| Before you start searching for your perfect SCUBA | | | | and/or dive guides. Depending on the location, you will |
| diving holiday it is important to realise what it is that | | | | either dive alone with your buddy or in a group with |
| you are looking for. If you are an experienced diver | | | | or without a dive guide. Diving with a dive guide has |
| then you probably know already what kind of diving | | | | several advantages and has proven to be more than |
| you like the best. But if you have never dived before | | | | useful.Often you will dive twice or three times a day |
| or you only dive once in a while than this is just the | | | | with surface intervals of 2 hours or less. Sometimes |
| article for you.There are many types of diving, | | | | it is possible to do night dives, certainly worth the |
| varying from easy to extremely difficult. Some | | | | experience.Shore diving |
| examples are: | | | | Shore diving is usually done by loading the equipment |
| | | | in a Jeep or truck and driving over land to the dive |
| live-aboard | | | | sites. Although there are so called 'house reefs' that |
| day trip boat diving | | | | allow divers to walk in straight from the dive |
| shore diving | | | | center.The dive site is only a little walk or swim away |
| cave diving | | | | from where you are dropped off and usually offers |
| wreck diving | | | | the same conditions as diving from a boat. It is a |
| technical diving | | | | good idea to ask for instruction on how to enter the |
| | | | water, considering possible waves and currents. |
| This article will only focus on 3 of those: live-aboard, | | | | Expect to have diner during your surface interval in a |
| day trip boat diving and shore diving.Live-aboard | | | | restaurant close by the dive site.Shore diving can be |
| diving holidays | | | | more intensive then boat diving because of walking |
| SCUBA diving on a live-aboard usually means lots and | | | | on land with equipment or because of surface swims |
| lots of diving. Typical days contain of 4 or 5 dives | | | | to the dive site. However, shore diving takes up less |
| per day however this totally depends upon the trip. | | | | time and gives you more freedom since you are not |
| Depending on how many days you go, you can | | | | 'stuck' on a boat. No worries for sea sickness either! |
| except to end up with 30 or 40 dives extra in your | | | | It is also the cheapest option.So how do you make |
| logbook.When you dive on a liveaboard you are | | | | your choose? |
| expected to be an 'experienced' diver, meaning that | | | | You will have to think about what it is that you are |
| you should feel confident underwater. There are of | | | | looking for. If you are looking for a holiday just for |
| course liveaboards where even inexperienced divers | | | | diving and not much else than live-aboard diving is a |
| are welcome. It is important to realise that, if you are | | | | great chose. Liveaboard holidays usually offer great |
| making 3 or more dives a day, you should keep track | | | | dive sites and lots of dives. There is a price tag |
| of all your dives and preferably dive with a diving | | | | however.If you still want the freedom to do other |
| computer. Nitrox is another good solution to keep the | | | | things that just diving but still want the luxury of |
| nitrogen level in your body relatively low, making it | | | | boat diving, then day trip boat diving is probably the |
| safer for you to dive.Live-aboard diving usually means | | | | best choice for you. Day trip boat diving gives you |
| the best diving with the biggest fish and the better | | | | the easy entry's (most of the times) and there is no |
| coral reefs. Because you have the possibility to go | | | | need to walk with equipment (except to the dive |
| further from shore, you will experience the dive sites | | | | platform). Do realise that even day trip boat diving |
| that are the most spectacular.Expect a lot of dives, | | | | usually takes up a day, although it is possible to day |
| lots of sun bathing, and lots of sleep. Be careful with | | | | half a day. Most of the times you will return to shore |
| the alcohol in the evening, don't drink and dive!Day | | | | somewhere in the afternoon.Shore diving offers you |
| trip boat diving | | | | the ultimate freedom and gives you the opportunity |
| Difference from the live-aboard diving is that you | | | | to enjoy the environment and culture of the country |
| start and return to shore every day or every few | | | | you are staying in. Drives to dive sites can be very |
| days, meaning that you normally don't sleep on the | | | | exciting and highly enjoyable. Enjoy your surface |
| boat. Day trip boat diving usually starts at the dive | | | | intervals by arranging different activities such as a |
| center where you will meet the staff and/or maybe | | | | game of volleyball on the beach or something.---I |
| drop off your gear. The dive sites are usually not for | | | | hope this will help you a bit in choosing your perfect |
| away, dive centers try to be within the dive site with | | | | diving holiday. Keep in mind that most diving |
| 1,5 hours. Briefings are usually done before you reach | | | | destinations can offer all these types of diving and |
| the dive site, as well as setting up the equipment. It | | | | often you can do boat and shore diving with the |
| is probably a good idea to set up your diving | | | | same dive center.If you need any help with making |
| equipment before you reach open sea, this will | | | | your choice then do not hesitate to contact me.Youri |
| prevent possible motion sickness; this also gives you | | | | VlagYouri Vlag (from the Netherlands and living in the |
| the chance to fix anything in time if necessary.The | | | | United Kingdom) is an experienced PADI instructor |
| crew on a day trip boat usually consists of a captain | | | | and EFR instructor and has worked as a dive guide |
| and boat boys/girls, a tour leader, dive instructors | | | | and dive instructor in Thailand and Egypt. |