pressure is measured in PSI or bar.
• Weight System – Needed to help sink in water. The two common weight systems are the Weight Belt and Integrated Weights
• Wetsuit – Neoprene suits used to keep the diver warm. Available in many sizes from one millimeter to seven millimeters or more, with the most common sizes being 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm.

Cost of Activity

While light and fun diving can cost you anywhere between 1000 and 3500 Rs., Adventure diving and open water diving with certification cards and equipment rental can cost somewhere between 8,000 and 15,000 Rs.
Scuba Diving Destinations in India

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Tourists can scuba dive at the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Carbyn’s Cove Tourism Complex, Havelock and other islands on all days from dawn to dusk depending on the weather.
• Havelock Island (Andaman Islands)
Havelock Island is 38 kms from Portblair and accessible by a Govt. Boat that runs daily. Havelock Island is surrounded by numerous sites that are explored by scuba divers. There are numerous Dive centres there on the Radhanagar Beach as well as Vijaynagar Beach that will help guests explore various areas around the Island.
• Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat Islands (Lakshadweep)
They have Scuba diving centres and accommodation option. Airport at Agatti gets about 9 Indian and Kingfisher flights. The flights have baggage restrictions (15 kg per seat) and therefore guests cannot bring their own scuba equipment. There are fixed schedule Ships from Cochin during Oct-May period which takes about 22-28 hours depending which island you are going to. Agatti and Bangaram are better accessed by flight whereas other islands are accessed by Ship.

Goa
Grande Island and Sao Jorge Island host a variety of dive sites from calm, sandy bays to pretty coral fields, exciting shipwrecks to challenging pinnacles.

Popular Dive Sites include:
• Suzy’s Wreck Depth: 2-13 Meters Level: All Levels
• Sail Rock Depth: 8-24 Meters Level: Advanced
• Davy Jones Locker Depth: 11-18 Meters Level: Advanced
• Umma Gumma Reef Depth: 6-12 Meters Level: All Levels
• Lobster Avenue Depth: 2-10 Meters Level: All Levels
• Shelter Cove Depth: 2-10 Meters Level: All Levels
• The Jetty Depth: 2-10 Meters Level: All Levels

Karnataka
Coastal Karnataka, as beautiful above as below the sea. Sweeping valleys and verdant forests, palm fringed backwaters and secluded beaches, ancient cultures and exotic cuisine. Blended together with sparkling azure waters and an underwater wonderland, you have the perfect ingredients for a truly memorable holiday experience.

Popular Dive Sites include:
• Grand Central Station Depth: 6-25 Meters Level: All Levels
• Jenny’s Aquarium Depth: 6-15 Meters Level: All Levels
• Dini’s Delight And The Abyss Depth: 8-35 Meters Level: All Levels
• The Nursery Depth: 6-10 Meters Level: All Levels

Source: http://www.mustseeindia.com/articles/scuba-diving-explore-the-unknown-underwater/1216

Many tourists and residents of Manila traveling out of town from Manila on a short getaway to Pampanga Angeles City, Clark Philippines are surprised to find a a large wine shop so near Manila right in the heart of Pampanga, just 70 minutes from Manila. Even residents of Subic travel to Clark via ScTex to do some wine shopping in this famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center, a project of Hong Kong-based Yats International.

Foodies and wine lovers travel north from Manila to wine and dine at Philippines’ best fine dining restaurant in Pampanga Clark Freeport worth the 60-minutes drive for a memorable evening of good food with vintage wine at Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar. Most guests would stop by this famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center to bring home a few good bottles of fine vintage wine also. Other visitors may find the wine selections in some of the restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga to be less than interesting, so they stop by this wine shop near Angeles City Pampanga Clark Philippines, buy some good wines and bring these bottles of good vintage wines to the restaurants so they can enjoy the dinner.

Public wine tastings are held by this well known wine shop of Pampanga from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.

Tourists and residents of Manila travel out of town to the north on a short getaway look for the best place in Clark to buy some fine vintage wine to bring home after their holidays and vacations. Many find a top rated wine shop called Clark Wine Center to be an exciting place to do some shopping in Clark Pampanga. This famous wine shop is highly recommended for visitors going to Clark Pampanga to drink good wine, relax and unwind with friends and families. This frequently visited wine shop is known by tourist and visitors to Pampanga, Angeles city, Subic and Clark Philippines as a cool place to hang out in Clark. Many attend the regular wine tasting held either outdoor on the roof deck or in indoor on the second floor above the wine shop. The place has good atmosphere for a private wine tasting party or a small night out gatherings for business or social event.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com