Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Scuba Diving-Its another World

By Ed J Price

The underwater world holds vast amounts of marine life, coral formations, submarine caves and ship wrecks that offer an awesome sight to see. Scuba diving is an acquired skill that is rewarding because it allows you to explore witness the underwater world in a way that some people will never experience in their lifetime. The spectrum of colors in concert with the vast array of marine life and the spectacular undersea landscape offer the most awe-inspiring views in some locations around the world.

Open Water Certification card needed:

The prerequisite of diving is an Open Water dive certification card from an accredited agency, such as the renowned PADI scuba instruction. This involves enrolling in a course that can be done online, at home or in a classroom setting that would give you some basic knowledge of scuba diving. After completing the first phase exceptionally well you will need to take five pool dives with a licensed scuba instructor. The final phase of the course is four actual dives in the open sea. Normally this would be a local dive location. These courses teach you the essentials of scuba diving, such as the basic knowledge of equipment, health and safety requirements for a safe dive.

PADI diving courses:

One of the largest and most recognized agencies for scuba diving instruction and open water certification is PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Their course is recognized globally, and they have instructors located throughout the world. There are other agencies that offer accredited courses and certifications for recreational scuba diving, but may not be recognized professionally in other locations. Since PADI is recognized globally, your dive certification will be good wherever you decide to take your first scuba diving vacation.

The Top Scuba Diving Locations Worldwide:

After receiving your accreditation the difficult task then comes of deciding where to go for an awesome dive experience as there are so many places to go in the world. There are just so many wonderful scuba diving destinations around the world that it is so difficult to pick just one.

The worlds top scuba diving spot, as voted on by SCUBA Travel readers is now Yongala, (a wreck in Queensland, Australia). The Egyptian Red Sea holds four of the top ten spots: Thistlegorm wreck is number two on the list, Shark and Yolanda Reef is number five, Big Brother is number eight and Elphinstone Reef is number ten. The other five top locations are in Micronesia, Sipadan Island, Navy Pier Australia, Kailua Kona Hawaii and Bali, Indonesia.

Even though the top 100 scuba diving destinations are located throughout the world, they are dominated by tropical spots like Cayman Islands, Honduras, Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas and the Isle of Man. The Great Barrier Reef, parts of Indonesia, Australia, Malta, and Mexico are other locations which have some great scuba diving opportunities.

Reefs, Wrecks and Rays:

Wherever there is a large coral reef or a shipwreck, you can be guaranteed there will be scuba diving expeditions nearby. You are liable to find yourself swimming with stingrays, puffer fish and marine life youve never seen before. Be sure to get an underwater camera to capture some of the plant and animal life.

If you have further interest on the top diving spots, you can go online to the scuba experts at www.scubasoul.com. The experts have articles, tips and favorite diving locations and accredited PADI scuba instructors and open water dive certification cards.

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