theDiveBuzz blog

I was reading the DEMA marketing plan for 2008 today and in it they included the top 10 myths of non divers about diving. Sure it’s funny to divers but it also occurred to me that its just like that on the internet for many people. We developed theDiveBuzz to counter many of these issues so I thought I’d let you know the funny way round.

1. Its an isolated experience
   The number 1 myth is that diving is alone time. Even when diving with a buddy you might think its lonely because you cant talk underwater. Tell that to a deaf person! Divers learn simple hand signs to help them talk and you can learn more from SeaSigns or with your deaf signing community and feel as free to talk underwater as you do above.

   its just like that…
   Logging your dive in your paper book is also quite an isolated experience. How often do you open it up and share your notes with your friends or even your buddy on the dive? TheDiveBuzz lets you share your dive logs with a world wide community and it is the only dive log that lets you link your dive to your buddy’s. Buddylink™ locks your dive logs together so that you can click through and get another perspective on the same dive. You dive log need never be isolated again.

Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

theDiveBuzz is pleased to offer readers of the Diving Almanac and Yearbook 2008 6 months Go-Unlimited accounts. Turn to page 127 to find our advertisement then sign up and enter the special code.

As your dive center for a copy or buy it online at divingalmanac.com.

Share This

and count and record the fish you see … thanks to the REEF stand at DEMA.

1. You’ll finally know how many fish there are in the sea…
2. It’s another excuse to go diving (”Really sweetie the fish have to be counted every weekend”)
3. Fish are way more interesting to watch than your buddy blowing bubble rings. Again.
4. The fish have been counting divers for years.
5. Conservation is sexy, even if neoprene isn’t.
6. Fish watching doesn’t require doubles or stage bottles.
7. Eco-diving is good karma.
8. You were never much good at spearing fish, might as well count them.
9. Find Nemo, And Dory, and Marlin, and Gill, and Flounder…
10. Sharks don’t go for REEF volunteer fish surveyors

Share This

The DEMA Show is for the dive industry to take an opportunity to look at what is new and explore services or items you’ve heard of but never had time to follow up. While you do that you get to meet so many people striving hard to make this a better industry.

We attended our training agency updates and heard stories about teaching diving and discussed best practice for running dive businesses with people from around the world. We were up early for all the DEMA member briefings about the exciting new marketing campaign to encourage more people to try diving. We listened to a marketing executive talk about how the internet can really help small dive businesses and learned how few use any more than a few advertisements on search engines. That was most interesting because there are still only a few serious internet options for divers and even fewer that actually support dive businesses.

Support for dive businesses tends to be offline. Obviously their agency and their local tourist office (if applicable) help provide advise and leads. But actual business support is more generic and more specific at the same time. We found consultants, media and promotional agents who would never exhibit at a consumer show but are invaluable to the success of our individual businesses.

DEMA show is a wonderful opportunity to throw off the competitive instincts we have when diving consumers are around and to talk and work together to improve the success of everyone involved in the industry. That can only be good for divers as well. We hope theDiveBuzz can be a part of that and we look forward to working with many more people in the coming months.

Share This

As a SeaSigns instructor I was very pleased to meet Suzanne Kiffmann in person at last. If you have not heard of it before it extends the standard hand signals taught by your agency so you can “talk” much clearer underwater.

Give Suzanne a call or an email and find an instructor close to you. There are many across the USA and some (like me) scattered across the world. Sign up for a course with your diving buddy and you will find diving is never the same again!

Share This

A fantastic snuggy top from those lovely ladies at DiveGirl

Some FishFlips a stunning idea for identifying fish while diving and snorkelling

And this weird stubbie holder. It’s got suckers on the bottom so that it won’t slip or tip when you are on a boat. Brilliant idea called an Octopus by the makers.

Share This

We were very excited to meet Jeffrey Gallant who has packed even more into the Diving Almanac this year. The diving history section went down a storm last year at pub quizzes. This year he has added a lot more marine biology, more colour plates and an 80 page chronicle for last year. And its only $30 from DivingAlmanac.com

We picked up a box of books for our upcoming promotions, fingers crossed on the excess baggage!

Share This

The DEMA show is the biggest industry show in the world in the biggest diving country in the world. Its a mecca for every professional diver to visit at least once in their life. Tons of new diving products are released and we get the chance to meet and talk with a wide range of businesses that support the diving industry that would never attend a consumer show.

The  DEMA organisation itself is launching a major new marketing campaign to roll out over the next 24 months in the USA. Their goal is to increase new certifications by 10% over that timescale. It’s an ambitious goal and one I hope that will have roll over effects to the wider world.

Share This

Sipadan is not the only diving destination in Sabah. Why not spend a few days in the state capital and discover the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park just half an hour from the town jetty.

Kota Kinabalu is a very easy town to spend a few days in. There are many backpackers but for sure the classiest is Velvet which opened early 2007. The rooms are immaculate and they offer free use of the washing machine! You can go white water rafting, submerge yourself in sulphur baths or for the more adventurous you can climb the mountain.

T.A.R. marine park has a range of diving including several artificial reefs close to the islands which are very successful in attracting a range of fish. You can see some spectacular marine life even when the visibility is low when compared to Sipadan. While several dive centers operate in Kota Kinabalu, we found the customer service of Sabah Divers to be second to none and at a very good price.

I hope you have enjoyed this mini-series about diving one of the world’s best dive areas. We hope to add more as we get the time and money to go and explore them! You can see my dives in Sipadan and Abdul Rahman Marine park on theDiveBuzz

Other articles in this mini-series

• Part 1 - Getting to Semporna
• Part 2 - Sipadan diving options

Share This

So, when you get to Semporna what are your options to dive on Sipadan? Surprisingly you can do day trips from Semporna or stay on an island resort for much the same price so you choose for other reasons. (If you missed it check out Sipadan, Borneo - Part 1 - getting to Semporna)

If you want to enjoy the relative freedom of staying the mainland so you can go shopping and choose your restaurant in the evening then your cost is longer boat times to the days diving. If you want to get away and take advantage of unlimited diving and short boat trips then you must book several consecutive diving days and stay all-in on an island resort.

Staying in Semporna and having day trips

Scuba Junkies are probably the largest day tripper from Semporna (website offline at publication date). For smaller boat groups you might try Blue Sea Divers who opened this summer and are a couple of doors down the road.

Staying on the island resorts

Many of the resorts on Mabul and Kapalai are expensive but there are budget options. The cheapest is definitely Uncle Chang’s Sipadan Mabul Dive Lodge. It’s very basic, mattresses on the floor and shared bathing but you go to the islands for the diving and the resort for rum party evenings not to catch up on your sleep.

For a little more money you could try something totally different and take a room on the converted oil rig called SeaVentures. This offers you the opportunity for unlimited diving under the rig with your buddy which makes it all great value. You also have more chance of getting some sleep on the rig!

Staying in Semporna

Whether its one night before a resort transfer or several days and day trip diving, your best option in Semporna is Scuba Junkies backpackers lodge. They have beds for as little as RM20 per night and that includes breakfast.

You might be tempted to go a little upmarket to City Inn or Dragon Inn hotels where you will an ensuite room but watch out, these do not include breakfast nor offer any refreshment services at all.

Now read on to Part 3 - diving elsewhere in Sabah

Share This