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That is pretty damn funny. I did not mean to imply that his split fins caused the vortice. If they did I would be running out to get some so I too could experience this phenomenon. I have also had plenty of opportunities to use both. I prefer paddle fins as (for me) they are far more...

Unfortunate you chose to focus on the branding and not the real point of my post. There is enough of a functional difference between different brands and styles of equipment that an OW diver can/will benefit by being exposed to them. Otherwise I wouldn't have had an issue in that example. But...

Once you sit the Instructor course it will all become clear. It is a course in selling, not much more. In my own experience, there was far more actual dive training in the DM course than the Instructor course. Sure, there are parts of the Instructor course that deal with control and some...

Not necessarily an argument, just my view of why it is beneficial to the student to experience different gear sets. It also encourages the awareness factor which can never be stressed enough in diving. A quick example: I have an Aqualung BCD and they use a circular, push button release on...

That's pretty incredible. I've only seen and experienced something like that while doing a drift dive and currents converge on one another. Although my experience was more of a vertical whirpool than what looks to be a horizontal stream in the video. It also doesn't appear there is...

Everyone has pretty well covered whether or not you should have your own gear. In regards to the OP's concerns of safety by not having the same gear as the students; I personally believe you are giving the student an advantage by not using the same equipment as them. It reinforces the need...

If Alex is still there when you're diving with Native Sons, she's their resident photog. I'm not sure on cost but she had little ads posted around the dive shop.

Angry does not even begin to describe how I felt. Since I was in Sandy Bay but decided to do all my diving with Native Sons, they allowed me to store my gear bag in their dive shop every day as well as hang my wetsuit. It all gets locked up when they are away from the shop on dives or for the...

You're still going to be better off getting your Instructor rating unfortunately. The reason being is that a DM is primarily used to assist an Instructor with courses, help certified divers while on board or guide the dive for them. The Instructor can do all that plus teach a course if someone...

I can see the piece of mind from having bought early. I personally find better deals the longer I wait (depending on where I'm headed at the moment). When I went to Roatan last year I bought a month out for around $700 RT, from Utah (layover in Houston). The plane showed as almost fully...

If you do decide to go the Instructor route and want to work legally, come on out to Hawaii. I got here 2 months ago and it seems there are jobs at just about every center I've walked into. No visa worries (assuming you are a citizen) for you but it will probably take longer to save than...

Wait to buy. There are plenty of flights in and out that finding one should not be a problem. I would never buy a ticket more than maybe a month in advance, to anywhere.

Shearwater Petrel and a new Apeks XTX200/50 combo. :fruit:

I have a very hard time believing this is not an attempt at trolling given you already own the only set-up you should ever need. That said, if you are serious you should take a look at this thread...

Yup, go for Instructor if you want to find work. I have heard more than one dive shop talk negatively about people that did their professional training in Thailand and they move any applications from those who did to the circular file immediately. I'm not saying that all training in Thailand...

Sorry diversteve, I may have stolen 10 minutes you paid for. We found out that during those first ten minutes of the dolphin dive, they usually shoot over to the El Aguila and do laps around the wreck. We happened to splash on El Aguila right as the AKR boat was pulling up at their mooring a...

That's funny, I found that the prices of drinks would change as well depending on which corner of the bar you ordered from. Prices on the chalkboard were even different if you looked carefully (nobody usually does). +1 on making sure your bills are crisp and new. I just remembered there is...

You can use both Dollars or Lempira. I chose to use Lempira as that is what you're going to get back in change, regardless of what you give them (the only time I got dollars in change was at some of the busier bars). The conversion rates are simple and I found it interesting that if you pull...

If I remember correctly, there are no safes in the rooms and I don't know about one in the office, though I didn't see one. I wasn't staying there and always had my wallet and a few other items in a large camelback that I carried down there with me each morning That I didn't really want to drag...

Even if they don't have a dorm immediately available (they use them primarily for walk-in backpackers) you could splurge the first night or 2 and get one of their other rooms as they are quite nice for the (still reasonable) price. They will usually be able to tell you in person when they will...