On Saturday we dived the wreck of the SS Bombo, which lies in 30m.  I’ve done well over 100 dives on this wreck, and this would be the best dive I’ve had on the Bombo in a long time.  Viz was good at 10-15m, fishlife was absolutely prolific, and it was a very pleasant dive indeed.

After our surface interval we headed out to the northern side of Pig Island, and dived a spot I call Guano Reef.  Great sponge gardens, good viz and moderate fish life.  A nice dive.

On Sunday morning, we headed out to The Pinnacle, which lies east of Pig Island.  A terrific dive on the southern wall of the site, with a max depth of 30m reached.  A massive bullray glided past and checked us out, and there was a load of fish.

The final dive of the weekend was at The Ampitheatre, on the southern side of Pig Island.  Going down to the sand at about 24m, another massive bullray checked us out.  Then as we cruised around the wall, we were met by the largest school of sea pike and bullseye that I’ve seen in a longtime.  Again viz was in the 10-15m range.

Sea conditions were quite flat with a cold westerly wind, which particularly buffeted us on the Saturday.  The water is very “brisk” with a magical 14C reached on each dive!

I’ve yet to play with one myself, but I’ve been told that the device is very sleek and is a great dive planning tool for recreational, no decompression air dives.

I’ll be implementing the usage of the eRDPML in all PADI Instructor Courses immediately.  This will ensure that my candidates are given the opportunity to get comfortable with this new technology, as well as be able to offer something unique to their students.

I should have a unit to play with early next week.  I’ll try and post a bit of a review then.

LISTEN HERE TO SURFACE INTERVAL

Welcome to the awesomely exciting relaunch of The Surface Interval Show podcast.

Des and Bear kick catch up on whats been happening with them, and some stuff in the diving world, including:

• Des has been busy becoming a PADI Course Director, and is now teaching PADI Instructor Courses at United Divers in Wollongong
• Des discussed the PADI Course Director Training Course he attended in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
• Bear hasn’t been too wet lately, but has been working on getting a lot fitter.  He’s going to have to get his dry suit taken in before he wears it again, as he’s dropped more than 15kg!  (way to go Bear)
• Oceanic Australia has taken a big initiative to talk with its customers, having setup a relationship with DiveOz (close friends of the show), and hosting three bulletin boards there.  Russell Kitt, MD of Oceanic Australia, personally gets into the conversation
• Mike Ball Dive Expeditions is getting rebreather friendly
• The ex-HMAS Canberra has now been handed over to the Victorian group who are preparing it for its sinking as a dive site.  Check out the splendid website at www.hmascanberra.com.au
• Friend of the show, Dave Harasti, has co-authored with Mark Blaine an amazing book called The Marine Life of Bootless Bay.  Its a wonderfully illustrated work on the life found around Port Moresby in PNG.  Purchase the book through Dave’s website.

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BlueBeyond Dive News and Blog | BlueBeyond.com.au | The Surface Interval Show podcast

Surface Interval Episode 021 (mp3 - 10MB - 30 min)

LISTEN HERE TO SURFACE INTERVAL

Edwin undertook his PADI Instructor Development Course with me at United Divers Wollongong.  He attended a part time IDC over 5 weekends, which allowed him to become a PADI Instructor without having to take time off from work.

As with all of our Instructor Candidates, Edwin undertook a FREE PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Specialty Instructor Course as part of his IDC program.  Not only will Edwin now be qualified to teach a range of core PADI diving courses, he will also be qualified to teach this important safety related specialty.

Congratulations to Edwin on successfully completing the PADI IE and becoming a PADI Instructor!

This program was conducted as a part-time IDC, running over 5 weekends.  There were two candidates, Edwin and Phil on the program, with Phil being a former PADI Instructor returning to the fold, and Edwin a long time PADI Divemaster.  There was also a PADI IDC Staff Instructor Course candidate, Richard, who will complete his training on the next program as his schedule didn’t allow him to attend every session on this course.

Phil and Edwin both showed a lot of attention to detail throughout the program, and I am confident that both will make excellent dive instructors.   Each put a lot of effort into preparing well structured presentations, and both showed an ability to inject a sense of fun into everything they did.

Edwin will attend the PADI Instructor Exam in Sydney next week, and I am sure he’ll do very well and move into the ranks of PADI Instructor.  Phil has met all his requirements now to regain PADI Instructor status.

During the IDC, Edwin, Phil and Richard also completed the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Specialty Instructor Course, a free inclusion in all IDCs conducted at United Divers. Undertaking this during the course means that they can now teach this important specialty to their future students.

Good luck to Edwin for the IE, and to both for their futures as PADI Instructors.

This long anticipated device will replace both the eRDP and the RDP Wheel as dive planning devices that can be used in a variety of PADI courses.  Essentially an Open Water Diver will learn dive planning using either the traditional RDP table version, or the new eRDPML.

The RDP Wheel, introduced in the mid-80s, is a fantastic device that allows a great deal of precision in diving planning, and allows for multilevel dives to be planned.  Unfortunately it is relatively costly as it is a calibrated instrument.  It also takes a little getting used to, and can be harder for some to learn than a straight forward table design.

The eRDP and now the eRDPML take advantage of the reduction in costs of production of electronics, and give a tool that is a fantastic aid in dive planning.  Although some believe that people should learn on a submersible dive computer from the start, I believe that there is a lot to be said for learning how to plan a dive ahead of a dive.  This way, people get to know what good profiles look like, and then will be more ready to deal with the situation that occurs when a computer fails.

I have not heard anything from PADI Asia Pacific to this point about the release of the eRDPML, although I expect it won’t be too much after the US release.  I for one am looking forward to candidates in my PADI Instructor Development Courses being able to use this device instead of the Wheel and the standard eRDP.

For more information, visit the PADI Northwest Newswire blog.

The standard PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Specialty is perfect for every diver who wants to learn the fundamentals of emergency oxygen provision, a vital skill in the treatment of an injured diver. The PADI Administer Emergency Oxygen Distinctive Specialty takes the program a little further, meeting the workplace requirements for oxygen provision that may be beneficial for a divemaster or instructor.  As the program is aligned with a Nationally Recognised Training Unit of Competency, this program is accredited throughout Australia to meet workplace requirements.

To teach this course, a PADI Emergency Oxygen Specialty Instructor needs to gain the additional Specialty Instructor rating for the PADI Administer Emergency Oxygen Distinctive Specialty, and then apply to be able to teach the program through PADI Asia Pacific’s RTO.  Additional requirements include the holding of a Certificate IV is Training and Assessment.

I conduct the PADI Emergency Oxygen Specialty Instructor Course regularly throughout the year.  In fact, it is included as a free additional rating in all PADI Instructor Development Courses and PADI OWSI Programs conducted at United Divers Wollongong.  On completing this course, the qualified individual will then be able to complete an application for the the PADI Administer Emergency Oxygen Distinctive Specialty Instructor rating.

For more information on the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor Course, please feel free to contact me.  For specific information on the PADI Administer Emergency Oxygen Distinctive Specialty and the aligned Unit of Competency SRXEMR003A, please contact PADI Asia Pacific.

July is the month for the Deep Diver course to take its place as PADI Specialty of the Month.

One of the most popular specialties in recreational diving, Deep Diving is a rewarding activity that allows the diver to expand the number of dive sites they can access.

The PADI Deep Diver specialty teaches the diver to plan and conduct recreational no decompression dives to a maximum depth of 40m.  During the course you learn the techniques to undertake these dives, while maximising safety.

I’ll be conducting the PADI Deep Diver Course at United Divers Wollongong commencing on Saturday 26 July.  An action oriented program, we’ll 4 boat dives at various deeper locations around Wollongong, possibly including the wreck of the SS Bombo, and sites around the Five Islands.

The use of enriched air (nitrox) can have significant benefits for some recreational deep dives, and the PADI Enriched Air Diver Course and the PADI Deep Diver course can be easily combined. As an option, you might consider undertaking both specialties in one integrated program.

For more information, contact Suzanne at United Divers on (02) 42285962, or contact me.

Oceanic has long been an innovator in dive equipment, and has a fantastic range for the recreational diver.  They are also taking a big step to bring the same quality and innovation to tech diving through their Hollis range.  I personally use Oceanic gear for much of my personal diving kit, and have always appreciated the customer service that I have received from the Oceanic team, through United Divers.

DiveOz is the leading Australian web portal for diving, with a very active discussion board. The work of Neil “Webguy” Miller, DiveOz has become the online destination for divers from Australia and well beyond.

There have been active discussions on DiveOz’s equipment forums about some people’s experiences with all brands of equipment, including Oceanic.  As with any discussion, not everyone’s experience has been 100% positive, and it is to the credit of the Oceanic team that they have joined the discussion and talk to people about their issues and concerns, as well as provide a place for Q&A about Oceanic and Hollis products.

A big well done to Webby and the Oceanic team for this initiative.

Known for constantly carrying a dSLR with him whereever he goes, Thomas Hawk (not his real name,FWIW) is a prolific poster of photos to his blog and to services like Flickr and Zooomr.  He is also known for group photo-walking.

Today Thomas Hawk has posted a very informative piece that describes his digital workflow.  This simple 9 step approach shows how Hawk approaches the task of quickly moving from capturing an image to the state of sharing his work.

I recommend every photographer take a good look at Thomas Hawk’s article on digital workflow.

Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection: My Photography Workflow