RSD’s May 2004 Issue

[IndigoBlue]

Rodale’s Scuba Diving May 2004 issue has been a god-send to my wife and me as we choose our next dive travel destination. This is their annual issue that gives details for dive destinations from Aruba to U.S. Virgin Islands in current U.S. dollars:

Aruba
Australia
Bahamas
Baja
Bay Islands Honduras
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire
British Columbia
British Virgin Islands
Cancun & Riviera Maya
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Cozumel
Cuarcao
Dominican Republic
Eastern Caribbean Islands
Fiji
Florida Keys
French Polynesia
Hawaii
Micronesia
Papau New Guinea
Puerto Rico
Tobago
Turks & Caicos
U.S. Virgin Islands

We can now combine this information from the Florida Keys section of the issue with our copy of Lonely Planet Books’ booklet Diving & Snorkeling the Florida Keys to plan our next trip there.

The RSD issue also contains thought provoking articles targeted to beginning divers about wreck diving, dive travel, the Pacific Northwest U.S.A., deep air diving, streamlining and buoyancy improvement, energy bars, travel B/Cs, together with the above international scuba travel directory, with beautiful photographs too.

To me, a diver of 30 years (longer than many of you reading this have been born), the travel directory is the most valuable because it contains current prices and an update of which scuba facilities are still viable and operating, after all these years.

To a beginning scuba diver, RSD’s main audience, the streamlining and buoyancy improvement article is probably the most valuable article.

I have mixed feelings about the deep air article. This was also the subject of one of the SB mod’s (MikeF) comments in another thread. The deep air article is probably over the heads of most of the RSD readership. The article’s author tries to make the point that there are benefits to air diving compared with EANx or helium-mixed-gas diving. The author presents a one-sided argument in favor of diving air. It would have been a better article if he had presented both sides of the issue, with the introduction of the “best mix” concept from technical diving.

I do not want to get hung up about one particular article in the issue. Overall, the issue is extremely valuable, to me, and to others, wherever they are on the spectrum of learning curve for scuba diving.

I highly recommend it.

Customer service at: 800-666-0016 or 515-247-7500

 

[DeputyDan]

I thought the article on the pacific northwest and the giant octo's was good...

 

[IndigoBlue]

I thought the article on the pacific northwest and the giant octo's was good...

That one reminded me of our very own Uncle Pug through and through!

 

[MechDiver]

If you remove the ads for dive destinations that have been the same for the last 5 years, you wind up with maybe 10 pages of actual reading material, most of which is not worth reading as in the deep air article.

The mag used to be good for equipment comparisons when they did their shootouts, not so much for the shootouts, but for the graphs that showed how equipment compared to each other. Its not worth wading through all the ads anymore.

But, YMMV.

 

[Dive Source]

I hope you at least get a commission from them after that much free advertising.

Are you with the new management team over there?

 

[IndigoBlue]

I hope you at least get a commission from them after that much free advertising.

Are you with the new management team over there?

The Pacific Northwest U.S.A. article is as close as RSD came to Canadia, so I can see why you don't like it. Too bad. No Canadian diving destinations, to speak of, unfortunately. Other than the Great Lakes, I cannot think of any Canadian dive sites I would want to know about, myself. And that kind of diving my wife is not into; I would have to drop her off in Montreal first, before I headed out for the Great Lakes myself, by my one-sies.

My favorite Canadian diver is Brett. Although I hear he is a bit controversial up there as well.

 

[IndigoBlue]

If you remove the ads for dive destinations that have been the same for the last 5 years, you wind up with maybe 10 pages of actual reading material, most of which is not worth reading as in the deep air article.

The mag used to be good for equipment comparisons when they did their shootouts, not so much for the shootouts, but for the graphs that showed how equipment compared to each other. Its not worth wading through all the ads anymore.

But, YMMV.

Well the dive vacation comparisons are certainly exquisite. I suspect those have become more lucrative than the equipment was. I am only looking at one issue, and I found it to be very impressive.

I enjoyed reading the articles, although I agree the deep air article needed more work before going to press.

 

[DeputyDan]

Folks:

When someone asks me what I want for Christmas, I always tell them magazines like this one. There may or may not be something good in an issue, but its a better gift that socks and you may occasionally like something.

I get kayaking mags.
Scuba mags.
National Geographic
Southern Living
Smithsonian (sp)
and others in this fashion.

 

[Dive Source]

The Pacific Northwest U.S.A. article is as close as RSD came to Canadia, so I can see why you don't like it. Too bad. No Canadian diving destinations, to speak of, unfortunately. Other than the Great Lakes, I cannot think of any Canadian dive sites I would want to know about, myself. And that kind of diving my wife is not into; I would have to drop her off in Montreal first, before I headed out for the Great Lakes myself, by my one-sies.

My favorite Canadian diver is Brett. Although I hear he is a bit controversial up there as well.

Actually,I don't care about their coverage of Canada, I just found your huge advertisement for them funny as hell - you deserve a free subscription at least. ( I see your profile lists your occupation as a "scribe" - is it writing for them?)

I think Rodales has been full of Bull cookies for quite some time due to their biased gear reviews which are often slanted towards people who advertise heavily with them. not to mention how they ignore a pile of gear.

What really suprised me is that none of the Mod's pulled the post for being such an advertisement, of course the rules around here are a mystery at times anyway and often depend on which Mod is in charge, or if mars is approaching the vernal equinox or something....

BTW - Who is Brett?

Is this one of those - oh you're from Canada - Do you know "so and so" questions ?

Your not one of those guys from Georgia we see up here in July with a Skis strapped to the roof on their car looking for snow and igloos are you?

 

[pt40fathoms]

The Pacific Northwest U.S.A. article is as close as RSD came to Canadia, so I can see why you don't like it. Too bad. No Canadian diving destinations, to speak of, unfortunately. Other than the Great Lakes, I cannot think of any Canadian dive sites I would want to know about, myself. And that kind of diving my wife is not into; I would have to drop her off in Montreal first, before I headed out for the Great Lakes myself, by my one-sies.

My favorite Canadian diver is Brett. Although I hear he is a bit controversial up there as well.

LOL, now I hope you are just pulling his chain. You don't really believe what you just wrote do you?

The coast of BC is one of the best places in the world to see diverse life under the water. Don't take my word for is, that claim was made by Jacques Cousteau. It has also been repeated by most every other noted marine biologist in the world.

Maybe you should give it a try, I'm sure some of the board members who live there would be glad to give you a tour of the sights. It's too cold for warm water plows and tillers to clammer about, destroying most everything they see by bouncing off the bottom in 3mm shortys. That's why Rodales will not rate it. You'll need a dry suit, decent diving skills, and a good camera.

Oh, and your dollar is still worth more, so the trip would be nice and cheap.

As Bob Barker (a Canadian) would say on his game show The Price is Right, "Come On Down".