Justin Dean

Dive Maldives - Onboard Nautilus 2

		Sunday, 28 September 08 - 11:48 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Diving

I have just returned from a very relaxing and enjoyable week in the Maldives. The trip was arranged by Tony Backhurst on board the liveaboard Nautilus 2. I travelled with my friends Ben and Ros, and we flew with Emirates via Dubai.

We had a lovely time with many positive experiences. We saw some beautiful wildlife including Eagle Rays, Whale Shark, Great Reef Ray, White Tip Sharks, Grey Reef Shark, Leopard Shark, Green Turtles, Moray (and honeycombed Moray!) as well as the usual array of reef fish including Anenome Fish, Titan Trigger Fish, Unicorn Fish, Batfish, Lion Fish, Oriental Sweet Lips, Yellow Snapper, Blue Fin Trevali, Octopus etc etc. We stopped on a deserted desrt island one evening for a BBQ, which was lovely, but the memory of the week for me has to be the most fantastic night dive I have ever done. We were completely surrounded by swimming Moray, Green Turtles and Feeding White Tip Sharks for the entire dive. It was truly amazing!

Emirates is a very good Airline. For a change there were no problems at check-in or bagagge reclaim and I was hugely impressed.

Despite the positive experiences, sadly this liveaboard did not stand out as anything special for me. I think the Nautilus 2 could offer so much more. I am not going to write a long post about the whole experience, but will leave these brief notes for any other divers considering a booking.

----- Lots more photos can be found here -----

Although we enjoyed the week the general feedback on the liveaboard quality was distinctly average. The biggest problem was that guests arrived and departed over a period of two days which essentially means that everyone looses a day diving. In addition the dive guides have to provide several introductory briefings and not all information is provided to all guests, and quite often we were left feeling completely confused with what was going on. It also didn't help that Tony Backurst was not the sole agent responsible for arranging the trip. What they don't tell you when you book is that Nautilus 2 is Austrian owned and half the guests seem to be British and the other half Austrian. It seemed that the whole dual agency thing was the cause of most of the confusion. The itinery was not focussed on finding what we had come all this way to see - a Manta Ray. The boat dived a majority of easier dive sites inside the Atols, and didn't reach Ari Atol for several days. Nitrox fills were free but random - anywhere between 23% and 32%.

Compared to other divers experiences of liveaboards in the Maldives it seems that Nautilus 2 can not be recommended until their organisation improves. I am writing to Tony Backhurst to let them know my thoughts, and will post any replies here. In the meantime if anyone is looking for a good Maldives liveaboard experience I would try http://www.scubascuba.com/ who I intend to use for a return visit.

Dive The Red Sea - 'Simply the Best'

		Sunday, 03 June 07 - 11:05 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Diving

I have just returned from Hurghada in Egypt where I have been diving in the Red Sea. The 'Simply the Best' trip on MY Hurricane was organised by Tony Backhurst Travel,  Its been a fantastic week, but I am totally exhausted.

The main part of my Terapad site has been updated with a detailed description of the trip. We had a truly fantastic week and I would recommend it to anyone.

I am also assured that Terapad will be launching an underwater Template soon, so  maybe my site is about to have a makeover.

More Photos can be found in my Image Gallery

Doing it Right

		Monday, 19 February 07 - 08:20 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Diving

I have finally received Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving , by Jarrod Jablonski of Global Underwater Explorers. I ordered it last November, but this is a privately published book, without an ISBN number and not available on Amazon. They had no copies left in print when I ordered so I had to wait for more to be printed and the delivery from Florida. I am so pleased I waited. This is a book which I have heard people talk about on various dive boats, and I sincerely wish I had read this when I was learning to dive. I trained the PADI way, which is relatively straight forward, and you tend to learn parrot fashion. This book answers so many questions, and raises new thoughts and ideas.

 In his prologue Jarrod says "This book was written for anyone who wants to get the most out of their diving. It makes no difference if you are interested only in augmenting safety, or in raising the enjoyment quotient of your family's diving trip. This text was written with every diver in mind, regardless of environment or focus, who is interested in improving their diving skills. It outlines not only the essential skills and techniques constituting sound diving practice but also the central elements of a holistic approach to diving"

Although the book is full of sound advice and tips about training, equipment and techniques, he goes on to say that the book was not designed to teach uncertified individuals how to dive, and should not be used to substitute professional training. I couldn't agree more, a little theory can be a dangerous (often lethal) thing and no substitute for experience.

Jarrod writes with experience, listed amongst his acheivements is the illustrious World's Longest Cave Penetration at Depth - 19,000 feet at 300 feet deep, achieved in Wakulla Springs cave system, Florida, in 2000.

One of my favourite bits of advice in the book is the recommendation to change the method of donating air in an emergency situation, My PADI training tells me to have an octopus, a secondary regulator, preferably in a high-vis colour, on standby for an out of air diver to use in an emergency. Jarrod suggests that perhaps an alternative method is preferable. If a diver is in a no-air situation the chance is high that in their panicked state they will grab whatever air supply is nearest, and that is usually the one in your mouth. So why not just let them have it? After all, we know the regulator works, its had no blockages, and has a good flow of air. The DIR method is to have the primary reg on a long hose, and a secondary on a necklace ready to use if a diver takes your primary. It's food for thought, and a great example of the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that this book advocates.

How I wish I had this book when I was learning to dive. You know the situation, you're sat on the dive boat, proud that you are finally doing your PADI advanced, or Rescue Diver course, and there are guys sitting around discussing their dives, their equipment, their technique, using long words and acronymns. You have loads of questions, but are afraid to ask. Well this book is the answer. From the basic techniques, to complex equipment configuration or mixed air breathing this book provides an insight into the world of diving. It realy makes you think about the technical and physical challenges that divers face and need to overcome to be proficient and safe at what they do.

Just one downside ... I feel the need to reanalyse my equipment configuration. It all seemed to be good purchases at the time, the salesmen said it was what I needed and I felt happy with my puchases. Now I wonder if I could be doing it differently, doing it right.

Go buy this book, you'll be pleased you did.

Dive Scapa Flow

		Monday, 08 January 07 - 03:57 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Diving

Better late than never ... I have just Updated my website with details of our dive expedition to Scapa Flow during the summer. For more information click here.

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