Whether I find myself twisting through endless cenote passageways or drifting bird-like over Cozumel's reefs, I never cease to be astonished by the underwater world. When I am below the surface, I focus on precision and diving technique. At the same time, I turn my attention outwards and lose part of myself in the magical movement of the water and the rhythm of my breathing. Diving is a sort of meditation for me. As I have observed the health of my home reefs decline and begun to find trash in my favorite caves, the ebullience I experience underwater is tempered with the fear that I will soon lose my favorite places to pollution, unsustainable development and environmental decline.

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Calling all divers! Have ever traveled to Thailand to dive? Do you know someone who has? Help reader Marissa out with advise on where to dive in Thailand. She writes:

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My new students arrived at the dive shop at different times even though they were traveling together as a family. The father, big manic eyes and excessive energy, showed up about 15 minutes early and paced the classroom nervously, mumbling to himself about his "late family". The mother, quiet and kneading her fingers, arrived exactly on time, trailing behind her the most determined looking 10-year-old slip of a girl I had ever seen. Two teenage daughters arrived 5 minutes later, cell phones wedged between their ears and shoulders, and their brother wandered in about 15 minutes late still eating breakfast. I sighed. It was classic daddy-wants-the-family-to-dive syndrome.

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This blog is a repost from January. It didn't get much attention the first time I published it, but since it is an interesting topic, I hope to hear more opinions on it this time around. My opinion is pretty clear - I think we should remove the Lionfish whenever possible! Don't let my opinion stop you from adding your own, however, this is a great topic for debate.

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An open water scuba instructor's job is half teaching and half psychology. An important part of the job is coaching student divers to overcome their fears, develop confidence and be the best divers that they can be. Students who have difficulties usually use one of two phrases to express their frustrations - "I can't do this" or "I don't want to do this." Although these statements may sound similar, there is a huge difference between "I can't" and "I don't want to."

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Even with proper maintenance, scuba tanks eventually wear out. Dents, cracks, and rust can compromise a scuba tank's structural integrity. The dive industry recommends that tanks be visually inspected for damage once a year, and the United States Department of Transportation requires that all compressed gas cylinders undergo hydrostatic testing every 5 years. If a tank fails either visual inspection or hydrostatic testing it is decommissioned, leaving a diver with a heavy, bulky hunk of metal. Now what?

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When I told my customer that completing the open water course would take a minimum of 3 to 4 days, he started to whine. "But that's sooooo long, can't you make it any shorter?" Really? If I were paying for a course, I would want to maximize the amount of in-water and classroom time. I would want the most for my money, not the least. As an instructor, I try to discourage students from rushing through something as serious scuba training. Sadly, these days my point of view sounds idealistic. Here are some reasons you should look for longer (not shorter) open water courses, and ways to get the most out of your in-class time.

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In a recent blog, I outlined reasons that divers should buy dive gear from local dive shops instead of online. I received many educated comments on the blog, and learned about the reasons people choose to purchase dive gear online. In today's blog, I address the issue of equipment availability (a problem I frequently face in Mexico) and what one ingenious Florida dive shop has done to remain competitive with online retailers.

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I have been diving with some of my favorite clients over the last few days. When one of them showed up sporting a brand new mask, I knew immediately that is was going to fog. The diver had only treated the mask very briefly with toothpaste for a few minutes the evening before. On the first dive, the mask fogged up as expected. We treated it using the flame trick. The mask still fogged. I put in some commercial mask preparing agent. The mask still fogged. I flamed it again. It fogged. I borrowed it on the sly and washed it with dish soap. Still foggy. This was one stubborn mask! After a beautiful dive in Cozumel, of which my poor, frustrated client saw nothing but a white haze, the local dive guide fixed the world's foggiest mask with one simple trick.How did the clever guide show this mask who's the boss? The simple solution turned out to be baby shampoo. I was admittedly skeptical that this mask could be fixed. I wanted to flame the mask again, which has always been my favorite trick. However, the patient guide took the mask and rubbed a diluted solution of baby shampoo into the lens for about five minutes. After scrubbing the inside of the glass, he let the mask sit with the solution in it for about 15 minutes.

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After a lovely, 75-minute multilevel dive, my client walked straight off the dive boat and straight into the beach bar where he ordered one ice cold beer after another. While a frosty beer might taste delicious after a hot boat ride, cracking open a cold one immediately after a dive is not the best thing a diver can do.

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