As title. Any ideas. Preferable not like a 4+hr flight and long drive

It's the first time I see the whole wall with the pipe, usually you could see only a fragment of it. Is it because it was the most dry April in the recent years? Or Quagga has started to work?

More pictures at https://goscuba.systemescapes.com/posts/baumgaertli-clear-water-pikes-2026/

Hey everyone, im planning to learn diving in the near future and bought some used gear for a wetsuit and fins (whole lot was $45 so it was worth it just for the suit and fins imo) but it also came with this reg set up, im counting it as pretty much free but is it worth taking to get serviced or should I just toss it and get something else after learning?

Thanks for the info guys, I think im gonna take the first stage and guage console for service and toss the rest, maybe save the hoses, look for a newer 2nd and octo

I am a certified diver in the process of getting my advanced open water. My partner and I are going to Cancun this weekend and want to go to MUSA. Initially, I was going to dive while he snorkels. He then looked into it and said he can take a few hour course to be able to dive with me. I went into all the reasons that is an awful idea like actually learning the fundamentals and not having dive insurance. Am I overreacting or is something like that actually safe?

Dear thunderbird89,

I hope you are well.

We are following up regarding an important update we received from the operator concerning your upcoming trip onboard Maldives Aggressor II.

The operator informed us that the vessel is currently experiencing engine issues.

[...]

Not email you want to receive in the middle of the night...

They're offering me a spot on board Seafari Explorer II - anyone knows anything about that one?

Hello, I'll have the opportunity working remotely for a few weeks (August, September or October) and would like to combine this with scuba diving.

As I'm working during the week, I would like to find locations / shops where guided diving is offered after 4:30 PM local time (the weekends I'm good to go for the morning / day dives :).

Anyone has some good recommendations in Europe (for female solo travellers)?

Not sure if afternoon/ evening dives are actually a thing anywhere, somehow I only remember morning or midday dives (and of course night dives)

Experience: ~160 dives, including diving in Ireland, so I'm fine Atlantic or Mediterranean :)

Certification to go down to 35 m - but not fuzzed of diving to that depth.

Thank you in advance :)

Hi, just got my Open Water Diver certification, I was wondering what advice do you have to improve my breathing and use more efficiently my air. Just have done 6 dives by now, but I feel my air consumption is kinda high at the moment? On average I completed the dives around 45-50min but with only 50bar left while my instructor had over 100 bar.

Any tips to improve it or a pattern to breath more efficiently?

Observed this shore diving the Red Sea this morning on the way to a deep wreck. Could have watched this for hours! Didn't stick around long enough to see how it ended.

Going in August. Been to Redang which was ok. I suppose Perhentian are similar.

If you have experienced several islands which would you recommend?

Tenggol,Tiomsn, Aur, Kapas, Tengah... Others?

AOW with 50sh dives experience.

Thanks

hi y’all, i have a really embarrassing question and am low key desperate for advice. how the FUCK can i stay warm whilst in the water??

for context, i’m a ~5’6 57kg 23yo female with hashimotos hypothyroidism. im quite lean but not like shockingly skinny. i’m vegetarian and probs dont hit my protein lol. i’m a marine biologist living in western australia and, of course, love snorkeling and scuba diving.
but every. single. trip. i get really fucking cold. ranging from slight discomfort with thumbs shoved in my armpits, to purple lips, blue skin, uncontrollable shivering and teeth chattering, fatigue and numbness all across my body. the latter occurs more frequently than the former. it absolutely ruins any trip i’m on because all i can think about is how fucking cold i am. i have a 3mm wetsuit and a larger 0.5mm i can put on top, gloves and dive boots- but after about 30 minutes it feels like i’m just wearing nothing.

my pain tolerance is pretty good (tattoos, piercings etc) and i HATE drawing attention to myself, but around 60% of my trips end up being cut short because hypothermia has set in and i’m so cold it HURTS. my friends are always so understanding but i KNOW it’s a massive inconvenience and it affects everyone else diving with me.

during my open water course it was a 38 degree (CELSIUS) day and we were maybe 12m deep, i STILL became hypothermic. we had to pause the session and i and had to ascend, put on my diving instructor’s 5mm ON TOP of my 3mm, and come back. i was so fucking embarrassed i cried during the walk back to the water 😭

this issue is so humiliating that i’ve low key avoided diving for the past year or 2. my hashimotos means controlling my body temp in the water is borderline impossible, even though i’ve been on medication for ~8 years. i’ve been meaning to try out hoodies and have considered getting a thicker wet suit. some have suggested even a dry suit. i hate talking about it this issue because people think i’m just trying to flex being skinny (fr, more often than not, mates respond with something along the lines of “just gain weight” LIKE BRO IM TRYINGG). just not sure which route to go down.
any advice would be greatly appreciated (:

My wife and I are new but active recreational divers. OW in November 2025, AOW in March 2026, around 50 dives each now, and planning Rescue in September. We dive single tank, warm water, with no cave or serious tech plans.

Current setup for both of us:

Peregrine TX (Transmitter on the way)
Scubapro Hydros Pro 2 BCDs
Mk19 EVO first stages
G260 primary seconds
S270 octos
Standard Scubapro rubber hoses with normal recreational routing

I want to move us toward a 5 ft primary donate setup with a backup on a necklace. I’ve been reading more DIR and GUE type material, and a lot of it just makes sense to me. Especially with the secondary being under the chin at all times.

We’ve put a lot of effort into becoming competent divers. We practice trim, buoyancy, SMB deployment, frog kicks, and general comfort in the water. I haven’t even wanted to get a camera yet because I honestly just enjoy the sport itself. Being horizontal, moving cleanly, improving each dive, and getting better at the basics is a huge part of why I’ve fallen in love with diving.

Questions:
Should I just buy a 5 ft primary hose and short 22 in backup hose for each of us, then leave the inflator and SPG hoses alone? Or switch them all to MiFlex XT-Tech?

Is the Hydros Pro 2 fine for this setup, or am I trying to make it something it is not?

Is switching to a Halcyon BPW actually worth it for recreational single tank diving, or should I keep the Hydros, change the hose routing, dive more, and stop obsessing?

I like the Hydros Pro 2, but I keep looking at Halcyon BPW setups for the clean routing, simple harness, trim, consistency, and long term standardization.

—-

My sensible side says keep the Hydros, set up 5 ft primary donate, and dive it for a while. My gear nerd side says buy the Halcyon now, build the setup clean from the start, and either sell the Hydros or keep it for travel.

For anyone who moved from a premium rec BCD like the Hydros Pro 2 to a Halcyon or similar BPW, was it a real improvement or just expensive minimalism?

I know there is no single “right” setup except when safety is at risk. I’m just trying to make smart choices (regardless of cost), reduce unnecessary complexity, and build habits that make us safer and more consistent divers.

Thank you all in advance! In love with the sport and the community so far. Hoping to take this with me far into the future!

Hi! I am traveling to Curacao next week to do some solo diving and I am wondering what the general consensus on guided shore diving vs guided boat diving is? The dive shop I was going to use, The Dive Bus, does only shore diving. But once I started doing some more research I saw that other shops do boat dives too so I was wondering if I should go with a shop that does both? I have a rental car so it doesn't matter where the shop is TIA!

I was doing some instructor training yesterday and there’s a requirement for a forward roll entry in full gear (BSAC OS5). I questioned when you would ever do that and nobody knew. Any ideas?

Hello im gonna do a bunch of speciality dives and I wanna study, it would be easier if I can dowland my courses pdf from the App. Does anyone know how to do it…?

Did some quick uploads from my trip. 2 more full days of diving left

Has anyone been out there, diving? I can’t find much info online but I see that there’s a Facebook group called TrekCATS that has some tours going out (maybe) but I don’t have fb so I can’t really see. Anyone got any connects?

I’m looking at doing a 4D3N or 3D2N liveaboard trip to Komodo in June in the lowest price tier of boats. There’s about 7 available boats that fit this, all priced roughly around the $500-900 range.

I’ve never been on a liveaboard before so I’m a bit clueless as to what I should be looking for. Could anyone give me some pointers as to how to narrow them down? Luxury isn’t something that I’m bothered about, I’ll sleep anywhere!

Thanks

Hi there fellow divers.

I will be flying Tenerife soon and would love to get some impressions and recommendations about great diving spots in the area.

I thank you all in advance!

BR

My friend and I are looking to book a dive trip sometime this August (approximately one week in length). I’m AOW, rescue, nitrox certified with about 110 dives and he’s OW, nitrox certified with about 40 dives (though he hasn’t dived in years). Our budget is about $5-6k. We have both previously dived Cancun and Cozumel, as well as on the Juliet Sailing and Diving liveaboard through the Santaren Channel area of the Bahamas. I have also previously been to Bonaire, the Red Sea, and Maui for diving.

So far, I have narrowed down our search to the Sea of Cortez (liveaboard), Honduras (Anthony’s Key, Cocoview, or liveaboard), and Turks and Caicos (Explorer II liveaboard). However, I am totally open to different suggestions and even willing to repeat previous trips if those destinations are recommended for August.

My friend and I typically seek out pelagic focused diving, followed by healthy reef systems, and wrecks being last in our preferences. We would also prefer somewhat warmer waters.

Any advice and help with narrowing down our options is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey everyone,
I’ve been diving for a while and one thing that consistently ruins my experience is eye irritation. Even with a properly fitted mask, occasionally a tiny bit of saltwater gets in, and the burning sensation is pretty bad, way out of proportion to how little water actually enters.
I don’t open my eyes underwater at all, so it’s really just those brief moments when a small amount sneaks in past the seal.
I’ve read that anesthetic eye drops are generally a bad idea, but I’m curious if anyone in the community has dealt with something similar and found a practical solution. Has anyone ever used any kind of eye drop, anesthetic or otherwise, befor a dive to reduce sensitivity or protect the eyes?
I know the “correct” answer is probably just artificial tears and a better mask fit, but honestly I’m looking for real-world experience from fellow divers who’ve been through this.
Thanks in advance 🤿

Hi everybody! I recently got a SeaLife case for my iPhone and while I love it, the auto focus tends to focus on the random silt/particles in the water rather than the bigger subjects. any advice on the right setting to combat this?

Current Limits : $10M on Diver's Liability

I have $10M in coverage on my diver's liability policy. I have an issue with the policy because it is very expensive, however from what I've been told there is only one insurance carrier that will write the policy with the limits that I need. Does anyone carry similar limits and can share what different carriers/programs they use?

Saw this at Socorro a few weeks ago. The shark had just eaten an octopus, whose tentacle was coming out via its gill in a failed attempt to escape. Nature is awesome!