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DDS Divers Swimming Over the Reef in Roatan

Challenges Will Reward Your Longterm Scuba Diving Goals

Challenges Will Reward Your Longterm Scuba Diving Goals
by
Matthew Mandziuk 

In life nothing good comes easy without a fight or working to earn it, unless you win the lottery.  The same can be true moving through a more Progressive Scuba Diving training philosophy where the divers are taught a higher level of knowledge, skills and techniques. Your Personal Challenges Will Reward Your Longterm Scuba Diving Goals.

At DDS we pride ourselves on staying ahead of market trends and instead we lead the charge forward towards better diving.  For nearly 20 years we’ve taught our open water divers about the benefits of learning and buying the right gear and the right skills and techniques after over 20 years of doing it the old school way.

We pride ourselves on teaching divers a different (better) way to do things at the open water level where they can move forward with better skills, finesse and discipline allowing them to struggle less, maintain the visibility of even the siltiest environments or most fragile coral reefs, while continuing forward progressing successfully into deeper, more advanced courses, environments and experiences with more comfort and efficiency as they challenge themselves with training that is more exciting, more disciplined, more regimented and more rewarding than some of the “more traditional”  courses which have become stale or outdated as we power ahead into a new age of diving.

As human beings we can always learn more and the same is true in scuba diving, except most dive training has become outdated and boring.  All divers should be more aware of their dive profiles, gas requirements with proper gas reserves built in, no stop time limits and what is happening within their bodies as they spend more time underwater and as they ascend or descend.

Many of these common concepts are lost on the masses because theory is passed over quickly as we tend to suffer from a condition that demands “instant gratification” and dive shops that depend more so now on eLearning doing the work of the instructor for the shops and instructors, so the personal element of sharing stories and experiences with the students is lessened (or in some cases completely lost as there is no classroom sessions), so the students don’t create an emotional bond with their instructors, classmates or Divemasters.

Bad Diver Lots of Silt
A poorly trained diver in silts out the bottom as they have no buoyancy, trim, awareness or cares in the world. Don’t Be Like This Diver.

Train Hard

If divers took more time to learn about dive planning, gas calculations, gas consumption, decompression theory and dive sciences, they would be much more ready to take diving to the next level.  This knowledge can help us not just in diving, but also in every day life.

Divers who are taught to manage stresses underwater are more able to handle the every day curveballs life throws at you on a daily basis, as well as how to focus better on challenging tasks, yet the number of divers who progress through Advanced and Rescue diver courses drops as students seem less engaged in some graphic regions than before.

Where a diver can go training wise and the training opportunities available to them make or break the likelyhood of creating a “Lifetime Diver”.  If a diver only dives once a year or 3, they’re better off just doing Discover Scuba Diving Experiences.

A certified diver who goes from Advanced, Nitrox, Drysuit  to Rescue is doing things better, but the key is to find a trainer who can teach you what you need to really know.  If as a diver they tell you it’s okay to be standing, kneeling on the bottom, to rely on holding onto an ascent line and be vertical on an ascent or safety stop as you take up 6-7′ minimum of line with your fins dangling down kicking the divers below you, that’s okay to overweight yourself so you sink or that violating thirds (your gas rule you should be ascending at), that it’s okay to flutter kick and silt out the bottom, wear flimsy floaty plastic fins, split or hinge fins and have stuff dangling off you like a Christmas Tree, it’s time to find a new instructor.

A diver who progresses towards more foundational skills classes like our NAUI Intro to Tech program will have the chance to perfect themselves better than any recreational diver, regardless of if they ever become a tech diver or not, as Foundational Skills Development courses like “Intro” offer the most through and engaging training possible with a combination of dry land drills, confined water drills and open water dives.

Divers who learn the foundational skills to make themselves a better diver and put the time in to become proficient in all aspects of their diving often become a much safer, more aware diver with superior team diving skills, refined buoyancy, flawless horizontal trim, proper ascents and descents, better fin techniques (utilizing a modified frog as their primary kick, modified flutter, ability to turn 360 degrees and do a reverse frog kick to go backwards) rather than flutter kicks, and exceptional problem solving skills.  You even master surface marker deployment, rescue techniques, valve or regulator failures and more.

Your biggest assets in diving are TIME IN THE WATER and BUOYANCY, BUOYANCY, BUOYANCY.

DON’T try and fast track your way through training.  Learn the foundational skills, start diving in the proper gear, train and dive with divers who are better than you are.

NAUI offers the highest standards of any training agency in foundational, technical, cave and overhead training, which is the reason they’re our primary agency for those courses, but we offer training from several other agencies too.

A Properly Trained Diver with Good TrimA properly trained DDS Diver working on trim and buoyancy during a NAUI Cavern/NAUI Intro to Tech Foundational Skills course.

Fitness in Diving

Some new divers complain that lead weights and tanks are heavy, while more Technically Advanced Divers dive with Sidemount or back-mounted double tanks.

Diving with a drysuit creates more buoyancy, drag and resistance while swimming through the water, so there is an element of fitness required to dive.  Carrying tanks to the water, stage bottles, rebreathers, camera systems, scooters, all these things have weight to them.  It’s part of diving, so get fit and get ready to handle the gear you’ll be using.

To get more comfortable handling these items a strength building program to strengthen arms, legs and abs are very beneficial.  30 push-up’s a day, 100 ab crunches and a light jog even 1-2km a couple of days a week will help make a difference in your strength and overall well being, while also improving cardiovascular health.

Swimming will help give the body a resistance free total body workout too and if you can’t take the impact from running or rowing, may be a better option for you and its fun!

Some dive courses require a specific distance to be swam before a specific time, don’t lose out on some great diving because you can’t make the cut.  It IS worth it and it WILL take time.

How Did We Get Here?  It Wasn’t Over Night

Dan’s has become the go to shop for recreational, advanced, technical diving education over the last 20+ years. DDS was established in 1974.  We are Canada’s Oldest PADI Dive Shop and 2nd oldest worldwide currently.

With the help of a Canadian Diving Pioneer John Reekie (passed away several years ago) we helped introduce the Canadian Diving Market to Technical Diving and Cave Diving gear and procedures as early as 1986!  We were one of the first North American Dive Stores to offer Nitrox as an alternative breathing gas in 1992 when the traditional agencies were Anti-Nitrox and causing riots at dive shows because they honestly believed Nitrox to be Voodoo Satan Gas!  True Story!

By the mid 1990’s we were offering old-school technical diving and rebreather courses.  By 2000 we were introduced to more progressive diving and upgraded our training, which allowed us to see a different side of diving, one that was less limiting and more progressive.

DDS Divers enjoy a cleaner, more streamlined gear body, gear configuration and ability to share air more effectively than traditional short hose divers

We began offering Progressive Doing it Right based (DIR Diving) training and equipment, including the offering of backplates to new open water sport divers a part of basic training and introducing recreational divers to the long hose/short hose regulator configuration or the Hogarthian method of diving.

In 2007 we began offering more modern and progressive Sidemount training.  We are happy to be offering training on several different rebreather configurations, especially the modular and most versatile machine on the market, White Arrow Explorer Rebreather System, capable of any configuration.

Every recreational diver can benefit from our experience, the new skills that we offer and every day diving techniques that we introduce from basic open water programs. Horizontal Trim, Buoyancy, Team Awareness, S-Drills, Bubble Checks, SMB Deployments, Air Sharing horizontally in neutral buoyancy with a long hose regulator, Team Diving Protocols and more.

backwards frog kick intro to tech
Learning your foundational kicks without fins or gear on is the first step to perfecting your forward, turn and backwards kicks during an Intro to Tech Course

While not every diver is introduced to this from every instructor around the world, we also offer Foundational training to start experienced divers off right as well, as many of the concepts we teach aren’t taught elsewhere unless the divers have been taught by a certified cave or technical instructor. At the end of the day we want everyone to learn to be better and dive with more confidence, comfort and awareness, so we offer workshops like NTEC which is a great way to prime yourself to learn the foundational skills you should know in a class and pool setting showing you a better way to do things in the right gear.  This also prepares you for a glimpse into your diving future should you want to progress towards Wreck Diving, Cavern or Cave, Ice, Technical and more.

Our experience in expeditions and exploration projects have also helped shape our divers into the best divers in the water.

Get More Technically Correct

When a diver starts to get more “technical” it helps them become a more complete diver.  It doesn’t mean they have to aspire to achieve a new super deep world record sort of depth where they hang for hours on decompression stops, however, it does break through the misconceptions, boundaries of conventional training and opens you up to a lifetime sport with the ability to go anywhere with your diving.

We believe Technical Diving is simply extending your range both with respect to knowledge, but also extending the scope of your abilities beyond what is known and offering new challenges along the way.

Our NAUI Intro to Tech Course has been called the “Best Dive Course” by nearly everyone who’s taken this amazing foundational skills class.  Regardless of whether a student completes the course successfully the first time or not, “Intro” is where better diving begins.

Our Intro course begins with the tightening up of the divers buoyancy and trim, cleaning up and streamlining the entire equipment configuration, introducing new surface protocols and pre-dive regiments like safety drills, SADD checks, Bubble Checks and Heat to Toe checks which improve safety and awareness.

Intro also begins to stress the team concept of diving, which is something talked about but rarely enforced in traditional recreational diving.  We introduce the benefit to 3 person buddy teams, which are often taboo in traditional training as well, as we believe a second set of hands to help and eyes to see are very important should a diver require assistance.

NAUI Intro to Tech Students Air Share
NAUI Intro to Tech Students working on trim and buoyancy while sharing air during their confined water session.

After classroom sessions are complete students are introduced to a combination of dry land surface drills that allow the instructor to demonstrate skills such as trim, fin kicks, flat horizontal body posture, air shares, valve shutdowns, diver rescues, lift bag deployments and many other skills topside as they can talk about each skill attribute and show it off before the students are expected to demonstrate it both on the surface and then the skills are executed by instructors and students under the water in a shallow pool or confined water area suitable for this sort of training.  Upon successful completion of the pool sessions candidates are then taken to open water and will complete all skills in a shallow open water environment where No Stop Times are not an issue.

During Intro to Tech a staff member will video record the students skills throughout the program so they can break down their progress frame by frame and discuss thoroughly throughout the course dives in debriefing sessions.

Students love the fact that this style of training is done intensively as repetition helps them improve and learn at a quicker rate, especially upon review of each dive during de-briefing when we break down all of the skills done that day with video review.

Through clear and concise de-briefings the students know exactly what it is they need to work on and how to improve as we take corrective action with them and continue to show them how to properly execute each skill breaking down the skills as clear and concise as possible.

Just the Beginning

Many divers love the challenge that Intro brings and those divers who work hard and succeed will enrol in their next challenge.

Divers will be using more equipment which creates a need for better fitness, stiffer fins, stronger dive abilities and confidence.

Imagine being perfectly neutrally buoyant without a bottom below you as you stare below into the abyss without any fear or concerns

Intro to Tech is a stepping stone to bring divers more safely into the realm of deeper diving or overhead environments as the foundational skills and trim learned here ensure that those divers are going to be able to perform the rudimentary skills like horizontal buoyancy, frog kick, modified frog kick and to be able to fin backwards for 10′ without hitting the bottom or silting out the dive site because Zero Impact Diving is such am important skill to possess as it saves the reef, fragile clay patterns, maintains the water clarity (especially in a wreck or cave where a diver will have to navigate safely back out of a zero visibility environment) and makes the diving more pleasurable for all.  The other important skill is something we teach at Open Water and again at Advanced Open Water and Intro to Tech, which is being able to deploy and send an SMB up to the surface ascending on a reel stopping every 10′ and then ascending to 15′, 12′, 9′, 6′, 3, surface many of those divers will engage in their next adventure.

Intro to Tech is simply the holy grail of recreational diving because you see what is lacking when you compare it to someone who’s been coaxed into taking a different more traditional Master Scuba Diver sort of approach.  Rather than being taught to dive properly, most divers are taught to pay for an instructors time, a paper manual and a plastic certification card.  While there are some phenomenal recreational specialty courses (Nitrox, Equipment Specialist, DPV, Cavern, Drysuit) most dive stores don’t have the talent or the ability to teach some of these more useful classes and favour a quick payout instead of committing their divers to more in-depth training.

The most popular courses Intro graduates challenge themselves next with range from Wreck Penetration to a Cavern/Cave 1 class, DPV class, Technical Decompression with Helitrox (Tech 1) Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures.

Growing Your Experience

Regardless of the certification level a diver achieves it requires regular diving to maintain that level of proficiency and regular dives to that highest level of certification.  We usually recommend 20-25 dives annually at that level before moving to the next level.

At DDS, We are NOT a certification factory that tries to push our divers from Intro to Tech to Trimix Rebreather in a month.  It’s not about numbers, its about the quality of the diver and those divers that are making poor choices have no real world underwater dive skills and often lose buoyancy, panic or are a complete embarrassment to the sport.

DDS Divers are some of the highest trained divers in the country and they show a lot more finesse and discipline than most.  Those divers who choose to work hard and grow their diving abilities are often asked to join in on bigger, better dives, as well as for support projects both local and abroad.

Expedition projects are conducted yearly and it’s always great when new members can be integrated into the Divers Edge family, which is our training and exploration group.  We have partners worldwide through several organizations that we do international projects with for caves and shipwrecks.

Get Involved

Regardless of your goals the key in anything is to keep involved and dive with divers who share the same views and the same goals in training and equipment.

We have taught and continue to teach divers from around the world and are more than willing to put on a presentation for groups, clubs, other shops as we’ve been doing for decades.

If you’d like to get involved and benefit from better training, equipment configuration and future diving opportunities, reach out and let’s get you involved with DDS Today.

We have trips, charters, training year round. Your first step is to reach out and make contact, the rest comes easily from there.

Unmasked A Modern Look at Scuba And Snorkel Masks

Unmasked A Modern Look at Scuba Masks And Snorkel Masks

Today we’re going to talk about Scuba and Snorkel Masks, which also hold true for FreeDiving applications.

Many Divers and Snorkels ask us “What’s the Best Scuba Mask?” Our answer is simple….The one that fits you best. Read on and learn the additional features that will make your dive mask the best.

Question For You:

Have you ever been to a resort where someone just hands you a snorkel mask our a dive mask out of a bucket and tells you to go and enjoy the water?  For some that can be a wonderful eye popping experience and for others it can be painful, irritating, uncomfortable or downright unnerving.

Today we are going to discuss some of the key features, technologies, materials, styles and levels of comfort you can come to expect from a good quality scuba or snorkel mask.

Hopefully this will help you pick out the best scuba mask or snorkel mask for your every day water related activities.

Key Features

Some would argue that the more expensive the mask is, the better it will fit you or the better quality it is.  This isn’t quite the case.

The best mask on the market is the mask that fits your face first and foremost.

Factors that affect the fit of the mask are face shapes, facial hair, buckle or strap design, single or double lens, type of mask skirt material, lens glass and frame shape to name a few.

Generally speaking the bigger the face the larger the mask skirt and frame will have to be.  Someone with a narrow face like a woman or small child can fit a small to mid size frame, while most average size faces would benefit from a standard fit, larger faces may require a wide fitting mask.

There are a handful of brands who offer small/medium fitted masks, as well as wide fitting masks, while the norm is to make a mask for the average face.

Once you’ve determined the size of mask you may need its time to weigh options, for example, if you have facial hair, you may favour a stiffer mask skirt with a frameless designed that will sit slightly higher above the moustache versus one that lays across the hair preventing a full seal against the upper lip and under the nose.

The Moustache: Moustache divers or snorkelers can be one of the more challenging people to fit, so we often gravitate to a few good “moustache masks”.  These masks are shorter and stiffer in the upper lip area and aren’t as affected by the facial hair which can break the seal of a softer skirted mask.

The BARE Frameless Mask, Atomic Frameless Mask, Mares X-Vision standard and TUSA Powerview have been some of our most successful options.

Avoid The Dreaded Purge Valve!  Rather than going for a proper fit, some people choose to go for a mask with a purge valve in the nose that allows you to simply blow out to evacuate water, which is great, when they work, however, we believe a purge valve mask is an excuse for an ill-fitting mask.

Purge masks also tend to fail over time having the valve curl or simply falling out causing the mask to fill up with water, so for this reason we simply don’t recommend or endorse the use of purge valves in masks, but are happy to add one into any mask you desire should you want one.

Wearing a Skirt?

Guys and girls both wear skirts when wearing a mask.  So what’s the difference in mask skirts?  Mask skirts can be made of a number of different materials including Rubber, TPR (transparent rubber), PVC, Silite, Silflex, Silter, Silicone, Crystal Silicone, Liquid Silicone, Liquid Crystal Silicone, Gummybear Silicone and more.

Rubber was the most common type of material throughout the infancy of snorkeling and scuba because it was inexpensive, created a seal, was black which helped the person see clearer without glare and refraction of light, but it was not a product that had offered a lot of longevity, however, in the late 1970’s silicone started to become more popular due to the fact that it didn’t break down in the sunlight, was more comfortable and chlorine resistant.

Alternatively TPR, PVC, Silite, Silflex, Silter are all harder skirted alternatives that cost less, are replaced more and are often found in the department stores.  Some manufactures promote a silcone mask/snorkel combo, however, a mask can be class as “silicone” with as little as 5% in the skirt.

You can tell how much silicone is in the mask vs. plastic or other materials by holding the clear skirt up to the light.  If the mask has an opaque colour that looks “clumpy” or more white it isn’t pure silicone.  If the mask skirt has an odour the smells like chemicals, its not pure silicone.

Many of our dive mask brands offer both “sport” quality and “dive” quality. Both can be suitable for snorkeling and in some cases diving too, however, fit and comfort are the 2 most important factors affecting your decision to purchase one over the other.

Pure Silicone mask skirts are still the most comfortable, last the longest, do not break down with repeated saltwater or chlorine immersion and are UV resistant.

Silicone masks can come in skirts that are acid washed to be perfectly transparent or they can be coloured black or other unique colours.  At DDS we prefer black silicone because it offers better vision through the process of eliminating excessive amounts of light which flow in through the normally clear skirt and then cause glare and refraction of light when compared to their black skirted brethren who provide eye and glare protection and less overall strain and eye fatigue.

Clear Skirted Masks Yellow over time.

Black skirted masks also age better maintaining their black colour, whereas clear skirted masks only stay clear for a little while, that is until the uv rays, dirt, sand, rubber and other factors start to cause a yellowing of the skirt and they become opaque over a rather short period of time, meanwhile the black skirted mask is still looking as fresh and good as it did the day it was purchased.

Regardless of the mask you choose it’s all about fit and comfort.  You can read review after review, but the mask should be fitted by a professional who understands your needs, wants and has a good selection.

We sell virtually every brand of mask, but have cherry picked among our entire staff the masks we feel to be the best fitting masks on the market.

Keep the gimmicks to a minimum.

The Fit

Make sure when you’re wearing your mask you can equalize your ears by squeezing your nose pocket, this will ensure you can get to the nose pocket when you need to.

Make sure the mask strap isn’t too tight.  A proper fitting mask only needs to have the strap snug, not tight because the water pressure is going to keep the mask on your face for the most part too.

Make sure the mask doesn’t sit against the brow area putting pressure on it if its a 2 lens mask (men generally have a protruding brow).

Make sure the nose pocket doesn’t dig into the bridge of the nose.

Wear the mask strap just over top of the ears centering it around the middle 1/3 of the skull.  Wearing it too high can cause the mask to push up under the nose causing chaffing and making it raw over time, so really pay attention to centering it and keeping it adjusted comfortably.

When wearing the mask you can check for proper width by looking in a mirror.  You don’t want to see the skirt too narrow that it sits on the eye, but you also don’t want it so wide that it lets water in through the top or sides.

Breath in through your nose without using the strap, see that the mask sits comfortably on the face.  If it does, put the strap on, snug it up comfortably and with the mask against the face exhale.  The exhaled air should go out the bottom of the mask not the top of the head by the temples or above the eyes.

High or Low Volume?  Which is Better?

Low Volume is always best.  The lenses sit closer to your eyes.  There’s a smaller airspace to equalize the masks internal airspace which is something you’ll notice when you go down on breath hold or on scuba.  With increased pressure the mask will suck to your face more and more and more eventually causing pain and discomfort.  To avoid this you’ll need to equalize the airspace by simply blowing some air through your nose into the mask to keep it from squeezing down.

tusa_panthes_mask_for_sale_online_in_canada
Black Skirted Masks maintain their colour and help eliminate light glare

Lower volume masks are more comfortable and are easier to clear water out of as well.  Imagine a big round window shaped mask and how big and how much water can fill that mask up.  Now picture a streamlined mask that has a similar surface area to that of a pair of swim goggles but with an enclosed nose so you can blow into it.

Which mask is going to be easier to clear the water out of ?  The one with more or less water in it?  If you guessed less water in it you’re right.  The smaller the masks overall internal volume the easier its going to be to blow the air out of it.

Frame or No Frame?

Divers have long gravitated towards plastic framed masks that press the glass, plastic and frame all into one package with a lens retainer.  They’re durable, comfortable, most popular.

Frameless masks are a more modern concept that has less overall parts and simplified construction by simply moulding the silicone frame over the tempered glass lenses and bonding the silicone to the skirt.

The Different Mask Lenses

The market for different dive lenses have changed a lot since the initial introduction of simple tempered glass or polycarbonate lenses.

Tempered Glass lenses are still the industry standard because of their durability, relative cost effectiveness and the fact that they don’t shatter inwards due to pressure.  They can break like anything else, but generally the glass will stay together.

Tempered Glass is durable, they aren’t affected by scratches in the water, but they do have a greenish tinge to the glass which cuts back on light transmission.

Polycarbonate is plastic, scratches very easily and not suitable for scuba diving or much more than pool playing.  They’re typical of your department store masks which are cheap and not designed to last.

Ultraclear Glass Lenses introduced by Atomic Aquatics

Ultraclear glass is an optical quality glass with exceptional clarity and high light transmission, with no colour distortion.

Standard float glass (tempered glass) lets through approximately 86% of the available light but UltraClear lenses can allow up to 92% light transmittance. Combine that with the increased colour vibrancy and clarity and you’ll never want to dive with a standard lens again.

ARC Lenses or Anti Reflective Coating Lenses Introduced by Atomic Aquatics

Between 4-14% of light can be reflected back or “lost” by the standard “green float glass” mask lenses used by the more traditional mask makers.  ARC technology lenses are especially important for SCUBA divers underwater, where available light is quickly absorbed by the surrounding water because they help amplify available light.

Atomic Aquatics ARC Technology to reduce reflected light and actually increase the amount of available light transmitted to a diver’s eyes. The result is a greatly improved transmission of 98% of available light, compared to a loss of more than 14% of light with standard green “float” glass used on the majority of masks on the market.

ARC uses a multi-layer metal oxide coating process applied to both sides of the UltraClear lenses. This allows more light to enter the mask by reducing light reflections off the inside and outside surface of the lens. The metal oxide coating is only a few microns thick.

Anti-Reflective Coatings or ARC is a multi-layer metal oxide coating process applied to both sides of the Ultraclear lenses. This allows more light to enter the mask by reducing light reflection off the inside and outside surface of the lends. Clearer, crisper vision.  Reduces eyestrain, glare and prevents ghost images on the viewing area of the lens. A must for night diving and limited visibility conditions and underwater photographers.

 

Mirrored Lenses

Some Divers like the idea of mirrored lenses, however, they reflect back at the fishlife and can cause unwanted confrontations.  They also hide the divers eyes, which are essential when assessing diver comfort underwater, so for this reason we’d suggest staying away from mirrored lenses.

Types of Mask Straps

DDS Neoprene Mask StrapMost mask straps are made of the same material as the mask.  They’re designed to fit comfortably, not overly tight around the back of the wearers head and have side adjusters that allow you to often times pull the mask strap by tabs to tighten it.

The straps can pull hair or can tend to be uncomfortable.  One way we fix this is by adding a neoprene mask strap backing or replacing the entire strap with a neoprene adjust-a-strap which uses Velcro on the sides and neoprene on the back of the head.

You don’t need hair to enjoy a neoprene mask strap, they’re the best option for ease of donning or taking your mask off, plus they also float a little bit, so if you drop you mask into the water you may have faster response as it may not sink immediately .

Prescription Lenses

We can get a number of masks with prescription lenses.  We carry lenses in + or – diopters, as well as custom ground lenses for people needing lenses for different pupil distances and special features.

The costs of lenses for negative diopters are very reasonable.  Positive diopters are more expensive.  Standard bio-focal lenses are also available.

We generally recommend TUSA or Atomic for prescription lenses.  They’re easy to install and the masks are the best quality you can buy.

Replacement Parts

When purchasing a mask consider the fact that this product will last you 20-30 years if you look after it.  My personal TUSA mask is one I’ve had since 1996.  Dan had a 30 year old TUSA mask.  When you buy quality products from reputable manufacturers who make their own masks (NOT OEM with a Log slapped on) you purchase a product that is going to have parts and service around for years (or decades) to come.

Mask clips can commonly break if dropped or stepped on.  Lenses can chip, mask skirt scan rip, lens retainer clips can break if you’re cleaning the mask and mask skirt on a regular basis.

Brands like TUSA, Atomic Aquatics, Mares Diving, Problue and Scubapro keep a range of clips and replacement parts in stock.

Pre-cleaning Your Mask

Pre-clean your mask with toothpaste rubbed on the inside of the glass and take a toothbrush with mild abrasive and brush the inside glass to remove a protective silicone residue that is tacked on the inside.  You can also carefully burn it off with a flame if you have a steady hand and trust yourself around silicone.

Pre-cleaning the mask will help prevent fogging and will give you a better chance of fog-free diving.

Defogging Your Mask

Mask defog is your friend.  Not because we’re a dive store, but because you don’t want bacteria ridden saliva in your mask that you may or may not fully rinse out.  We’ve seen divers with eye infections from using the communal “spit bucket” on the dive boats down south where 10-20 divers are all spitting in their mask and then rinsing in a communal bucket.

Commercial Mask Defog is awesome!  It lasts years and years despite the small affordable 2oz bottle it comes in.  McNett Sea Drops and McNett Sea Gold are the best defogs we’ve used.  No bacteria or eye irritation and you also don’t have as much black mould or bacteria growing in your mask after 6-12 months of using it vs. spit.

Spitting in your mask is a good temporary solution, but defog will prevent things from growing in the mask and give you the best fog free solution.

To use your defog properly though follow these steps.

  1. Apply defog to mask lens dry 2-3 drops per lens or 5-6 drops overall if single lens max.
  2. Leave defog on the mask until you’re ready to hit the water
  3. Rinse defog off with your finger and water
  4. Put mask directly on your face or keep filled with water until ready to wear
  5. Keep mask on face, do not take off and let it air dry
  6. If taking mask off fill it up with water and leave lenses wet, don’t air dry

Maintenance For Your Mask

Your mask over time may get dirty, mildewed or saturated with salt crystals or sand which can get between the lenses.  Every 1-2 years or sooner, you should consider taking your mask apart and with hot water, some dish soap and a toothbrush, gently rinse and scrub every bit of the mask frame, skirt, lenses, and lens retainer clips (This isn’t possible with Frameless masks which do not come apart).

To learn more about care and maintenance of your scuba and snorkeling gear take our PADI Equipment Specialist Course.

In Closing,

The best mask on the market is the mask that makes you feel like its a part of your face, it fits naturally, it doesn’t hit off the brow, press on the bridge of the nose and doesn’t need to be overtightened.  It can come with a range of different lenses and price points, but at the end of the day its the mask that feels the best and has the features you want that’s the right one.

While technologies change, the fit criteria should all the same.  Comfort, ease of adjustment, ease of clearing because its low volume and it should look quasi-stylin’.

Matt Mandziuk
Recreational, Cave & Technical Diving Instructor
NAUI Cave & Trimix Instructor 45416
TDI Trimix Instructor 4767
PADI MSDT 207233
SDI Instructor 4767
IDREO Rebreather Instuctor (CCR)
Owner
Dan’s Dive Shop, Inc.
www.dansdiveshop.ca
matt@dansdiveshop.ca

PADI Equipment Specialist Course 2024

The PADI Equipment Specialist Course offers you a look into the world of dive gear maintenance, field repairs and prevention.  Have you ever looked at your dive gear and wished you knew how it all worked? Have you ever wanted to be confident in how to do minor repairs on a dive site?

You can learn about all the gear you dive with in this care and maintenance course.

Don’t miss a dive due to minor issues with your scuba diving equipment. Whether it’s a missing o-ring, a wetsuit tear or a broken fin strap, the PADI Equipment Specialist course teaches you how to minimize issues and safely and efficiently manage basic repairs and adjustments to your gear.  You’ll also learn more about how your gear works, making you more comfortable with it and better prepared to take care of your investment.

You’ll learn about routine care and maintenance procedures as well as scuba equipment storage recommendations. We will show you how to overcome some common equipment problems and offer equipment configuration suggestions.

While this courses is not a “repair” course we do show you how to deal with minor repairs to wings, bcd’s, regulators, tanks and more.

Depending on the level of aptitude of the students, we can delve as much or as little into certain subjects, so get involved, ask questions and learn more about your gear today.

Know your gear better and earn this fun and enjoyable certification.

How to enroll in the PADI Equipment Specialist

Visit the store or email us to enroll in the course. Once you are enrolled we will send you a PADI Equipment Specialist eLearning code or you can purchase it online now.

The course consists of two parts: an eLearning portion you complete at home prior and then a full day hands-on classroom workshop conducted here at the shop.

We also recommend The Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving to use as a reference during the course as well (not included).

Bring your basic scuba equipment and tool kit to class and if you like we can take it apart and show you a little bit more about how its made.

If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Scuba Diver or higher, you can enroll in the Equipment Specialist course.

 

Cost is only $175 + tax including eLearning

PADI Equipment Specialist will help you gain more skill and academic proficiency towards:

Advanced Open Water Diver

Diver Propulsion Vehicle Specialty

Deep Diver

Divemaster

Intro to Tech

Diving a Backplate The Best Option for New Recreational Divers – They Don’t Tip You Facedown

Diving a Backplate The Best Option for New Recreational Divers – They Don’t Tip You Facedown
by
Matthew Mandziuk

There is a common misconception in the world of scuba diving that backplates  and wings can push a diver facedown on the surface.  Those people are wrong. Diving a Backplate is the Best Option for New Recreational Divers and unlike the majority of brands with front loaded weight pockets, most recreational jackets with back buoyancy WILL tip you face forward, a backplate will not.

In this blog we will outline with real life experience and even some fun video evidence how a properly setup and weighted backplate does not push you facedown, but in actuality it is the most comfortable, efficient,  streamlined and safest buoyancy system available.

Misconceptions

Halcyon_infinity_bcd_for_sale_online_dans_dive_shop
Backplates keep things simple and streamlined above and below the water.

The false mindset that backplates tip you forward on the surface  has ultimately come from divers who were using an improperly balanced back floatation bc with a horseshoe wing shaped bladder that was wider/thicker on the bottom of the wing and narrower/thinner in shape closer to the top. Other causes could be that there are high capacity integrated weight pockets located horizontally across the waist area of the bcd causing the force of gravity to shift.  This is why we opt for a vertical pocket that sits back towards the hip area. Or they just plain have never tried it.

A back floatation bcd with an improperly shaped wing design as described above coupled with front loading weight pockets that put the weight pocket closer to the front of the body laying the pockets from the middle of the body to front of the body rather than how they should be oriented, which is from the back of the hip moving from the middle of the body to the back of the body towards the backplate can create a very troublesome scenario with respect to body orientation and tipping.  As a matter of fact, some jacket bcd’s will even push you facedown.

Halcyon Active Control Ballast positions weight from the hips backwards towards the plate, which helps sit the diver vertical on the surface
Halcyon Active Control Ballast positions weight from the hips back towards the plate, which helps sit the diver vertically on the surface

A backplate doesn’t generally have this problem because it is a more balanced rig offering a wing that generally allows for even air distribution around the bladder like a circle or a doughnut that allows the air to move unrestricted and doesn’t trap air. Some units even offer a weighted single tank adapter with up to 6lbs/2.2kg of lead placed inside the STA with little to no weight needed with even the thickest wetsuit in salt water.

Divers may experience a tipping sensation on the surface from any bcd due to the action of over inflating the wing or a jacket bcd, however on a backplate and wing style system like a Halcyon Infinity MC System you don’t generally have this issue as shown in the video below.

Join the Zero Weight Club

There's nothing more freeing than enjoying your backplate on a DDS dive trip to Mexico
There’s nothing more freeing than enjoying your backplate on a DDS dive trip to Mexico

Ideally You’ll want to get to a point where you aren’t wearing much/any weight with a wetsuit and have a balanced enough setup that you can simply just swim your gear up without having to kick hard to get there.  The more weight you have on the surface, could pull you facedown if the weight pockets are in the front of your harness and the wing is overinflated.

Explore shipwrecks with the right gear and comfort
Your Backplate can grow with you from singles to doubles, wet to drysuit, recreational or technical and rebreather diving. 1 bcd for everything.

If you’re using a drysuit you may need a little more weight, but a steel tank is also a suitable option or a set of doubles.  They balance you out even better and for diving locally offer redundancy in the event of a regulator failure.

How do you tell you’re overweighted?  Go up to 10 feet/3 meters with a 1000psi in your tank and see how much air is in your wing.  If you reach back and can feel a substantial amount air try venting the air out while laying horizontally and lifting your rear up, orienting your head slightly downwards to get the air to the highest point and use the back dump to vent the gas.  If you start going down quickly you’re overweighted, but this is another conversation to discuss in another blog post.  You should basically have no air in the wing and be able to hold a stop at 1000psi in an aluminum 80 at 10-15′.

To This
Hovering horizontally motionless underwater enjoying total diving freedom. No bulk, No clutter, No discomfort

The Unsung Hero

Backplates are the most streamlined, balanced, and versatile diving system for recreational divers, cave divers, technical divers and rebreather divers, offering you ONE uniformed diving system that grows with you throughout your diving career, making it the best option for a new scuba diver who doesn’t know where their diving will take them because they won’t outgrow their unit.  It can be dived with any exposure or tank configuration, in any environment, while offering the most streamlined swimming profile and neat and tidy equipment configuration when rigged properly for modern and progressive scuba diving activities.

Backplates allow for better buoyancy distribution and promote body position
Backplates allow for better buoyancy distribution and promote body position

A backplate can allow you to minimize bulk and clutter if you keep the harness clean, also streamlining your body if you are utilizing proper trim and posture, which should allow for you as a  scuba diver to maintain horizontal orientation in the water when swimming and when just sitting there hovering horizontally, even on ascent and descent, rather than being pushed or pulled vertical, which is the position a jacket or a bcd with the weights in the front of the harness generally do by pulling your body knees and fins down towards the bottom.

Backplates allow for motionless hovering keeping the diver within 10% midline of horizontal underwater but allowing you to lay perfectly flat and comfortable with head out of the water on the surface.

Simple and Streamlined

Backplates are more robust than a more traditional bcd, which are often ladened with excessive fabric, padding, straps, d-rings and breakable plastic buckles, whereas a Backplate simply has 1 release buckle if rigged properly, which is located just off to the right side of the waist and is right handed release like a weight belt buckle uses.

Backplates and Wings are available in all different shapes and sizes including regular, short and even tall plate lengths
Backplates and Wings are available in all different shapes and sizes including regular, short and even tall plate lengths

Clips and Buckles on a jacket bcd can increase task loading and may prolong rescuer response in comparison to a  backplate, as you’ve got a minimum at least 3-4 clips and a cummerbund to free the diver from their gear in a jacket compared to a simple right hand release buckle on the waist followed by pushing the harness free of the divers body.

Since more clips create a delay in freeing the diver in an emergency divers may want to avoid a jacket style bcd with fancy clips, gadgets and clutter in favour of diving more simple and streamlined.

Some backplates offer adjustable cinch harnesses to allow for easier donning and doffing, while not compromising the structural integrity of the harness with breakable plastic clips. To operate the cinch you simply pull the waist straps to tighten shoulders or lift the shoulders up to loosen the harness. There is no sternum strap to compress your chest and inhibit breathing, so you aren’t starved for air on the surface, the backplate thanks to a crotch strap and a proper fit prevents the bcd from riding up on the surface, and there is no chance that the backplate can crush your stomach and ribs like a jacket bcd with a wraparound aircell can when fully inflated.

Progressive Dive Training

Many of our divers are mindblown when they begin their journey into scuba diving and they see the poor job that the vast majority of dive stores and instructors are doing with scuba diving certifications.

Training with a more progressive dive store is a great way to get solid diver training, however, they are few and far between.

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Good Trim, Knees Up, Fins away from the reef. This is a great example of Progressive Diving.

At the time of this article Dan’s Dive Shop is the first and only dive store in Canada to be offering entry level training in a backplate system and a long hose/short hose regulator configuration at the Open Water Diver level.

Buoyancy and Trim and the most important skills a diver will learn and as such, those skills, along with air sharing, proper horizontal ascents and horizontal descents are things that need to be perfected.

Perfect Example of what not to do.
Perfect Example of what not to do.

Progressive Diving means to have the right skills, abilities, diver and team awareness, safe diving practices and understanding that they need to maintain their skills through practice and repetition on a regular basis.

In some circles this philosophy is known as Hogarthian, DIR, Doing it Right, NTEC and more. In all cases these methods have made diving safer, better and more enjoyable.

Buy it Once

If someone told you you could have 1 BCD to take you from singles to doubles, wet to dry, down south dives and on warm reefs and walls to the most beautiful cold water shipwrecks, cold water reef and walls or ice diving, would you listen?

Take a look on Kijiji or any of those used gear websites and you’ll see something that often states Jacket Bcd used only 6 times or 12 times.  When you talk to the owners a lot of the time you find out they upgraded to a backplate, or they bought a drysuit or a 7mm wetsuit and their original jacket doesn’t fit.

Not only is a backplate the most stable diving system, but it is also built to be the first and last bcd you ever need.

The Proof is in the Pudding

If you have been told that backplates tip you face down please take the time to share this video with the source of this misinformation.  Not all back flotation bcd’s are innocent, some will push you facedown, but a properly shaped wing and proper weight distribution and pocket design will not.

PADI Drysuit Course

Take the PADI Drysuit Course and enter a world of warm, comfortable diving.

Drysuit Divers are happy divers! No more freezing on the bottom, or missing dives because you’re cold. A drysuit seals you off from the water and keeps you dry, warm and comfortable, even in surprisingly cold water. In a drysuit you can wear thermal undergarments, don and doff your exposure suit easier than a wetsuit and stay warm between dives above water. Dive all year long, dive deeper for longer and have more fun!

Drysuit Divers enjoy a substantially longer dive season (12 months of the year vs wetsuits 3-4 months). Drysuit Diving is popular not only in Ontario but if you want to travel to amazing destinations such as Canada’s east coast, British Columbia, California, the Galapagos, Europe, Iceland etc. There is incredible cold water diving with vibrant colours, intact shipwrecks and adventure in the world’s cooler regions. The possibilities are endless in a drysuit.

Are you excited to dive in cold water when your in a wetsuit? If the answer is No! than take your PADI Drysuit Specialty and open up a new world of diving. Come up with a smile after your dive instead of a shiver.

Prerequisites:

If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enrol in the Dry Suit Diver course.

Take this course as part of your Open Water course or your Advanced Open Water Course.

The first dive of this Specialty Course can count as a dive credit PADI Advanced Open Water certification.

Availability:

Join DSS this fall with two separate courses running on September 9-10 and October 7-8, 2022.

Course times are Friday 3pm-9pm and Saturday 10am-2pm.

Training Agency:

PADI

Course Details:

When you enrol in the course you will recieve the PADI Dry Suit Diver Manual to read at home prior to your course start date. On Friday you will meet at Dan’s Dive Shop at 3pm for a classroom session and drysuit fitting including proper care of a drysuit. From there you will head to a local pool where you will learn how to use a drysuit in the water.

Saturday morning you will meet your Instructor at a local dive site and complete two open water drysuit dives from 10am -2pm to practice your skills.

During your course you’ll practice: Putting on and taking off your dry suit with minimal assistance. Mastering buoyancy control using your dry suit. Dive safety procedures when using a dry suit.

Cost For Certified Divers:  $350+HST Includes Manual, certification card and drysuit rental. Save $100 if you own a drysuit.

Cost For Open Water Students:$175+HST as part of the PADI Open Water Course or PADI Advanced Open Water Course.

Required Equipment:

A drysuit, additional weighting and drysuit whip is necessary along with your basic scuba equipment.

Where can you go from here?

Anywhere

Cold Water Diving

Deep Diver

NTEC

Ice Diver (after Intro to Tech)

Technical Diver

Cave 1

Sidemount Diver

Underwater Photographer

Anything you do will be more fun in the right drysuit, so start enjoying better, warmer, drysuit dives today. Experience diving smarter, not harder! Dry is more comfortable, less effort, warmer and extends your dive season!

dry suit divers
happy dry suit diver

PADI Drysuit Course Spring 2024

Take the PADI Drysuit Course and enter a world of warm, comfortable diving.

Drysuit Divers are happy divers! No more freezing on the bottom, or missing dives because you’re cold. A drysuit seals you off from the water and keeps you dry, warm and comfortable, even in surprisingly cold water. In a drysuit you can wear thermal undergarments, don and doff your exposure suit easier than a wetsuit and stay warm between dives above water. Dive all year long, dive deeper for longer and have more fun!

With a drysuit you can enjoy a substantially longer dive season (12 months of the year vs wetsuits 3-4 months).

Drysuits also open up tons of new diving locations! Is popular not only in Ontario but if you want to travel to amazing destinations such as Canada’s east coast, British Columbia, California, the Galapagos, Europe, Iceland etc. There is incredible cold water diving with vibrant colours, intact shipwrecks and adventure in the world’s cooler regions. The possibilities are endless in a drysuit.

Are you excited to dive in cold water when your in a wetsuit? If the answer is No! than take your PADI Drysuit Specialty and open up a new world of diving. Come up with a smile after your dive instead of a shiver.

Take this course as part of your Open Water Course or your Advanced Open Water Course.

The first dive of this Specialty Course can count as a dive credit PADI Advanced Open Water certification

Prerequisites:

If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enrol in the Dry Suit Diver course.

To set you up for success in this course please make sure your diving skills are current and you have fresh water diving experience. All students must have dived in the last 6 months and dived in Ontario or similiar conditions before.

If you haven’t been diving recently or you’re a warm water diver looking to jump into Canadian diving, please contact us and we can get you there with the PADI ReActivate or Discover Local Diving programs.

Spring Course Dates:

April 20, 21, 2024 from 12pm-6pm both days

May 10 – 11, 20204 from 4pm – 9pm both days

Training Agency:

PADI

Course Details:

When you enroll in the course you begin your PADI eLearning at home prior to your course start date.

On the first day you will meet at Dan’s Dive Shop for a Drysuit Fitting including proper care of a drysuit. From there you will head to a local pool where you will learn how to use a drysuit in the water.

On the second day you will meet your Instructor at a local dive site and complete two open water drysuit dives to practice your skills.

During your course you’ll practice: Putting on and taking off your dry suit with minimal assistance. Mastering buoyancy control using your dry suit. Dive safety procedures when using a dry suit.

Cost For Certified Divers:  $350+HST Includes eLearning, digital certification card and drysuit rental. Save $100 if you own a drysuit.

Cost For Open Water Students:$175+HST as part of the PADI Open Water Course or PADI Advanced Open Water Course.

Required Equipment:

A drysuit, additional weighting and drysuit whip is necessary along with your basic scuba equipment.

Where can you go from here?

Anywhere

Cold Water Diving

Deep Diver

NTEC

Ice Diver (after Intro to Tech)

Technical Diver

Cave 1

Sidemount Diver

Underwater Photographer

Anything you do will be more fun in the right drysuit, so start enjoying better, warmer, drysuit dives today. Experience diving smarter, not harder! Dry is more comfortable, less effort, warmer and extends your dive season!

dry suit divers
happy dry suit diver

PADI Drysuit Course Spring 2024

Take the PADI Drysuit Course and enter a world of warm, comfortable diving.

Drysuit Divers are happy divers! No more freezing on the bottom, or missing dives because you’re cold. A drysuit seals you off from the water and keeps you dry, warm and comfortable, even in surprisingly cold water. In a drysuit you can wear thermal undergarments, don and doff your exposure suit easier than a wetsuit and stay warm between dives above water. Dive all year long, dive deeper for longer and have more fun!

With a drysuit you can enjoy a substantially longer dive season (12 months of the year vs wetsuits 3-4 months).

Drysuits also open up tons of new diving locations! Is popular not only in Ontario but if you want to travel to amazing destinations such as Canada’s east coast, British Columbia, California, the Galapagos, Europe, Iceland etc. There is incredible cold water diving with vibrant colours, intact shipwrecks and adventure in the world’s cooler regions. The possibilities are endless in a drysuit.

Are you excited to dive in cold water when your in a wetsuit? If the answer is No! than take your PADI Drysuit Specialty and open up a new world of diving. Come up with a smile after your dive instead of a shiver.

Take this course as part of your Open Water Course or your Advanced Open Water Course.

The first dive of this Specialty Course can count as a dive credit PADI Advanced Open Water certification

Prerequisites:

If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enrol in the Dry Suit Diver course.

To set you up for success in this course please make sure your diving skills are current and you have fresh water diving experience. All students must have dived in the last 6 months and dived in Ontario or similiar conditions before.

If you haven’t been diving recently or you’re a warm water diver looking to jump into Canadian diving, please contact us and we can get you there with the PADI ReActivate or Discover Local Diving programs.

Spring Course Dates:

April 20, 21, 2024 from 12pm-6pm both days

May 10 – 11, 20204 from 4pm – 9pm both days

Training Agency:

PADI

Course Details:

When you enroll in the course you begin your PADI eLearning at home prior to your course start date.

On the first day you will meet at Dan’s Dive Shop for a Drysuit Fitting including proper care of a drysuit. From there you will head to a local pool where you will learn how to use a drysuit in the water.

On the second day you will meet your Instructor at a local dive site and complete two open water drysuit dives to practice your skills.

During your course you’ll practice: Putting on and taking off your dry suit with minimal assistance. Mastering buoyancy control using your dry suit. Dive safety procedures when using a dry suit.

Cost For Certified Divers:  $350+HST Includes eLearning, digital certification card and drysuit rental. Save $100 if you own a drysuit.

Cost For Open Water Students:$175+HST as part of the PADI Open Water Course or PADI Advanced Open Water Course.

Required Equipment:

A drysuit, additional weighting and drysuit whip is necessary along with your basic scuba equipment.

Where can you go from here?

Anywhere

Cold Water Diving

Deep Diver

NTEC

Ice Diver (after Intro to Tech)

Technical Diver

Cave 1

Sidemount Diver

Underwater Photographer

Anything you do will be more fun in the right drysuit, so start enjoying better, warmer, drysuit dives today. Experience diving smarter, not harder! Dry is more comfortable, less effort, warmer and extends your dive season!

dry suit divers
happy dry suit diver

Bahamas Blackbeards Sail & Dive Liveaboard

Now Booking

Sign up now and join us in the Bahamas. Sign up here.

Join Us for a Fun and Exciting Week Exploring and Scuba Diving the Bahamas!

Join Dan’s Dive Shop as we enjoy another wonderful Bahamas Blackbeards Sail & Dive Liveaboard dive vacation.

Dan’s Dive Shop has chartered the entire sail boat with Blackbeard’s Cruises and put together a Hassle-Free All Inclusive Package for our divers that includes airfare, transfers, diving, meals and hotel.

On this trip you will spend 7 days/ 6 nights living aboard a 65 ft sail boat exploring the Exumas and Andros Islands. You can do up to 19 dives including night dives, wall dives, drift dives, a shark dive and maybe even diving a blue hole! In between dives there are opportunities to visit remote islands, snorkel or just relax on the deck with the Bahamian sun and breeze.        

Dan’s has been diving on Blackbeard’s since the 1980s! Since our first trip in January 1987 over 250 divers have joined us on board for an unforgettable Bahama’s adventure. Great Diving, Great Value and Great Fun is the reason we keep going back for 35 years. This is an experience you don’t want to miss! 

ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE

Only $2675 CDN

Airfare from Toronto to Nassau Roundtrip
1 night stay Nassau Hotel
6 Nights / 7 Days aboard Blackbeard’s Cruise
Meals, Beverages & Alcohol on board
All Scuba Diving, Tanks & Weights
Airport Transfers in the Bahamas
Souvenir Tee Shirt
Taxes & Port Fees

ABOUT THE TRIP

You will land in the Bahamas on Friday afternoon and spend the night in Nassau at a local hotel. You’ll have the evening free to go out and enjoy a Bohemian restaurant, explore downtown Nassau’s shopping or head over to Paradise Island and see the famous Atlantis Resort.

The boat departs the next day from the Nassau Harbour Club where you will spend the next 6 nights / 7 days aboard a 65 ft sailboat doing up to 19 dives and exploring the Exuma Islands. All diving, food and beverages will be provided while at sea.

After an epic week at sea, you will disembark in the morning and head to the airport for your flight home.

ABOUT THE DIVING

The Exuma Cays are under Land and Sea Park sanctions. Because of these laws, there are miles of undersea gardens in which coral, sponges and fish abound. Turtles, rays and sharks are seen regularly on most dive sites. The depths normally range from 20 feet to 120 feet. Water Temperatures in October are 78-82 / 26-28. 3mm-5mm full wetsuit recommended.

The dives offered on Blackbeard’s are unescorted. The crew on board will give you an in depth briefing before each dive describing the conditions, the current, depth, and it will include a visual aide.

Diving includes up to 19 dives and minimum Advanced Certification recommended. Take your PADI Advanced Course in the Bahamas with our DDS Instructor onboard. Add your PADI Advanced Course for only $350 CDN including PADI eLearning and digital certification card.

GOOD TO KNOW

Blackbeards Liveaboard is often referred to as camping at sea. The boat is comfortable, the diving is great and the food is delicious. But the accommodations, washrooms and living spaces are all shared spaces in bunk beds. Blackbeard’s is the Best Value Liveaboard in the Caribbean and if you are looking for an adventure this trip is for you. Learn more about the boat here.

Blackbeard’s is suitable for single divers, couples, junior divers, snorkelers, and both novice and experienced divers. All accommodation is double occupancy, rooms will be shared at the hotel and on board.

TRIP DETAILS

PACKAGE PRICE $2675 CDN

Includes: Round Trip Flight from Toronto to Nassau via WestJet, 1 night stay Pre-Trip at a Nassau Hotel (double occupancy), 6 Nights / 7 Days aboard Blackbeard’s, All Meals, Beverages & Alcohol onboard, Up to 19 Dives, Tanks & Weight, Airport Transfers in the Bahamas, Souvenir Tee Shirt, Taxes & Port Fees.

Not Included: Scuba Gear, Training, Land Meals, Crew Gratuity & Travel Insurance.

Please Note: All taxes, fees and surcharges are subject to change before final payment. This includes any taxes and fees imposed by any governmental authorities or any additional surcharge such as fuel surcharge. All accommodations are shared rooms.

FLIGHT DETAILS

 Westjet Economy Direct Roundtrip Flight

OUTBOUND FLIGHT  WS2754 Departs Toronto 7:35AM. Arrives Nassau 10:52AM

INBOUND FLIGHT WS2521 Departs Nassau 3:25PM. Arrives Toronto 6:53PM

Includes: One piece of carry-on baggage, one personal item & one piece of checked baggage. Group seating at rear of aircraft.

Please Note: WestJet Gift Cards, WestJet Dollars and WestJet Rewards are not applicable. Flight times subject to change.

PAYMENT TERMS

Deposit at booking – $350. April 1, 2024 – $550. June 1, 2024 – $1000. Sept 1, 2024 – $775

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancel by June 1, 2024 for a full refund minus a $250 Fee.  Cancel after June 1, 2024 and All Payments are Non Refundable.  All Payments are Transferrable to a new guest up until October 5, 2024, minus a $150 Administrative Fee. Travel Insurance is strongly advised to protect yourself.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Trip Cancellation, Medical and Diver Insurance is Highly Recommended to protect yourself financially. Dive Assure sell comprehensive Single Trip and Annual Plans for divers. Get a quote now (prices in USD).

QUESTIONS

Do you have more questions about Blackbeard’s? Visit their FAQ page or ask a DDS Team Member. Most of us have been on this trip and some have even done this trip multiple times, it’s that fun!

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS BY

Fawn Messer, Flight Centre Independent 

329 Welland Ave, St Catharines ON

Phone: 905-984-2160 or 1-800-268-DANS

Email: fawn.messer@fcitravel.ca

CPBC #2790 | TICO#50016384 | OPC#702971