first dive trip - suggestions?

[shakesrear]

Hi,

I'm going on my first dive trip tomorrow and I'm a little nervous. I've been diving for 1.5 years and I have 80+ dives (all in the mediterrenean sea) and I'm CMAS **, but I've done all of that locally, all with the same dive club.

I'm going to the Maldives to dive on a liveaboard for a week, then stay in a hotel for a week.

does anyone have any suggestions for me?

thanks.

 

[DandyDon]

Have a blast!! artyon:

All you gotta' do is be well prepared, in various ways, then look at every new event as an interesting learning opportunity. "Wow, we can't do this at home?!"

You may be a little nevous at new challnges, but that's all part of the fun.

good trip! don

 

[DORSETBOY]

Dont know much about cmas but my understanding is that the training is excellent so you would be well prepared as a diver. I'd use the trip as an oppurtunity to get as much experience as poss, it's good to get out of a comfort zone i diving or anything else. Also, I'm sure you'll meet some great people through the holiday which is also an oppurtunity to learn from others experience.

Oh, and I'm very jealous... wish I was diving the Maldives!

Have fun, Greg

 

[clearwtr]

Have fun. Dive safe
john

 

[shakesrear]

Thanks everyone. I had a blast.

The flight was long and we had to check-in our regulators (grumble, grumble). The bags didn't make the change of plane in Dubai, so we had to do the first dive with borrowed equipment. Thankfully, our luggage arrived around noon and they were sent to us by boat.

I quickly lost all fear and I've come to enjoy diving 'a la derive' (I don't know what it's called in english). We happened to be only 4 clients on a liveaboard which normally accomodates 10 (this means that even our luggage had a separate room). There were more employees than clients (2 dive guides, 4 boat crew, and 2 dive-boat crew).

I was happy to have chosen a whole wet suit even though it wasn't cold because there were lots of abrasive things and we were thrown around by the current quite a bit.

we got lucky on the first day and saw 5 huge manta rays. The boat stopped and we all jumped in and swam with them. The second day, while decompressing, there were dolphins swimming all around us.

All of our dives were in the passes, so we always had strong currents. It was thrilling and fantastic. I'm not jaded though, I'm still happy with the calm, empty mediterranean.

 

[DandyDon]

Figured it go well, and I'm glad it did. (By the way, you gotta' clink the link at the bottom of my Sig. It's really so you...)

don

 

[rab]

Thanks everyone. I had a blast.

Very nice to see a thread like this one have a real conclusion!

Thanks again.
-Rob

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Dolphins are the best dive experience. I am still waiting to see my first manta. Consider yourself lucky.

 

[Arnaud]

Thanks everyone. I had a blast.

The flight was long and we had to check-in our regulators (grumble, grumble). The bags didn't make the change of plane in Dubai, so we had to do the first dive with borrowed equipment. Thankfully, our luggage arrived around noon and they were sent to us by boat.

I quickly lost all fear and I've come to enjoy diving 'a la derive' (I don't know what it's called in english). We happened to be only 4 clients on a liveaboard which normally accomodates 10 (this means that even our luggage had a separate room). There were more employees than clients (2 dive guides, 4 boat crew, and 2 dive-boat crew).

I was happy to have chosen a whole wet suit even though it wasn't cold because there were lots of abrasive things and we were thrown around by the current quite a bit.

we got lucky on the first day and saw 5 huge manta rays. The boat stopped and we all jumped in and swam with them. The second day, while decompressing, there were dolphins swimming all around us.

All of our dives were in the passes, so we always had strong currents. It was thrilling and fantastic. I'm not jaded though, I'm still happy with the calm, empty mediterranean.

We have something in common...

The term you're looking for is "drift diving" or "doing a drift dive". If you're used to diving the Med, I'm sure that diving the Maldives was as EZ as 1,2,3... Haven't been there yet. It's a long trip from LA. Just like flying to Fiji from France.

 

[monkeyfish]

Hey Shakesrear,

Which liveaboard did you use? I am planning a trip next month and would rather do a liveaboard than a resort.

Thanks!
Fish