I have heard that the scuba diving is amazing around the coast of Croatia. We are planning a trip to Slovenia and Croatia next year, and I definitely want to dive over there. We will probably go in June, although it sounds like it will be very warm.

We will definitely be visiting Zagreb because we have business partners who live and do their business there. It looks like it’s a city filled with history and a lot of old buildings. I am hoping it’s not far from the sea. Even if it is a fair way, we’ll be able to go to the seaside, and take a boat out to one of the 1,185 islands, islets and reefs. I don’t know of any countries with that many islands around it. I visited Slovenia earlier this year, and if Croatia is anything like Slovenia, it will be magnificent!

This week’s PADI newsletter had a great article about Wreck Diving. I agree that its one of the most exciting types of diving, it’s like going back in time, discovering things that were lost underwater so many years ago. Like the article says, it’s usually much easier to find a place to wreck dive, than to find a coral reef ( although, where I live, it’s not far to drive:-) The newsletter talks about a TV show all about wreck diving, which looks like an exciting show. Here’s some more information and videos about it.. Deep Sea Detectives

We are travelling to Amsterdam next week (the 4th June) for a company convention, and for a holiday. My husband was born in Rotterdam, so we will spend several days travelling around Holland, and visiting some relatives. We are hoping the Tulips will be in flower at this time of year. We’ve heard they are grown in the parklands in all different colors. We are staying in a resort south of Amsterdam, and the resort is in the countryside, so it should be beautiful.

After our stay in the Netherlands, we will travel to Ljubljana in Slovenia to meet some business partners and then down to the south coast of Italy for a few days. There is scuba diving near where we are staying, has anyone scuba dived on the southern coast of Italy? We’re staying about 100 kms from Naples. If anyone requires a credit card in the Netherlands please see this Krediet kaart site

I have been missing scuba diving these last 5 months. We had LOTS of rain here on the Gold Coast all through our summer (from December to March), and the Southport Seaway was not a good place to dive. My dive buddy and I went there a few weeks ago, and it was getting better. The other day, we went for a dive with the Gold Coast dive club and the viz was about 5 metres.

I still love the feeling I get down underwater, no matter what the viz is like. However, my dive buddy kept making signs he was falling asleep, he likes to be occupied all the time. For me, I just loved being in the “now” down there! We had a barbie after the dive and talked about our dive experiences, which I love doing!

I just watched this video which has amazing footage of sea creatures, including a shape-shifting cuttlefish, a gallery of bioluminescent fish that light up the ocean, and a pair of fighting squid.

David Gallo in Ocean Exploration

David Gallo focuses on the work of two scientists: Roger Hanlon at the Marine Biological Lab and Edith Widder at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, and .

A hyperbaric chamber has 2 main functions:

1) It takes divers underwater to provide a temporary base and retrieval system in the depths, as a simpler form of submersible vessel.

2) It is used to artificially reproduce conditions under the sea which are hyperbaric (pressures above normal atmospheric pressure). This chamber can be on land or ship-based, and is used for diving-related and non diving related medical applications.

There is a national hyperbaric center in Scotland, which plans to build the world’s largest and deepest chamber, so it can test underwater equipment at depths greater than 5,000m.

These chambers not only save diver’s lives, they are also used to treat non-divers’ medical conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning. Recent studies have shown that the chamber can be used in the treatment of specific eye conditions, where the retina has been starved of oxygen.

With a hyperbaric chamber being used to treat non diving related conditions, this is good news for divers. It means the chambers could become more accessible.

Heron Island is in the Southern Section of Great Barrier Reef, North East off the coast of Gladstone. Gladstone is 534 kilometers north of Brisbane (a 6 hour drive). There is a boat transfer service over to Heron Island and also a helicopter service.

I have a friend who’s been diving from Heron Island and said it was one of the most beautiful places he’s dived. There are over 20 dive sites, so Scuba Divers can easily enjoy up to 3 full dives a day and an occasional night dive too.

Here’s what AusEscapes.com.au say about a Scuba Diving Vacation at Heron Island

“Heron Island Resort is one of the few Queensland island resorts situated right on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It’s what you don’t see around Heron Island that makes the resort so special. You won’t see any buildings above the tree line. And you won’t bump into any daytrippers either. The reef experience on Heron is exclusively for guests, a unique experience few other resorts in the world can offer. There’s a relaxed island lifestyle that sets Heron Island Resort apart, a sophisticated yet casual resort atmosphere. Here the emphasis is on exploring and discovering the natural attractions that have made Heron famous around the world.

You’ll enjoy some of the world’s best reef diving. There’s a choice of spectacular sites just minutes from the beach, and can you imagine a better place to learn to dive? There is no need for day trips to the Great Barrier Reef, because you are already there! So you can easily enjoy 2 dives a day. There are over twenty different dive sites close to Heron Island.

Join a guided reef walk to learn more about the unique ecology of the Great Barrier Reef or snorkel off the beach and come face to face with the kaleidoscope of marine life just below the surface. Enjoy a day trip to explore an uninhabited coral cay or just spend the day lazing by the pool. At night there’s live entertainment, dancing or a quiet drink in the Pandanus lounge. All meals are included in your tariff and the Saturday night seafood buffet comes highly recommended. You’ll find a range of accommodation to suit your budget. As you would expect, Heron Island takes great pride in maintaining their high standards of food and service.”

Taking the Verve Energy drink when scuba diving could make a huge difference to your energy levels. Most times, when scuba divers do a boat dive, it’s 2 dives while out there, to make it worthwhile. And, it’s great to have a cuppa or a health drink with energy would be even better. Having some extra vitamins and minerals, along with some caffeine will be great to keep you going for the second dive. Find out more about Verve Energy drink .

Diving at Cooke Island is pretty good. This is a story I wrote when we dived there 2 or 3 years ago. Here’s a picture of the island:

We had a great time! The viz was poor, however we still saw lots of stuff. We went with about 5 other people, and Luke led us.

Luke found a couple of turtles sleeping, so gave them a bit of a nudge, and off they swam.

I saw John brushing at something on his head, and afterwards he told me this Damselfish was tapping him on the shoulder, and then came back later on, having a go at his head. He wondered what it was!! These fish are very territorial, so it was just protecting his environment.

Read the rest of this entry »

I am looking forward to when the Vemma Verve Energy Drink is launched. This energy drink will be great for when we go scuba diving especially when we go on boat dives. We usually do 2 boat dives fairly close together, and often have to unload all the gear from the boat, change our tanks over, then off we go again. It gets a little tiring, so a healthy energy drink in between dives will make a huge difference.

I will post when the drink is launched in a few weeks.