[El Chinito loco]

Many of the hot places for pussy on datasheets here are also coincidentally some of the best places in the world to go scuba diving. Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.. are some of the best places in the world in the coral triangle. In South America you've got Galapagos which is the Scuba mecca. I think it's a hobby that goes hand in hand with upwardly mobile individuals living the jetset redpill lifestyle.

Be warned it's definitely a pricey hobby though.

If you factor in all the equipment you buy and money you spend on diving trips, certifications, liveaboards, etc.. it's right up there with buying and fixing up a nice car but it returns 10 fold in the genuine amazing life experiences, places you will go, stories you can tell, and people you will meet.

Plus the ocean is a dwindling place. When i'm an old man with 3 teeth in my mouth I really don't think the ocean will have even 20% of what is there now. The fishing industry, global warming, etc.. will destroy what is here now eventually. That's why it's better to see some of those
soon to be extinct animals while you can.

Why you should scuba dive:

1) It's like skydiving, jiu jitsu, or any other hobby which puts you in a challenging environment. It adds to your life experience and makes you a more well rounded interesting person.

2) You will see amazing things few other people will see in person. Mantas brushing by your arm. Whale sharks up close. A massive school of sardines that blots out the sun underwater. Sharks that swim right up to you to check you out.

3) Networking. You usually have to have money to get into this unless you're working in scuba. You also have to have a certain mindset to spend lots of money to jump in the ocean in a somewhat harsh environment to see things. I have networked with a lot of good and more importantly _reliable_ people around the world through scuba diving. These individuals are also usually into other adventure activities (skydiving etc..) or lead dynamic lives. An example of people i've met: Neurosurgeons, diplomats, entrepeneurs, scientists, legitimate special forces guys etc..

4) It naturally fits into the best geographical regions for pussy. You can do it while passing through.

5) You now have a legit reason to wear that expensive luxury rolex dive watch.

[LeBeau]

...

[Earth]

How have you personally used scuba diving to network? I have dived several times and I have several diving certifications, but I have not personally had it be particularly beneficial in networking.

[El Chinito loco]

(04-04-2014 10:33 PM)Earth Wrote:  

How have you personally used scuba diving to network? I have dived several times and I have several diving certifications, but I have not personally had it be particularly beneficial in networking.

It depends on where and who you are diving with. I go on liveaboards a lot that range from mid luxury to luxury at remote locations. When I do land based diving it's usually at places that attract more serious divers. I don't hang out at backpacker locations, guesthouses, or do holiday diver budget boats.

A place like let's say Koh Tao is not bad to party but most people there are young, poor, and newbie holiday people. It's not bad to make friends with people like this but you won't get much out of it in the social network sense of course. On the other hand a place like Malapascua, Raja Ampat, or even Palau tends to attract a different caliber of clientele with means and motivation to get there.

I have made friends through diving which I still keep in contact with to this day even after years. A business lead came out of another. Plus it helps to know relatively successful people from several different countries just from a knowledge perspective.

[TheBulldozer]

You've got it sir. Sharp observation.

[Santoro]

Most universities near coasts have a diving program. If you're a student, it's a no brainer. Very cheap when done through university classes/clubs. Spot on, definitely a hobby that draws the kids with a bit of money.

[berserk]

If you have the money it can be well worth it to take some (overpriced) PADI courses to become an instructor. There's always work to find, though not well paid, but you will live in paradise and it's an obvious in to both bang local girls and visiting tourists.

[w00t]

My whole family is into scuba diving they all got their divemaster or whatever its called.
My dad even took me diving at the local swimming pool once.

Somehow it has zero appeal to me though.

[Beyond Borders]

Right on - way to put the paradise back in pussy.

Is it really that expensive, though? Or do you just mean it's that expensive if you include the cost of traveling and living abroad? Because if you're on the move as a full-time lifestyle, you're not really spending more in that department; you're just trading bills at home for bills abroad.

I know the equipment can get a little pricy. I did the scuba thing for a while and just used the equipment at the shop. Yeah, it's sub-standard gear, but it gets the job done.

I was doing the divemaster internship and they hassled me about getting my own gear a few times, but as far as that goes, fuck them. You're paying the money and you're a customer just like any newbie who comes in their shop for one dive. They just want you to buy from them, but as a traveler, I can't rationalize dragging gear all around the world to shops who already have gear on supply.

The certifications are one-time fees and the dive trips and liveaboards seem pretty reasonable in the places you mentioned.

It's been a while since I dove so I might be off, but it doesn't seem too bad.

[El Chinito loco]

(04-05-2014 04:05 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

Is it really that expensive, though? Or do you just mean it's that expensive if you include the cost of traveling and living abroad? Because if you're on the move as a full-time lifestyle, you're not really spending more in that department; you're just trading bills at home for bills abroad.

It is pretty expensive when you factor in destination and diving costs without counting living abroad as an expense. Plane tickets aren't a lot to fly in asia locally but it adds up fast.

Here's an example of what I would spend on a typical diving trip at some exotic location like Raja Ampat.

$200 international RT airfare to Jakarta from my "base" at Bangkok or Manila
$300-400 RT airfare from Jakarta to Sorong. (Papa new Guinea is fairly remote)
Liveaboard diving $2000+ for 7-8 day trips about 22-28 dives on a sub luxury diving yacht.
Misc expenses during the trip: $200

That's $2700+ spent already on just one trip. Of course it varies for location but it sure does add up fast if you travel and dive a lot.

Quote:

I know the equipment can get a little pricy. I did the scuba thing for a while and just used the equipment at the shop. Yeah, it's sub-standard gear, but it gets the job done.

If you dive a lot you really don't want to put your life in the hands of rental shop equipment. I've had sinus infections from stuff that wasn't cleaned well and an outright first stage failure before from shitty rental gear in the past. The maintenance and cleaning standard is not always up to snuff.

Not to mention the comfort factor and if you have a set of high quality regulators it makes the dive so much more enjoyable. The airflow/breathing is a world of difference between a low end reg. and let's say a high end apeks.

I didn't think it was necessary either until I tried my buddy's high end gear.

I've only spent maybe $1200 on an entire set of scuba gear including small stuff like knives, smb, etc.. I could have easily spent $2k but managed to find a great deal from someone who sold me their top range gear.

[Earth]

(04-04-2014 10:49 PM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 10:33 PM)Earth Wrote:  

How have you personally used scuba diving to network? I have dived several times and I have several diving certifications, but I have not personally had it be particularly beneficial in networking.

It depends on where and who you are diving with. I go on liveaboards a lot that range from mid luxury to luxury at remote locations. When I do land based diving it's usually at places that attract more serious divers. I don't hang out at backpacker locations, guesthouses, or do holiday diver budget boats.

A place like let's say Koh Tao is not bad to party but most people there are young, poor, and newbie holiday people. It's not bad to make friends with people like this but you won't get much out of it in the social network sense of course. On the other hand a place like Malapascua, Raja Ampat, or even Palau tends to attract a different caliber of clientele with means and motivation to get there.

I have made friends through diving which I still keep in contact with to this day even after years. A business lead came out of another. Plus it helps to know relatively successful people from several different countries just from a knowledge perspective.

Thanks!

[Bix]

I'm thinking about getting the Open Water Diver certification in the Philippines next month. I just have to decide where to go for it. I was looking at some threads on TripAdvisor and several suggested Bohol (Panglao) as one of the best places to go for it. A Filipina I know was adamant that I should go to Puerto Galera and PG seems to show up on several "top places for scuba in the world" whereas Bohol doesn't seem to. But she doesn't scuba (though she's snorkeled and said it was great) and I'm leaning towards going with the advice off the TA thread because they seem to be fairly experienced scuba divers around the PI. Any suggestions from the guys here that know both places?

Geographically, PG is closer to Manila but it's still a three-hour bus ride or drive whereas Bohol is a one-hour flight to Cebu and a ferry (or I could spend more and fly into Tagbilaran directly), so one is not necessarily that much easier to get to than the other. There also seems to be much more non-scuba things to do in Bohol.

I've also looked at Malapascua and Moal Boal but it looks like there's not much to do after the dives there. I wouldn't mind a little nightlife to have fun in rather than reading books in solitude the entire time.

I'm leaning towards Bohol. Any reason I should change my mind?

[Sourcecode]

I'm a rescue diver..never had to use it.
But I love diving.
personally. I haven't seen a purpose in networking though.

No one is coming off on business missions scuba diving. most divers are in straight chill mode.
or are pretentious to begin with and you don't wanna talk to them anyway.

chick divers in most higher settings.past basic divers... people are diving in groups.

You don't dive alone...almost always a dive partner..

the occasional young girls that do fun adventure dives are usually with friends also. they aren't trying to hook up with the 30 year old dive instructor.
when your day as an instructor is done..you're gonna clean an fix gear while the girls are gonna go and buy buckets full of alcohol and leave the dive team behind

[El Chinito loco]

(04-06-2014 12:24 AM)Bix Wrote:  

I'm thinking about getting the Open Water Diver certification in the Philippines next month. I just have to decide where to go for it. I was looking at some threads on TripAdvisor and several suggested Bohol (Panglao) as one of the best places to go for it. A Filipina I know was adamant that I should go to Puerto Galera and PG seems to show up on several "top places for scuba in the world" whereas Bohol doesn't seem to. But she doesn't scuba (though she's snorkeled and said it was great) and I'm leaning towards going with the advice off the TA thread because they seem to be fairly experienced scuba divers around the PI. Any suggestions from the guys here that know both places?

PG is more of a whoremonger/diving destination and it's full of mostly older expats and Koreans. The diving there is OK but nothing that will blow your socks off. It's a decent place for beginners though and if you really want to learn how to dive in all conditions then PG is also good because they have sites with strong current and no current, deep sites and shallow sites, wrecks and reefs. You have a variety of conditions there which is good for training. There are also lots of skilled experienced divers that live and work there so you'll likely be in good hands with any reputable shop.

However, i'd still recommend Malapascua over PG.

The reason why is that it's almost guaranteed you will see awesome things like Thresher sharks if you do your advanced cert at the same time. The sharks are pretty deep at around 22+meters so advanced is a must but it's totally worth it. However, just for open water it's still an interesting place teeming with all sorts of macro life. I highly recommend Evolution diving at Malapascua since it arguably has the best instructors and it's a well run place which adheres to decent standards.

Bohol would be interesting but i'm less familiar with bohol than other places.

[Bix]

Thanks El. Good info.

[monster]

I love scuba diving, lot's of fun.

I haven't gone on a lot of trips, but those that I did where I got laid on I didn't actually get laid because of the scuba diving but because the scuba destinations I've been to attract a lot of tourists/backpackers who want to party at night and hook up!

This was at Cairns, Aus and in the Mediterranean off of france.

Scuba tires me out though! At the end of a day of diving with 3-4 dives I just wanna crash I can barely stand up!

[TheScubaDiver]

I have worked as an instructor both in Thailand and Sweden and I can say that I have met a lot of different people. My experience is that it's a really good way to network with people. If i get fired tomorrow I can have a new job the next day because of the people I've met when diving. When I am planing to go abroad I always check if I have some old colleagues that work or live there. When I was in Thailand alot of my customers bought me dinner and stuff after the shop closed or when I was done with my shift. So if you make good contacts with the customers they usually want you to go party/eating with them later at night, that is also part of the job. Becoming a scuba instructor is the best decision I have ever made. If I have a problem with my car or if I need a new computer or whatever, I always know someone that can help me out. Diving is a very social hobby/job.

[Marmite]

Where would be the best places to learn / what should you look for in a school etc? Scuba is something I've always wanted to try.

[Yunzi]

(04-06-2014 03:35 PM)Marmite Wrote:  

Where would be the best places to learn / what should you look for in a school etc? Scuba is something I've always wanted to try.

Marmite - in the UK look around for diving schools in your area to get a PADI qualification. You can also look for BSAC clubs who will train you which is probably cheaper but takes longer. Learning in the UK is great - its cold and grey so you really appreciate the tropics when you get out there!

[monster]

(04-06-2014 03:35 PM)Marmite Wrote:  

Where would be the best places to learn / what should you look for in a school etc? Scuba is something I've always wanted to try.

Anywhere really. You usually start off in a pool then go to a nearby ocean. Even if you're landlocked but in a small city chances are there will be one place that offer padi, naui or that other cert courses in a pool with a day trip to get your open water cert.

Alternatively, in tourist scuba spots you can get your cert from beginning to end in one of the dive-boat package deals. In Cairns on the dive boat I was on, about 25% of the divers never dove before and were getting their cert/learning how to dive for the first time.

[El Chinito loco]

(04-06-2014 03:35 PM)Marmite Wrote:  

Where would be the best places to learn / what should you look for in a school etc? Scuba is something I've always wanted to try.

For a beginner there's nothing wrong with learning in a place like Thailand where you can meet a lot of other beginners and party at the same time. Plus it's pretty cheap. However, as you get a little more advanced i'd seek out serious instructors in more underwater diverse diving locations in Indonesia or the Philippines.

Just make sure the classes are small enough where you get individual attention and that the diving shop is rock solid when it comes to safety and instruction. Don't go with a place because it looks like fun go with the one that has the best rep and best instructors.

You're essentially putting your life in the hands of strangers.

[Grit]

In terms of equipment: the real trick is to be friendly in the industry as much as the tourist/instructor side.

Guys who are thick into diving service all their own gear. You have a really nice setup and can make it last for twenty years, if you don't wear it to pieces beforehand.

You become an authorized dealer before companies certify you for repairs. Once certified for repairs, they send you parts kits. Access to parts and certified knowledge let you extend the life of your equipment indefinitely.