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Scuba Do--Adventurous Underwater Travel

Caribbean Scuba Diving is Hot with Veterans and First-timers

Just call them Jacques, Jackie, and the rest of the ‘Cousteau’ family. Sun-drenched vacations aren’t just days at the beach anymore. Many travelers, young or old and with varying levels of experience, are heading underwater for their travel adventures.

Whether they’re veteran divers or first-timers, more and more travelers are taking Caribbean diving vacations that are all wet. Dive travel can make you one with the water, providing a vacation experience that can change your life. Isn’t that what travel is all about anyway?

“Maybe you’ve dreamed of being a diver from the first time you saw Jacques Cousteau on television exploring the magnificent depths or maybe you’ve just begun to think of diving as you next great adventure. Either way you won’t be disappointed,” says Regina Franklin, executive director of the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association(www.h-heads.com) (DEMA). “Scuba diving also provides the perfect reason to plan a vacation. Whether you dream of the vibrant colors of the Red Sea, dolphins in the Bahamas, or the famed stingrays of Grand Cayman, diving is the ultimate vacation experience.”

Anyone can dive. It's a simple sport to learn, it's good for you, and it's something that can be pursued for life. Just dive right in.

Diving In--It’s Easy to Learn

To go diving, you must earn a "C-card," the certification card for open water divers. The two largest certifying organizations are the Professional Association of Diving Instructors(www.padi.com) (PADI) and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (www.naui.com) (NAUI). A piece of plastic from one of them or another recognized certification agency means you can rent or buy scuba equipment, obtain air for tanks, and participate in other exciting diving activities throughout the world. Divers never leave home without it.

The certification process is interesting and easy. It is divided into three parts totaling approximately thirty hours: classroom (using a book and visual aids), pool (confined water), and open water instruction. The classroom and pool sessions generally take place at the same time, while the open water dives (at least four of them) serve as the final ‘test.’ The entire process can be completed over many weeks or packed into a few days at some sunny scuba school.

The basics of scuba diving are surprisingly simple. Scuba equipment provides a portable air supply that allows you to spend an extended time underwater.

The tank is a high-pressure cylinder that stores compressed air. This passes through a ‘regulator’ to deliver a controlled amount of air when you inhale. A gauge lets you monitor the air supply and much more--today’s versions are incredibly high-tech and can even download information about previous dives right to a personal computer.

The tank and regulator are typically held in place by a buoyancy control device (BCD), an expandable bladder that control a diver's buoyancy. The mask is the window to the underwater world, creating an air space which allows you to see underwater. Fins make moving through the water much easier.

Diving equipment is definitely high-tech and fashionable. From neon neoprene wetsuits to the latest in computerized gauges, diving has never been easier or more comfortable. “Today’s modern and lightweight dive computers are important tools,” says Barry Warner, president of Oceanic USA(www.oceanicusa.com), producer of some of the world’s smallest, lightest, and most advanced dive computers (and other products, ranging from wild wetsuits to fast fins).

The classroom time demystifies much of the stuff that tends to scare people about diving. You learn that diving is far less risky than skiing and that sunburn, and not a shark, is usually the greatest danger facing divers. By the second time in the pool, groups of beginners begin to look like the Cousteau family exploring the pool for underwater treasure.

The open water dives are usually completed at a popular local dive site, where all scuba skills are reviewed and tested. Another option is to pursue the open water dives (or the entire course) at some warm water tropical resort. It's a great way to combine a vacation with learning a new sport. After passing a final written exam, you, too, can become an underwater god (or goddess).

Just (Scuba) Do It

There are three general ways of getting certified. Everything can be completed locally, with the open water dives at a nearby dive site or quarry. Another popular method is to complete the classroom and pool sessions locally and then finish the open water part on a warm-weather vacation. Alternatively, you can do everything at a vacation scuba school (see ‘Plan this trip’ below). The cost of getting certified can range from about $150 to $400, but it’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of underwater adventures.

“Why is diving hot?” asks veteran land-based and live-aboard dive operator Peter Hughes. “I think DEMA’s slogan, ‘It’s like nothing on earth,’ sums it up pretty well. I’ve known this for more than 35 years and I think that more people are getting into the sport because they realize how true that slogan really is.” To promote this concept, Peter Hughes Diving(www.peterhughes.com) often offers ‘first-timer’ discounts on all but a few of his seven live-aboards.

The top two certifying bodies are PADI and NAUI. Contact PADI(www.padi.com) at 1 (714) 540-7234. Contact NAUI(www.naui.com) at 1 (714) 621-5801. There are dive shops in almost every area of the country, offering full-certification courses and contacts at exotic dive resorts throughout the world.

An ideal dive destination should have all or many of the following: unusual diving opportunities; instruction possibilities; convenient dive locations and diving; a variety of accommodations, dining, and shopping options; experienced dive operators; and possible diversions for non-divers or those just learning the sport.

THE CARIBBEAN’S BEST DIVING

Here's a short overview of our five top places in the Caribbean for underwater fun (plus other hotspots and bonus coverage of the Florida Keys and ‘live-aboard’ Caribbean boat diving):

*The Bahamas: About 700 landmasses over 90,000 square miles of the Caribbean and Atlantic make for plenty of    uncrowded dives in the Bahamas. The closeness to Florida, along with many excellent dive operators, mean it truly can be  better in the Bahamas.

Grand Bahama features the legendary Underwater Explorers Society(www.unexso.com) (UNEXSO) and unique diving with sharks, dolphins, and Theo's Wreck. New Providence, known for busy Nassau, also offers some great diving off the southwest side (the site of many James Bond underwater scenes). The quieter Family Islands lead to mostly undiscovered  diving. San Salvador, Long Island, and Andros are three of many premier examples. For more information about Bahamas  diving, call New York’s Bahamas Tourism Centre at 1 (212) 758-2777.

*Belize: Boasting the second longest barrier reef in the world, Belize offers an adventurous Central America dive      destination. Convenient diving in crystal-clear waters, as well as colorful culture, await divers to coastal and island resorts.    For further dive vacation information, call the Belize Tourist Board at 1 (212) 563-6011.

*Bonaire: Part of the Dutch ABCs (the other two are Aruba and Curacao), Bonaire attracts divers from around the world  for its consistent conditions. The marine park surrounds the entire island and offers more than 100 documented dive sites.  Bonaire is dedicated to dive tourism and offers one of the best overall diving experiences in the world. There's lots of shore  diving, short boat trips, and incredible underwater life. For further dive vacation information, call the Bonaire Tourist  Information Office at 1 (212) 956-5912.

*Cayman Islands: The Caymans still reign as a Caribbean mecca for divers. From big-time operators to small and quiet  places, divers flock to these islands for some of the most-renowned diving in the world. Grand Cayman is the granddaddy  of Caribbean diving. From Stingray City to some of the best wall diving in the world, this is the place to try it all. Red Sail  Sports(www.redsail.com) offers packages through seven different accommodations options, with four-day/three-night  deals that include accommodations, daily diving, and more. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are much more subdued on  the surface, but every bit as colorful below. Contact the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism at 1 (809) 949-8989.

*Cozumel, Mexico: Si, this is Mexico's most popular diving destination for good reason. Cozumel features legendary sites,  like Palancar, Paraiso, Punta Sur, and the airplane wreck. Most of the trips are drift dives, making diving a bit like watching  an underwater movie as you drift by the reefs and marine life. For further dive information, call the Mexico Government  Tourism Office at 1 (212) 755-7261.

The Best of the Rest in the Caribbean: Some other great diving destinations include: the British Virgin Islands; Honduras; Puerto Rico; the Turks & Caicos; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Between our top five and these additional choices, you'll have a lifetime of Caribbean diving.

*Florida Keys: Though not technically the “Caribbean,” (neither are the Bahamas), the Florida Keys offers Caribbean-like  diving without leaving the mainland. According to all reports, the Florida Keys are the most-visited dive destination in the  world. All those divers (and Hemingway) can't be wrong. The Keys offer great diving, excellent operators, and incredible  convenience. There are dozens of excellent operators and resorts in the dive-crazed Keys. For further dive information,  call the Florida Keys and Key West at 1 (800) FLA KEYS.

*Live-aboard boats: Though not a Caribbean dive destination in the traditional sense, 'live-aboard' dive boats are definitely  great bases for diving almost anywhere in the world (including many spots in the Caribbean). They offer an opportunity to  complete lots of diving in unusual places, as well as popular live-aboard destinations like the Cayman Islands and the  Bahamas. Some well-known possibilities include the Aggressor(www.aggressor.com) fleet (1 (504) 385-2628 or 1 (800)  348-2628) of dive boats throughout the world and the Wave Dancer fleet with renowned Peter Hughes  Diving(www.peterhughes.com) (1 (305) 669-9391 or 1 (800) 9-DANCER).