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Not too many dive centres have the stickers for updating cards in my experience, although that could be a regional thing. Cards are given for all specialty courses, with some free 'sponsored' cards sometimes being given along the way - such as the Specialty Diver card once you hit level 2...

Since the revision of the DM programme is 2010 there are now only 2 written tests. Under PADI standards for the DM programme, you should have complete KR chapters 1-5 and part 1 of the final exam before you started assisting on courses. There is no specific time/place in training when you need...

WTF?! Wow, that sounds like an absolutely terrible course, and I should hope very far from the norm. I hope you switched dive centre and instructor after this experience?

Our SB profile is for us as a dive centre, so this is a cumulative, not individual dive tally :)

The incident happened on the same beach as our main office. We are shocked and horrified at what has happened, but don't want to add to the rumours and speculation until all the facts are known. As with any event on a small island, rumors and gossip are spreading like wildfire, and already in...

I'm an instructor and still log my dives (not that its a requirement, I just like to do it), but unless its somewhere special or a vacation, just dive site, date and dive number. I do agree that there is some bumping up of dive numbers - especially in the pro circuit, although I'm not sure why...

Well first of all that's a great time to visit, you should get some great conditions. The problem with the Philippines is there are so many amazing places to visit its hard to narrow it down to whats feasible travel wise within a holiday timeframe! So my advice would be to cover just a small...

To complete a PADI SCUBA Review you are normally asked to fill in a medical, as it is an 'inwater' activity. The following is taken from the general Standards and Procedures section of the current PADI instructor manual: "At the beginning of the course (and before any inwater activities), have...

Yep, I was about to say exactly the same thing! Means zilch anymore, not that it meant a whole heap in the first place IMO - more of an opportunity for dive shops to be seen as towing the eco friendly line, without having to actually do much.

Yes, there are a few shops in the Melbourne area. Academy of Scuba and Scuba Culture are the ones that spring to mind - I say this having spent lots of time researching and having replies back from both of these companies. Unfortunately though, it just didn't work out timing wise during my trip...

Done :)

Yes, freediving has gone through a massive growth surge in the last couple of years. Here on Koh Tao many of the SCUBA schools are offering it now, but the main 3 operators are Blue Immersion, Apnea Total and Big Blue Freediving. If you do end up coming here you can check out reviews of each of...

Agreed that individual dive shops on the island may be able to offer you a wider variety of choice, as they are not restricted to selling a particular brand/set of brands. I'd always recommend getting your bcd and reg from the same manufacturer though. Many shops here will let you try a variety...

Yes, it does come down to fit as a prioriyt, and then personal preference on skirt colour. Personally I prefer black. Mainly because I cant stand the amount of reflection that comes in on clear skirts, I find it really distracting.

Pretty much any mask will fit you (in a staying on your face sense) on land if you use the inhaling through your nose method - although that is a good test of whether the mask will put pressure on your nose, browline etc. due to increasing pressure when underwater. When trying a mask on try...

I see you are based on Koh Tao, as are we. So this could be a bad post for us politically, but for what its worth I disagree with your instructor. We have instructors who teach in bp/w perfectly competently. Our most recent DM also wore one. Their students never seem to have any problems. As...

Go pro's are great for basic point and shoot, but for low vis and to add more options for lighting and image quality (flash/macro settings etc) I prefer a regular digital camera and housing. The suggestions from previous posters for canon and nikon are good. Our shop camera is an Olympus Tough...

Lots of electrolytes to add to your water to rehydrate and replenish your salts and energy reserves :)

Try posting on trip advisor forums for the region: Terengganu Forum, Travel Discussion for Terengganu, Malaysia ? TripAdvisor You may be able to hook up with a dive buddy that way. Alternatively your dive shop of choice will buddy you with a DM or instabuddy. Happy diving - fyi I'd recommend...

Yes as the others have said this is a known and common problem. Your local Aqualung service centre should be able to replace them at no charge for the new design. They should look like this....