Is this lifestyle right for you?

In my last post, I gave you my Top Five Reasons for Working on a Cruise Ship. I’ve had six very interesting years exploring the world on someone else’s dime and definitely seeing places I might not have chosen on my own.

But it’s not for everyone. So as promised, here are my five top reasons NOT to work on a cruise ship because every job has its benefits but it also has its unique challenges.

The Fiefdom

 I’ve worked with some wonderful people. But, as in any business, the cruise ship industry has its share of losers. The ships can become small fiefdoms with Hotel Directors, Captains and Chiefs the supreme ruler. It can be a place rife with bureaucracy and a privileged class. Officers with rank can abuse the power and be mean hearted or exclusive. On most ships there are separate areas for different ranks for recreation (crew/petty officers/officers) such as bars and dining halls. If you are a low ranking crew member you might not have access to certain public areas or you may be denied the freedom you would have at home to have an alcoholic beverage. There are cabin inspections and grooming rules. Many companies have rules, but on a cruise ship they define not just your 9-5 but your entire lifestyle for the duration of your time on board (there’s no “escape from the office). The smaller the cruise ship, generally the less of this you will find. This is one reason I have always worked on more intimate ships where crew consider themselves more of a family.

On duty Even When you are Not

 Depending on your position you may or may not have defined hours of work. In my work, I don’t have too many set hours but put in the time necessary to complete the work that’s expected of me. For some crew members, they have definite work hours, usually around 10 hours a day. However, even when you are not working you are. On a cruise ship you are never more than a phone call or radio call away if something comes up. But more than this, you have to remember that at all times in public areas you represent the line. Outside of crew areas you must always be properly dressed and “on”. If you the kind of person who wants to have a bad day and stay hidden below decks, think twice about this job. You have to always be able to smile no matter how bad your day is or even if you are “off duty” a guest can, and will, demand of you at any time.

 As the Propeller Turns

 Cruise ships are gossip mills, there is no doubt or no denying this. If you don’t want anyone knowing your business, don’t do it. You can’t hide anything. If you have skeletons in your closet, stay at home. There are plenty of ways to get yourself in trouble on a cruise ship. If you are a single women expect to be hit on a lot. If that’s what you are looking for then maybe this IS the place for you but if you “get around” so will your reputation. All the years I have worked on cruise ships I have been married but trust me, even that doesn’t stop many men, be it guest or crew, from trying. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the gossip mill. Remember that the ship is your home for a length of time. This means not only is it your place of employment but it is also your social and entertainment home. Think twice about what you do and who you do it with.

The Things Back Home

 I’m referring here to what you leave behind. First, family and friends. You will be leaving them for extended periods. Friends will continue their lives without you and you might find that in time your friends move on without you. This can be very difficult for some people. You will also be away from your family for months at a time. You will not be able to pop home for a wedding or family reunion. If there is a death in the family you can usually leave for a small amount of time and at your own expense. My mother once commented to me that as she flipped through the scrapbooks of our family events, she noticed how many photos I wasn’t in. If you need to call your best friend or your mother every day, this is not the job for you. As well, if you are someone who needs the freedom to drive your car, head out to the movies or if you must get to the opera twice a month, consider a different form of employment. The ship WILL become your life and WILL consume you.

Addiction to the Lifestyle

 Adventure jobs, including cruise ships, can provide a very addicting lifestyle. You can take this as a good or a bad thing. Ship life gets in your blood even with all of its gossip, fiefdoms, and 15 hour work days. Often, people go home for vacation and simply can’t see anything else that is as exciting as having their home move around the world every day and the 24/7 hustle of a city on the water. There is always something going on. So many times, I hear, “I’m never coming back”. Then a few months later, any bad memories fade and you start to wonder what your friends on board are doing or what port they are in today and you long to be a part of that again. I have some dear friends I worked with on ships in 1994. On four separate occasions we had going away parties for them and four times they returned to the ships. Now they have given up any idea of ever leaving and today they are still sailing around the world.

If you have a skill that is needed on a cruise ship, take a hard look at the kind of person you are and if you have the temperament for this lifestyle. Consider these ten reasons I have given you in my last two posts, both the good and the bad. And if you need more reasons, let me know…I’m always happy to help.

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Many people ask me about working on cruise ships. I have spent six years working on board as part of a ship’s crew and many more years leading groups on board. All of my work has been on small ships meaning 300 passengers or less. I find it more personal to work in this atmosphere. If I was a 21 year old, I might feel differently and opt for a large ship with lots going on but the small ships fit better for me.

Here are five of my top reasons for choosing adventure jobs at sea.

World Travel With a Cruise Ship Job 

If you want to “see the world”, working on board a ship is a great way to do it. Especially if you choose a cruise line that has many varied itineraries, you can cover a lot of countries, perhaps even an around the world cruise. You travel while you work and travel while you sleep so there’s no “wasted” travel days. You don’t have to make any of the arrangements and you wake up in the morning with your office in a different place every day. How amazingly cool is that?

Now, with that said, how MUCH of a place you actually see will vary. If seeing the world is a top priority, then be sure to get yourself the type of on board job where you can actually get off the ship and see the port of call. If you work in an on board shop for example, then the shop actually must be closed while in port and if you don’t have other responsibilities, chances are you’ll have a great deal of free time to explore. Or perhaps work in the Shore Excursion department where some of your job may be to escort tours. Yes, you will be counting heads and keeping an eye on your guests but you too will be seeing the wonders of the world and get paid to do it!

get a job that gives you free time to explore!

Making International Friends With A Cruise Ship Job

Not that my friends at home are boring but it’s so mind opening to meet and develop friendships with people from around the world. The current ship I am working on hosts employees from Indonesia, Philippines, Ukraine, England, S. Africa, India, The Caribbean, Poland and the USA and this is a minuscule crew of less than 100.

Today I had lunch with a new couple just arriving to work in our casino. They are newlyweds and she is from S. Africa and he is from India. That may seem like an unlikely couple until you realize that they met on ships. Every day, our Ukranian Chief Engineer asks us about how things are going in the US and do people like O’Bama and how various things work. We learned that you can get any type of certification in the Ukraine by simply buying it and that it is outrageously expensive to learn to drive there. Every day, I have fascinating conversations with my international friends and learn just a little bit more about our diverse world.

Meet great International friends on board!

Family Atmosphere in a Cruise Ship Job

 This doesn’t mean bring your kids and get a job on a cruise ship. This means that all the crew I work with are like a family. Because we are a small ship we take care of each other. We celebrate the special holidays together no matter if we are Christian, Muslim or Hindu. On board a cruise ship, because you eat, work and sleep so close to each other the time frame to become close shrinks. I know more about the crew on board this ship in a month than I still know about friends I have had all my life at home who I meet once a month for dinner. We cover for each other when necessary and keep each other in line when needed. Everyone is welcome at our table at any time.

Intense work/Extended time off  With a  Cruise Ship Job

Working on board a cruise ship is very different than working a 9-5, Monday to Friday job. There are no “days off”. Cruise ships only make money when they are sailing with guests. You don’t drop off guests and have a couple days to recoup. We disembark at 8:30am and embark new guests 4 1/2 hours later. The work is intense and tiring but everyone’s pulling the hours so we all pull together. We work a six month contract so 180 days straight. Some crew members work as many as ten months straight. But, the reward for this is that I have two months off at the end.

Think about what you can do if you had two entire months free! You could do anything from volunteer somewhere to climb mountains to rent a villa in Italy to backpack SE Asia……the possibilities are endless. You are now not limited to 2 weeks out of 52 and then straight back to the grind. This is a HUGE advantage to this type of lifestyle. One vacation, we took a month and cruised all over Australia and then up to PNG to go diving. This vacation, we are leading a group to climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro, then heading to Mozambique to go scuba diving and then to S. Africa for a safari.

Extended vacation time!

Domestic Chores With a Cruise Ship Job

How much time do you spend doing domestic chores? Think about it and read my blog post, How do you spend your life? One of the great reasons to work on board a ship is that you do not spend ANY of your time doing laundry (I just stick it in a bag and leave it on my bed!- all ships vary). I also don’t clean my own cabin, make my bed or vacuum. And while I do like to cook, I don’t have to cook ANY of my own meals. Just show up, eat and hand someone the dishes to wash. If you were to calculate how many hours a week you spend doing all these chores and then multiply that by 50 (give yourself two weeks of vacation a year) you’ll be surprised at the number. Then think about what you could do with those hours? Learn a new language? Spend it on a beach with a margarita? Learn a new sport?

Look, I don't have to do the dishes!

Cruise ship life is NOT for everyone but if you are thinking about giving it a go, these are five great reasons to go for it.  Be sure to watch for my next post on my five top reasons NOT to get a cruise ship job!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

You can have a great lifestyle on board

Number 2- Care More About DOING than HAVING.

Yesterday, my blog post explored the concept of Using Your Adventurous Mind.  I proposed six principles to help you live a life “off the couch” and “outside the box”.  My first principle is Cultivating the Ability to Think Outside Your Area Code.  My second principal explains the idea of Caring more about DOING than HAVING.

This doesn’t mean that having an adventurous life is synonymous with being poor or not having any material things.  This is about the attitude of doing instead of having.  I see this part of life in two distinct ways.

If you care more about having then you will spend your life in one place and bring things to you.  You will surround yourself with the comforts that isolate you from experiencing the world outside of your backyard.  If you care more about having, then you will strap yourself with a big mortgage on a big home, buy a boat, a plane, a nice car and a closet full of this year’s fashions.  Now, there are an elite few who have all this and can still afford the adventurous life but that’s certainly not the norm.  So, now that you have accumulated all this “stuff”, you are tied to payments and a physical space by these “things”.  You must stay at your job and hope you don’t get laid off so you can pay for all your toys.  You have now become a slave to your things.  It’s a vicious circle.  Now, if you decide you want to take a vacation and travel, you must be sure you can afford both and you must hurry back from your travels to get back to work to pay for your stuff.

But what if you cared less for the stuff and more about experiences. Then you don’t end up pulling things into and isolating your life, but rather, you go out and GET experiences and broaden your world.  Perhaps you can live in a more modest house and not have the latest fashions or a shiny new car every year.  But, everything is paid for except your manageable mortgage.  Now, you can take your money and DO something with it.  You’ll have an amazing experience and when you get home, you can enjoy the memories for a lifetime and not worry about the next payment.

What are some ways you can figure out if you care more about doing rather than having?

1. Take the Monday test. Pretend it’s Monday morning and you have a full year off.  Money, time and other responsibilities are no object.  What would you do?  Surprisingly this is not an easy question for many people to answer.  Do you find yourself saying you would buy a fancy car and stay at home and work?  Doubt it.  Get into your self and think long and hard on this.  You may just find your passion there and you will most likely find that it has nothing to do with owning things but experiencing things.

2. Make a list of ALL the things you want to accomplish in your life.  I would guess that many of them have nothing to do with material things.  I bet it’s a long list and I bet that you couldn’t accomplish them all in one lifetime.  I would also guess that buying a 25’ boat is not on that list.  If it’s not, then why did you buy the boat and now are strapped with 10 years of payments you can’t get out from under?

Now, what if you took this a step further?  What if you lived your LIFE, not just your VACATION, for experiences.  What if you thought about life with the end goal in mind?  What if you decided what experiences you wanted in life FIRST and then figured out a way to pay for them, rather than getting a “JOB” and then in your “spare” time (a couple of weeks a year) tried to cram in your life.

Yes, it seems backwards.  But who says I have to work 40 hours a week for 40 years to THEN get what I want in life.  What if I DECIDED what I want and then figured out how to get there and do it.

NOW you are beginning to think using the adventurous mind.

Your ability to honestly live this principle often goes hand in hand with the your ability to accomplish principle number three which we will explore in my next post, Cultivating the Ability to Discard What Others Think of You.

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Juggling for village children in Indonesia. Doing for others.

Beautiful beach at Harbour Village Resort

Do you want to:

Do some great diving with a fun group of people?
Hone your dive skills under the supervision of top instructors?
Finish up a diving certification?
Get a great deal on a vacation?
Have a once in a lifetime adventure?

If you answered “Yes” to any of those questions, then you belong with us.

What’s the adventure?

A group of fun friends is getting together for a week of diving, snorkeling, exploring, partying and chilling out in one of the best dive destinations in the Caribbean.

Who Dives With Us?

We travel with a fun and diverse group of people who love adventure and having fun.  We travel in style and like a margarita or glass of wine at the end of the day.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or highly experienced, its about sharing some great dives during a fun week in the sun.  We have people that are just beginning and others with hundreds of dives.  Some divers have non diving spouses/partners.

Private beach dinner at Harbour Village

Lifelong friends are made with Global Diving Adventures

What’s the DEAL?

Harbour Village Beach Club (member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World) is the top boutique resort on Bonaire and they put together a great deal for us.  Plus when you go with us,  all the diving instruction including open water certification, advanced certification, nitrox certification and u/w photography instruction is free.  Yes, free.

What to Bring:

We can help with any gear rental you need and recommendations if you need to buy any gear.  Other than that, its bathing suits, t-shirts and flip flops.

What not to bring:

Attitude … unless its your happy diving attitude!

Whatever we do, it's ALWAYS a blast!

Details you want to know:

DATES Nov 5-12 2011
Package Price: (P/P based on double occupancy):
$1375.00 diver Courtyard or Marina View Room;
$1120.00 non-diver Courtyard or Marina View Room;
$800.00 per person upgrade to Beachfront Suite

Included: 7 nights Accommodations with continental breakfast at Harbour Village Beach Club , 6 days of diving (2 boat dives per day and unlimited shore diving -weather permitting), group transfers, services of expedition leaders including all certification courses taught, slide shows, shore snorkeling, sailboats/kayaks/tennis courts/jacuzzi and fitness center at Harbour Village and other fun stuff on the island.
Not Included: Air transportation, meals except breakfast, travel insurance, dive insurance, beverages, items of a personal nature, departure tax where applicable, excess baggage fees, SCUBA or snorkel equipment, marine park fees where applicable, dive staff gratuities.

ARRIVAL AIRPORT: Bonaire (BON)

WHO IS ORGANIZING AND LEADING THIS TRIP?

Ridlon and Carin Kiphart are highly accomplished expedition leaders, have guided on all seven continents and are members of the prestigious Explorers Club.  Together they have over 12,500 dives.  Ridlon is an accomplished underwater photographer and Carin was recently inducted into the SSI Platinum Pro 5000.

HOW DO I JOIN?

All you have to do is say, Yes.  Send us an email here.  We will need a 25% deposit, some paperwork and then you’re space is reserved.

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Young Island, the dive and party place of the jet set will be OURS this August 6th-13th as we launch a James Bond style takeover of the floating sensation, the Coconut Bar.

Happy Times at the Coconut swim up bar on Young Island

Before the fall rolls around, soccer practice starts and your evening computer programing class sucks you in…..get away for one last summer fling.  

We are gathering our excellent friends, dive buddies and beach babes for a week of diving, beaching and just plain chilling out!!

We have teamed up with the incomparable Young Island Resort and Dive St. Vincent (who can resist owner Bill Tewes charm (?)) to search out the rare and the way cool critters that live in the waters off beautiful St. Vincent.

Great critters in the clear, blue Caribbean

We’ll dive in the mornings leaving ample time to explore the lush island of St. Vincent, enjoy the beach, the pool, or swim out to the coconut bar and enjoy the company of friends.

It’s a one week easy getaway to the blue waters of the Caribbean with Global Diving Adventures!

Stuff you’ll want to know:

DATES    Aug 6-13
Package

Price: (P/P based on double occupancy):

$2650.00 diver Superior Cottage

$
2950.00 diver Deluxe Cottage

$3550.00 diver Luxury Cottage with Private Plunge Pool
Included: 7 nights Accommodations at Young Island Resort, 5 days of diving (2 dives per day -weather permitting), BLD for seven days, group transfers, use of underwater digital camera and video, services of expedition leaders including any specialty courses taught, nitrox certification, slide shows and other fun stuff on the island.
Not Included: Air transportation, travel insurance, dive insurance, alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, departure tax where applicable, excess baggage fees, SCUBA or snorkel equipment, marine park fees where applicable, dive staff gratuities.
ARRIVAL AIRPORT: St. Vincent (SVD)

Email us for more information or to join us!
Sharkman@globaldivingadventures.com

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

The largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark, is also one of the most docile.  I can’t imagine any other multiple ton animal that I would swim two feet in front of.  What I mean is that I ‘ve been so close that I could reach out and stick my fingers in his 5 foot wide mouth!  These monolithic dinosaurs have roamed the seas for millions of years as filter feeders scooping up huge mouthfuls of water and filtering plankton and small fish through their gills.  If you get close to one while it’s feeding you can see the cascade of water being sucked in.

Getting up close and personal, you can also see a simply magnificent pattern on its back.  This gigantic animal is camouflaged!  Can you even begin what an animal this size would need to be camouflaged from?  It has a beautiful dark back patterned with white spots.  These spots are like fingerprints as each animal has a unique and personal pattern.  Scientists are doing cutting edge research to identify and track these animals so we can better understand and protect them from illegal fishing.  They are now using “trianglization” techniques of the spots like they do with stars.  As the animal grows, the distance between the spots will change but the angles of the “constellation” of the spots remains the same.  They are also counter shaded like other large pelagics meaning that they are light on the underside to camouflage them from the bottom and dark on the top so they blend in with the dark water as you look down.

Check out the spots on this giant!

The whale shark, Rhincodon Typus, can reach lengths up to over 50 feet!  It is one of THE most exhilarating life experiences to be in the water with a whale shark.  There are numerous places you can find whale sharks since they are circumtropical.  However, they also are migratory so you find them in different places throughout the year.

One of the places in the world with the largest gathering of whale sharks is the small, laid back island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, just a 15 minute ferry ride from Cancun.  Last summer alone the gathering numbered over 500 animals!  The government has put into place protection measures so the animals are not disturbed or hassled.  You can go by small boat out to the gathering area in the summer months and in groups of just two with a guide, you can snorkel with these giants of the sea. It is illegal to scuba dive with them.

Here is a link to a great video done by Blue Sphere Media.

Whale Shark Video
The sea holds some of the most amazing wildlife watching opportunities on the planet.  Our company, Global Diving Adventures, aims to see it all!  If you have an interest in going to see the whale sharks of Isla Mujeres, we are planning a unique adventure August 14th-20, 2011.  This is a trip where you don’t need to be a diver to join us! We would love to have you come along!  Email us for details and pricing at sharkman@globaldivingadventures.com

laid back island, beautiful beaches!

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Me and my favorite whale shark!

For Mantagirl, it’s….well…manta rays of course!!! Why? I’ll explain, but first there seems to be a lot of confusion over different species of rays. Let me try to clear that up.

The three rays you are most likely to see snorkeling or diving in tropical oceans are the sting ray, spotted eagle ray and manta ray. They are very easily distinguishable from each other. Scientifically, they are all the same down the line of scientific classification through Order. They are all Elasmobranchs (cartilaginous fishes) and are all of the order Myliobatiformes. At the family level they split. Ah…yes, so many families split up these days…….

Anyways…..

Sting rays are named for the barb at the base of the tail and are the animals of stupid Steve Irwin fame. They feed mostly on mollusks and crustaceans and use smell and electro receptors to detect their prey in the sand. You can find them on the bottom often concealed in the sand. They are not aggressive and use their barbs only in self defense. These are the rays that people “swim” with at Stingray City in the Cayman Islands.

Sting rays like this Southern at Sting Ray City live on the bottom

Spotted Eagle rays are named for their white spots on the top of their bodies and reach a length of 8 feet measured wingtip to wingtip. They also have a defensive barb at the base of their tail. These magnificent rays have large heads and powerful mouths for crushing the shells of their main prey, mollusks and crustaceans. They are not bottom rays but powerful ocean swimming rays. While they skim the bottom for food, you will not see this ray laying on the bottom of the sea.

Spotted Eagle Rays are cean swimming rays that feed in the sand

Manta rays, in my opinion are the most stunning member of the ray family. And also the largest. The largest ocean going Pacific manta has been measured at 22 feet across!! They do not have barbs on their tails and do not feed in the sand. These rays are plankton feeders and use two fins on either side of their mouths to scoop and filter planktonic material out of the water. These cephalic fins are rolled up when not in use and open when the rays are either feeding or being cleaned at cleaning stations. Most mantas are countershaded for protection with white bellies and black tops, however mostly or all black mantas are not uncommon. Each manta has a distinct pattern of spots and splotches top and bottom.

Mantagirl filming three circling mantas at a cleaning station

So now that you can identify the different rays, let me tell you why I LOVE mantas. To me, they are the ballerinas of the sea. They are incredibly graceful and I get the feeling that they simply love life, making great loops and turns in the water. This is how they feed, by making huge back rolls scooping up plankton. It just looks like so much FUN! When they come into a cleaning station, they make long lazy turns like a 747 in the sky, allowing the cleaner fish to do their job.

They have these incredible piercing eyes behind their cephalic fins which seem to stare into my eyes whenever I am watching them. But it’s a kind stare, more of a gaze than a glare. I can, and do watch them for hours!

The best way to observe mantas is to go to a cleaning station. Give them some space around the station and stay outside of their “circle”. Then just settle in on the bottom and wait. The mantas become easily relaxed with you watching and will often become curious. Often, they will circle over your head and at times, I’ve even had to duck!! Each time they circle past those eyes captivate me! THIS is why manta rays ROCK!

Sit quietly and the mantas will often come right to you

Like all humans, when we have these kind of encounters, we like to think that we’ve made a special connection to an animal, that perhaps we’ve “bonded”. Maybe we do and maybe we don’t but the lasting memory of the experience leaves an impression for a lifetime.

What’s your favorite critter? Share your story!!

To Your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of guided SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

Yesterday on Facebook, a friend named Jennifer commented on one of my photos.  She mentioned that she had tried scuba diving but had a bad experience.  This made me very sad.  But it was also not the first time I had heard this comment.  In fact, I hear it quite often.  So today I thought I would post to encourage all of you out there who have had a difficult, bad, scary, or downright frightening first experience in the water to try it again.

There is NOTHING in the world that compares to the feeling of scuba diving, the freedom of swimming free in the water and hanging out with the fishes.  Would YOU Like to be the one in manta photos I posted yesterday?  You can!!!!

This could be you!

So….here are five beginning tips that might help you turn a bad experience into one of a lifetime.

1. If you are nervous or afraid of trying scuba diving, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

You are not alone. Most people are nervous their first time on scuba

Understand that most everyone has this feeling.  You are relying both on unfamiliar equipment and often an unfamiliar instructor for your life support.  From the time I decided I wanted to learn to dive to the time I signed up for my course an entire year was wasted. I was that nervous.  Now, 25 years and 7500 dives later, it has altered the path of my life and become my greatest passion.

2. ASK QUESTIONS!

Many people do not ask questions when they go into new situations and so their fears remain.  If you don’t understand something, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, ask your instructor.  My fear has always been flying and I used to be afraid that someone would open the door at 35,000 feet and we would all be sucked out of the plane.  Seem like a dumb thing?  Yep!  But I finally asked someone the question and learned that it was impossible to open the door while traveling 500 mph at 35,000 feet.  So, with education, I alleviated my fear.

3. TELL your instructor your fear.

Let your instructor know that you’ve tried this before and what happened.  If your fear is claustrophobia, or deep water or whatever, your instructor can explain the reasons not to have the fear you have.  I had a student once who was terrified of fish!!!  I never would have figured THAT one out!  Many people are claustrophobic and I am the world’s biggest claustrophobe!  BUT under the water, I feel like the world is totally open in front of me and I have none of that fear. An instructor can help you get over your fears, but you have to TELL them what they are.

4. Have the RIGHT equipment and conditions.

Be sure to have the right fitting equipment!

Again, since you are new to the sport, you probably don’t know what is the right equipment.  But you do know that if your mask is leaking something isn’t right.  If you experience a leaky mask, stop and ask for one that does fit your face.  If something doesn’t feel right you will obsess on whatever it is and you will have a miserable experience whether it is fins that don’t fit or your BCD that is digging into your back.  Just an aside, I think the mask is THE most important piece of equipment to be comfortable with.  If it is foggy or leaky you will have more of a tendency for panic.  So here is an important idea that I instill in my students.  Even if you cannot see (meaning your mask is flooding or leaking or foggy)  you CAN still breathe and while it may be uncomfortable and inconvenient, it can be easily solved, even underwater.  However, first and foremost be sure to have properly working equipment. Also, be sure to go out on a day with good weather conditions.  Rough seas and poor visibility can add stress to your experience.  Be patient and wait for the right time.

5. Find the RIGHT instructor!

Don’t be afraid to ask for credentials!  You are entrusting your life to your instructor.  Find out about them and if you have a nagging feeling that this is not the right person to teach you, find someone else.  Trust me, 23 years ago, you DID NOT want me as your instructor, just ask my little sister (sorry Cathy!).  Of course, since you are new to this whole sport, you probably feel you don’t know the right questions to ask.  You might ask how many first timers they’ve taken under or how long they have been teaching.  But if I were nervous about it or especially if I had a bad experience in the past, I would be sure to ask for the most patient instructor.  Also, many women prefer to have women teach them.  Don’t be afraid to make your request.  I love teaching women and instilling confidence in them.  I think that this is THE most important tip.  Find someone you know, like and trust or someone who will take the time to understand you and your fears, to give you this experience of a lifetime.

Find the right instructor for you. Here are three right here!

Find a patient instructor to show you the ropes!

Honestly, did you really like beer the first time you tried it?

How many things in your life were perfect the first time?  How many things did you not enjoy on your first try? Don’t let the fact that you had a poor first experience with scuba keep you out of the water the rest of your life.  Give it another go.  I KNOW you can have an amazing experience under the water and find a whole new world down there.  This post is for all the “Jennifers” out there who I encourage to try again!

Trust me!  I’m a scuba instructor!

To your Adventures!

Mantagirl

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

Check us out at www.live-adventurously.com!

We all travel differently.  Mainly because we value different things.  Where do you put your emphasis?  How do you spend the dollars that you’ve allotted for your vacation?  It’s something to think about and plan for.  Perhaps if you put less dollars into getting there you could stay longer.  Or if you stayed in a nicer hotel it would impact your overall experience.  Maybe taking the cheap way out by traveling off season means your holiday is rained out and therefore ruined…. I recommend spending some time to determine what is important to you before you purchase.

Getting There

The Flight- First class or Economy??

For some, getting there in style and comfort is above all.  It’s first class flat bed seat or nothing.  Perhaps it’s because they are physically larger or taller and traveling around the world in an economy airplane seat would wreck them for a week.  The overall experience traveling first class is definitely less stressful and more fun.  You are treated with actual respect, offered a beverage in a real glass and served almost real food.

For me, economy does fine (though I love the upgrades when I get them).  I would rather spend my money elsewhere.  Often, I will take a flight with more stops or one that is less convenient to save money and put those resources to better use.  Fortunately, I am not a big person so I can survive economy.  I just slap on the noise canceling headphones, curl up in the seat and go to my happy place.

For some, it's the only way to travel.

Transit Overnights

Transit overnights can add a lot of cost to getting there.  But, again, it depends on what is important to you.  At Changi airport in Singapore for instance, there is a beautiful Crowne Plaza hotel you can stay at very conveniently and in luxury for about $200/night.  However, I can also grab a sleeping room inside the airport and pay by the hour.  I can get a good night’s sleep for about $50.  Again, when I travel, I prefer to put my money to use elsewhere rather than getting there.

Being There

Hotel/Resort

I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for.  But here as well, think about what is important to you.  I have seen many people choose a budget hotel and then complain about the service and amenities.  However, you don’t have to stay in five star luxury to have a good time, unless that is what is important to you on a vacation.  And for our guests at Global Diving Adventures, good friends, good food and luxury accommodations are just as important as great diving.  So we focus on providing both.  This August we are hosting a group in Isla Mujeres.  Total cost for the trip will be about $3000/person for the week inclusive.  Yes, we could run the trip for $1500 BUT we would not be using the luxurious Villa Rolandi on a gorgeous beach with all the amenities.  Having a beautiful view, perhaps something romantic, a spacious junior suite the best food and highly experienced guides is worth a little extra.

Luxury travel with Global Diving Adventures, join us HERE in August 2011

I firmly believe you get what you pay for

Time of Year

Here is where many people get into trouble when they plan a trip.  You can find all the deals you want on the internet.  You can find incredible deals anywhere if it’s in the off season.  And here again, I say, you get what you pay for.  A few years ago, I was in Australia at a dive shop on Heron Island.  A diver was bitterly complaining about the dive conditions and the weather and how he could have had better diving if he had stayed in the Caribbean.  Then he blamed his travel agent.  I turned to him and explained that he had booked his trip during the middle of the rainy, low visibility season and that was not his travel agent’s fault.  He needed to be diligent about his research.  BUT….he got a deal…Some deal that turned out to be!  I knew it was the poor season to be there but it was the only time I could get there.  So I prepared myself for the rain and low vis and looked on it with a professional  eye for it’s potential for a future trip during the best dive season.

What Will You Remember?

You won't remember what you paid but you WILL remember this!

Price vs. Experience

And how many people care more about the price than the experience?  Well, I believe that it depends on when you ask them!!!  Ask people when they are planning the trip and they are all about saving money and the deal they are getting.  Ask them when they are ON the trip and they have a crummy hotel room, it’s raining and there are no whale sharks in sight because it’s not the right season.  People want the cheapest price first and then complain that their expectation did not meet their reality.

I’m not saying you can’t have an experience of a lifetime on a budget.  What I AM saying is to pay attention to where you are spending your money and make sure that you get the experience that you are expecting.  Down the road you won’t remember what you spent on that trip of a lifetime but you WILL remember the experience.

To your Adventures!

Mantagirl

check out our upcoming adventures at, www.live-adventurously.com.

Great friends, luxury travel!

Global Diving Adventures is a premium provider of SCUBA diving vacations and advice on travel, adventure & the adventure lifestyle.  We provide our guests and friends the experiences and knowledge to live an extraordinary life through adventure.

500+ sq ft villas to pamper our divers at Xandari

Pampered at Xandari Resort in San Jose

While in the San Jose area, we got out to see the sights taking a scenic drive up to Poas Volcano which cleared in and out giving us some views deep inside the crater followed by a great hike through the cloud forest while, Jorge, our guide taught us about the great flora in between joking around. We’ve known and worked with Jorge for about seven years so we had no doubt he would hit it off with everyone! He instantly became one of the family! We sampled the local strawberries just coming into season, found a rarely seen Quetzal bird, sampled Costa Rican Coffee and laughed A LOT! Ruben, being Columbian, found the bumper sticker, “Juan Valdez drinks Costa Rican Coffee” pretty hilarious!!

Carin and Liz sample the "just in season" strawberries

Ruben our Columbian, "What DID he think of this bumper sticker?"

Great fun siteseeing in the Central Valley

On the way down to the coast to meet the Argos, our dive boat, we welcomed a few more divers to our fold and headed down to one of the highest and most exciting zip lines in Costa Rica. Al strapped on his helmet cam and off we went flying through the forest. The fastest line was over 50mph!!! What a riot!!!! And of course, since we had Liz and Lee along, we stopped after the zipline for a celebratory Imperial, the local cerveza!

One of the highest zips in Costa Rica!

Over 50mph on this one!

Luxury on Board the Argo in Cocos Island

The Argo complete with luxury AND a sub!

We arrived at Argo mid afternoon. The Argo is the Undersea Hunter’s most upscale dive boat. With eight large and well appointed cabins, we were definitely traveling in style!!!! We were also loaded with Deep See, the incredible deep diving submarine, capable of taking the divers to a depth of 1000’!!!

The trip was specifically planned for the dry season in Costa Rica to give us the best chance of a smooth crossing. The thirty six hour ride out to Cocos Island can be a gut buster if you are prone to seasickness and can be a day and a half of misery! However, we had beautiful, calm seas and a sunny day to enjoy and made it in just 31 hours!

On the drive to Cocos!

Even Rebreather diving at Cocos Island!

We took advantage of the crossing time to surprise the divers with a special treat. One of Ridlon’s dreams was to do a rebreather expedition to Cocos. So we decided to bring along Ron Benson of Silent Explorers to give the divers an introduction to the true silent world underwater. Ron gave an inspiring talk, explaining the advantages as well as the intricacies of diving rebreathers. EVERYONE, including the crew was interested and attended the talk. Even for the divers who did not want to actually dive the rebreather, it was fascinating to learn! Ron brought both a KISS and a REVO rebreather for everyone to try, an INCREDIBLE experience.

Ridlon then gave a refresher talk on Nitrox since everyone would be diving on it to give longer bottom times at intermediate depths. Carin went about the business of setting up the dive gear, leaving the guests worry free to simply enjoy the day.

Before we knew it happy hour was upon us!!!!

Diving at Cocos Island with Undersea Hunter Group

The next morning we cranked up the tunes and got ready to dive!!!!! We planned the trip specifically for both the dry season and La Nina. During a La Nina, the water temperatures drop and the cool water brings the hammerheads and other sharks up shallow. However, sometimes you plan everything perfectly and it just doesn’t happen the way it’s supposed to. Welcome to dealing with mother nature! This La Nina is proving to be one of the strongest ever and exceptionally cold water brought nutrient rich upwellings. We had temperatures ranging 80 and visibility of 100’ in the very shallow waters of the southern sites like Dos Amigos but also 58 degrees and 30 foot vis at Punta Maria. So every morning, we scoured the dive sites sometimes checking three or four sites before finding the best one to dive. Having really cold temperatures deep, however, brought all the fish to the surface. We had HUGE schools of fish in the shallows but the hammerheads seemed to elude us most of the time.

The Yellow Team!

The Blue Team!

At Dos Amigos dive site, Cocos

That doesn’t mean we didn’t have fantastic dives!! Ridlon’s group had a spectacular dive at Shark Fin Rock with two dolphin playing with them for over 20 minutes! My group had a dive at Submerged rock with a gorgeous yellow fin tuna racing through a school of green jack with eight almaco jack on its heals. The “normal” predators of the reef like the trevally jack, simply sat in a school off the rock and let the “big boys” take over!

And how about the Deep Sea Sub at Cocos Island- What a Thrill!

One of the highlights of the trip was the sub. The Deep Sea sub works with both scientific teams as well as recreational divers. During our trip, the sub worked with the crew from “Ocean” who were there tagging hammerheads and tiger sharks. Five of our group also took the plunge to see what the world looks like at 1000’. For sure it was our deepest dive in our log books and an experience of a lifetime!

Deep Sea getting prepped for a dive

Ron, the rebreather instructor was the hit of the party! The majority of the divers gave the rebreather a try. And the outcome was that once they got down in the sand with no bubbles and waited quietly, schools of 25-30 hammerhead sharks flew overhead. They were not skittish or shy and at one point one hammerhead’s tail even hit Ron’s video camera! Wow, we now saw the amazing advantage of diving rebreathers! Once the first diver saw that, everyone lined up to give it a go!!!!!! Ridlon even managed to get fully certified to dive the KISS rebreather.

Ridlon gets rebreather certified!

Mike learns on the rebreather

The Shark Tribe- a Great Family of Diving Friends

It was fantastic to have many of our long time divers with us again such as Lee and Liz, Mike and Marcia, Raoul, and Ruben and Marilyn. It’s like a family reunion when we all get together. But it’s just as fun to welcome new divers to our group. We were joined on this trip by Mike from Florida whom we met diving in Fiji in March as well as Al, a long time skydiver who found us on ScubaBoard! Ron, our rebreathing instructor from Minnesota became an instant tribe member and Eric and Anne from France gave the group a great international feel. Rounding out the group was Janet and Dwight who found out about us through the Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society. So people are finding us through everything from our website to ScubaBoard to chance meetings in Fiji! It’s so much fun!!!

The seven days of diving went way too fast! We celebrated Eric’s 100th dive and Mike’s 200th as well as my birthday (we’ll just skip the numbers on that one!). We had bbq’s and waterfall hikes, happy hours and naps. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh any more and the wetsuits never dried from logging LOTS of bottom time.

Be careful celebrating 100 dives with THIS crew!

On the way back to Xandari for our last night of the trip, we hiked through Cararra National Park to see macaws and monkeys and cruised up the river to spot crocodiles and spoonbills.

It was an adventure filled two weeks and a great time had by all! Please join us for an upcoming adventure. To join our newsletter list and keep up on all the happenings of our tribe of divers, simply email me at: mantagirl@live-adventurously.com.

The 2011 "shark tribe"

We hope you will be inspired to join us!

www.live-adventurously.com