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In agreement with all who suggest just getting your highest cert upgraded - and potentially any relevant specialty cards that you frequently use too. The rest - if you really need them to be - can be looked up on the online database.

Yes, this has now been updated by PADI. Took long enough, thanks to the rapid growth in the free diving industry its something many of us have been aware of for a while now. Anyway, it has been in the training bulletin (4th quarter 2013) as well as stated verbally at member updates that we are...

I agree. The QA process is there for a reason, to make sure standards are being met & new divers are equipped with all the skills they need so that divers - and especially new divers - are safe on subsequent trips. You did right to answer honestly, and if you're instructor gets pulled up on his...

My old Suunto Gecko failed after about 5 and a half years and 1600 dives. Fair enough really - got my moneys worth for sure! It turned itself off and back on again, then proceeded to flash through every digital icon in random order. Unfortunately I was inside a wreck at 27m teaching a specialty...

Hi there, In a full DM crew pack you should find: 1 x DM Manual with knowledge reviews 1 x Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving 1 x Pro logbook binder with logbook pages 1 x Instructor Manual 1 x Slate set (DSD cue cards, buddy checks, FD briefings, environmental info, grid slate for mapping...

Definitely not possible - and even if a dive centre somehow finds a way to offer it to you, it's not advisable. As diversteve says, you need to do Advanced, a first aid/CPR course, and rescue courses before you start DM training. That should take at least 5-6 days on its own, and will bump your...

The Zenobia in Cyprus is a great wreck dive. Not sure of the coral or marine quality of other dive sites though. The wreck itself seems to be the major attraction. Happy diving :)

Yep, I'd contact DAN directly. They've made some changes lately to their policies in terms of the gold package and whats covered on the general medical bolt in. So its best to go straight to them for the most up to date correct information.

I'm with Deputy Dan. If a dive centre told me it was OK to fly within as little as 4 hours of a 2 tank trip, that'd be a big red flag not to dive with them anyway! If they think that's OK, who knows what other corners they are prepared to cut to get customers on their trips. So I think its just...

The most common recreational blends are Ean32 & Ean36. The MOD (Max operating depth) when sticking within the recommended PO2 of 1.4 is 33metres with Ean32 and 28metres with Ean36 (sorry, I don't work in imperial, but guessing you can work it out!).

Yes, as many of the others have said, this was not a proper dsd, which should be a 3 part experience consisting of theory, skills paractice and shallow dive. I've done one of these myself - in Cairns, Australia, and if it weren't for an encouraging friend and a professional and patient...

Hi there, and welcome to the forum. There are an overwhelming number of choices for courses in SE Asia, so you're right, you do have a tough decision to make! You are around at a good time of year though. May/June is generally good diving both in Thailand (but only the gulf - its getting into...

When we were on Negros island we stayed in Dumaguete itself for a few days, as we also wanted to explore a little. We stayed at Harolds Mansion and it was perfect for what we wanted - there's a thread on the pros and cons somewhere on here from very recently about where to stay if you want to...

As TMHeimer points out this thread could be endless, but for what its worth I agree with the majority here. Feeding or chumming the water to attract sharks so divers get better footage or photo's is nothing more than classical conditioning - Pavlov's dogs in the modern era, basically. Not cool IMO.

As some of the others have said, your dive leader/instructor will not mind - providing its not a training dive. Get your AOW and develop your buoyancy skills first, then start taking your camera along. You can pick up some pretty good underwater photography books - and online material and tips...

Duly noted, and yes, appreciate there may be some variances on this. For us we do not use it to discriminate - more so we know who is who when calling around for freelancers, and also to save ourselves some embarrassment when they show up and we cant remember who they are! However I completely...

Dive CV's are different to any other job. Just a side - or 2 max - of A4. A picture is a must - we get many DM's Intrustors, boat captians, climbers etc dropping their resume's off, so its helpful to be able to put a mane to the right face when sifting through our file. Just a head shot is...

Personally I think it comes down to what you want to get out of it and the relative costs. Obviously you are not interested in working, but I think its fair to say that a significant proportion of candidates that enroll in the DM programme are in the same position. Many travellers on gap years...

To quote one of my favourite instructors..... you can have 'all the gear, but no idea'. Just because a diver has a fantastic array of equipment does not make them a fantastic diver. Its just means they've done well professionally and have more disposable income to buy higher range kit/gadgets...

As per most other comments, I think you've made an excellent choice. Its a great reg, widely available parts, easy servicing etc as already mentioned - plus the warranty of Aqualung products is excellent. An a dive centre, we use Agualung as our stock training and rental gear, and have never...