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Aqaba

Here’s Why Aqaba is the Best Place for Scuba Diving

Aqaba is a lovely coastal town in the south of Jordan with a small population and rich cultural heritage. The city, known mostly for the beautiful diving and has rapidly garnered the attention of scuba lovers from all over the world in recent years. Aqaba is now home to at least 25 diving centers and many easily accessible diving spots to cater to the ever-increasing number of scuba diving enthusiasts. In case you don’t know much about Aqaba’s diving scene, we have compiled a list of reasons why the town has made it to Belize, Tahiti, and the Maldives for its scuba diving experience lately. Here are just a few reasons why Aqaba should be your next dive destination. Warm Waters Apart from being a physically exhilarating sport, scuba diving is also deemed one of the most serene experiences for a tourist. Aqaba’s year-long warm waters are the perfect spot to enjoy the ocean while snorkeling in the city or deep diving in the Red Sea. Temperatures range from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius depending on the season you dive. January is the coldest month and August is the warmest. Moderate Temperatures Aqaba is a moderately warm city with relatively hotter summers. However, the city has extremely pleasant, moderately warm temperatures that provide the best opportunity to enjoy open water dives March to November. The hottest weather is July – September, but the water is a great temperature for diving at that time as well.  For those who come from colder climates, Aqaba is a great… Read More »Here’s Why Aqaba is the Best Place for Scuba Diving

A scuba diver

Scuba Diving vs. Snorkeling: Which is Better?

Snorkeling and scuba diving are both types of underwater sports. These two are the go-to options for people interested in exploring life underwater. However, many people use scuba diving and snorkeling interchangeably. Although some similarities cause this confusion, the two are vastly different. In this blog, we will explore how scuba diving is different from snorkeling. Gear and Types of Equipment Snorkeling involves underwater swimming in shallow waters. For this, swimmers must use a snorkel tube, which helps to breathe air from above the surface. Snorkeling is done in shallow waters so they can enjoy seeing the corals and sea life below them.  Snorkelers usually only swim at the water surface, but may dive down a few feet to get a photo of something that is nearby. Like snorkeling, scuba divers use relatively advanced equipment because they descend deeper into the waters. Instead of a snorkel tube, they use a regulator hose that is attached to an air tank containing a mixture of oxygen and helium to help them breathe underwater for a longer duration. They also must wear a buoyancy control device which helps keep them buoyant and holds the regulator hose. Many scuba divers usually don a wet suit that protects them underwater. These can come in many styles depending on what kind of diving they are doing and how cold the water is. Nature of Training Snorkeling is mostly done for recreational purposes. The training for snorkeling focuses on improving swimming skills and adopting some breathing exercises. In contrast, scuba diving is a relatively intense sport… Read More »Scuba Diving vs. Snorkeling: Which is Better?

Scuba divers underwater

Scuba Diving 101: A Complete Guide

Scuba diving is underwater diving using special equipment where swimmers (divers) swim underwater for longer durations with the help of a continuous air supply. At its core, it’s a fascinating sport that allows you to explore life underwater. It is an extremely therapeutic and mind relaxing sport that allows you to disconnect from everything. Scuba diving has ample advantages that attract divers worldwide. For instance, as you dive into the water, your muscles work extra hard, this leads to increased muscular strength and flexibility. Besides, it produces a sense of calm, as you breathe slowly and steadily, and your heart rate starts to become steady. Suffice to say, scuba diving is a wholesome sport. Here’s a complete guide on scuba diving. What is Scuba Diving? In simple words, scuba diving involves underwater swimming with the help of self-contained water apparatuses, and the scuba set/diving gear, including, an air tank, wet suit, diving mask, fins, depth gauge, and dive computer. Who Can Dive? When it comes to being underwater, you must be healthy. The diver mustn’t have any pre-existing health condition. One should be well-trained to successfully deal with any emergency that may present itself underwater. What To Look For While Choosing A Dive Location? One of the fundamental elements to look out for is the water current. It’s incredibly challenging to dive if the current is strong, even for experienced divers. So, if you are new to scuba diving, you ought to opt for water bodies where the tide is weaker. What Are The Safety Precautions… Read More »Scuba Diving 101: A Complete Guide

Specialty Courses

PADI Specialty Courses for Better Diving

Scuba diving requires extensive knowledge. In order to complete your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification you must choose five different speciality courses from a myriad that they offer. It can get a bit overwhelming trying to decide which is best for you. But fret not; we’re here to help you out. If you’re looking to become a better scuba diver and enhance your skills, we recommend choosing these three below to be part of your advanced training:  PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy  This course improves your buoyancy skills, which will make your diving more enjoyable. You can enhance your floating with mobility. This course extensively teaches all the basic tools essential for scuba diving and buoyancy. If you want to improve your buoyancy control, dive with less weight, and reduce your air consumption, then this is the course for you!  Certified instructors will teach you all how to achieve neutral buoyancy, hover effortlessly, and use the right amount of weight underwater. After this course, you will experience the underwater like never before.  This is a short course and takes about 1-2 days to complete. The scuba diver must be at least 10 years old and have a qualifying entry-level certification.  PADI Wreck Diver Certification Wreck diving is for scuba diving enthusiasts who want to explore most of the ocean. Boats and airplanes that sank to the bottom will always be intriguing for many curious divers. History and military fanatics are passionate about exploring wrecks of the deep sea, and this course gives them the chance to venture off into these artifacts… Read More »PADI Specialty Courses for Better Diving

Diving in the Red Sea

4 Reasons Why You Should Dive in the Red Sea of Aqaba

The Red Sea is situated between Africa and Asia. It is called the Red Sea due to its slight red appearance caused by red algae living there. The Red Sea is an extension of the Indian Ocean and is 1,930 km long, and 305 km wide. Since no river opens into it, it remains clean and contains clear water. Scuba divers all around the world come from far and wide to dive in the Red Sea due to its clear waters and rich marine life. Besides, it is also home to some of the most beautiful coral reefs. Due to this reason, countries surrounding it generate huge revenues from tourism. Here are some reasons that make the Red Sea the ideal scuba diving destination. Smooth Current When it comes to scuba diving, water currents are crucial. As compared to other seas, the Red Sea faces fewer storms and weak winds. As a result, the water is almost quiet and has weak tides. This is why it offers a safe and ideal destination for beginner scuba divers. Colorful Coral Reefs Most recreational divers choose the Red Sea for scuba diving to witness the beautiful coral reefs found there. Coral reefs are sea animals that grow around rocks and work as shelter for fish. The coral reefs found in the Red Sea are known for their ability to withstand extreme temperatures without dying. Scientists believe that understanding the properties of these reefs can save other endangered coral reef species. Rich Marine Life The Red Sea is home to around… Read More »4 Reasons Why You Should Dive in the Red Sea of Aqaba

scuba

Want to Be a Scuba Diver? It’s Never Too Late to Get Certified!

Diving is a sport and like any sport one needs to be physically and mentally prepared. This advance preparation will help make diving a much more enjoyable and safe diving experience. Are you thinking about learning to scuba dive but can’t seem to locate an age cap? There is a basic age requirement of 8 or 10 years old for junior programs, however, there is no maximum age limit for scuba diving. Minimum age limits are in place because diving carries some inherent risks, and youngsters must be of an age to understand how to use dive gear and optimize their respiration during a deep dive. However, can you really get a scuba diving certificate or become a professional scuba diver when you’re older? Consider Your Health and Physical Fitness First Anyone who wants to undertake scuba diving, regardless of age, must be in good health and be fit to dive. PADI uses a standard medical questionnaire and a doctor’s permission is only required if you answer yes to certain questions on the questionnaire. People over 45 years who smoke, have high cholesterol, hypertension, or any family history of heart disease will be required to have a physician’s approval. And anyone who has a history of Covid must also see a doctor to be approved for diving. Professional Divers Have Moderate Exercise in Their Routine Exercise that is both healthy and low-impact can be great for someone training for deep dives. Swimming is a terrific way to maintain your overall fitness if you don’t prefer… Read More »Want to Be a Scuba Diver? It’s Never Too Late to Get Certified!

A scuba diver underwater

How to Ensure Your Safety While Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is a type of underwater swimming done with the help of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba), hence the name, scuba diving. The apparatus used underwater does not have any access to air; therefore, divers must carry a tank containing compressed oxygen. Most incidents of drowning during scuba diving involve equipment malfunctions and running out of air underwater. Every year around three million divers engage in recreational scuba diving in the US and 10% of the 1,000 diver-related injuries are fatal due to reasons including equipment failure, accidental drowning, pre-existing health conditions, and change in water pressure undersea. Here are some safety tips for a safe scuba diving experience. Keep Breathing It’s crucial to continue breathing when you dive in and there are good reasons for that. If you hold your breath underwater, you can get into severe trouble. To start with, you can experience lung expansion, which will cause shortness of breath, pain, and immediate loss of consciousness. Avoid Deep Scuba Diving It’s easy to make an impulsive choice when you’re high on the adrenaline rush. But making such decisions underwater can kill you. As you go deeper into the sea, the water pressure rises and you use up your air quicker. The deeper you go, the more pressure there is on your ears as well. Without proper equalization, you risk damaging your eardrum which can lead to a multitude of problems. And inexperienced divers may ascend from the deep too quickly which can cause decompression illness or worse yet, air gas embolism,… Read More »How to Ensure Your Safety While Scuba Diving

photo of a sea diver

Essentials of becoming a PADI Certified Diver

PADI scuba diving certificates help you prepare for safe dives. You can explore the sea in a better way with much more confidence. If you’re someone who is fascinated by underwater sea creatures, you must try these courses. They will help you get all the essential knowledge about scuba diving. PADI Open Water Diver Course This is the most well-known PADI certificate and is popular worldwide. It requires less time to master diving. If you want to certify with a friend or a partner, you would love this course. It will teach you how to be a confident diver, use scuba gear, manage your buoyance, approach marine life, and handle common problems. After the completion of the course, you can call yourself a certified diver. People who complete this course develop a better understanding of the sea and the creatures underwater, learning all the elements of open water dives. PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course Many scuba diver enthusiasts want to improve their dive skills and knowledge after completing the Open Water Diver Course. That is why PADI created this advanced course. During this course, divers will complete five different Adventure Dives. You can take your pick of an activity or skill that you want to learn or improve. This certification is quite fun as there is very little classroom time and no exams. You will mainly be focusing on practical scuba skills and techniques. There are two mandatory courses to complete. These are the Deep Adventure Dive course and the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive… Read More »Essentials of becoming a PADI Certified Diver