Scuba Duba Dive Does Careers Fairs in the North East of Scotland

Whilst at a networking event in Aberdeen, Scotland in late October and I happened to get speaking to a women who ran a company called Aberdeen Entrepreneurs.  She was interested to hear all about Scuba Duba Dive and what I had to offer.  For some reason the subject changed onto school career fairs. They were very keen for me to attend their first event in less than a week’s time.  I said I would have a think about it and be in touch.   My main worry was I didn't really have much to build a good stand.  Nevertheless I agreed to attend and have a Scuba Duba Dive stand at the school show in the North East of Scotland.

What would make a good, interesting stand for the children coming to visit? I put together all my dive gear and had some good diving movies which I’d play.  People always like to take away something from a show so leaflets were the answer.  Recently getting the grips of Adobe Photoshop I designed some last minute leaflets detailing all the courses offered in the different locations.  The problem was printing them but with help from my local printers I managed to get 200 copies run off at 5pm when I was due to leave the next morning at 6am.

During the day I had a lot of pupils and teachers interested in scuba diving.  The fact that I had a very inviting stand with some movies from Koh Tao in Thailand playing when it was near freezing outside interested people also! I had a quick look around the room at other people’s stands as I wanted to get some ideas as how to improve my own.  The thought of a roller banner displaying all my basic information seemed good but also instead of my dive gear just sitting there, a mannequin wearing the gear would be a lot better.

After that show the next one is January - plenty of time to go about improving my stand.  So the hunt for a decent mannequin began.  Asking around department stores and various friends who I knew worked in or had contacts in department stores proved fruitless.  Every time I asked the member of staff they just looked at me very oddly and said sorry no.  It was then I turned to that great website GumTree.  Posting an advert ‘wanted full sized mannequin with arms, legs and a head’ and within two hours I’d received two phone calls, one saying she had two in her shed and another saying they had four.  After receiving pictures of these mannequins the women who had four had the better mannequin.  I traveled up to “meet” the new member of the team and it was exactly what I was after and fits my dive gear perfectly.  He even has a great story behind his past. Scuba Steve: used to be a guardsman on a ship to deter pirates!

All I had to do now was design my roller banner to have the perfect stand.  I set about making a basic design to get reviews from other people.  Keeping the pictures and information short and to the point would catch people’s attention.  Designing a two meter tall banner on a 24 inch monitor really didn't give you much feel as to how it was going to look in the print.  I finally sent it off to the printers and when it arrived it was perfect. My stand looks more professional for the four shows I've got coming up this spring.  It really goes to show what networking can do.  

Who would have thought a random conversation in Aberdeen would have resulted in all these shows.  My advice never be shy to speak to someone or ask the question, as you never know who they know or what they do!

Stoney Cove- My First Visit

Stoney Cove Car Park

Having heard a lot of people taking about Stoney Cove being the in-land diving place to visit, I thought as I was in Birmingham for DIVE 2013 I should pay a visit to Stoney Cove which is just nearby.  Not knowing a huge amount about Stoney Cove I wasn't really sure what to expect.  Taking to a few people at DIVE 2013 I asked around for advise on the best parts to dive and what the general layout of Stoney Cove was.  I was then told the bad news, Stoney Cove is always busy at the weekend and to be their at 7am!!  That meant Saturday night's pub plan had be just a few pints!

Staying at a guest house just a few minutes from Stoney Cove we got a full cooked breakfast at 7am and made our way to the dive center just after 7.15am, luckily we got straight in and managed to get parked at the first car park along side the quarry.  If the car park is full you'll have to wait till people leave or you get the option of being in car park 2 which is a little bit of a walk with your equipment to the entry points.  After taking a quick look around and picking up the tanks it was time to kit up.  I was diving with my new Forth Element 7mm Proteus Semi-dry and my friend with his Typhoon Divemaster dry suit.  It was the first time I'd dived with this semi-dry so I was eager to try it out and to see if all the raving reviews I'd read about it all added up.

After buddy checks we were ready to enter the water, as it was quite a sunny day I was ready to get in as putting a brand new 7mm semi-dry suit on is a bit of a challenge! We'd decided to swim out to the Stanegarth marker buoy and then descend rather than navigating our way out to the wreck.  The visibility was reasonably good so we circled the wreck and then took a compass baring make towards the exit point.  On the way back we came across a few other bits of wreckage, an old land rover, a submarine and a swim through under the pub bench.  There was quite a lot of marine life about including little crayfish, perch and carp.


During the surface interval we grabbed some food and hot drinks from the little cafe near the entry points.  Everything that was on offer was very reasonably priced.  We dropped off our tanks at the filling station which had a quick turn around time, kitted up again then planned the second dive.  This time we went looking for the aircraft cockpit, so made an entry at the bus stop.  We descended down some old train tracks to around 25 meters, missing the cockpit on the way down we came across it on the way back up, along with a couple of big pikes.  The temperature at 25 meters dropped to 10 degrees but I didn't feel the cold at all so the Fourth Element Proteus was really living up to the reviews.  A full map of Stoney Cove can be found here.

I'd highly recommend doing some dives at Stoney Cove as there is so many interesting things to see.  The conditions are great for divers of all qualifications due to it being an inland quarry.  Stoney Cove also offer a full range of diving courses along with a massive range of kit hire.  I also used the ScubaStrapp for the first time which is a new diving product which should be launching anytime soon.  It has a use for every element of diving, I've also found many other uses for the Scuba Strapp outwith the water.

DIVE 2013- Birmingham NEC 26th/27th of October 2013

The Birmingham dive show is one of the biggest events in the UK for scuba divers each year.  The show is packed full of great new product releases, prize draws, try dives, great deals on new equipment, seminars from many great divers and much much more.

Tickets are priced at £12.50 and can be purchased online here or at the NEC on the day.  Please note if you purchase your ticket before noon on the 23rd of October you'll save £3 per ticket or if you're buying six or more then you'll save £4 a ticket.  The NEC is easily accessible off the M6 and M42 for full travel details follow this link.

I think apart from the really good bargains you can pick up at the show the seminars are brilliant.  There is a couple of must see seminars and you can find the full list of speakers and timings here.

We will be wondering around the show on Saturday if you wish a chat, just get in touch.  Full details of the show can be found on the dive shows website- http://www.diveshows.co.uk/

Fun Diving on Koh Tao

Fire Dancing, Koh Tao

I contacted Scuba Duba Dive looking to organise a weeks worth of fun diving on the idyllic island of Koh Tao off the coast of Thailand.  Mungo was very quick to get back to me with a quote and rough itinerary which I could adjust to my needs.  Transfers to and from Bangkok were also arranged and both journeys went remarkably smoothly (something rarely guaranteed in the case of Thai buses!)

Dive Boat, Koh Tao

On arrival to Koh Tao, I was greeted by a rep who showed me to the reception desk.  The dive instructors in office were incredibly helpful and friendly, making sure I had all the required qualifications before showing me to my room.  The room itself was one of the beachside bungalows, simple and basic but good value for such a good price.  Unfortunately during a particularly heavy rainstorm the ceiling did drip a little.

Whatever shortcoming the accommodation had this was made u

p for in the quality of the dive instructors.  I dived with Brad and Rob, both of whom were very professional when it came down to our safety but also make diving a lot of fun!  During my week there I saw variety of different reefs, even when the weather conditions weren't favourable and the ships captions were relunctant to visit reefs too far away.  One of my favourite dives was where we visited a wreck, absolutely incredible to see and a memory I will keep for a long time.

I would definitely organise another diving trip through Scuba Duba Dive, they made it so easy for me, especially as a lone, first time traveller.  I would also highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable company to dive with, weather its for fun diving or attaining higher PADI qualifications.

Charlotte Cutler, 18, UK

Olly's time on Koh Tao learning how to dive

Olly has recently returned from a trip learning how to dive with us on Koh Tao.  Below is a review of what he had to say about his time on the island.

"I contacted Mungo at Scuba Duba Dive about 2 months prior to the planned holiday, our tailor made package was quickly organised and confirmed. It is comforting to know that all of the money I invested into a holiday is protected through both the TTA and ATOL.

On arrival at Koh Samui Airport the transfers were waiting and were prepared to take us to the Lomprayah Ferry. The transfer to Koh Tao was quick, pleasant and easy using the Lomrayah Fast Cats.

On arrival at the pier staff from the hotel were ready to pick us up. Koh Tao Regal Hotel is an odd place, long dark corridors, and questionable interior design in the lobby but looking out to a fantastic looking pool and bar area. The concerns were quickly alleviated when we got to our rooms which were quite frankly fantastic. Okay they weren’t spotlessly clean and a few maintenance issues but the room was huge, with an ensuite that included a Jacuzzi. But overall the view was special, looking out over the beach and across the bay. The balcony was a lovely place both to refresh yourself in the cool morning air and a perfect vantage point to watch the sunset over Thailand in the evening.

On arrival at the Dive Resort the company were expecting us and were ready with the paper work so we could enlist upon the course. All the instructors were extremely friendly and knowledgeable, they would happily assign different instructors to different abilities so that no one was leftwaiting. I did my PADI Open Water, PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Wreck Speciality. Throughout the courses I never had more than 6 in the group with 3 instructors but I mostly had 2 instructors to myself throughout the week.

Another bonus of the resort was that they could find instructors that speak various assortments of languages. We had a Russian trio in our group, who were given a Russian speaking Dive Master for translation.

During my time in Koh Tao I dived at Mango Bay, Twins, White Rock, Sail Rock and HMTS Sattakut, the latter using that for my wreck spec. The coral and sea life is abundantly colourful and diverse at all sites. Diving on and inside HMTS Sattakut was an experience I’ll never forget. With visibility varying between 5 meters and 30 meters on different dives, I truly got a sense that the same boat was an entirely different wreck.

Koh Tao is a place that I will miss, and I wish to go back sometime. Although it is an isolated little island the society is not at all closed and tight knit. The varying array of restaurants from all corners of the world were fantastic. I do not think I had a bad meal the whole time I was there. Everyone is friendly and helpful and the internet provisions are fantastic. The climate was exceptionally comfortable, around 30-35 with a constant sea breeze ridding the island of the expected humidity. Also if there are any problems Koh Tao has a good medical centre and everyone was more than happy to go out of their way to help you.

One of the more unexpected highlights was Koh Samui airport. The departure lounge is basically an outdoor shopping street, with various brands and restaurants. The architecture was quaint and well thought out. Spending a few hours at Koh Samui Airport was a pleasant way of ending our holiday."

Interested in learning how to dive?  Get in touch with us here

View from Koh Tao Regal Swimming Pool

Business Enterprise Award

Recently Mungo Finlayson, the founder and managing director of Scuba Duba Dive picked up an award for Business Enterprise in his home town of Banchory.  Scuba Duba Dive isn't the first business that Mungo has run from Banchory.  During his early days of secondary school Mungo ran a mobile phone accessory business.  Mainly importing accessories from China and Hong Kong then selling them on either via a online market place or to his wide database of wholesale clients.  Mungo had a niche at being able to find accessories which weren't yet for sale in the United Kingdom and importing them before any other sellers.  Before exams Mungo's trading business ceased trading due to the amount of time it was taking up.

After exams Mungo started another business, this time it was a partnership with three friends. The partnership specialised in designing and hosting websites.  ReplicaHost was run successfully for 5 years but it became a joint decision not to renew any of the contracts due to everyone going their separate ways.  At the end of the 5 years each partner came away with a profit.  Hopefully we will be seeing some more awards soon for Mungo and Scuba Duba Dive.

Pictured Mungo Finlayson receiving a Business Enterprise Award from Provost Jill Webster

The Great Scottish Diving

This summer in Scotland we've had some spectacular weather with some days hitting over 30 degrees.  Usually the Scottish summers are very hit or miss, sometimes just having a summer of rain.  With the weather being so good it meant I had to benefit from it, that meant getting back into Scottish diving in a wetsuit! 

Portknockie Harbour

North East Dive's Boat

Conger Eel,

I've spent many an evening this summer diving in the North Sea with some great dives.  I think the weekend just past has been my best day of Scottish diving.  I was on a day dive trip with North East Dive out of Portknockie Harbour, which is near Banff in North East Scotland.  It was another stunning day and as we arrived at 10am there was children playing on the beach, this is

Scotland at the start of September!

Standard Lobster

Gearing up into my wetsuit we headed out of the harbour to the Moray Wreck, which is a scattered wreck lying at around 29 metres depending on the tide.  There isn't a huge amount left of the wreck but that didn't stop there being a lot of marine life around the wreck, especially in the boiler room.  As we went down the shot line hardly being able to see a thing I wasn't convinced this was going to be a good dive but at about 20 metres it just open out to about 5-10 metres visibility, a true Scottish dive.  We saw giant lobsters, conger eels, giant crabs and plenty of fish.

Giant Lobster

 During the lunch interval we went back into Portknockie harbour.  It was so warm my wetsuit managed to dry off during the 2 hours we spent back onshore.  Tanks changed over it was time to head out for the second time, this time we were diving Caple Rock.  Gently cruising out the harbour we came across 7 dolphins just playing around in the bay, another example of how vast Scottish wildlife can be! 

Caple Rock is a gentle reef/rock dive with plenty of life about.  The current was up so there was a slight drift which is always good fun.  Overall the day was a great success and I never felt cold in my 5mm wetsuit!  I urge those who are qualified divers who haven't tried cold water diving to give it a shot, it's defiantly worth while!  North East Dive in Banff run weekly diving days from their boat, all excellent value and excellent fun! 

More cold water diving, Boddam Quarry, Peterhead

Boddam Quarry, near Peterhead, Scotland

Geared up ready for the dive

I did my first ever cold water dive in Boddam Quarry back in May 2009, while I was doing my PADI Dry Suit course.  I'd only done a handful of dives in the quarry since then.  So I thought it was time to head back and have another explore of the quarry.  I rounded up two friends who were keen to dive the quarry.  We were all going to be diving in wetsuits after recently diving other local dive sites with the water being 14 degrees, there isn't a huge amount to see in the quarry but it is good for getting used to diving in lower visibility waters and cold water.

We all geared up and did our buddy checks before jumping in.  Initially jumping in the water didn't feel too bad.  So we descended down too around 12 metres, the visibility to start with was terrible but after about 8 metres it started too clear up.  On the bottom there was loads of interesting things including a game of noughts and crosses and a television.  After we explored that area we swam further into the quarry, finally finding the famous burger van that Boddam quarry has!  Having a play around the burger van was good fun.  The burger van was at around 14metres and the water temperature was still around 12 degrees so defiantly bare-able.  Afterwards we decided to find the bottom, swimming into the middle we found 21 metres but didn't stay around for long as at 21 metres it was 6 degrees and in wetsuits wasn't all that fun!  So we ascended up slowly along the side of the quarry to go find the noughts and crosses again.  Little play around and then it was time to find a spot to do a safety stop, as after 25 minutes everyone was starting to feel a little cold.  Safely stop completed we ascended up to the surface, the surface water felt like a hot bath compared to the water at 21 metres deep!

I really recommend Boddam Quarry for getting yourself used to diving again, testing out new equipment or just a place for some dives when the local seas are too rough.  We had a good day out but maybe should use 7mm wetsuits next time!

The view from Boddam Quarry

Diving the Linn of Dee, Royal Deeside

Linn of Dee, Near Breamar

When I first started working in the diving industry in Aberdeen in 2009, I'd always heard people talk about the Linn of Dee salmon dive.  I'd always wanted to try the dive but never been a massive fan of cold water diving.  With this years summer being so good I decided to get back into cold water diving, as there is so many good dive sites on my door step.

On the edge of the Linn of Dee before the dive

The recent weather had been pretty good with no rain which makes the conditions for Linn of Dee perfect.  I spoke to a lot of people to get the overview of the dive site and what are generally the main points of entry and exit.  I knew the area anyway but not as a dive site.  I therefor went up the night before to check out the area and all the points I'd been told about made absolute sense once I was standing on the edge of the river.

We half kitted up at the car and carried the rest of the kit down to the riverside near the entry point.  Buddy checks done and plans discussed.

The water wasn't too bad but gloves and hoods were required but sadly we only had one hood.  I had to give up my hood for my friend to continue the dive.  We swam up the narrow gorge against the mild current exploring the little inlets and the rock formation was quite amazing.  It was quite gloomy and dark at just a few metres down and we could have definitely have done with a torch.  After about 5 minutes into the dive we came to the "V" which everybody had talked about.  I put my face in front of the current and it just wanted to take my mask off.  I knew this was going to be interesting getting through as it wasn't very wide and there was a strong current.  We tried to fin through several times but each time we just got thrown back by the current.

Eventually we realised fining through the "V" wasn't going to work.  Plan B was to pull ourselves through and fining down once half way through to get out of the current.  This eventually worked but was hard work!  Once in the last pool the currents got a lot stronger and if you ascended just half a metre you could be thrown back out through the "V" in just seconds.  This happened to us the first time so we had to pull ourselves back through.  This time we stayed on the bottom and explored the last pool, once we had explored the majorly of it we ascended a little and let the current take us back down the river like a massive drift dive.

We spent about 10 minutes working the way up the river and exploring the different pools and the current took us down in no time at all.  We then explored down the river and all the various different pools until it was too shallow and we beached.  I really enjoyed the dive.  The Linn of Dee dive isn't really about diving to see the fish etc it's more of a playground in the currents which was really good fun.  I'd highly recommend giving the Linn of Dee dive ago.  We can arrange trips to the Linn of Dee along with accommodation, so if anyone is interested just drop us an email at dive@scubadubadive.com

Diving in the North Sea again

After just over three years of not diving locally I finally dived again last night in the North Sea with North East Dive.  I'd been meaning to go diving with them for a couple of weeks but was concerned it was going to be too cold as I was mainly used to warm water diving.

Prepared for the worse I wore a 5mm full wetsuit and a 5mm shorty with hood, on the way out to the dive site on the rib I was talking to the other dives who said on Friday the water was 16 degrees.  At that I didn't think I would need my gloves after having been in 20 degree water in Malta a month before without a hood or gloves.  The moment I rolled back off the rib and hit the water I knew it wasn't 16 degrees and regretted not wearing my gloves.  However I continued without and descended down for the dive.

The visibility was around 10 metres and it was a shallow dive along the coast.  After spending the first few minutes getting used to my kit and the conditions again we started the dive.  There was lots of little swim throughs and getting thrown around by the current near the coast was a new experience which made me feel sea sick, so had to quickly descend again to get away from the waves.  The marine life was pretty good, lots of little spider crabs around the kelp and a lots of big edible crabs in the fisherman's pots.  Navigating in and out of the coast line never really exceeding 12metres we managed a 42 minute dive.  I was starting to feel the cold without any gloves on as the actual bottom temperature was only 9 degrees! 

North East Dive's Boat- Picture from Facebook

I will defiantly be back for more dives and next time will be wearing a pair of gloves!  I urge anyone who is a qualified diver and has diving on their doorstep to give cold water diving a try.  Yes, you have to wear a lot more equipment than warm water diving but cold water diving just lets you keep up your diving experience and that next time you go on holiday diving you don't spend the first days diving to refresher courses!

Speaking with Hannah about her experience learning to dive in Egypt

Another series in the Scuba Duba Dive Blog posts of peoples first diving experiences.  This time we're speaking with Hannah who learnt to dive in Egypt.

"The first time I donned scuba kit and descended into the ocean was off the east coast of Australia at the Great Barrier Reef.  This was a novice dive during which I swam around happily looking wide eyed at a magical under water world.  I loved the underwater world and was instantly at ease with the scuba equipment.  As such, a year and half later in Cairo, Egypt, I had the opportunity and signed up to do the PADI Open Water course.  After the theory and pool sessions, friends and I traveled to Safaga on Egypt's Red Sea coast to board Legends - it is a legendary dive boat on which I spent many subsequent weekends bobbing about in the Red Sea going from one spectacular dive site to another.  At 0900, on this inaugural morning, the sky was blue and the sun radiating heating, I kitted up and stepped off the back to the boat into a clear blue sea.  El Shehr was the location of the first dive during which I swam around looking wide eyed at the magical under water world.  In fact, on every dive I swim around wide eyed looking at the colours, shapes & sizes of the majestic under water world.  Dolphins, corals, moray eels, octopus, turtles, my favourite blue spotted rays and so much more - it is breathtaking every time. "

Did this post inspire you in wanting to learn to scuba dive?  Check out the range of courses Scuba Duba Dive offers at our website

Hannah in Egypt

Follow up on Diving Insurance

Following up on our previous post The Importance of Having Dive Travel Insurance we'd like to inform you of a new service which Westfield Sub Aqua Insurance are providing along with all their insurance policies they issue.

The new credit card sized insurance policy card.  The card holds all your details about the policy you have with Westfield and all the approrate phone numbers which you need incase of an emergency.  The best thing about the card is that it is waterproof!  So keep it within your dive bag, in your BCD pocket or somewhere else but remember to let your fellow divers know where the card is incase they need to contact the emergency services on your behalf.

Front Side, Westfield Emergency Card

Reserve Side, Policy Details Westfield Emergency Card

Graham and Koh Tao

Graham recently finished his PADI Open Water Diver and PADI Advanced Open Water Diver with us in Koh Tao.  Read what he had to say below;

"What do you do with week of free time in Thailand?

Having finished my work related business in Bangkok, I had booked some annual leave and was determined to get out of the city. Having heard my friends go on and on about diving had got me interested, and after looking around I gave scubadubadive a call. They arranged everything for me - transfers from Bangkok to Koh Tao,  all my accommodation, as well as two diving courses. 

As a novice diver I really didn't know what to expect, but my big, friendly Mexican instructor Manuel was easy going and a very reassuring presence as he took us through the theory on the first (classroom based) day, before moving into the pool to teach us important basic skills like buoyancy, breathing technique, and mask removal. 

On the third day of our open water course we were finally heading into the sea and the excitement was easy to feel! To me there has always been something inherently uncomfortable about the concept of diving - essentially you are relying on a tiny tank of compressed air to keep you alive while the enormous weight of the water above you steadily squeezes more nitrogen into your blood - but as soon as we started to descend all these fears vanished as the freedom and relaxation involved in literally being part of the ocean life swept over you. 

As the wek progressed and I moved from the Open Water to the advanced open water course, I experienced more and more of my underwater surroundings as I became steadily more at ease during my dives. Huge highlights included a brief glimpse of a black-tipped reef shark, and an amazing night dive. Here our skills were really put to the test by the strong currents, as well as the opportunity to dive on a wreck in deeper water. 

Evenings were spent relaxing at the bar and enjoying the local food at any of the nearby restaurants, as well as fighting off the attention of the local mosquitoes! I also got the chance to explore the island as my holiday had a built in day off from diving to go and use as we wanted. It was a really worthwhile experience and ap ps all group of myself and three Canadians joined forces to ride mopeds to each end of the island and really experience all that was on offer. 

Koh Tao was brilliant and the customer service from scubadubadive was really good - I got quick replies to the one small problem I had and it was sorted the same day. "

Many thanks for the review Graham and we looking forward to seeing you back for more diving!

Speaking with Charlotte about her first time scuba diving

Second in the serious of blog posts which we will be doing speaking with people about their first time scuba diving.  Today we hear from Charlotte who learnt out in Fiji.

Charlotte, First learnt to dive on Yasawa Islands, Fiji in 2007 aged 25;

"In April 2007 I went on holiday to Fiji to meet some friends who had spent a year travelling.  We travelled up and down the Yasawa Islands, stopping at various Backpacker resorts on the way.

We stayed at a beautiful place called Manta Ray Resort.  One night I got asked by one of the dive reps if I'd every dived.  I hadn't and didn't fancy it because of the thought of sharks.  However I found myself signed up for the first dive the next morning!

Beautiful sunshine it was NOT! I went to the dive hut in the pouring rain hoping it would be cancelled…. No such luck!

As I'd not dived before the lady instructor said she would hold my hand the whole time to keep an eye on me, my buoyancy and my depth.  She sorted out all my gear as I had no clue and showed me what was what.

We waded out from the beach in front of the resort, had a couple of tests with the regs and then went under!  To say I was amazed is an understatement! It was beautiful! As the colours and tons of tropical fish, it was such a fantastic experience!

The instructor swam me around pointing out all sorts of weird and wonderful sea creatures.  At one point we stopped in front of what looked to me to be a dead lump of coral.  The instructor started wiggling her fingers in front on a hole in the coral no bigger than a 50 pence piece and all of a sudden an Octopus emerged, one tentacle at a time and then swam off!  It was fascinating!

Before I knew it my 40 minute dive was over and we'd swam back up to the beach.  I didn't see any sharks (phew!) Although I think I was secretly hoping I would!  I had fallen in love with diving after 1 dive and had discovered a whole new world that I wanted to see more of!"

Talking with Ian about his first diving experience in Thailand

Diving is not a very common sport but is becoming more and more popular with it being ranked as the do-to sport in 2013.  We're going to be spending the next couple of days talking with some divers about there first time experiences underwater.  Here's what Ian Roberts had to say;

First learnt to dive in June 2010 on Koh Tao, Thailand aged 21

"I went travelling around Southeast Asia with some friends in 2010 who were all aiming to do some scuba diving as part of the adventure.  Initially I wasn't sure what I thought about the idea of diving, looking at all the equipment required it seemed very obvious to me that humans are very much not designed to go underwater, making the whole idea of it seem very unnatural.

With some convincing from my friends, and not wanting to miss out, I signed myself up but still had my reservations.  After an introduction in the swimming pool under controlled conditions I got used to the idea of breathing underwater, became comfortable with all the diving gear and more confident that I was in good hands.

Feeling more at ease after the pool session I signed up to do my PADI Open Water course on Koh Tao which was an absolutely fantastic experience.  Koh Tao is an interesting, somewhat crazy, place which offered awesome diving facilities.  Completing the Open Water turned out to be the most memorable few days of the entire trip which, if it wasn't for my persistent friends, I would have missed out on.  I enjoyed the diving so much I also completed two adventure dives which count towards my PADI Advanced Open Water qualification, including a night dive which added a totally different dynamic to the experience, which I aim to complete in the future.  Gaining my PADI Open Water Qualification allowed me to easily undertake fun dives when I visited Nah Trang in Vietnam as we continued on our travels.

I urge anybody who finds themselves in my situation, with the opportunity to go scuba diving, to say yes.  Ask friends or family who have been diving before for their opinion, I guarantee it will be a positive one.  You will not regret it!"

Many thanks for your time Ian and hopefully we will see you underwater again very soon!

The Importance of Having Dive Travel Insurance

Today we're going to talk about the importance of having dive insurance while partaking in any scuba diving adventure.  We've teamed up with Westfield Sub Aqua Insurance, who are offering all our customers a discount when booking any holiday or training course with us.  We all think that terrible accident isn't going to happen to us and some of us travel without any travel insurance.  The costs of specialist dive travel insurance in the Red Sea starts of at just £43.91 per person, a very small cost to pay if indeed you need to use a decompression chamber or any other sort of medical attention.

Many people think they can get a cheaper travel insurance policy elsewhere.  Yes, that maybe the case but have you read the small print in terms of what scuba diving cover it provides.  Here is a couple of points from Westfield's website regarding non-related dive insurance travel polices.

• Depth Restriction (as low as 6 metres)
• No Cover for Sea Rescue (this is a bit like selling skiing cover without mountain rescue)
• No hyperbaric chamber treatment cover
• Cover is excluded if the holiday was primarily booked as a diving holiday ( i.e. they're not covering diving holidays)
• Cover for medical cost of a diving accident can be very low
• No cover for Dive Kit, or loss of diving days due to illness
• No Shark Diving, No Wreck Diving, No Night Diving

Westfield have excluded the above points all they ask for is that you're within the current safety recommendations of BSAC &/or SSAC &/or PADI &/or CFT &/or TDI &/or IANTD.

To find out more about what Westfield offer Scuba Duba Dive visit our Dive Insurance page.

The Website is Live

Well if you are reading this blog you're probably aware that the official Scuba Duba Dive website has finally come off the a test server and gone to the live domain, scubadubadive.com. We've launched with just a range of dive training holidays which will be expanded over the coming weeks.  We'll also be launching some exciting dive holidays for those of you who are lucky enough to already be qualified divers.  We'll be running holidays in Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand with the views to expanding to other countires as the Scuba Duba Dive network grows.

The next stages in the growth of Scuba Duba Dive will be launching various press release articles around the dive community and implementing a marketing and social media strategy with the main objectives being to get you the customers to interact with us over Facebook and Twitter.  We are launching an exciting competition to win a weeks diving somewhere and will be putting the Scuba Duba Dive clothing designs to social media for a public vote.  The equipment packages will also be finalised as we're currently researching what is the best equipment around at the moment which is most suited for our programs.  So lots of exciting things happening and we will keep you updated with the progress but for now;

Remember..... Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter and Join us in the sea!

Why Young People Should Use Travel Agents?

Always wondering what the benefits of booking all your own travel arrangements versus booking via a travel operator.  We all think that doing it ourselves will save money but in this day and age we need to think about what fiancial protection you have while booking all the holiday elements by yourself.  The benefits of booking with a travel operator is that they have the in-country support 24hours and UK support 24 hours.  All Scuba Duba Dive's holidays are 100% financially protected and we have in-country and UK based reps who are available to help in case of an emergency 24 hours a day.  For further information I recommend reading this interesting article in the Huffington Post about why you should use a travel agent.  Click here to view the article

If you'd like to know more about what Scuba Duba Dive can offer you in terms of diving holidays and training give us a call or email and we'd be more than happy talk to you about are mission and ethos when it comes to providing you with that perfect diving holiday and training experience.  As in the end all the team have been there and done it themselves.

Web: www.scubadubadive.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScubaDubaDive
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ScubaDubaDive
Telephone: +441224-900640

Lieve's Diving Journey

Lieve, Dahab Rep

I started diving during a holiday in Egypt and I was hooked from my very first dive. There was a whole new world out there to discover! My plan was to stay for some time in Dahab and do my PADI Open Water course before heading to Cairo. However, loving the underwater world and the diving so much, I cancelled my ticket to Cairo and signed up for the PADI Advanced Open Water course. For some weeks I enjoyed getting to know people sharing the same passion for diving, visiting nice dive sites with the most colorful reefs, learning how to become a better diver, watching fish and trying to remember their names.

Once back in Belgium, I immediately checked when I could plan my next trip to get some more dives in my logbook. After holidays of diving in Dahab, Sharm El Sheikh, El Quesir and Jordan, I felt ready to start the PADI Rescue Diver course. I found a counter job in a dive center in Dahab, which I could combine with the PADI Rescue Diver course. This training showed me so many new aspects of diving, that I got curious to learn more about it. The PADI Divemaster training was the logical next step and, to me, the most fun and interesting course of all the diving courses I had taken so far. It makes you a different and more confident diver. You learn more about the organisation and planning of dives, about dive equipment, you learn how to demonstrate all the skills you practiced during the PADI Open Water course, you get familiar with how to guide dives and so much more.

Now working as a PADI Divemaster feels very rewarding. I enjoy every dive and can’t imagine to work in an office again, far away from the sea and this incredible feeling of freedom you have under water. When I am in Belgium, I truly miss the Red Sea and the diving.

For sure, an adventure and experience I can recommend to all of you!

Diving Dahab, Red Sea, Egypt

DIVE Magazine Turtle Hot Shot

Turtle, Dahab Egypt, May 2012

A few weeks ago I entered my picture of a turtle I took last May in Dahab, Egypt, into the DIVE Magazine Hotshot photo competition.  I thought nothing of it and today received an email from the magazine to say its one of the running up pictures to win the £50 prize money and to be published in DIVE magazine.  The competition now runs on a Facebook "likes"system , so basically the image with the most Facebook likes wins the competition.  I'd appreciate it if my blog readers could "like" my image.  The link to "like" the image is here.

If there is any divers reading this blog who are keen photographers and wish to enter the competition for the next HOTSHOT image you can find out more information here.  The next image is a Finding Nemo image, so I'll be hunting through my diving images to see if I can find an excellent nemo picture, which I might have taken over the years.

A Weekend at the London Dive Show 2013

LIDS 2013, Excel Centre London- Picture from Diveshows

This weekend Mungo attended the London International Dive Show which is held at the Excel Centre, East London on a yearly basics.  The show is open to everyone and the stands vary from training agencies, manufacturers, product releases, dive travel companies, some very interesting talks from various diving celebrities and a try dive pool.

Mungo spent the two days speaking with some of Scuba Duba Dive's suppliers making sure everything was in place for the launch of our website within the next few weeks.  New locations were also research for the launch of the holiday section of the website. Which will be launched after the initial training section has gone live.  Seeing videos and hearing stories of everybody's recent tropical diving stories made him want to head off abroad again, even more when it was actually snowing in London.

Andy Torbet speaking on the DIVER stage, Pictures from Dive Show

Some very interesting meetings took place with some of diving's biggest magazines.  All these magazines were very interested in the project and how Scuba Duba Dive started.  So hopefully there will be some very exciting articles written in these magazines which will tie in with the launch of our website.  To find more out about the Dive Shows within the UK please visit their website-http://www.diveshows.co.uk

The try dive pool at LIDS 2013, Picture from Diveshows

How Scuba Diving Masks have changed

Today I've spent a lot of time researching dive equipment for the packages which we will be offering with our diving internships.  Technology and slickness has changed a lot since the 1600s when innovators such as Denis Papin and Edmund Halley made the first deep sea submersion in a diving bell a reality.

 Early scuba diving days, Image from Fox Photos/Getty Images

The next stage in the history of SCUBA was in 1823.  John and Charles Deane were awarded a patent for the diving dress and helmet.  The helmet was connected to a hose which ran to the surface and supplied the diver with fresh air, the diver had to remain upright otherwise the helmet would leak water. Augustus Siebe modified the Deane Patent Diving Dress by attaching the helmet to a waterproof suit, making the divers helmet waterproof and they didn't have to remain upright during dives.  It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that a modern practical SCUBA unit was invented.  Source- adventure.howstuffworks.com

Current mask the Aqua Lung Favola

The First Modern Dive Mask

How it all started....

Well hello everyone and welcome to Scuba Duba Dive's first blog post.

Hopefully everyone reading our blog is either currently a keen scuba diver or is eager to learn.  Scuba Duba Dive has been launched to cater for both needs beginners and experienced divers.

There is currently a huge amount of work going on within the Scuba Duba Dive team getting everything ready for the official launch.

I'd thought I would take the opportunity in this blog post to introduce myself, Mungo Finlayson, as the Managing Director of Scuba Duba Dive.

The first time I ever tried scuba diving was on a PADI discover scuba diving day in Zanzibar, Africa in 2005.  To be honest I didn't enjoy the experience much.  This was down to me having food poisoning and the lack of professionalism within the dive centre which didn't make me feel at ease.  

It was a few years after trying diving in Zanzibar that I felt I should give it another go.  So I signed up to a 10 week diving marine conservation project in Fiji learning more advanced dive techniques throughout the project.  Yes, it was a bit of a gamble, signing up to a 10 week project related to diving when I wasn't sure the first time but I wanted to give it a second chance.  I'm seriously glad I decided to give scuba diving another try.  The difference it made having an instructor who was interested and focused on any elements that you were struggling with was amazing.  I qualified up to an PADI Advanced Open Water diver in Fiji, getting to dive some pretty amazing dive sites and to top the whole trip off I saw a hammerhead shark!

Before a dive in the Fiji Dive Shack

Sunrise from the Beach in Fiji

After Fiji I had fallen in love with diving and what the underwater world had to offer, I moved onto Australia with a one year working holiday visa.  I gained work on a day diving boat on the Great Barrier Reef,  being paid very little daily but with the promise of gaining my PADI Rescue Diver and PADI Divemaster with the job.  This was a very slow process considering they said it was to be a three month internship.  I stuck at it though for five months due to the fact I loved that I was diving daily.  In the end I had to leave due to running out of money and only gained my PADI rescue diver from them.  I moved on within Australia and worked 6 months on a cattle farm in the Northern Territory, which was an experience I will not be forgetting.

Nudibranch

After Australia I starting making my way back to the United Kingdom but there were a few stops on the way.  The first stop were the Sipidan Islands in Borneo, where I spent five days doing some of the most fantastic diving I've done still to date.  There were literally too many things to see- sharks, turtles, bump-head parrot fish, sting rays, barracuda, the list goes on.

Moray Eel

After a short stay in Borneo the next stop was the tropical island of Koh Tao in Thailand which I'd heard lots about.  Koh Tao is located in the Gulf of Thailand and is known to be a divers' paradise.  On Koh Tao I started my BSAC Professional Underwater Course, learning how to use the camera on the land and underwater.  Learning how to edit my footage using Adobe Premiere Pro was confusing to start with but with the excellent tuition I received it wasn't a problem.  Once I had qualified as a BSAC Professional Underwater Videographer I spent some time filming student divers on their qualifying dives, editing the footage and doing a sales pitch in the evenings.  Getting a whaleshark in the footage was a guaranteed sale!  While being a videographer I also wanted to expand my diving knowledge so started on my PADI Divemaster Internship.  Overall I spent around four months on Koh Tao, learning and working.

Sairee Beach, Koh Tao

It was then time to return to cold and wet Scotland.  I decided to seek diving work once again.  I started diving in Aberdeen's finest quarries and coast.  I was doing my PADI Dry Suit Diver course five days after I was home from Thailand. It was a shock to the system having been diving in 30degree water to 10degree water.  After working the summer in Aberdeen I moved to Edinburgh to study Travel & Tourism at college.  I thought it would suit after doing so much travelling.  During my year in Edinburgh I joined a local diving club and continued diving the cold and beautiful waters of Scotland.

Once my time was up in Edinburgh I moved to Turkey to a warmer diving job.  During my four months in Turkey I was diving daily again in warm waters.  While I was there I become a EFR Instructor so I'm now two courses away from becoming a PADI Open Water Instructor.

Once I returned from Turkey I was at a bit of a loose end as to what to do next.  Did I go and complete my PADI instructor development course and become a PADI Open Water Instructor or should I start up a scuba diving travel company with all the contacts I'd picked up over the last few years?  I decided to risk it. So on  7th  February 2012 Scuba Duba Dive was born, or, more accurately, registered at Companies House in Scotland.

The whole project has been a lot harder than I ever thought.  The main issue has been "the website" which was always coming soon along with applying for all the travel licences -  ATOL & The Travel Trust.  The site which is finally to be launched, is the second attempt from a second company, Deep Blue Media who I believe have done a fantastic job and have created a very strong brand for Scuba Duba Dive.  During the start-up process I've explored many areas of the diving industry I didn't know very well.

I spent 3 weeks in Egypt exploring the excellent diving that the Red Sea has to offer, covering all the most popular dive locations.  During my time there, I met the first member of my Dahab Team, Lieve Rutsaert.  Lieve has been travelling and working back and forth within Egypt for many years, finally settling in Dahab for 6months of the year and the rest back in Belgium where Lieve is originally from.  Lieve has an extensive network of contacts in Dahab which are a massive asset to the running of Scuba Duba Dive's operation in Dahab.

Lieve, Dahab Rep

The reason for Scuba Duba Dive expanding to more countries and dive locations is to be able to offer you a greater choice whilst maintaining our principle of only working with people we know and trust in reputable dive centres.  With these locations all being places a member of our team has been, we know they will deliver a high standard of professionalism and reliability and you'll have a safe and enjoyable trip. 

Thank you for reading my blog and hopefully, one day soon, we'll see you under the water!

Eagle Ray, Koh Tao

Mungo