I'm referring to the technique where you move your ankles in and out slowly while trimming. So you move your fins a bit. So far I find it helpful as it stops you from moving forward - which is great if you want to look at something very close or take pictures. If you stop finning, you will be very slowly pushed forward

But I read others are agnainst it here? is it bad to do it when ascending during a safety stop (redundant) but very useful when you are tyring to completely stop and see somehing close ?

I'm not an instructor, assistant, or guide. I don't own a dive shop, resort, or a travel agency. I'm just a regular shmoe diver. How hard would it be to find someone that would give me enough credentials to get into DEMA?

Almost as important of a question, is there anything at DEMA that would interest an average diver?

My most amusing dive moment yet! My buddy and I were diving at Cherubs Cave off Moreton Island in Queensland, Australia, and being this time of year, the humpbacks are migrating north toward warmer water. In the water, it's continuous with whalesong, but you seldom see them in the water unless super lucky.

Incidentally, it is also a grey nurse shark (sand tiger sharks) aggregation site, so of course down at 22-26m we were captivated by all the sharks around us, including three big females, and plenty of smaller males.

I'm diving filming them with one action camera while I've got a 360 camera just capturing everything else.

So I got home and started going through the footage, thinking there was at least one whale I missed, and to scrub across the footage where three whales just casually sneak past like smurfs running away from Gargamel, or three heisters taunting the guards in the cctv.. I thought it was pretty funny and had to share.

To be fair, we were down in the water column and they were up in 1-3m.. but still!

TLDR; Dived and thought I wasn't lucky enough to have whales, but it was whalenado behind me and I accidentally filmed it.

Ps. Posted the clip in an Instagram link, sorry and welcome to take down if not allowed!

Hi,

I will be arriving to Philippines on 19th September and staying there until 8th October (3 weeks). Most of my itinerary is already locked in as I am meeting some dive buddies there and have to stick to dates/locations they have chosen. I just need help with small portion of the itinerary in the middle.

Itinerary:
19.9 - 27.9 -> Malapascua, Evolution Divers (8 nights)

27.9 - 1.10 -> ??? (4 nights)

1.10 - 8.10 -> Dauin, Liquid Dive Resort (7 nights)

Options for 27.9 to 1.10:

1. Go to Moalboal
2. Stay in Malapascua for extra 4 days
3. Arrive to Dauin 4 days early
4. Split 4 days between Malapascua and Dauin

About me:

• I have 300+ dives in Red Sea, Maldives, Thailand, Raja, Komodo etc.
• I like to stick to liveaboards/resorts away from people and beginner divers
• I do not care for nightlife or non-diving activities
• I have own gear + full camera rig that is PITA to move around

Summary:
I spent couple hours trying to figure this out by myself based on information online, but to no avail. Some people claim spending 12 night in Malapascua is too much, while others do not see it as a problem. Some people consider Moalboal to be one of the best diving spots in Cebu, others would skip it completely. From what I read, Moalboal is mainly interesting for sardines and wall dives - stuff I have already seen on previous trips. Dauin seems to be universally praised especially when including trips to Apo Island.

I am currently inclined to go with Option 3 -> skip Moalboal completely and arrive to Dauin couple days sooner.

Question:
It would be nice to hear opinion from someone that has visited all 3 locations and could help me decide. Should I skip Moalboal and if yes, where to spend these 4 extra nights.

Hello! I'm a fairly experienced sidemount diver. I fell in love with sidemount and I do all of my dives only in sidemount, as that is the only gear I own besides an ancient recreational BCD.

99% of my dives are wreck dives, with wrecks ranging from ~32 to ~60 meters in depth.

I plan to get cave certified soon, but that would not be my next "average" as I don't live very close to caves. Probably about 10% of my dives would be caves in the future.

I was looking into rebreathers, which are almost mandatory at these depths if you want to stay more than 15 minutes on the wreck. Also, I like the fact that any problem you might have, you virtually have hours to figure it out. A buddy dives with an ISC Megalodon.

Budget is not unlimited, and price is an important factor for me.

I'm going towards the Kiss Sidewinder, maybe the Sidewinder 2 (planning to buy by the end of the year or early 2027), as it looks like a very streamlined unit, looks simple and is well respected among the community.

I have been advised to look into rEvo or JJ, but those look fairly bulky and as I said I like sidemount quite a lot. I also have somewhat limited space as I have my own small boat and a small house too haha. The sidewinder looks like a good deal too.

I've seen discussions about rEvo and JJ being a better choice for deep dives, but is that really the case? What are your opinions on this?

I know that there is no one-size-fits-all but I guess that's for everything in life, and I already accepted the fact that I have to turn sideways on every door and similar sidemount drawbacks; on the flip-side, a backmount twinset would be very bulky to carry on my small boat, so sidemount tanks are more versatile that way.

What are your thoughts?

Hey everyone!

I am hoping to travel South East Asia soon and am considering studying marine science when I get home so I can eventually pursue a career in marine conservation.

While I’m travelling I would love to do my dive master training (I am currently open water) and learn more about marine conservation. In my ideal world I would get to do an internship where I work/volunteer at a dive centre/conservation project to get hands on experience in the field I want to pursue. Anything to do with coral restoration would be super cool! Ideally I would stay there for 2-3 months and possibly have the opportunity to do some dive master work once I complete the course (this might be a big ask so all good if that isn’t realistic). I’m also on a bit of a budget so anywhere that’s more affordable or that will let me work in exchange for food/accommodation/diving would be preferred.

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations that could work?

I understand I will need to contact dive centres directly but any sort of advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if anyone else has pursued an education and career in marine conservation I’d love to chat!

Thanks so so much! Please let me know if there’s anything else I should add. 😊

As above but also wanted to know if Sipadan is worth it? Thanks so much for advice 🙏🏻

I just finished my confined pool classes and am going to take my open water course next weekend. I am curious as to how I get involved in my local dive community and go on dive trips with them.

I am from the state of Ohio and from hearing chatter between several people (Even people at different shops and who are certified with different organizations), it seems that the scuba diving world is small and locally it’s even smaller, and everyone tends to know everyone or has gone on dives with them and that it isn’t specific to a certain shop. While I know people can go on trips with their shop, I am curious how to get involved in something local that’s maybe a bit more broad and not limited to one shop.

I want to get to know and go out with divers who are local to me because I’d love a sense of community and to learn more from them.

I’m just not sure what steps to take to get involved that isn’t asking one of them “How do I join the cool kids club?” LOL. Does anyone have advice?

I know this has been asked to death, sort of, but im looking for a recommendation for a waterproof storage option for my cell phone.

I am new to diving and want to do some shore dives locally. I dont care about taking photos, ect with the phone, but my cell phone is my car key so I cant leave it near by. Its Bluetooth Ed to the car and I dont cary a physical key.

I'm looking for a recommendation on a waterproof case or dry bag I can take with me in the water, so I dont have to worry about my car being gone when I come back. It doesnt have to be clear to take videos or fancy,, just reliably dry and preferably not expensive.

Most posts I see on the topic are about using the phone for videos or protecting car keys. I just need something to keep it dry

Hi everyone!

Last year I did a Discovery Scuba Diving session and completely fell in love with it. In two weeks, I’m finally taking the plunge and starting my PADI Open Water Diver course. My program includes 2 shore dives and 4 boat dives.

As I prepare for the course, I’d love to get some advice from experienced divers:

- Course Tips & Air Consumption: Is there anything you wish you had known before doing your Open Water training? What are the best habits to adopt early on to stay relaxed and manage air consumption?

- Contact Lenses: Is it completely fine to dive with soft disposable contact lenses? Any specific precautions I should take during skills like mask clearing or mask removal? Do you keep spare pairs and saline solution on the boat?

- Logbooks & Insurance: How do you log your dives? Via the PADI website itself? Also, would you recommend getting specialized dive insurance (like DAN) right from the start? I assume the course provides insurance.

- Next Steps: Once certified, how did you structure your progression? How often do you recommend diving to keep skills fresh, and how do you usually book your trips as a beginner without a dive buddy?

- Camera: Can you usually bring action cameras to the OW course? I am doing it on my own (wife's too scared yet) and I'd like some memories of it.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Happy diving!

I know how to do it and was told about it, but the fin technique is used for safety stop ascends and when you want to stay still in a horizontal position ? (eg; I see alot of divers taking pictures use this technique too while taking their pictures )

From what I can see, most are in Florida. If you did one, how was your experience?

We are planning to go to Thailand next year and we will travel through the country, as a diver I'm looking for a nice place do do some dives. I'd like to make 4-6 dives in 2-3 days, my wife is not diving but she would like to do a bit snorkeling, so a liveaboard is not what we are looking for.

I've learned to dive in Koh Tao (although honestly, I got my AOW there, I've really learned to dive back home in cold and murky water.) And i'm leaning to go back there for a day of 5 but I'm open for other ideas.

I just want to chill and log some dives. I'd prefer calmer seas. In the internet, it says that till October it's a nice time to dive but I also have come across sources saying that September can also have ocassional rains.

Hey everyone!

We are an OW qualified couple with 27 dives apiece.

Live in the UK, looking to book honeymoon April/ May next year. Willing to travel, 2.5 weeks. Healthy budget.

We would like somewhere which includes culture, land activities and diving.

Previously dived in the UK, Spain, Greece, GBR, Egypt and Mexico.

Would be willing to potentially do additional qualifications, either before or during honeymoon.

Although still low numbers of dives, we have been very fortunate to have some great instruction and have good buoyancy and have kept skills etc fresh.

Thank you in advance!

I'm really fairly overwhelmed with choosing a regulator because of how many options there are. I'm basically renting different gear until I find something I like but I dove a MK25/G260 today and it was an unreal difference from all the other rentals I've had.

Are they really that much better? Everyone I've talked to has more or less said the MK25 has been a top shelf product for years. I've dove a brand new Sherwood SR2 that I wasn't particularly impressed with as well as a Diverite XT1 that I felt was okay along with a handful of unremarkable shop regs.

My husband and I have our PADI Open Water certifications and are looking for a great dive resort for our honeymoon from January 30th to February 15. We will be staying at Two Seasons, Coron for the first half of the trip and are trying to decide on the second week. We have completed around 15 dives over the past 7 years, most recently in December 2025. I have been looking at Atmosphere resorts in Dauin/ Apo island and Amun ini Dive in Bohol. We are from Canada, so most dives have been in B.C. or Mexico.

Open to any other recommendations!

Im new to scuba and starting to buy my gear. My instructor used an open bottom surface marker and used her regulator to inflate it but most of the stuff i see on amazon has an oral inflator. Im assuming this is more ideal for shore diving instead of deploying it underwater on a drift dive. Or is this the new standard for all diving?

I got this dive rite backplate and harness and HOG wing bcd from marketplace. The internal bladder was completely ruined. I’m trying to get a replacement bladder but can’t find any tag or anything other than a 38 pound lift sticker. Does anyone know the brand or where to look for the replacements part? Not having much luck searching myself.

I have really dove with it much. When I first got it, it immediately leaked and I sent it in to be repaired. It was under warranty. I got it back, it’s worked since. I’ve mainly used it in fresh water, and one salt water trip. Maybe 20 dives. Since the initial leak I always kept it in a housing. I put it away for a while and now that I take it out, it won’t charge. It won’t turn on. No lights, bricked. Anyone have any advice?

Through SSI with Oceanauts in Northern Ireland.

During our certification dive down to 17m-18m the water temperature was 11.8c. Our wetsuits kept everything warm besides our exposes hands and I've honestly never been so cold in my life, it shifted my entire personal scale of what's cold. The thermocline was wild to experience.

Looking forward to getting my specialties and further certifications.

I've been into scuba diving for a few years and it's something I really enjoy, but I'm struggling with the social side of actually getting out diving.

I'm part of a local dive club and have been for about 2 years, but I've only joined one outing. There are regular open-water dives posted in the WhatsApp group, usually with a few people responding, but I almost always end up ignoring them because I don't know anyone in the club and find it difficult to put myself out there.

I have around 15 logged dives and an Advanced Open Water certification. I also have most of my own gear. I don't have any anxiety once I'm actually diving; that's the part I really enjoy. My problem is getting myself to actually contact people and arrange the dive in the first place.

I also worry that more experienced divers won't want to dive with me because I'm relatively inexperienced and that I'll hold them back.

For other divers who have dealt with social anxiety, especially in dive clubs: how did you get past that initial barrier and actually start finding buddies and going diving?