Dutch scuba fans?

[Thyraon]

it’s important what kind of instructor you want. There are instructors who tell/teach a lot more then standards. But I don’t like very long days…

There are also instructors involved in projects. If you want to join a project that might be a benefit if you already know the instructor.

Thanks for your detailed overview. Great points about instructor choice and involvement in projects. Definitely something I'll keep in mind when planning the Fundies course.

It’s not a gue thing, I just think they made some very questionable choices in their wing design.

Ah, I see. Given the experience with your Mares wings, is there a specific brand/type of wing you would recommend? Halcyon is an obvious contender and I've seen XDeep mentioned a few times as well.

This winter we got ourselves heating so now we are even more comfortable all year round.

That sounds so comfortable! Do you dive throughout the winter in NL as well? Any dive spots that are more interesting during winter (e.g. better visibility, more/different life, etc?)

 

[Matthijs]

For most sites the visibility in winter is better I think. Fewer algae and fewer divers stirring everything up. I have a lightmonkey wing and my partner has an Xdeep, both are great! I'm not sure how it is for their single tank wings, but for the double tank wings, XDeep removed a bit of material at the top of the wing and added some at the bottom. It keeps the hoses slightly more free for my partners' setup who has DS4 first stages on her doubles. It does give you slightly more lift at the bottom, which could cause floaty feet. The cut of my light monkey wing is identical to the cut of a halcyon evolve 40 asd far as I can tell.

I've heard good stories about tecline and scubapro as well, but I don't have first-hand experience with either of those.

 

[Thyraon]

XDeep removed a bit of material at the top of the wing and added some at the bottom.

Yes, I read that too, which made me slightly concerned for floaty feet. Did your partner run into trouble with that? Or is that just a matter of adding/aligning weights properly?

 

[Matthijs]

She did notice it a bit but she also had very light fins. I think the problem would’ve been resolved with jet fins or similarly negative fins

 

[barth]

Unfortunately no diving in Italy for me.
Diving in The Netherlands is also fun.

 

[Thyraon]

She did notice it a bit but she also had very light fins. I think the problem would’ve been resolved with jet fins or similarly negative fins

Ah, OK, thanks!

@barth nice! We were at Scharendijke a few days earlier (the 19th) but visibility was so bad that we aborted the dive. Keeping an eye on the public log messages now, to try and find a moment to go back with better visibility.

 

[Pat85]

Guys, question....what are your experiences with a diving insurance. I'm thinking of registering with DAN. Not just for the local diving, but mainly for vacations and diving abroad (can't wait for my Mexico trip). I think they have a lot covered and are clear in their conditions. My regular travel insurance, is just 'add extreme sports' (aka extra coverage for skiing and diving), without any conditions.

I'm asking here because I'm curious about your Dutch experiences with DAN or other comparable insurances.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Matthijs]

knock on wood, but I’ve never needed it thankfully. So far I haven’t signed up for specific diving insurance. I checked with my travel insurance and they diving related incidents including transport, hyperbaric treatment, etc.

 

[Pat85]

Thanks Matthijs! Does your insurance gave you a proof for that? It seems that in some countries they ask for proof specifically (that's kinda holding me back from adding it to my travel insurance).

 

[Thyraon]

I'm insured via Univé and they seem to cover scuba diving at least to some degree. Their terms aren't very specific on what they do and don't cover, apart from an explicit exclusion of incidents related to cave diving (without specifying when a dive is a "cave dive").

If you're uncertain about coverage with your current provider, just give them a call. They should be able to specify which kinds of incidents and costs are covered. If they don't, or can't, I would probably sign up for DAN just to be sure, even if just for this trip.