Scuba Diver Girls Blog

Posted By Scuba Diver Girls Margo on December 12, 2011

By Roving Correspondent and honorary Scuba Diver Girl: Robin Esrock

Underwater photography by Mark Pacey
Photos by Robin Esrock

A plane, another plane, a 4-hour drive, a small boat, a larger boat, another smaller boat, and at last my toes touch the squeaky-white beaches of Malapascua Island. It’s one of the premier diving spots in the Philippines, and with 7000 islands, this is a country that’s full of them. The water is a balmy 84 degrees, visibility can reach up to 35m, and the Visayan Sea is teeming with life. For recreational divers in love with big animals, there’s a much bigger hook: Year round, this is the only place in the world where you can dive with thresher sharks.

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At the friendly Exotic Island Dive Resort, I meet my sun-blonde instructors, Jules and Mimi. They’re shoe-in stand-ins for Margo and Stephanie, making me feel right at home. Popular with Asian and European divers, Malapascua Island has exploded in the last 10 years thanks to budget flights from Manila. A Dutch couple founded Exotic Island, the first resort on the island, and are credited with discovering the shoal where the threshers gather. Everything – people, supplies, water – has to come in daily on boats, so I’m amazed with the resort’s exhaustive dining menu, as the girls fill me in on what I can expect.

“Thresher sharks are different from other sharks. They’re shiny, with big eyes and that giant tail. And they’re so sweet, I just want to pet them, ” explains Mimi. Adds Jules: “You have to respect them, but you can’t feel afraid.” We suit up for a night dive to Lighthouse, just to warm up and enjoy the seahorses, mandarin fish, huge hermit crabs and flamboyant flatworms hanging around a nearby reef. It’s only my second night dive, and to my delight, the inky ocean feels comfortable and safe. Bio-luminescence surrounds me on my ascent, as I surface by the traditional wooden outrigger, under a bright crescent moon. I see why they called this Exotic Island.

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It’s a 5:30am start to Monad Shoal for my thresher shark encounter. I’m nervous: it’s not every day you swim with big animals, and worse yet, what if they don’t show up? The best time to see the sharks is at sunrise, when they are drawn to a natural cleaning station on the shoal located about 20 minutes from the resort. Manta, devil and eagle rays, along with hammerheads, are seasonal visitors too. We submerge and head to the edge of the shoal. Within minutes, Mimi’s flat hand is on her head. A 6ft thresher comes into view, appearing out of the depth below us. It’s distinctive tail looks like an Ottoman sword. There’s barely time to register before another appears, and another. Judging Jules’ reaction, I’ve stumbled upon a bumper day on the shoal. During our hour-long dive, we count about a dozen threshers. One circles back and eyes me out curiously. That moment instantly converts me into a lifelong macro diver.

Back on the banka, the traditional outrigger, there’s huge smiles on the faces of a dozen divers. “It was an effort not to see a shark today,” laughs Mimi. At this remarkable spot in a remarkable country, nobody is going home disappointed

Exotic Island Dive Resort offers daily dives with thresher sharks and other sites around Malapascua Island, with a full PADI training program and fully equipped dive shop. The resort offers comfy and clean accommodation, free pick-up and drop-off from the mainland, and an excellent restaurant. Learn more at: http://malapascua.net/. Exotic Island kindly sponsored Robin’s dive.

Robin used the following gear:

BCD, Fins and Wetsuit – Cressi

Regulator – Scuba Pro

Mask – Aqua Mundo

Copyright information for text and images is provided when available. To the best of our knowledge, no copyrighted material exists on this site without permission or license of the copyright owner. If any copyrighted material is found on this site which should not be here or if any copyright infringement is found, notify us immediately by email at: info@ScubaDiverGirls.com and we will remedy the situation as soon as possible. Disclosure Policy: As is standard in the travel and scuba industries, we most often receive either complimentary or reduced rates on products, travel, hotels, resorts and attractions which we disclose in our posts, and require our guest writers to disclose in their posts. We make every attempt to be sure our posts are not influenced by this practice and that we remain objective. So unless we say, “I’ve had these fins for years” or “My sister sent me this camera for my birthday,” you can assume the product has been given to us at no cost. We are pleased that you take time to read our articles and reviews , but we cannot be responsible if you don’t have the same experience with a hotel, destination, attraction or piece of gear.

Category: Malapascua Island | No Comments »
Tags: philippines, scuba diver girls, scuba diving, sharks, thresher sharks

Posted By Scuba Diver Girls Margo on December 11, 2011

The girls all showed up for an early morning dive at La Jolla cove. The air temperature that morning was 37 degrees making a water temperature of 58F seem almost inviting. They looked a little hesitant upon exiting their cars and Wendy said, “this is crazy cold…not sure I want to get my wetsuit on!”

I took that opportunity to pull out the new regulators and informed the girls that we would get to dive something new today. Wendy, Stephanie, and Virginia all completely forgot about the cold temperatures as they gazed upon the pretty new toys they would now have the chance to play with.

Aqua Lung has a new series of Legend regulators which are based on the original series of Legends put out 10 years ago named after the Aqua Lung founder, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The new Legend collection is made up of three regulators: The Legend, Legend LX and the Legend LUX. The Legend and Legend LX both come in traditional silver while the new Legend LUX comes in pink gold. Supreme regulators come in a satin finish, and Standard regulators come in basic chrome. Since each model is offered in either a din or yoke, we decided to try the Legend LX with the yoke connector in silver and the Legend LUX with DIN in pink gold.

While assembling our gear, the girls made comments that the 2nd stage seemed a bit smaller and lighter than their current set up. Stephanie agreed with Wendy but also made mention that she had heard how comfortable the braided hose was to dive with because it is very flexible and prevents the 2nd stage from getting pushed out of your mouth when moving your head around.

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Virginia was most interested in playing with the breathing adjustor on the 2nd stage. She mentioned that she loves to have the ability to adjust the flow of air in her regulator and that this new Legend was supposed to be amazing. For me, all of those features sounded fantastic, and I too could not wait to get under the water and try it out, but the feature that I was most excited about was a topside feature. The regulator has an automatic closure device that is built into the first stage at the opening that connects to the tank. It automatically closes when there is no pressure which prevents any water from getting into the first stage in the event the dust cap is left off. That is a huge benefit.

We kicked out to the dive site excited to use our new regulators. Virginia played around with her reg on the way out and said that it breathed very nice on the surface and that she could adjust the flow with ease. I told her I was pretty interested in seeing how she liked that under water because supposedly Aqua Lung’s breathing adjustor controlled both the venturi and opening effort automatically and simultaneously when turning the knob. Virginia said “I’m on the job!”

She also mentioned that the mouthpiece was very comfortable. Stephanie chimed in on that because she is pretty picky about mouth pieces. She said she loved how the mouth piece rested on the roof of her mouth and that it seemed to support the 2nd stage without having to bite down really hard. She knew that Aqua Lung offered a smaller mouth piece than the one she was using and told me that she would probably prefer that one. She also tried the lip shield and mentioned she needed to see how she liked that under the water.

We descended and had a blast in the kelp where we played with a couple harbor seals who thought they were puppies. Then we headed out past the rocky reef where we found a statue of Genghis Khan and a bunch of frisky sea lions. The entire dive the girls tested out different styles of diving from fast kicking to hovering to hanging upside down. I looked around and laughed at the silliness but also admired the cosmetic look of the Legend. I snapped tons of photos and noticed how much better the regs look in pictures due to the compact 2nd stage. It is not a listed feature of the regulator, however, looking good in pictures is always a great bonus!

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After we surfaced and were kicking back into the cove, we had a discussion about our results. Everyone agreed that this regulator was very smooth to breath…very natural and easy. Stephanie mentioned the mouth piece again talking about how comfortable everything felt in her mouth and that she did not feel like the 2nd stage was going to fall out as she moved around. Wendy agreed with Stephanie saying she thought the braided hose was much more flexible than what she currently uses. I told the girls that I really liked the lip shield that came with the regulator. It felt comfortable and I had never had such warm lips on a dive!

Virginia gave the full report on the ability to adjust the air flow. “About 20 minutes into the dive, I tested the regulator flow rates by speed kicking for several fin cycles and then adjusting it to the less open (closed) position to control over breathing once my breathing rate settled; I reopened it to the midpoint. I liked the slight difference in flow. Then I opened it all the way up and breathing became even more effortless.”

“It is easy to adjust the air flow and gives a diver tons of flexibility depending on their own personal style of diving or different scenarios they may encounter where their own breathing rate increases.”

Wendy then asked the group if we noticed that when you turn upside down that no water seeped into your mouth. She seemed pretty excited by this. I laughed and agreed that I had the same experience when we playing around with the sea lions and found myself inverted. Stephanie commented that as an instructor that is pretty great because you find yourself in all kinds of awkward positions helping students under the water.

Overall, everyone was happy with the new Legends. Each of us currently dives a different style of regulator by companies such as Aqua Lung, Atomic, and Scuba Pro. Each of us confidently asserted that we would replace our current regulator with the Aqua Lung Legend. The only difference of opinion was on what color each of us would get!

Styles range in price from $585.00 to $1095.00 depending on the model. For more product information check out the Legend Digital Brochure:www.sportdiver.com/aqualungdpub

Copyright information for text and images is provided when available. To the best of our knowledge, no copyrighted material exists on this site without permission or license of the copyright owner. If any copyrighted material is found on this site which should not be here or if any copyright infringement is found, notify us immediately by email at: info@ScubaDiverGirls.com and we will remedy the situation as soon as possible. Disclosure Policy: As is standard in the travel and scuba industries, we most often receive either complimentary or reduced rates on products, travel, hotels, resorts and attractions which we disclose in our posts, and require our guest writers to disclose in their posts. We make every attempt to be sure our posts are not influenced by this practice and that we remain objective. So unless we say, “I’ve had these fins for years” or “My sister sent me this camera for my birthday,” you can assume the product has been given to us at no cost. We are pleased that you take time to read our articles and reviews , but we cannot be responsible if you don’t have the same experience with a hotel, destination, attraction or piece of gear.

Category: Scuba Gear | No Comments »
Tags: aqua lung, legend regulator, scuba diver girls, scuba diving, scuba gear, scuba girls

Posted By Scuba Diver Girls Margo on December 7, 2011

The Salt Cay is the southernmost inhabited island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. It is 90 miles north of the Dominican Republic, 650 miles southeast of Miami. It is only a 30-minute flight from Providenciales (or 20 minute by ferry from Grand Turk further north). Yet this island of only 101 inhabitants sees low levels of tourism. Salt Cay is a briny gem of a place, an inhabited island of salinas (salt ponds) where virtually no crops can grow but instead unique heathers flourish. If you are looking for peace and quiet in an historical spot with a Caribbean feel then Salt Cay is it. With only one dive operator and a scattering of houses, three small stores and several places to dine, there is no risk of feeling crowded out. Tranquility waits for the scuba diver and non-diver alike.

Visually, your insight into the uniqueness of The Salt Cay begins on the flight where the only views are of isolated tiny white sand islands and aquamarine seas. Once you step onto the tiny runway the unique atmosphere is immediately tangible. Everywhere is infused with the history of the salt trade. Fantastic examples of timber colonial architecture abound and operator Salt Cay Divers can book a diverse range of any of the islands’ guest accommodation to suit all budgets. Examples include old salt-raker’s cottages, pretty blue and white houses, walls made of timber-boards, limestone and coral-rock, decorated with painted conch shells and one exquisite Salt Merchant’s timber mansion.

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The Cay is only three square miles so you can easily walk and cycle up around it whilst you stay there. From the 1700’s to the 1960’s Salt Cay’s salinas produced some of the largest quantities of salt in the world. Once that trade ceased the population steadily declined. Now, life ticks by with a slow trickle of tourists being well cared for by the island’s people and the staff at the dive centre. At different times of the year you may encounter only a couple (literally) of other tourists as you explore. As you stroll or cycle you can’t help but be amazed at the ruins of the linear salinas now standing out red against the white sandy Cay. The ‘capital’ of the minute Cay is Balfour Town with outstanding Colonial and Bermudan style architecture of which several have been recently restored with meticulous attention to detail.

Whilst staying on the island you will notice that the pervading sounds are the lap of the waves and the braying of donkeys. Everyone you pass will wave or say hello or stop and chat. The island’s few children wander freely and safely back and forth to school, dodging the odd slow moving vehicle, bike without gears, lazy dog or golf cart. You may encounter a few wild donkeys, cows and two known iguanas. The pervading scents are of home cooking: freshly baked corn bread, a secret recipe Cay lime pie, or an array of conch specialties. After dives you can self cater as simple staples can be bought at lovely little one room stores like Netties (who also bakes the islands famous corn breads). Debbie of Salt Cay Divers can arrange pre-ordered coolers of foodstuffs and she uses the local stockists to help support the economy and in the long term she has proposals for a community produce garden. Or pre-book all your meals as part of your holiday alongside your dive-package. Dine then at Cay Diver’s eatery, perched as close to the sea as possible by the little harbour bedecked with tiny lights. Birdwatchers and naturalists will revel in the peace, seclusion, unique geography, vegetation, migrating whales (in season) and the birdlife in addition to the scuba diving. Whilst for history buffs there are a few good publications on the islands’ history (a good read is Salt Cay in Perspective 2011 by Candy Herwin, Salt Cay Devco). The Arawak, Taíno or Lucayan tribes probably inhabited The Salt Cay around 750 AD but the population reached its peak during the colonial era of salt production. The island has also experienced recent disasters such as the hurricane in 2008, which has certainly left its mark, and it is clear that some development works are still required.

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Aqua activities centre on whale watching which is truly an amazing experience. But there is plenty of interest for scuba divers and snorkellers in the low seasons outside the whale-watching window. January to the end of March is the time to see the humpback whales when Salt Cay Divers run ‘soft water encounters’. In 2010 divers also saw sperm whales and whale sharks traveling with the humpbacks, inside the same pod, verified through aerial photography. The humpbacks sometimes travel in pairs or threes, not necessarily as pods, and if they have babies at least three adults travel per group to protect the young. Visually the whales look like a flotilla of logs floating past during logging season. The soft water encounters involve waiting for the whales to seem settled after the small dive boat arrives and then the snorkelers can slide into the water. Swimmers are not permitted to get too close and involve simply wearing fins and snorkels (no scuba), as the concept of soft water encounters is to allow the whales to come to you. In addition, from mid May through to June there are many bottlenose dolphins in the seas.

Some of the best scuba diving is to be had in June, July and August when there are chances to see manta rays and three resident eagle rays. The water temperatures mean that the brave can go scuba diving in a swimsuit until November but the cold hits in December. The dive sites are mostly located close to the West coast of the Island and North and South (there are none on the Eastern Seaboard although this side has blue holes instead). Our most memorable dive site was a slightly 45 minute longer boat ride (most are so close that your interval can include a return to your room or the café), to the wreck of the Endymion. The Endymion sank circa 1790. The wreck now resides gently on the sandy bed in 12 metres (40 ft) of water. The dive site is stunning with not only the interesting wreck, including visible canons and other items, but a host of small swim-throughs plus another wreck called the Companion close by.

At other sites (close to the shore) such as North Wall you can find banded boxer shrimp, wrasse and black coral at 30 meters. At Kelly’s Folly to the south you may see nurse sharks, huge lobsters, large crabs, wrasse and goatfish. Whilst scuba diving there we also saw slender filefish and our dive guide introduced us to the patterned coral dwelling fingerprint cyphoma.

After three days of scuba diving at Salt Cay we headed off on yet another tiny plane to the larger island of Grand Turk to spend a week with Bohio Dive Resort, described in the article.

Copyright information for text and images is provided when available. To the best of our knowledge, no copyrighted material exists on this site without permission or license of the copyright owner. If any copyrighted material is found on this site which should not be here or if any copyright infringement is found, notify us immediately by email at: info@ScubaDiverGirls.com and we will remedy the situation as soon as possible. Disclosure Policy: As is standard in the travel and scuba industries, we most often receive either complimentary or reduced rates on products, travel, hotels, resorts and attractions which we disclose in our posts, and require our guest writers to disclose in their posts. We make every attempt to be sure our posts are not influenced by this practice and that we remain objective. So unless we say, “I’ve had these fins for years” or “My sister sent me this camera for my birthday,” you can assume the product has been given to us at no cost. We are pleased that you take time to read our articles and reviews , but we cannot be responsible if you don’t have the same experience with a hotel, destination, attraction or piece of gear.

Category: Salt Cay | No Comments »
Tags: dolphins, gran turk, scuba diver girl, scuba diver girls, sharks, turks and caicos