Category: Scuba Tech Philippines News
New Sidemount Diving Philippines Trailer Not for those with a nervous disposition – sidemount diving Philippines….
Sidemount Course in Subic Bay During March and April 2013, I ran several sidemount courses in Subic Bay – covering recreational and technical diving skills for a number of students. Divemaster Tim Mathieson joined me to continue his progress in Tec Sidemount towards completion of his Tec50 qualification. William Kao did a combination Sidemount Diver [...]
The following commentary was first published as a post on the Scubaboard internet discussion forum. I felt that it provided a very beneficial perspective on the positive and negative aspects of sidemount configuration; particularly in comparison with back-mounted alternatives. It’s a useful read for those divers, of all levels and backgrounds, who are considering their [...]
More photos of the WWII Japanese Showa L2D Tabby transporter wreck Have been researching for a couple of days and had some good pointers. There’s still more research to be done (and more dives also), in order to finalize an identification…and hopefully find some definitive physical evidence of the wreck’s identity. The closest match so far [...]
Diving the Showa L2D ‘Tabby’ Wreck – Subic Bay, Philippines This week I took several newly graduated technical divers onto an unidentified aircraft wreck in Subic Bay. Within a short time of descending on the first dive, it seemed very likely that the wreck was some variant of a C-47 Skytrain (DC-3 Dakota). The wreck lies [...]
Tec40 Sidemount Qualification Dive Brian Ferguson undertakes his TecRec Tec40 sidemount check-out dive. He completed both the Tec40 and Tec Sidemount courses in Anilao, Philippines, qualifying him to make decompression dives with multiple tanks in sidemount configuration. For the course, he was using the Razor 2 harness and Apeks sidemount regulator set. Dive was 40m/130ft [...]
‘M Bungee’ Super-Minimalist Sidemount Rig I had some spare time the other afternoon, so I took the opportunity to test-dive a concept I’ve had brewing for a while. Basically, it is a harness-less sidemount rig, using an ‘M’ shape continuous bungee to secure the upper wing whilst providing traditional mounting points for sidemount cylinder valves. The wing [...]
Tec Sidemount Course Open Water Dive One Video Congratulations to Marcus Sulander for completing his Tec Sidemount course in February 2013. This video shows the first open water training dive of the course, Marcus completed a total of 2 confined water sessions and 5 open-water dives, using 2-4 cylinders and simulated decompression. Tec Sidemount courses [...]
Tec Sidemount Course Confined Skills Video Congratulations to Marcus Sulander for completing his Tec Sidemount course in February 2013. In addition to this confined water session, Marcus completed 5 open-water dives with 2-4 cylinders and simulated decompression. Tec Sidemount courses are 3 days / 2 confined water / 5 dives. Maximum 2 participants per course. [...]
DIY Sidemount Wreck Diving Helmet I noticed, with some surprise, the high cost of cave sidemount wreck diving helmets currently being sold on the scuba market. Light Monkey sell an excellent diving helmet, but the cost (certainly here in the Philippines) was prohibitive for me. I promote a policy of frugal investment on rugged and reliable dive [...]
Tec Sidemount Course – Subic Bay, Philippines I will be running two Tec Sidemount courses: on the 15-17th Feb and 25-27th March. Vacancies are available. Tec Sidemount courses are 3 days / 6 dives. Maximum 2 participants per course. Courses involve full sidemount qualification, plus use of 2x deco stages and simulated decompression dives. Cost [...]
Sidemount Wreck Diving Course Subic Bay, Philippines Congratulations to Firdaus Kapadia and Tim Mathieson for completing the dual Sidemount Wreck Diving course in Subic Bay, Philippines. Run over a total of 5 days, Firdaus and Tim completed a total of 10 dives to achieve PADI certification in both sidemount and wreck diving, having completed many [...]
PADI Wreck Diving Course Philippines Subic Bay, November 2012 Congratulations to Jim Cain for completing his PADI Wreck Diving Course in Subic Bay. The course was run over 2 days and included 4 dives, including the USS New York ACR-2, the USS Majaba (El Capitan), a Landing Craft Tank Mk6 and sunken US Navy docking [...]
Relocating a Lost Guideline – Skills for Wreck Divers Technical Diving knowledge share by Andy Davis This article, by Jim Wyatt, was originally published in Underwater Spelology. I have reproduced the article here, as the issue of relocating a lost guideline also demands the attention of wreck divers at all levels. In the event of a [...]
Line Laying for Wreck Diving Penetrations – Video Tutorials Wreck diving courses include line laying practice for wreck diving penetration, however many wreck instructors have minimal personal experience in the finer points of guideline deployment and use. Proper guideline techniques were refined and perfected in the discipline of cave diving exploration. Those techniques were adopted [...]
CCR Megalodon Rebreather – Preparation Videos Technical Diving knowledge share by Andy Davis An excellent series of six instructional videos produced by Andreas W. Matthes of ProTecPlaya for CCRMegalodon.com, showing critical preparation steps for diving the Megalodon CCR. Interested in training on the Megalodon CCR in the Philippines or Thailand? Check out the page [...]
Sidemount Wreck Training – Subic Bay, Philippines Firdaus Kapadia visited Subic Bay in January 2013, to complete Sidemount Wreck training. Over 5 days of training, he mastered the basics of sidemount configuration diving, before putting his new equipment to the test on my challenging Wreck Diver course. Several of the sidemount wreck training dives were [...]
Sidemount Technical Diving Techniques – Videos Some great videos that demonstrate technical sidemount diving techniques, as taught on courses, by Rob Steiner. Sidemount Buoyancy Practice Flutter Kick On Sidemount Frog Kick on Sidemount Helicopter Turn on Sidemount Sidemount Trim Cylinder ‘Feathering’ (manipulate valve to breath from free-flowing regulator) Partial Removal of One Cylinder Partial Removal [...]
PADI Sidemount Diver Course Presentation I have uploaded the powerpoint presentation for my PADI Sidemount Diver and Tec Sidemount courses run in Subic Bay, Philippines. You can enjoy the presentation on the main website, here: For more details on Sidemount Training in the Philippines, please check out: Sidemount Courses Overview PADI Sidemount Diver Course [...]
Exclusive certification cards for Advanced Scuba Clinics and Workshops I am pleased to announce that participants in all future Scuba Tech Philippines advanced skills clinics and workshops will have the option to receive exclusive certification cards to recognize the training they have undertaken.. Here is a selection of what training is on offer: [...]
Sidemount Wreck Workshop 5-11 January 2013 Overview: 3 Day Sidemount Familiarization plus 3 Day sidemount-specific wreck penetration orientation. The Sidemount Wreck workshop provides comprehensive familiarization in 2-cylinder sidemount diving configuration and techniques, followed by basic wreck penetration training. Sidemount topics: Equipment configuration and personalization, overhead environment considerations, gas management and planning, fundamental scuba skills development; [...]
The Evolution of Sidemount Diving Continues. By Jeff Loflin For those of you who are unfamiliar with the sidemount gear configuration, it is simply moving your backmounted gas cylinders to the side of your body. The basic safety advantages of having your cylinders mounted on the side is that all of the gauges, hoses and leak points are always in the [...]
PADI Sidemount Diver Course – Promo Teaser Video Sidemount Diving is a ground-breaking new approach for streamlined, convenient & safe diving, at both recreational and technical levels. It is time that you learned more about the fastest-growing revolution in scuba diving… Sidemount training provides a structured approach for recreational and technical divers who wish [...]
Silt Out – Wreck Danger! This video, filmed by myself in Subic Bay, graphically shows the danger of silt out to wreck divers conducting penetration dives. What looks like a nice safe and benign compartment, with plenty of light and an obvious exit (well within recreational wreck diving limits) turns into a potential death [...]
PADI Wreck Diver Course – Video Diary The video below illustrates the 4 training dives that comprise the PADI Wreck Diver course. The course featured was run by Andy Davis, in Subic Bay, during the 13-14th November 2012. Congratulations to Tim Chambers and Trevor Horrigan who worked very hard during the PADI Wreck Diver course [...]
Congratulations Nick Baker! Tec40 Technical Diver Congratulations to Nick Baker who joined the technical diver community and completed his TecRec Tec40 training course in Subic Bay during November 2012. Course Report An experienced recreational diver, Nick took his first steps to becoming a technical diver over the space of 4 days and many hours of [...]
VIDEO – DIVING THE LST SUBIC BAY WRECKS This video, by Mathew Payne, is one of the nicer insights into the LST wreck available on Youtube. One of the premier Subic Bay wrecks, the Landing Ship Tank (LST) is a phenomenal dive for those with experience to dive safely below 30m/100ft. Following the end [...]
Wreck Diving – Guidelines Technique Tutorial Videos These two videos from Mark Blackwood provide a good insight into effective guideline techniques for guideline laying in wrecks. More details of guideline techniques for wreck diving can be found in my Advanced Wreck Diving techniques supplement. For details about my specialist wreck diving courses, please see: PADI [...]
TecRec Technical Diving Log Book Page Insert Click on the link below to open a PDF copy of the TecRec log-book insert. Save and print… hey presto!…. you can now log your technical dives! TecRec Technical Diving Log Book Insert
Tech Diving – Turn Pressure Calculator Use this spreadsheet to help calculate your turn pressure on technical/overhead dives: turn_pressure_calculator
Decompression Gases – Efficiency Ratios Deco Gas Efficiency Ratio Air 1:1 32% 1:1.6 36% 1:1.21 40% 1:1.26 50% 1:1.32 80% 1:1.36 100% 1:1.40 Theoretical efficiency ratios for decompression gas options.
ANDI Ascent & Descent Procedures – Open Circuit Diving During all ANDI training courses, students are taught to follow a set system of procedures for ascent and descent. These procedures include a number of stops, to enable team cohesion, increase safety and conservative off-gassing. You don’t need to be an ANDI trained diver to appreciate [...]
UNDER THREAT – THE WRECKS OF SUBIC BAY This article was published by Dive Magazine, it’s a little bit out-of-date now, but the issue of illegal salvage from the Subic Bay wrecks persists – with several wrecks (USS New York and San Quentin) closed to divers for a short time during 2012 because of illegal [...]
Instinctive Drowning Response – Vital Knowledge for Scuba Divers and Swimmers All divers should be aware of Instinctive Drowning Response. Those scuba instructors (and agencies!) responsible for teaching rescue diver courses should make a priority to update their syllabus and materials in recognition of the ‘real-world’ signs of a drowning victim. Several headlines that I [...]
Wreck Diving Magazine TV – Episode One Award winning Wreck Diving Magazine presents Wreck Diving Magazine TV! In this episode, we go to Key West to dive on The Atocha, a Spanish galleon sunk in the 1600′s, go behind the scenes at Mel Fisher’s Treasures museum, and check out the Aquascan DX200 magnetometer. WWW.WRECKDIVINGMAG.COM
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)? ANDI International Hyperbaric Research Center 74 Woodcleft Ave, Freeport NY 11520 516-546-2026 Article reproduced courtesy of Bruce Konefe Hyperbaric is simply referencing a condition that is above standard atmospheric pressure. Instead of breathing the normal 21% oxygen, the therapy involves breathing 100% oxygen in a chamber that is moderately [...]
Tec45 Sidemount Course – F4 Phantom (45m) Check-Out Dive By Andy Davis, PADI and ANDI technical and sidemount course instructor In June 2012, I ran a PADI Sidemount Course in combination with the TecRec Tec40/Tec45 program, based out of Subic Bay, Philippines. These are photos from the graduation dive – conducted on the Vietnam-era F4 Phantom supersonic fighter-bomber. [...]
Review of Scuba Tech Philippines ‘Sidemount Diver’ Course A kind review of my PADI Sidemount Diver course, courtesy of Camille Lemmens, PADI Course Director. Was really great to finally meet Camille in person, as we’ve been online friends for a long time and have many mutual friends. Camille teaches PADI Instructor Development Courses across Asia [...]
Sidemount Diving Video – The Force of Sidemount I hope you enjoy this sidemount diving video, just put together with some footage from technical wreck dives in Subic Bay earlier this year…. For more information about basic and advanced/technical sidemount courses in the Philippines, please visit the Sidemount Overview Sidemount Diving is a ground-breaking new [...]
Shipwrecks of the Philippines An eBook release by Tom Bennett. If you are a diver, a historian or a Pacific War Buff, this eBook release will go a long way toward satisfying your need for information about the shipwrecks of the Philippines. For the first time, the book publishes a chronological list of Philippines area [...]
Ocean explorers combing Keys’ deep waters for shipwrecks BY CAMMY CLARK CCLARK@MIAMIHERALD.COM KEY LARGO – Long before GPS, the coral reef tract that runs along the Florida Keys routinely sank unsuspecting ships. Storms also blew boats into the hard, shallow structures, contributing to a massive underwater graveyard. An American schooner named Kate, the British brig Lion [...]
Indonesia’s Shipwrecks Mean Riches and Headaches Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Mamat Evendi straps on his primitive breathing device — a garden hose attached to a compressor on the back of his wooden fishing boat. Pulling down his goggles, he splashes flippers-first into the crystal blue water. A few minutes later he’s flashing a ‘thumbs up,’ pointing first [...]
How diving marine mammals manage decompression. ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2011) — Any diver returning from ocean depths knows about the hazard of decompression sickness (DCS) or “the bends.” As the diver ascends and the ocean pressure decreases, gases that were absorbed by the body during the dive, come out of solution and, if the ascent is [...]
PADI Wreck Diver Course, Subic Bay, Philippines, December 2011 The culmination of a PADI Wreck Diver course, this video shows the penetration element of dive #4 - into the boiler room of USS Majaba (El Capitan) at a depth of 14m. Bad visibility due to being on the outskirts of Typhoon Washi/Sendong. The PADI Wreck [...]
Coral Reef Biodiversity may be Vastly Underestimated via Coral reef biodiversity may be vastly underestimated. Researchers with the Smithsonian have catalogued almost as many crab species on tropical coral reef bits measuring just 20.6 square feet (6.3 square meters) as in all of Europe’s seas, finds a new paper in PLoS ONE. The team used DNA [...]
I’m helping to arrange an ANDI Trimix course for later in October. The instructor is very highly regarded (cave pioneer) and will have time to run a Trimix course during a stop-over in Subic Bay. This would be a world-class training opportunity, with a well respected agency and premier league instructor. Prerequisites are: Extended Range [...]
10 Observations about Asian Culture and Shark Fin Soup I often hear apologists defend the consumption of Shark Fin Soup because of the Asian ‘cultural history’ associated with its consumption. At worst, I have heard several defenders of Shark Fin soup remark that current conservation campaigns to ban or limit shark finning were nothing more [...]
Some truly memorable footage by Dave Allen, at Electric Blue Media, used for presentations at US scuba shows… Philippines Scuba HD Videos – Threshers Sharks at Malapascua – Part #2: Macro critters and other marine life…
The Day All The Sharks Died – A lesson on the impact of shark finning This is a short story, featured in the book ‘Sharklife – True Stories about Sharks and the Sea‘ by Peter Benchley (the writer of ‘Jaws’). For those interested in the sea, in sharks or marine conservation, the book is a [...]
I’ll be running an Advanced Buoyancy Workshop, in Subic Bay this Saturday (4th June 2011). Workshop will focus on; Precision weighting Horizontal trim perfection Advanced propulsion techniques (frog kick, modified flutter kick) Advanced control techniques (helicopter turn, back kick) Precision ascents, descents and stops Suitable for divers of all ability levels, who wish to improve [...]
