Scuba Diving is one of the closest experiences we have on earth that we can liken to floating in space. NASA has recognised the value of training their astronauts to operate in a neutrally buoyant underwater environment, in order to prepare them for zero-gravity in space. Dive operation specialists such as Chris Peterman have the […]
Due to a series of unfortunate diving incidents in Wellington & around the Country the Police National Dive Squad were keen to talk to all divers about what we can do to stay safe in the water. With 9 deaths in the last 4 months, the issues surrounding diver safety are foremost in the minds […]
So you took the plunge and learned to dive. You took your first breath underwater and started to explore the seven tenths of the world that had previously been hidden from you. Your local dive shop then introduced you to a range of other underwater activities – night diving, wreck diving, search and recovery. Maybe […]
Mana Island lies just 3km west of Porirua and yet after many years of diving and 100’s of local dives yesterday was my first dive experience off the island. The island itself is 3km long and just over 2km wide. With steep cliffs and a plateau it was cleared in the early 1800’s for sheep […]
We arrived at the dive site, Batu Bolong which above the water just looks like a pile of rocks coming out of the water. Under water it is the best dive I have done so far. Batu Bolong is in Komodo National Park. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were told we could […]
Dive HQ Christchurch and Canterbury Divers have plenty to enjoy in the region. Canterbury dive sites are centered off Kaikoura coast and Banks Peninsula with visibility often only 2-3 meters but on occasions you will get up to 15 meter. The poor visibility can put a lot of divers off. But when you have some of […]
I did my original dive qualification here in NZ, but where I really learned to become a diver was in the colder, darker and more tidal waters of the English Channel. That was 20 years ago now and at the time it was common place to see divers wearing nothing but tools instead of a […]
In February a group of new students rocked up to Dive HQ Wellington for the first day of the Diploma in Scuba Dive Instruction course. With little or no dive experience the group was excited to get into the water snorkelling and of course learning to scuba dive. As a full time tertiary programme […]
On 9th October, Richard and I ventured to Auckland for the weekend, to undertake our Master of Small Commercial Dive Boat course. The course comprises of home theory, an exam covering the theory learnt, and two full days of practical application on the water. In the afternoon, we arrived at our venue where we briefly […]
Buoyancy control is one of the fundamental dive skills. Without an ability to adjust our position in the water column we would either remain stuck at the surface or be reduced to crawling along the bottom like some mud dwelling crab. Our ability to move weightlessly through the water is one of the most liberating […]