DreamingOfScuba
Guest
Just back from a two week vacation in Marsa Alam. My wife and I went there as newly certified PADI Open Water Divers (Jan 26th, 2006). Returned as PADI Advanced Open Water And Enriched Air Divers completing sixteen dives whilst over there.
Had an awesome experience with Emporer Divers and was struck by the immediate sense of being part of a community from our first day's diving. We chatted with at least thirty different people from all over the world about diving, they offered tips as from the first week it was evident this was our first diving trip and we were newly qualified. I think I equally enjoyed feeling part of something and chatting to new people as much as the actual diving.
Although we were new after reading many articles on dive boat etiquette and being watchful people anyway I can say we never got in the way or were the nuisance newbies we all read about. My only frustrations came about because of other divers (a few). One English couple who entered the water before us and stayed in the entry area whilst they discussed their plans and then descended meaning we could not enter the water for a further three minutes whilst they moves. Or some others who did their buddy checks on the edge of the boat so we could not enter the water. Or the same English couple constantly swimming into my wife and I, they were oblivious to us or the coral around them causing all sorts of incidents. Or a group of Scottish guys who were supposed to be very experienced divers taking over 20 minutes to get their basic kit on and get into the water.
I came out of the experience though with much improved buoyancy skills and was doing a 45 minute dive and coming back with 90 Bar (my wife loves that air). Also being able to navigate basic dive sites on our own and make it safely back to the boat.
I'm still a bit too excited at the moment and feel the need to share this with everybody LOL.
Had an awesome experience with Emporer Divers and was struck by the immediate sense of being part of a community from our first day's diving. We chatted with at least thirty different people from all over the world about diving, they offered tips as from the first week it was evident this was our first diving trip and we were newly qualified. I think I equally enjoyed feeling part of something and chatting to new people as much as the actual diving.
Although we were new after reading many articles on dive boat etiquette and being watchful people anyway I can say we never got in the way or were the nuisance newbies we all read about. My only frustrations came about because of other divers (a few). One English couple who entered the water before us and stayed in the entry area whilst they discussed their plans and then descended meaning we could not enter the water for a further three minutes whilst they moves. Or some others who did their buddy checks on the edge of the boat so we could not enter the water. Or the same English couple constantly swimming into my wife and I, they were oblivious to us or the coral around them causing all sorts of incidents. Or a group of Scottish guys who were supposed to be very experienced divers taking over 20 minutes to get their basic kit on and get into the water.
I came out of the experience though with much improved buoyancy skills and was doing a 45 minute dive and coming back with 90 Bar (my wife loves that air). Also being able to navigate basic dive sites on our own and make it safely back to the boat.
I'm still a bit too excited at the moment and feel the need to share this with everybody LOL.
