Scubadive West Dive Blog

2010 & Beyond in the Southern Red Sea

Click on the link below for Mohamed Hossam’s, owner of Marsa Shagra Red Sea Eco-Village, vision for the years ahead. He and his colleagues have been actively involved in the successful conservation of the southern Red Sea’s fringe reefs. We are lucky to be visiting Marsa Shagra from 13th – 20th October, on Scubadive West’s 2010 Red Sea Dive Holiday. Places still remain.

http://www.redsea-divingsafari.com/index.php?n_id=163&inc=news

Drift Demons

Sunday’s drift dive lived up to its reputation, sweeping our intrepid divers along at record speeds. Fortunately, Streamstown Bay basked in sunlight throughout the adventure. The excellent visibility underwater meant that divers could literally see what was around the next bend.  Some divers opted to just sit back and go with the flow, while certain ’speed junkies’ swam hard with the current ensuring their position on the ‘Speed Leader Board’! All in all, each diver had fantastic fun while undertaking two runs on this underwater rollercoaster. Our next Streamstown Drift Dive takes place during the afternoon of Friday 30th April.

On board the boat, before the drift

The fast incoming tide; look to left of the photo

It’s Alive

Evidence of springtime on Scubadive West’s  reef abounds! While still some distance from ‘balmy’, the water temperature has increased a degree to 8oC. The cove has benefited from an early plankton bloom, ensuring food for the returning marine life. Tan comparisons and tales of winters spent in warmer climates monopolise conversations amongst the fish! Below are some pictures taken on a shore dive on Saturday.

Aeolidia Papillosa Nudibranch in the cove

A lively Spider crab is a sure sign of Spring

Tec 40 Training in May

Interested in going beyond the limits of recreational scuba? Keen to improve your dive skills, while learning how to really look after yourself and your buddy underwater? PADI’s new Tec 40, Tec 45 and Tec50 courses will teach you all of this and more. Your first step  into the world of technical diving is through PADI’s Tec40 course, and Scubadive West is delighted to offer this on the weekend of May 8th & May 9th. Cillian Gray, PADI Course Director and PADI Tec Instructor will head up the course.

Cillian Gray, 'tec diving'. Photo courtesy of Tom Brett

 The advantage of PADI’s Tec40 course is that it can be completed with most of your standard diving gear, with some slight modifications that we are happy to help you with. Cost for this course is €499.

At the end of your Tec40 course, you will be qualified to:

Use decompression software and dive computers to plan and make decompression dives with not more than 10 minutes of total decompression and not deeper than 40 metres

Use a single cylinder of decompression gas with up to 50% oxygen (EANx50) to add conservatism to the required decompression

You qualify as a Tec40 diver through practical theory and training dives; including Tec diving drills

Entry Requirements for Tec40:

 Certified Advanced Openwater or equivalent from another training organisation

Certified as a PADI Enriched Air Nitrox diver or equivalent from another training organisation

Certified as a PADI Deep Diver or have proof of at least 10 logged dives to 30 metres

Have at least 30 logged dives, 10 of which were made on Enriched Air Nitrox to a minimum of 18 metres

N.O.T.O.X: come do the course and find out what this means!

Ticking all the boxes? Then contact us on 095 43922 or email info@scubadivewest.com, and start your journey into technical diving.

Ocean2012 Coalition

Scubadive West is delighted to be counted as the newest member of the Ocean2012 coaltion; a coalition dedicated to ensuring that the 2012  reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy stops overfishing and ends destructive fishing practices. This will be achieved through a fair and equitable approach to the fishing industry, thus ensuring its sustainability for generations to come. As divers we are privileged to access an underwater world of wonder; let’s keep it that way! We will keep you updated in the months to come, and look for your support. Further information can be found from http://www.ocean2012.eu/OCEAN2012

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles.

Dogfish in Scubadive West cove

2010 Photo Competition & Gala Dinner

Scubadive West’s 2010 Photo Competition is officially open! This year, you can compete in three categories:

- Ireland Underwater: Wide Angle

- Ireland Underwater: Macro (close up)

- Connemara Overwater   (non divers can enter)

This is the third year of our Photo Competition, and each year it grows in popularity. Entry is free of charge and through our dedicated competition website: http://www.competitionssdw.com/ 

Winner of 2009 Macro Category, 'Getting Personal' by Martin Kiely

Last year’s winner in the Wide Angle category, Darragh Norton, has since gone on to be published in ‘Sport Diver’ magazine. Our competition is strictly amateur, and we don’t mind what type of camera you use.  What we are looking for are photos that really capture the glorious diving, and wonderful landscape Ireland has to offer.

Winner of 2009 Wide Angle Category: 'The Monk' by Darragh Norton

This year’s prize fund is in excess of €3,000; with generous sponsorship from Scubapro UWATEC, Suunto, Fourth Element, Oonas Divers, Portwest and Renvyle House Hotel.

Photos can be uploaded until Wednesday 8th September, giving you an entire season to capture that winning shot! Our Photo Competition culminates in a prize giving ceremony and Gala Dinner on Saturday 18th September, taking place in the Maol Reidh hotel. Last year’s Gala Dinner saw sixty party goers tear up the dance floor into the wee hours of the morning. We expect this year to be no different! Tickets for this event can be purchased from Scubadive West, and cost €35 for a three course meal. The Maol Reidh hotel has a special rate for Scubadive West divers on that weekend; €79 per person sharing for two night’s B&B for the weekend of 17/18th September. The price for a single letting is €100. Call the hotel directly on 095 43844 to avail of this rate and mention Scubadive West. Weather permitting, we hope to offer an Island Day Trip for divers on the Saturday.

Beat the Boss this Friday

Fancy escaping the shackles of your 9 to 5 life for even half a day? Scubadive West has boat diving at 2pm this coming Friday, 19th March. Contact us to book your escape. Excuses for the boss can be arranged with prior notice!

Coming Soon, Tec Training

Preparations are well underway for Scubadive West’s teaching of PADI’s Tec courses. Cillian Gray, PADI Course Director, has spent these past few days in the water finalising gear and course details. Scubadive West will start running PADI’s Tec courses in the coming months; stay tuned for further details. Our private training cove is perfect for introducing  recreational divers to the skills of technical diving, while our ready access by boat to a range of inshore dive sites will assist in easy progression through these dive skills.

Ready to Dive; Cillian Gray on right hand side

Even technical divers have to surface sometime!

‘End of the Line’, film screening

Think you can do nothing for the fragility of our oceans? Think again…Show your support for the Ocean2012 coalition and its efforts towards reforming the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy by attending the Dublin screening on March 25th of the major feature documentary, ‘The End of the Line’.  Overfishing of the world’s oceans is an unfortunate and pressing reality that needs to be dealt with urgently, before it is too late.  As divers, we are privileged to access an underwater world of wonder; lets keep it that way!

Invitation to 'End of the Line' screening

Two Awesome Days

While Saturday’s night dive may have taken centre stage this weekend, some excellent ‘day diving’ also featured. The calm seas and moderate winds allowed us travel to some of our most westerly dive sites; including Carrigaddy Beag and Thany Beag. Saturday morning saw gin clear viz of fifteen metres. This decreased slightly over the weekend, with the early arrival of some plankton; a sure sign that the sea has awoken from slumber and repopulating with marine life. Spring has truly sprung folks!

Photo from Sunday morning dive, by Patrick Rooney

Saturday's Drysuit Specialty

Divers at Carrigaddy, Sunday afternoon