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I just got back from my second trip to Galapagos (see my Trip review) on March 16, 2024. Our first was in 2015, when my wife and I had 14 dives under our belts. But, we both grew up on the water, and I surfed every day in SoCal. So although we weren't "intimidated" by the diving, we didn't...

I did 10 days on the Dewi Nusantara, and it is the lap of luxury. 190ft boat, 16 divers, it is an amazing and gorgeous boat. And if you can get the Master Suite, it is probably the nicest room of any Raja Ampat boat or any boat at all. Truly a spectacular experience and fantastic everything...

Coming late to this party, but having just returned from the Galapagos, this is not a rookie dive for a 68 yo newly certified diver. I have my SSI divemaster and PADI rescue diver certs, and over 500 dives all over the world under my belt. The Galapagos last month was the most challenging...

That is always a problem no matter where you are. My wife and I are pretty experienced divers (500+ dives), PADI rescue divers. We went to the Galapagos last month, which is generally considered to be advanced diving due to the water temp, the currents, and in our case piss-poor viz. Yet, we...

Yes, wild! They were deep, about 80-100ft, and the water was about 60F at Wolf. Amazing to see them all cruising around. When we went in 2016, we saw 2 on one dive and they took off when some folks armed their X-Wing fighter camera rigs and started blasting the mola mola’s with strobes. They...

Yes, they are open again after being closed to contain the avian flu. I think that we were one of the first weeks to visit after being reopened. FYI, there is no longer any night diving allowed.

I have to disagree. Both my and my wife's Teric's have consistently lasted 4 days or more of 4-5 dives a day, before showing them on the charger. And they charge very fast too. One problem that Shearwater warns of in advance is that if you let the battery go completely dead several times, the...

I can only speak from personal experience. I have not noticed one bit of difference between my entry level Aqualung reg and octo and my ScubaPro fancy and expensive regulator. ScubaPro makes absolutely top notch equipment, but regs . . . save your money. The major difference that I noticed in...

Are you a photographer who wants to shoot occasional video or are you a videographer that occasionally shoots photos? Are you a macro photographer or a wide angle type guy? I just got my wife a killer GoPro rig for our anniversary, the new AOI GoPro case ($$$) which comes with a 5" LCD screen...

I just got back from the Galapagos (March 6-15). This was my second trip. The first was epic. The second . . . not so much. The viz was absolutely terrible, often 20-30 ft. At Landslide at Wolf, the current was ripping in addition to 25 ft viz, such that we had to hold on for dear life to...

It's a deep dive for rec divers unless you stay near the top. The article didn't say what skill level the deceased was, but it sure sounds like he went too far inside the wreck, got disoriented, his computer was probably going nuts regarding both NDL and gas consumption and he panicked (and...

Sometimes they just fail. I had mine fail while on a Red Sea LOB. It had been working perfectly for about 4 years, and to be smart, as figured that I would put a fresh battery in before my trip. Although everything was nice and tight, it failed before I even got in the water. Interior was...

I switched from a pair of split fins to the Scubapro Nova seawings. I love them. First, they have a larger toe box that I find to be more comfortable. Second, they are efficient! You can move a lot of water with them and in current, you really can push through it. Without current, it takes...

I spent 3 weeks in Lembeh Strait in January 2020 for an underwater photography workshop, and this was the “snoot of choice” for the participants. It worked really well and seemed to have enough power to project a beam and the size of the circles was adjustable. However, for me, I am still...

My wife and I were on the RSA1 in June 2019. I thought the crew was extremely attentive, the food good, and the boat was just a little run-down, but nothing significant. We stayed as we usually do in one of the upper cabins, and were very happy with the boat and the crew. We have been on many...

As others have said, with 6 dives, you can expect poor air consumption. Big changes in depth, going up and down with each breath, is a good indication that you are overweighted. Carrying more weight also increases are consumption. Flailing and frequent finning also increase air use. You want...

I have spent a week diving Lembeh Strait, at the Lembeh Resort. The best diving in the world, and while I haven't been everywhere, I have been to a lot of the top dive locations in the world. I am going back to Lembeh for 3 weeks in January, followed by a trip to Raja Ampat where we board the...

I've now used the Shearwater Teric and Cloud for about 50 dives. Although I think that the Cloud app can certainly be improved, I have gotten used to it and it is not really all that bad and is very usable. I previously used DiverLog, which I thought was good, but my Oceanic's ability to...

The Marina hotel is strictly for the lowest budget traveler. It is horrible. If you need internet, it is ONLY available in the hot, unairconditioned hotel lobby. It is also remote, in that you can't walk to the main Port Ghalib bars and restaurants. I can't opine on the rooms, because when...

I swapped out my AquaLung split fins for a pair of Seawing Nova's. My local ScubaPro dealer (Ocean Safaris in Miami) gave me a loaner set to take on a live aboard in St. Kitts for a week. I also brought my split fin's as well, just in case. Verdict after a week -- the Nova's blew my split...