Our Travel Gurus have selected a VERY SPECIAL place on Taveuni Island in Fiji.  Paradise Taveuni (www.ParadiseinFiji.com) offers deluxe accomodations, exceptional diving and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the South Pacific in a very natural and private setting.  What is included?

ALL DIVING:

10 boat dives, 1 night dive,unlimited shore diving at the house reef, free afternoon boat dives.  Taveuni Dive, a PADI dive center, is on-site.

“Famous for soft corals, the reef around the resort
is literally on the water’s edge and is a diver’s and snorkeler’s delight, incredibly abundant with large schools of colorful fish.  Nearby is the famous Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall and has been consistently named the World’s Best Place to Dive.  The kind of diving varies, from drift diving, sloping reefs, and deep wall dives”

ACCOMODATIONS:

You will have your own private Bure (booh-ray), the traditional Fijian bungalow, with king sized bed, a separate sitting area, modern bathroom + outdoor shower. These bures were built in 2007 & offer a comfortable retreat for couples or families.  The resort has an ocean-side pool and hammocks to relax in.

ALL MEALS:

The owner of the resort is an award-winning chef & each meal is freshly prepared by the staff every day from the island’s wealth in delicious fruits, vegetables, fish & game.  Apparently the home-made bread is addictive.

Evening entertainment (local Fijian music/dancing)

Other activities are offered by Paradise Taveuni, including:

Kayaking, Cannibal Cave Tour, Waterfall and nature walk, Horse-back riding, Boar hunting, Visiting a local village, Guided Mountain Trek, etc. Additionally, Spa treatments, including massages and nail treatments, are offered in the Spa Bure.

The non-diver rate is $1,200.

Payments: $600 to hold the spot, $600 due 9/15, and $449 due for divers on 11/1.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Air Pacific from Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji.  Nadi, Fiji to Taveuni, Fiji.  www.airpacific.com is recommended.

Want to read more about where we are staying?  Read the Tripadvisor reviews here!

Want to learn more about what there is to see underwater with the dive operator?  Click here to review the dive sites and what beautiful life awaits you in Fiji!

Where: Cozumel
Resort: Casa Del Mar
Dates: June 4^th – 11^th, 2011
Cost: $1489/ppdo plus airfare
Includes: Lodging, all meals, domestic alcohol, 3-dives per day (including 1 night dive), 1 day of 2-tank Cenote diving, all transfers and unlimited shore diving
Deposit: $500, non-refundable
Final Payment: April 15^th
Not included: nitrox, tips, travel expenses, airfare

Itinerary:
June 4^th Day 1 – Arrive
Day 2 – 2-tank morning dive, 1 afternoon dive
Day 3 – 2-tank morning dive, 1 afternoon dive
Day 4 – Ferry to Playa del Carmen, 2 tank Cenote dives, Ferry back to Cozumel, 1 tank Night dive
Day 5 – 2-tank morning dive, 1 afternoon dive
Day 6 – 2-tank morning dive, 1 afternoon dive
Day 7 – 2-tank morning dive
June 11^th Day 8 – Depart

Casa Del Mar is an all inclusive resort with air conditioned rooms, pool, outdoor bar & dining area and wireless connectivity in the lobby. They are located across the street from a small beach which offers unlimited shore diving, lounge chairs and bar. There is also an outdoor massage area on the beach for the ultimate in relaxation after diving. For families there are townhouse rooms available that sleep 4 for an additional cost. The resort is located South of town (20 min. walk) and a few blocks North of the of the cruise ship terminal – which means shopping and tourist attractions are close by in either direction.

The dive shop is located across the street at Del Mar Aquatics. They provide gear lockers, dive guides on all dives and are experts at finding all the cool stuff. Being located South of town means they are closer to the dive sites making for shorter boat rides. Cozumel has done a great job protecting the reefs and wild life which makes for some of the best diving the Caribbean has to offer. The other unique aspect of Cozumel are the numerous drift diving sites that allow you drift along and take in the scenery.

To join us on this great adventure give us a call, 941-8704461, email info@floridaunderwatersports.com or stop by the store anytime.

A 40 foot Dorado Express made for diving! Join Capt Scott on a great charter in the Gulf, conveniently leaving from Bay Island Park, right a the north bridge to Siesta Key. Lots of room on the boat, dry storage and easy on and off the boat make this different from any other charter you have been on. Capt. Scott is a native to Sarasota and knows all of the places to go. Charters include tanks a weights and leave at 8:30 in the morning. Please contact us to set up your charter (non-divers are welcome as well).  We need a minimum of three to run, and can often make arrangements to get you out diving.

Private charters are also available – please contact us and we can set up a special trip for you.

We can also book sunset cruises, party cruises, marriage proposals, memorials and more! All you have to do is ask!

This is my first installment of a long blog entry. First I want to talk about attitudes, and then I want to cover some of the why behind it all, and finally what it may mean to you.

Technical diving takes you places where few others go, and it also sharpens your skills for diving within recreational limits. People have many motivations for learning technical diving. Mine was to extend myself and my skills beyond what I had done before.

Learning diving is one of the most fun things that I have ever done. There really are no bounds to learning in diving. Just when you hit one area to feel completely comfortable in, there is always something else around the corner. Learning skills, understanding physics, physiology, environment, equipment and every combination of those means that there are endless things to learn and understand. And if you ever think you know everything, go diving and you will find a new combination.

Right off the bat, I came into Tec diving a little bit skeptical. My experiences with Tec divers hadn’t been great. If you are around the diving community you’ll see it at one point or another. The guys (being honest, most of them are males) that wear a technical setup in a recreational setting. If you ask them about the gear, you’ll get some flippant remark about they are “doing it the right way” always implying that you are one step away from certain demise based on your lame gear configuration. If you engage them in conversation, they will have no end of reasons of why their gear is set up in a superior manner to your gear and you should be embarrassed to present your c-card. Where the two groups meet, you will often see communications break down and everyone walks away saying “Did you see that? What a jerk!”

In the end – here is what I learned. Both communities (recreational and technical divers) can learn from one another and each can share lessons from their experiences that will improve the other community.

The strengths of the technical community include a passion for safety, a desire to be independent and a desire to evolve with small improvements.

The strengths of the recreational community include a passion for comfort and fun, to be part of a larger community and to be willing to suggest new ways of doing things.

Technical diving is very demanding. Going beyond (sometimes well beyond) the limits of recreational diving means that divers in the end don’t have immediate physical access to the surface. The “ceiling” can be inside a cave or a wreck, or is a required deco stop. Not to put too fine a point on it – getting to the surface means you have to risk injury or death. Combined with the other potential risks of technical diving the mental and physical requirements are substantially sharpened.

The basic principles of technical diving are (more about these later):

• Secondary Life Support
• Gas Reserve
• Self Sufficiency
• Staying Within Limits
• Simplicity
• Procedure and Discipline

Even within the technical diving community there are a number of “camps”. Having had passing contact with a number of them, I can only describe the deeply held beliefs that result in a passion that often borders on a religious war. I enjoy the passion that people bring to their arguments, and I especially like learning new points of view from people who have had more/different experiences from what I have had.

The fun, the community, and the ability to learn from one another is something that the technical community could bring back. And this is where attitude becomes so important. Looking at technical diving today, it has a lot of similarities to recreational diving 30+ years ago. Recreational diving was an us/them type of sport and then it became  a community sport. The argument goes that the standards simply got lowered, but I would argue it was a transformation of diving – where teaching became more about showing people how to dive within their limits.

My goal is to keep a good attitude – some people may want to be recreational divers and I will help them learn to dive within their limits. Some people may want to go on to technical diving and as long as they won’t compromise on diving within their limits I will be happy to dive with them anytime.

A good technical diver is defined by six basic universal characteristics. And so are good recreational divers as it turns out. Those characteristics are:

• Self Sufficient
• Team Player
• Disciplined
• Wary
• Physically Fit
• Accepts Responsibility

All divers are bonded by the desire to explore underwater – and we are part of the community at large.

THE KEYS:

Known for wild 6-toed cats, Jimmy Buffett and flamboyant characters, Key West along with the other islands that span 120 miles from the Southern-most point of Florida, offers world-class diving, perfect for the novice and the ‘old salt’.  Choose from the many wrecks to dive or the USS Vandenberg which was sunk in May of 2009 as an addition to artificial reef system.  Love to take pictures?  The coral formations are famous for their abundance of fish, from impressive schools of blue-striped grunts to toothy green moray eels, you will see everything.  Call the shop to find out when the next trip to the Keys is!

JUPITER, FL & THE EAST COAST:

We love heading over to the East Coast to dive in the Atlantic when the visibility on the West Coast is limited but sometimes we just like to jump in the water when the Lemon Sharks are migrating in the early Spring, an invigorating and enjoyable experience.  Jupiter is a fantastic way to try Drift Diving, letting the currents take you along on a relaxing visual tour.  Don’t be surprised if you are floating past Loggerhead and Green turtles or being visited by a Manta Ray!  Call the shop to find out when the next trip to the East Coast is!

SWIM WITH THE MANATEE! (Crystal River/Ocala):

Crystal River and Homasassa Florida offers one of the unique diving/snorkel experiences; to dive with the West Indian Manatee or “Sea Cow.”  These gentle giants head into the canals fed by the warm springs when the temperature in the Gulf of Mexico drops.  We regularly run trips from December through March.  Sometimes the weather it too rough to finish up a student’s open water dive.  That’s when we head up to one of the many freshwater springs northeast of Tampa Bay.  There’s not much to see as far as fish but the water is clear and always 72 and it’s perfect if a student is trying to be certified for an upcoming dive trip.  Call the shop to find out when the next trip to the Springs is!

DRY TORTUGAS:

The Dry Tortugas, 70 miles southwest of Key West, are part of the third largest barrier reef in the world. The reefs are made up of hard and soft corals, vibrant sponges and marine plants. Over 250 species of fish are found in the Dry Tortugas, and literally thousands of invertebrates and marine plants call the Dry Tortugas home. Sharks, rays and eels are frequently sighted, and the curious and charismatic Goliath Grouper is making a comeback in a big way.  Call us for our next trip above a liveaboard!

Dry Tortugas – Liveaboard in Style!

Divemaster Greg
July 26^th – 30^th, 2011
Cost: $1050 pp

Come join us for some of the best diving the Caribbean has to offer – spectacular reefs, massive variety of tropical fish and a wide variety of diving. We will be on the MV Spree, experts in diving the Dry Tortugas. Included in the price are the ferry from Ft. Meyers, nitrox (if certified for enriched air), meals, snacks, sodas, beer and wine while away from shore. Click here to see a movie from one of the trips. Advanced, Nitrox and Specialty Training will be conducted during the trip as well.

Your itinerary is:

Tuesday, July 26^th:
Arrive ar Key West to board the Spree at 7:30PM. Boat briefing will start at 8:00PM sharp, and the boat will depart at 11:00PM and head for the Dry Tortugas.

Wednesday, July 27^th
Wake up in the Dry Tortugas and enjoy five dives today, throughout the day.

Thursday, July 28^th
Rinse, lather and repeat five more amazing dives today.

Friday, July 29^th
Rinse, lather and repeat five more amazing dives today. Evening departure back to Key West.

Saturday, July 30^th
Vandenberg, 2 dives. This is Key West’s newest artificial reef. We will be back at the dock at about 1:00PM.

The price for all the above is $1050 and includes nitrox, all diving, meals, snacks, soda, beer and wine when away from shore and some other COOL things that we will add. Transportation to/from Key West is not included.

• 12/31/10 – New Year’s Eve Dive shore dive, ring in the new year underwater!

• 12/9 – Night Dive
• 12/11 – Bayronto
• 12/17 – Christmas Parade
• 12/31 – New Year’s Eve shore dive – ring in the new year underwater!