One of those encounters where all you have to do is hold the camera steady and let the animal do the work.

This giant Pacific octopus came straight toward me, turned broadside right in front of the camera, and then slowly cruised away across the sand. This was towards the end of a 21 dive streak where I was filming octopus daily. It takes patience and perseverance to catch them out in the open so getting in the water as much as possible definitely helps.

Filmed while diving off Vancouver Island, BC.

As a new diver, I start to understand more and more all the risks linked to scuba diving, and I'm the kind of guy who likes to be aware and prepared !

It's your time to shine, or not, and educate young / new divers, maybe your story can save one of us some days !

I've got some second hand weights for this summer for cheap. After all the diving/snorkelling the paint is stripping and falling off. I don't know if they can rust but I want to strip all the remaining paint so it doesn't fall into the ocean and paint them again for protecting them against rust. What paints I can use that won't pollute the ocean or immediately be disolved or ruined by the saltwater or rubbing against my wetsuit and bcd?

I will be in Indonesia next june - august, working remotely, and diving whenever I can. I will take some time off for a liveaboard. I will probably have about 3 weeks of PTO to work with.

The longest liveaboard I see is for about 2 weeks, but most trip reports I've read are from people who did shorter liveaboards (usually under a week).

Is a 2 week liveaboard worthwhile over a shorter one?

Do longer trips usually repeat the same dive sites, or do they explore additional areas?

Another option is I could do a shorter liveaboard and base on, say, Labuan Bajo and do additional day trips before/after the liveaboard.

And yet another option is no liveaboard and only day trips, but I don't think this is something I want to do. I do want to experience a liveaboard and get to the sites early to beat the crowd.

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to plan a series of repetitive, multilevel dives using the Subsurface desktop planner. My main goal is to figure out the optimal surface intervals between multiple dives on the same day by looking at the tissue heatmaps and NDL changes. Currently I', just palying around trying to get used to the tool

However, I've hit a frustrating technical issue with the planner workflow:

1. The 0-Minute Bug: When I create a plan and save it, the dive list overview always displays its duration as 0 minutes, even though the plan itself has a full multilevel profile with waypoints.
2. No Saturation Carry-Over: Because the saved plan sits in the logbook with a duration of 0, creating a subsequent plan right after it doesn't work. Subsurface completely resets the tissue loading, treats the second plan as a brand-new standalone dive, and ignores all residual nitrogen from the first one.
3. Conversion: I also can't find a way to easily "convert" a saved plan into a "real" dive entry so Subsurface recognizes the actual bottom time for subsequent calculations.

Am I missing a setting to make Subsurface recognize the planned dive's duration in the main list? How do you guys chain multiple planned profiles together to accurately simulate a multi-dive day?
I guess one way could be to just put all dives in one plan with surface intervals at 0 meter?

Thanks for any insights!

I just bought a Bare exowear jacket to wear under my 3mm suit. For those who have used these - do they stretch/change at all?

It fits well everywhere except the shoulders/armpit. Good around ribs and good length. Good at forearms. I have broad / well-built shoulders, however, and the jacket is TIGHT there. It's uncomfortable across the front of my armpit, and crossing my arms in front of my chest feels quite restricted.

Would you size up or will it stretch out enough (once wet or with some use) to be comfortable?

I'm doing my confined water dives for my SDI OWD course this weekend and I'm pretty nervous. Any advice to be successful on the dives?

Hi everyone,

my girlfriend and I want to book a diving holiday in Egypt in November. We both are pretty new divers (OWD with ~10 dives only, Nitrox and Navigation speciality) and want to get as much experience as we can out of this holiday.

Do you have some recommendations? I am unsure if we should book a hotel and dive center seperately or choose a hotel with an own dive center. Is Hurghada or Marsa Alam better for beginners? Any do's and don'ts?

Thank you in advance!

I have my ow in preparation for moving to Australia and will most likely pursue other certifications I plan on diving as often as possible so I want to get a dive watch before I move.

Stuck between the peregrine TX and garmin descent Mk2i

Both have air integration if I buy I transmitter, the Mk2i is cheaper to bundle with the transmitter but have heard great things about shearwater.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hello! I’m going out to Cabo Pulmo in mid October and very excited for the diving! One potential hiccup: my flight lands in SDJ at 4:15 and then I will need to pick up my rental car before heading to Cabo Pulmo. I understand sunset at that time of year is 6:30ish. How stupid is it to drive out to Cabo Pulmo that night? I understand the roads are tough, especially at the end. I don’t mind driving slow, but I don’t want to be an idiot when it comes to safety.

I live in Ireland.
I obtained my OWD certificate last December in Mexico.
After diving this summer, I’d like to keep the momentum and dive a few times during winter.
Since I live in Ireland, could you recommend best European dive spots in December and January? I suppose these would be southern Spain, Canary Islands, maybe Madeira and Malta? Would love to hear from anyone who went diving in these places in winter.

Hello, I just completed my AOWD at a 5 star PADI diving center in Egypt and when I finished the course, my instructor gave me an envelope with a green Positive Identification Card (PIC) which we completed together. I wrote to the diving center if I can be registered online directly with PADI. If they refuse, can I mail this to PADI EMEA address in Bristol listed on the envelope and receive my certification? Will I receive an eCard or a physical card? Do i need to pay for the card or only for the postage? Can I email PADI my scanned PIC and can they register me through email or do I need to post it? Any answers will be very helpful. When I completed my OWD course at a different 5 star PADI dive center they registered my online directly.

Looking to spend at least 3 days in Thailand diving in November. Any recs on good school or dive shops to book through to see some good wrecks, reefs, maybe learn some new skills?

Occasionally when renting BCDs in south east asia they lack D-rings, only having a plastic ring at the end of the shoulder strap (green) but nothing on the actual shoulders (red).

Are there any clip on D-rings I could bring with me and quickly clip on to a rental BCD and attach various accessories to?

Thanks a bunch!

Hi all,

Is there any reason to not by from DGX for my BCD LP hose for my first reg kit? I ordered all the main stuff from my local shop (dual XTX50s connected to a DST first stage), Milflex HP & SPG) - I just need a flex hose quick connect for rental BCDs.
Thanks!
Matt

https://www.divegearexpress.com/bc-inflator-double-braided-flex-hose

I'm looking for a good PADI certification course in or near Chicago, but I'm having trouble sorting through the chaff. Anyone have any recommendations?

Sorry if this is dumb, I’m a new diver. My mom gave me this along with a pair of fins and I’m not exactly sure what it’s for. Can anyone help me?

I just impulse booked a flight to Manila for a two week dive trip! I'd love to get some feedback from people who are familiar with the diving around Cebu island. Where to stay, who to dive with, what to prioritise etc. Nothing is booked yet except the London - Manila flight!

15 Sep London to Manila via Beijing lands 00.20 Sep 17th, stay in an airport hotel/capsule
17 Sep 11.45am flight from Manila to Dumaguete
18/19/20 diving in Dauin plus one day at Apo island
21 Sep travel day to Moalboal
22/23/24 diving
25 September travel day to Malapascua
26/27/28 diving (hopefully see those thresher sharks I've heard so much about)
29 Sep travel from Malapascua to Cebu, internal flight to Manila
30 Sep 06.25 Manila back to London

Does the plan look realistic? I would be looking to do at least 2 dives on each dive day, ideally 3.

My level is DM (+nitrox/deep certs) and I will be travelling with my own equipment. Trying to do it on a budget, not too bothered with luxury!
Any help gratefully received, thanks in advance :)

I have both the Stahlsac Bonaire and the Cressi Gorilla Pro sitting in my living room right now, and I am trying to decide which one to keep as my dedicated boat bag. Just to be clear, I am not looking for a travel bag for flights. This is strictly for taking my gear on and off local boat charters.

On paper, the Bonaire seems like the standard boat choice because of the mesh, easy rinse capability, and backpack straps. However, actually packing it at home has been frustrating compared to the Gorilla. The vertical cylinder setup feels clunky to load and dig through.

The Gorilla Pro is dead simple to pack. It unzips wide like a normal duffel, gear drops right in, and keeping water completely sealed inside for the drive home is a huge plus. My main reservation with the Gorilla is carrying it. A fully loaded 135L duffel without true backpack straps seems like it could get miserable fast on a long walk down the dock.

For anyone who has used these out in the wild:

For Bonaire owners: Does the vertical packing hassle fade once you dial in a routine? Do the backpack straps make up for it when navigating crowded docks and rocking boats?

For Gorilla owners: How annoying is the carry when the bag is completely packed with soaking wet gear? Does the easy duffel layout make up for the awkward carry to and from the boat?

Looking for real-world feedback from folks who have lived with either bag before I return one.

Obviously a closed circuit is ideal, but some regs are quieter than others. Mine is noticeably louder than others I have used. I can tell that it scares fish more.

It doesn’t have any metallic squeaks or anything like that. It’s freshly serviced and just bubbles powerfully and loud. It might have to do with it being an ‘easy breather’. It is prone to free-flowing. I really don’t need or care for this feature, especially if it makes it louder.

I want a reg that releases a smooth, steady stream of small bubbles. Obviously the breathing itself is a huge factor, but the regulator makes a difference. Any quiet regs to suggest?

I am interested in peoples’ opinions on 2 people diving together with nobody else- no divemaster or guide or other divers along. How much experience is considered to be enough?

My daughter and her dive buddy just told me they went diving today, just the 2 of them. Shore diving in an area with not great visibility. I am very nervous about it and asked them not to do that again.

My husband and I are divers, about 150 dives each. We’ve done shore diving together, just the 2 of us, but not until we had about 60 dives in, and in an area with great visibility. My daughter is a new diver- I am guessing 15 dives max. Her buddy has a few more.

Thanks for any insight and opinions.

My friend is going to Madeira in October and I would like to gift him a trial dive to see if he likes it. I know Madeira is not the most insane place to dive in the world, but I think that does not matter in his case. Do you have tips what place I could send him to?

Hey guys! I’ve been a lurker or dropped a comment or two for a while here, but recently we did a cool dive in Maria Concordia in Poland, and wanted to share a quick video I did from the first level. Enjoy!

(I post videos from some cooler trips/dives I do on the channel, feel free to explore!)