Archive for March, 2010

Harry’s off to Vanuatu!

By , 30 March, 2010, 1 Comment

Ex Davy Jones Locker student Harry Smith is jetting off to the tropical islands of Vanuatu to continue his dive career as a PADI Dive Instructor.

Harry came to DJL early last year and undertook the Divemaster Internship program. From there he completed the Instructor course and Master Scuba Diver Trainer course. Only 2 weeks after completing these courses with DJL, Harry was offered a job through the PADI website.

Vanuatu is a chain of around 80 small volcanic islands located between Fiji and New Zealand, we are sure Harry will excel in his new dive career in paradise and wish him the best of luck!

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Tim’s Annual Walkabout

By , 30 March, 2010, No Comment

The anchorage where Captain Cook first landedWell, it’s that time of year again and just before the summer rush of diving in Koh Tao and expeditions planned for the Asia region, I thought we would get some other diving ingredients into our diet. So off we went to Australia and New Zealand to have a look at what their diving has to offer; our first stop was Cooktown to look at the museum and area which Captain Cook first landed in Australia to affect repairs to his stricken ship. Then onward to Cairnes. As this is the first time I had been here, I was suprised to see how small it was; a point which was pushed home when we bumped into an ex DMT internship candidate and Aussie, Heersham Garroun, taking some time out before finishing his Masters in Marine Biology. We booked up to do a livabord to the outer reef, which was then cancelled due to two cyclones that were closing in on the coast. So our only option was to book a day excursion with one of the larger catamarans; this we did and headed off to a dive site on the outer reef known as the ‘Table Top’. On the way out we had a 3mtr swell coming on our nose forward quarter starbord, making it a little bouncy – even for the 20 mtr catamaran. But after the outward trip, which lasted an hour, we arrived and were impressed with the way the Barrier Reef did its job breaking up the huge swells created by the cyclone; our gain today, which has been the downfall for many ships trying to navagate through to the calmer water behind one of the many sections which make up the outer reef . We  moored up into the lea and jumped into the welcoming 28 degrees of water and were pleasantly suprised by the vis’; which we expected to be low and was up to 15mtr in places. A small blue spotted sting ray and white tip reef shark were also around to welcome us into the underwater world. We dropped down to around 28 mtr and turned the dive when we started to feel the effects of the swell at the edge of that section of the reef. All in all a pleasant experience made more enjoyable by the friendly face of an old irish friend of mine when we hit the surface the dive industry is small sometimes… nextstop New Zealand and the Poor Knights Islands.

  

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TOP TIPS FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY……

By , 28 March, 2010, 1 Comment

If your intrested in capturing your underwater adventure then photography is your best choice. here at DJL Diving we belive in getting the most from our pictures, while leaving no impact on the local underwater enviroment. Here are our tips as recomended by project aware :-

1. Photograph with Care. Dive carefully as many aquatic creatures are fragile regardless of size. Improper techniques while taking or editing photos underwater can damage sensitive aquatic life and harm fragile organisms with the bump of a camera or tank, swipe of a fin or even the touch of a hand.
2. Dive Neutral. Camera systems may add weight or be buoyant. Make sure to secure photo and dive equipment and be properly
weighted to avoid contact with reefs or other vital habitat. Practice buoyancy control and photography skills in a pool before swimming near sensitive and fragile environments.
3. Resist Temptation. Don’t touch, handle, feed, chase or ride aquatic life. Don’t alter an organism’s location to get the perfect shot. Most aquatic creatures are shy and easily stressed. Your actions may interrupt feeding, disturb mating or provoke aggression in a normally nonaggressive species.
4. Easy Does It. While diving, move slowly and deliberately through the water. Avoid excessive use of flash that can startle underwater creatures. Be patient and still while photographing – allow organisms to show their natural behavior for a more significant and meaningful shot.
5. Sharpen Your Skills. Make sure the difficulty of the dive and the environmental conditions are appropriate for your current skills and comfort level. Don’t stabilize underwater by grabbing onto the reef for a better photo. Enroll in PADI’s Underwater
Photographer, Digital Underwater Photography and Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty courses to learn sustainable dive techniques and become a more skilled and successful photographer.
6. Be Informed. Know and follow local regulations and protocols regarding behavior around marine mammals and other animals before entering the water. Share this knowledge with other divers. These regulations protect creatures and aim to assure their preservation for future generations.
7. Be an AWARE Diver. Knowing more about the life and behavior of your aquatic subjects can help you get better shots. Consider enrolling in an AWARE – Coral Reef Conservation, AWARE Fish Identification, Project AWARE Specialty or Underwater Naturalist course to learn more about the environment you’re photographing.
8. Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Bubbles. Nearly everything found in the aquatic realm is alive or will be used by a living creature. Removing specimens such as corals and shells can disturb the delicate balance and quickly deplete dive sites of both their resources and their beauty.
9. Share Your Images. Use images for conservation by reporting environmental disturbances or destruction using your photographs as evidence. Assist scientific research and improve resource management by contributing your photos to species monitoring programs such as The Whale Shark Project. You can also submit your photos to Project AWARE. Your images have the power to change perspectives and influence conservation.
10. Conserve the Adventure. Support Project AWARE Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.
If you have the time a MASTER SCUBA DIVER course is a great option. You have two weeks of unlimited fun diving were we grantee you at least 50 dives, and also 5 PADI specialities certifactions. A example of a two week course :-

underwater photography spec- 1 day 2 dives       

Peak Perfomance Buoyancy spec- 1 day 2 dives

Fish id spec- 1 day 2 dives

Nitrox spec- 1 day 2 dives

deep spec- 2 days 4 dives

With unlimited fun diving in between. the PADI master scuba diver is the highest non proffesional diver rating.

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4 New PADI Divemasters

By , 27 March, 2010, No Comment

Petu, Tori, Luke & Dan

On behalf of everyone here at Davy Jones Locker, I would like to say a big Congratulations to the latest 4 Divemasters to complete the 2-month internship programme. Well done to Tori, Luke, Petu and Dan on becoming the newest PADI professionals here on Koh Tao. To celebrate their achievements, DJL Pool Bar laid on an infamous ‘snorkel test’ in the theme of Kiss. All the guys dressed to impress, took on various drinking challenges and even performed an air guitar style classic before taking on the final snorkel test. Well done again guys and thanks for choosing DJL, we all wish you every success in your future dive careers.

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DJL JOINS PROJECT AWARE EARTH DAY 2010

By , 26 March, 2010, No Comment

 

the DJL team after the last clean-upCalling all Divers and Water Enthusiasts!! Celebrate Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary Join Project AWARE Foundation’s Dive for Earth Day. Human activity is costing the Earth. And despite the oceans’ vast expanse it is taking its toll on aquatic eco systems. You can choose to make a world of difference by joining DJL DIVING Dive for Earth Day event during the week of 22 April. “Underwater volunteers are on the front lines, taking action and collecting data for conservation. This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and we urge everyone to commit to improving the health of our ocean. Protecting the ocean preserves the planet – including us,” said Project AWARE Foundation Asia Pacific Director, Henrik Nimb. Underwater environments are under numerous threats including pollution, climate change, overfishing, and coral bleaching. Dive for Earth Day is an extraordinary opportunity to take action and help address the underwater issues that concern you most. DJL DIVING, in partnership with Project AWARE is organizing a  Beach and Underwater Cleanup everyone can help make a difference for local dive sites by calling in at the shop and voluntering for a fun day of conservation, with a project aware pool party in the bar after to raise money for project aware, were u can wins prises and have a well earned drink, take a dip in the pool and enjoy our free bbq. Earth Day has raised environmental awareness on a global scale for 40 years. For ten years divers have put the ocean on the Earth Day Map. Globally the oceans cover 70 per cent of the planet’s surface and contain 90 per cent of the mass of life on Earth. Thousands of diver volunteers in more than 115 countries have helped protect underwater environments and educate local communities for Project AWARE’s Dive for Earth Day.

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