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Saturday, January 17, 2009

Scuba diving in times of financial crisis

During the economic down turn, scuba diving is still possible to be done if we know how to do it efficiently, i.e. without having to spend a lot of money. Diving enthusiasts can try to explore new dive sites in their country if they think that the air fare to dive sites with pristine coral reef in the Pacific region is unaffordable. There are still a lot of unexplored diving sites in the world. Sometimes, we do not realize that some of them are located not far from our home.



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If you insist that you want to dive in the Pacific islands such as the Raja Ampat islands and Cendrawasih Marine National Park in West Papua, you can still do that with minimum cost. Before flying to West Papua, contact other divers in your mailing list whether they want to join you in your trip. Going diving together in a group of ten to twenty people will help you save a lot of money both in transportation and accommodation costs.


When you travel alone, it is better to bring fewer diving equipment. You can rent diving bottles, BCD (buoyancy control device), wet suit, and mask in the diving resort that you stay. But you need to ask the resort owner if they have dive gear that is suitable to your body size and whether it is still in good condition.



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Renting diving gear is cheaper than bringing your own during a long trip. The cost for extra luggage is increasing right now.


Many dive resorts now have websites which display underwater pictures of the coral reef which you might want to dive on. Visit the website and contact the resort owner the best time to dive in the area. The weather in your country might be different from the weather in your diving destination country. It is definitely clear that diving during dry season in countries such as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji will give you the best diving experience. These countries are located near the equator, diving during rainy season is not recommended. The visibility is very low due to the run of natural debris from the rivers closer to the coral reef.



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When you have got all the necessary information for your next dive trip, you can begin your journey anytime you want. by Charles Roring in Manokwari West Papua - Indonesia

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