TIDES & CURRENTS

Tides

Have played in the beach for more than 6hours? Did you realize the same spot that you were playing become dry? Where is the water? When I was young, I thought it was magic but as I grow older than I understand that these changes are called tides due to the result of the gravitational pull of the moon and to a smaller extent, the sun.

Tides affect divers by exposing or concealing rocks that are or near the water's surface. For example, a low tide may expose rocks that make the entry and exit hazardous, but when the tide rises, these rocks may be completely submerged and safe to swim over. You may also avoid long surface walk if you are diving in high tides.

Currents

In the ocean, currents are formed by winds, waves, tides, and the rotation of the earth. In the northern hemisphere, currents move clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, current move counterclockwise.

As divers, we need to know the different kind of currents and to response correctly to avoid any accident. There are few currents that I would like to share with you; Longshore, Rip & Tidal currents. 

Longshore Current

Longshore currents run parallel to shore. Like offshore currents, they are considered standing currents, which means they rarely change direction if ever at all. It can move you far from your entry or planned exit location. To avoid a long surface swim or losing your dive party, you must determine the direction and speed of the current and plan your dive accordingly.

There are several indicators that can help you determine the direction of a longshore current. One indicator is the direction from which waves approach shore. If the waves approach the shore from the south, the current is likely to come from the same direction. Another indicator is the direction anchored boats face. Most boats are anchored from their bow, so they face against the current.

Rip Current

Rip currents move perpendicular to the shore, and are common at most beaches. These are transitory currents, which means they can suddenly appear without warning. Rip currents are form when backwash from surf is forced to travel back into the water through a narrow passage such as a reef or sandbar. They are identified by a stream of foam traveling away from the surf zone.

While rip currents can be too strong to swim against, they are also quite narrow in size. If you become caught by one while trying to swim to shore, the best response is to swim parallel to shore until you exit the current. Some rip currents can be beneficial. If you are surface swimming to a dive site, a rip current can assist you during your swim and carry you closer to your destination.

Tidal Current

Tidal currents form when incoming or outgoing tides force water through a narrow passage. Since tides move in and out several times a day, the direction and force of tidal currents changes throughout the day. Currents of this type are often too strong to swim against, so careful planning is required before diving in areas with tidal currents. The safest diving is during slack tide, which is the period when tides are about to change direction.

Diving In Currents

The direction and speed of currents are major factors to consider when planning your dive. Most dive plans require that you exit at or near your entry point. If you allow a current to carry you away from the boat, you may have to surface before you reach your exit location. This will require you to make a long surface swim against the current to make it back to your exit location.

The best approach to diving in a current is to begin your dive against the current. This allows you to turn around half-way through your dive, ride the current back to your exit location, and remain there until it's time to surface.

When strong currents are present, a rope should be extended behind the boat. This is called a current line, and is used to pull yourself against the current and back to the boat. If you are diving into the current, it is important that you always dive with a safety sausage so that even you are far away from the boat, the boat is still able to locate when you surface from the dive. It is also advisable to have an audible devise while diving so that you are able to get attention when you surface.

Current In Boracay Island

The usual question I usually received when divers asked about diving in Boracay; what are the currents situation in Boracay? Can I dive in Yapak now? Can I do a Channel Drift now? Diving in Boracay is relatively easy but there are few dive sites that we need to consider the current of the day. If we plan to dive in Yapak or Crocodile Island, it is important that we dive when tides are going up. 

Yapak that is situated at the Northern part of the island, the current will move in clockwise direction and as you descend, you will be swimming towards Yapak. In Crocodile Island that is situated at the Southern part of the island, the current will move in counter clockwise direction and you will be swimming towards Crocodile Island.

However; if you are planning to dive in Channel Drift or Santos, do make sure that the tides are going down when you dived in these sites. When tides are going down, the northern part of the island is going counter-clockwise and the southern part of the island will be going clockwise direction. Diving in Santos during low tide will bring you towards Balinghai, the southern west of the island. 

When you want to dive in Channel Drift, you will get into the water perpendicular to Crocodile Island and as you descent you will be swimming towards the southern west of the island. Remember diving in these sites, for the sake of safety, you are required to dive with a visible & audible devise. If you are drifted too far away, these devises will assist you to get attention from the boat.   

BUOYANCY CONTROL

You moved like a fish underwater! Why do you still have so much air after your dives and why are you swimming so close to the reef yet not touching them? These were usually the comments of my divers when we surfaced after diving.  Well, good buoyancy control is usually my answer to them then the next question will always be… HOW?!?

Proper buoyancy control is the most important or sometime the most difficult skill for a diver to master but maintaining neutral buoyancy is the key to easy diving, save more air, avoiding damage to coral reefs and most important; enjoy the underwater environment.

When I started diving 25years ago as a teenager, was not doing it for pleasure but was working as a part time cleaner in a yacht club in Singapore over the weekends to make some extra bucks for school allowance. I don’t even use a BCD when I was cleaning, it was just a back mounted with the tank and regulator. I would usually go for a short dive at the pier after cleaning the yacht, don’t know much about controlling buoyancy. I was just using my lungs to fine-tune my buoyancy underwater without the use of a Buoyancy Control Devise (BCD).

I became more involved in diving when I entered the Army; I was introduced to different types of BCD. I still remember using it in a swimming pool and trying to perfect in using it. I was amazed by the Instructors how they were able to control their buoyancy underwater, moving like a fish; slow and steady. I remembered asking myself how could I be like them. Years have pass… I have dived for so many years and certified more than 1500 students of all levels. Taught many students how to control their buoyancy, how to conserve their air underwater and how to enjoy the underwater world.

There are many information written about Buoyancy Control but I am just going to share with you 3 tips on how to control your buoyancy underwater. Hope these tips can help you to become a better diver and enjoy the beauty of the underwater world.

1. Are You Properly Weighted?

Divers usually have the idea of having more weights so that they will not have problems with their buoyancy underwater, they are afraid of having difficulty to get into the water but having more weights on will cause drag underwater. When you feel heavy, you need more effort to move underwater. It is important for us to be streamline as much as possible when we are underwater.

When you fully deflated your BCD, do you sink like a stone? If you are then you are wearing too much weight but if you have difficulty going down even you have fully deflated the BCD then you are under weight and strongly recommend you to do a buoyancy check. When you are properly weighted, you should be able to float at eye level when you hold a normal breath. However; do take note that it differ when you wear a different thickness or length of wetsuit. You also need to check again if you use a different BCD.

As you get more experience underwater you need lesser weights. When I started diving, I needed 6kg of weights to bring me down but today; I am only using 2kg of weights using the same length & thickness of wetsuit. As you get more comfortable underwater, try using lesser weights and you will feel less drag underwater.

2. Using Your Lungs To Fine Tune Your Buoyancy.

How do you do that? You are so big in size and you only use 2kg of weights, how? This is the usual comment of divers when they saw me putting on 2kg of weights before putting on my BCD. I used my lungs to fine tune buoyancy. Do understand that your lungs inflate as you inhale and deflate as you exhale.

When you are going into the water, don’t just deflate your BCD but also exhale as you go down and you will feel that you will get into the water much easier. As you are diving underwater, use your lungs to fine-tune your buoyancy. Do practice on a sandy bottom or swimming pool, trying fining around and breathing deep and slow. You will see yourself moving gently underwater and use it in practice, when you are swimming towards a reef, using your lungs to control your buoyancy underwater.

3. Streamline Yourself.

Are you having a Christmas tree decoration on your BCD? Do take note by having too much things on your BCD will cause drag and this may also affect your buoyancy underwater. Try to streamline yourself, having all hoses in place and do not have too much things hanging on your BCD.

As you are diving, do not use your hands as you are swimming. Keep your hands close to you and move horizontally underwater. Be close to the reefs to enjoy the beauty without touching or crushing the reefs. You don’t have to position your body vertically to deflate your BCD underwater. As you are swimming underwater and if you find that you need to adjust your buoyancy, remember there is a dump valve situated at the bottom right side of your BCD. Just have to pull the valve and air will also be released.

If you would like to know more of controlling your buoyancy underwater to improve your skills underwater, I recommend you to take up the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Course with Sea World Dive Center. Email peter@seaworldboracay.com or +63 920 970 2728 for more information. 

TECHNICAL DIVING

Technical Diving Is Scuba Diving's "Extreme" Sport, Taking Experienced And Qualified Divers Far Deeper Than In Mainstream Recreational Diving. Technical Diving Is Marked By Significantly More Equipment And Training Requirements To Manage The Additional Hazard This Type Of Diving Entails. Tec Diving Isn't For Everyone, But For Those Who Hear Its Challenge Call, The PADI Tec Rec Courses Are The Answer

What Is Technical Diving?

Technical Scuba Diving Is Defined As Diving Other Than Conventional Commercial Or Research Diving That Takes Divers Beyond Recreational Scuba Diving Limits. It Is Further Defined As And Includes One Or More Of The Following: - Diving Beyond 40mMetres Deep. - Required Stage Decompression. - Diving In An Overhead Environment Beyond 40m Of The Surface. - Accelerated Decompression And Or The Use Of Variable Gas Mixtures During The Dive.

Because In Technical Diving The Surface Is Effectively Inaccessible In An Emergency, Tec Divers Use Extensive Methodologies And Technologies And Training To Manage The Added Risks. Even With These, However, Tec Diving Admittedly Has More Risk, Potential Hazard And Shorter Critical Error Chains Than Does Recreational Scuba Diving.

How Long Has Technical Diving Been Around?

Most People Would Agree That Cave Diving Is A Form Of Technical Diving. Cave Diving Developed In The Late 1960s And 1970s, Developing Into A Discipline Largely Like It Is Today By The Mid 1980s. In The Early 1990s, Several Groups Of Divers Around The World Began Experimenting With Technologies For Deep Diving (Beyond Recreational Limits) To Explore Both Caves And Wrecks. These Communities United And Emerged As "Technical Diving" Or "Tec Diving" With The Publication Of Aquacorps (No Longer In Print), Which Dedicated Itself To This Type Of Diving

Tec Diving Not Only Has More Risk, But It Requires Significantly More Effort, Discipline And Equipment. It's Not For Everyone, And You Can Be An Accomplished, Avid Top-Notch Diver Your Entire Life Without Making A Tec Dive. That Said, There's A Cadre Of Individuals Who Want To Visit Places Underwater That Relatively Few People Can. Many Spectacular, Untouched Wrecks Lie At Depths Well Below 40m. Deep Reefs Have Organisms You Don't Find In The Shallows. Some People Enjoy The Challenge And Focus Tec Diving Requires. Still Others Love Being Involved With Cutting Edge Technologies. These Reasons Make Tec Diving Rewarding.

The PADI Tec Rec Difference

The Tec Rec Program Debuted In 2000. Although Tec Rec Is Not The First Tec Diving Program (Cave Diver Training Has Been Around For Decades), It Repeatedly Receives Accolades For Its Merits. - Tec Rec Courses Are Integrated Into An Instructionally Valid, Seamless Course Flow That Takes You From Beginning Tec Diver To One Qualified To The Outer Reaches Of Sport Diving Using Different Gas Mixes. - Each Level Introduces You To New Gear, Planning And Procedures Appropriate To Extend Your Diving Limits. - The Tec Diver Course Is An Integrated Sequence Of Three Sub courses: Tec 40, Tec 45 And Tec 50. You Can Complete Them Continuously Or You Can Complete Each Level Separately With A Time Span Between Them. This Gives You Learning Efficiency, Instructional Integrity And Schedule Flexibility.

The Scuba Gear You'll Use

Tec Diving Uses Much More Equipment Than Recreational Diving. The Technical Scuba Gear Typically Uses Two To Four Or Five Regulators, A Dive Computer, And Some Accessories.

Prerequisites

• 18 Years Or Older.
• A Mature, Responsible Person Who Will Follow The Required Procedures And Requirements Strictly And Faithfully.
• Medically Fit For Tec Diving (Physician's Signature Required).
• Willing To Accept The Added Risks That Tec Diving Presents.
• An Experienced Diver With At Least 100 Logged Dives.
• Certified As A PADI Enriched Air Diver And PADI Deep Diver Or Equivalent (For This Program Equivalency Is Proof Of Training In Recreational Deep Diving 18m To 40m Consisting Of At Least Four Dives And Training In Nitrogen Narcosis Considerations, Contingency/Emergency Decompression, Making Safety Stops And Air Supply Management OR, Have A Minimum Of 20 Logged Dives Deeper Than 30m)

The Fun Part

The Fun Part Of Tecrec Is Rising To The Challenges As You Dive Deeper And Longer Than Most Divers Ever Do.

PADI TECHNICAL DIVING FLOW CHART

GOLDEN TREE SPA BORACAY

Golden Tree Spa is located at Lapus Lapus Boracay specializes in Stone Massage Therapy. It was designed in modern theme providing an ambience of well-being and total relaxation and offers a holistic range of touch therapy and restores to balance your mind and body.

Stone Massage Therapy creates a deeply relaxing and healing treatment that helps the body’s energy and blood circulation. Using both pressure and placement of warm stones on the body and combined with aroma therapy, this therapeutic massage restores energy flow.

Your guests will be greeted by our therapists upon arriving at the spa and you will be served with our authentic Marongay Herbal Tea, its call The Tree of Miracle that provides lots of vitamins to the body. There are 4 Aroma Oil to choose: Lavender, Peppermint, Green Spa and Eucalyptus. Guests will be guided to the room by our therapists, we have 18 private rooms and every room have a private toilet and shower amenities. There are over 30 therapists ready to serve you and your guests. While massaging, your guests can enjoy the view of Boracay Sea and peaceful music of the spa.

Time of Session:

1. 1000hrs – 1200hrs

2. 1330hrs – 1530hrs

3. 1600hrs – 1800hrs

4. 1900hrs – 2100hrs

5. 2130hrs – 2330hrs

We provide pick up and drop off services in any place in Boracay Island, guests are required to be in the spa 15mins before the start of session. Is advisable to be picked up 30mins before the start of session.

SIDEMOUNT DIVING

What Is Sidemount Diving?

Sidemount is a scuba diving equipment configuration which has diving cylinders mounted alongside the diver, below the shoulders and along the hips, instead of on the back of the diver. It began as a configuration popular with advanced cave divers, as smaller sections of cave can be penetrated and tanks can be changed with greater ease. The same benefits for operating in confined spaces were also recognized by divers who conducted technical wreck diving penetrations.

Sidemount diving is now growing in popularity within the technical diving community for general decompression diving, and is becoming an increasingly popular specialty training for recreational diving, with several diver certification agencies offering recreational and technical level sidemount training programs.

Terminology of Sidemount Diving:

Sidemount Diving

Sidemount diving is the, now increasingly formalized, approach towards conducting dives with 2 or more primary cylinders secured at the side of the body and in line with the torso – with no cylinders on the diver’s back. A common feature that defines sidemount configuration is the use of bungee cords to provide an upper attachment on the cylinder valve, normally routed from behind the diver’s upper back, whilst the lower cylinder is secured to the diver’s lower harness (butt-plate or waist D-rings) via bolt-snaps.

Sidemount Staging

Sidemount staging is the practice of using sidemount configuration (bungee loops and/or buttplate rails) as a means for stowing stage/deco cylinders in a streamlined manner against the sides of the torso, when otherwise diving in back-mounted doubles or CCR.

Stage-Only Diving 

Stage-only diving is the use of standard deco/stage cylinder configuration, without back-mounted cylinders, on an otherwise standard, or partially modified tec/rec BCD. The lower cylinder is attached to waist D-Rings and the upper cylinder to shoulder D-Rings, both via direct bolt-snap. Some divers (untrained in specific sidemount diving techniques) often incorrectly assume this approach to be sidemount diving. No bungee cord is utilised in the upper attachment, causing the cylinders to hang low beneath the diver and not in line (parallel) with their torso beneath their armpits. Without modification of the BCD design, the lack of back-mounted cylinders also causes taco’ing of wing designs and considerable instability.

Monkey Diving

Monkey diving is the use of sidemount configuration/procedures, whilst only carrying a single cylinder. It is presented as an option on some recreational level sidemount courses and may also be a considered strategy for certain overhead-environment (cave/wreck) penetrations. The use of a single cylinder may require a strategy of counter-weighting to prevent diver instability in the water, depending on the buoyancy of the chosen cylinder.

No-Mount Diving

No-mount diving is a specialized overhead-environment strategy for dealing with particularly tight restrictions. This may involve divers wearing a very basic harness under their existing configuration, or simply hand-carrying cylinders. Upon reaching a restriction through which they couldn’t otherwise pass, they will ‘strip down’ out of their primary gear, hand-hold or attach a cylinder/s to their ‘no-mount’ harness and move forwards. A ‘no-mount’ harness can consist of nothing more than a weight-belt with several D-rings attached. The evolution of sidemount techniques and configurations has largely made this approach unnecessary, as a minimalist sidemount harness/BCD can be worn beneath back-mounted doubles, or even a CCR.

Benefits For Sidemount Diving:

Flexibility

The sidemount diving approach offers divers significant benefits to the flexibility of their approach. Unlike back-mounted doubles, acquiring and transporting sidemount suitable cylinders is often much more convenient and accessible. Sidemount diving configuration allows the travelling diver to conduct technical and/or overhead environment dives without having to source traditional back-mounted cylinders. When diving in remote locations, the transportation of diving logistics, especially by hand, is considerably less physically taxing. Sidemount diving equipment is also considerably lighter, and less bulky than back-mounted alternatives – allowing for easier and cheaper (considering the rate of many airline’s excess baggage costs) travel.

Accessibility

Unlike back-mounted cylinders, the sidemount diver has immediate access to, and observation of, the regulators and tank valves of their cylinders. This enables immediate problem identification and allows swifter resolution, without recourse to ‘behind the head’ shut-down drills that require a higher level of mobility, flexibility and freedom to operate.

Streamlining

Sidemount diving configuration places the cylinders under the diver’s armpits, in line with their body. This decreases water resistance (improving air consumption and reducing fatigue) whilst also allowing the diver to pass through smaller restrictions than would otherwise be possible in back-mounted cylinders. The flexibility to remove tanks, and propel them in front, allows the diver to pass through very small passages and holes when penetration diving – being limited only by the size of their bodies and exposure protection.

Safety

Increased accessibility to life-supporting regulators, first-stages and valves improves efficiency and speed of critical cylinder shut-down procedures, allows immediate gas-loss identification and provides the diver with quick access to alternative safety procedures; such as regulator swapping (between cylinders), valve-‘feathering’ to access gas within a cylinder whose regulator is malfunctioned/free-flowing or even breathing directly from a tank valve.

In addition, stowage of the cylinders next to the diver’s torso, and beneath his armpits, serves to protect vulnerable valves and regulator first-stages from collision, impact and abrasion damage, or accidental shut-down through contact with a ceiling. It also significantly reduces the risk of entanglement behind the diver, where it is least easy to rectify.

Comfort

Many divers will testify that sidemount diving configuration offers greater stability and easier-to-attain trim and control in the water. It is also less physically tiring to carry, and get into, sidemount equipment than with traditional back-mounted doubles – especially when operating from a small boat or a rough shore entry.

The ability to attach, remove and replace cylinders whilst in the water allows the diver to avoid ever having to carry heavy-weight back-mounted cylinders. This is combined with reduced physical exertion when conducting regulator shut-down procedures, which is a major benefit to technical divers who suffer from shoulder or back discomfort or reduced mobility from old injuries.

Redundancy of gas

Whilst technical divers have always utilized a redundant gas system, either isolated-manifold or independent back-mounted cylinders, recreational divers have traditionally resorted to using ‘pony cylinders’ or ‘ascent bottles’ as contingencies against out-of-air emergencies. Whether attached to the primary cylinder, or slung at the chest, these cylinders often presented problems with stability and streamlining, whilst simultaneously only providing a bare minimum supply of air for emergency ascent. Sidemount diving with two cylinders helps resolve stability and streamlining issues, and ensures that a truly capable redundant supply of air is maintained.

Technical divers debate the pros and cons of independent cylinders versus isolated-manifold doubles. Back-mounted manifold cylinders provide easy access to complete gas supplies, in the event of a regulator failure and shut-down. However, the manifold itself creates additional o-ring failure points and a failure in that component will deprive the technical diver of, at least, one-half of his remaining gas supply. Independent cylinders, when sidemounted, provide true gas redundancy, whilst offering access (via switching regulators between cylinders or feather breathing of all remaining gas.

Sea World Dive Center Boracay

A PADI Career Development Center with over 20years of experiences in conducting Instructor Development Training. Received numerous awards for Outstanding Customer Services and Contribution to the Diving Industry. The company is also a PADI Tec Rec Center that offer technical training and we do offer Sidemount Diver Course. If you are interested, please click on http://www.seaworldboracay.com/padi_sidemount.html. The cost of the course is Php25,000.00 and includes 1 confined water training & 3 open water dives. For more information, you may email our Technical Instructor; Master Peter Tay with over 21years of teaching experiences at the following: peter@seaworldboracay.com or +63 920 970 2728.

GO PRO WITH SEA WORLD DIVE CENTER

I started diving at the age of 14 through the influence of my brother when he came back home with his diving equipment. He told me the beauty of the underwater world and told me to get an opportunity to explore the underwater world. Remember working during the School Holiday to achieve a Diving Certification.

When I was in Military School, I was fortunate to be trained as a diver. I continued my education and became a Dive Control Specialist. At age 22, I became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and in a short span of 2years, I became a PADI Master Instructor.  My teacher taught me to continue my education and he always said to me that a good diver is always learning and I always remember his advises, continue my diving education and presently I am a Specialty Instructor of over 20 diving specialties. I even broke my own personal record of diving to a depth of 125m using Trimix.

We just completed our PADI Instructor Development Course & PADI Instructor Examination and our candidates did well in the examination. I am especially proud of my youngest candidate; Zhantal Que. She started diving when she just turned 18 and took my advise and continue her education. In less than 3 months, she already completed her PADI Divemaster Course and was working as a PADI Divemaster in Sea World Dive Center.

We were scheduled to start our PADI Instructor Development Course in the month of May, the owner of Sea World Dive Center; Mr. Kim who is a PADI Course Director advised Zhantal Que to continue her education and attend the PADI Instructor Development Course, followed by the PADI Instructor Examination. I took charge in training the candidates. During the 10days of training, we teach candidates the fundamental of instructions. How To Present A Knowledge Presentation, Confined Water Presentation and Open Water Presentation. We also teach about the different Standards & Procedures of the PADI Courses. After successfully completed the PADI Instructor Development Course, candidates will be able to attend the PADI Instructor Examination.

I was impressed that Zhantal Que did well during the PADI IDC Course, have trained many candidates and she was the youngest I have taught. She understood the PADI System of Education and did well in her course. When she attended the PADI Instructor Examination, many thought she would not make it. There were some thought she will not do well in her examination due to her age but I was impressed when she finished the PADI Instructor Examination with flying colors.  I am looking forward for her to become the youngest PADI Master Instructor in the next 2 years.

If you are looking for a change of career, if you are looking for a job that can bring you all over the world then I strongly encourage you to become a PADI Professional. Go Pro with Sea World Dive Center, a PADI Career Development Center and be trained by PADI Master Instructor; Master Peter Tay with over 20years of teaching experiences. If you are already a diver then continue your education and become a Dive Professional. Our next PADI Instructor Development Course will be on July 10 – 18 and PADI Instructor Examination on July 20 & 21. For more information, click on www.boracayscubadive.com or you can email directly to peter@seaworldboracay.com for more information.

MASTER PETER TAY

My name is Peter Tay, a Singaporean Chinese living in Boracay Island Philippines. I been living in the Philippines since 2002 and traveled to many parts of the Philippines. I have traveled around the world and still feel Philippines is the most beautiful country to live in. People are friendly, many nice places to visit and most important, there are many nice dive sites.

I been a Dive Professional since I was 18years old, trained by the Singapore Military. When I was discharged, I was a full time diving instructor. Thru diving, it brought me to many places in the world and given me many opportunity. I was privilege to work with PADI Asia Pacific as a Sales Representative at a very young age and started my first diving school at 24 in Singapore.

I have taught more than 5000 students of all levels and received numerous awards for Outstanding Customer Services & Letters of Commendation for excellent Instructions. I am presently a PADI Master Instructor & TDI Advanced Trimix Instructor with over 20 Diving Specialties. I am also an Emergency First Response Instructor Trainer.

Teaching diving is my passion, I love teaching and enjoyed teaching students who have fear of water. Even though students who are afraid of water are not easy students but the sense of satisfaction when the student is able to complete the course and become a PADI Open Water Diver. After the course, they will give me a big hug and thank me for my instructions. This make my day as a diving instructor.

If you would like to know more of my services in Boracay Island, log on to www.boracayadventures.com for more information. You may email me at peter@boracayadventures.com if you have any questions.