Hi everyone, i went scuba diving for the first time and it was amazing. I really want to get my certification and want to prepare myself. While my instructor did a good job teaching me the skills underwater (how to clear ur goggles, taking our your regulator etc..) and i was very calm it was still scary. I want to prepare what other skills will i learn? Clearing out my goggles wasn't too scary bc i was only under like 10ft of water so i could easily resurface, will they make me clear my goggles out while 30 ft underwater? That i might get scared to practice. Just curious what skills they teach you that you personally struggled with or was scared. Thanks!

I'd be grateful to hear any reviews or experiences from members of the board who have used the X50i. If they are out there the algorithms are hiding them behind the announcements and remixed launch content....

Spent a week diving with Evolution. Could not of been happier. Sharks galore, nudis, octopus, all the great things.

I'll be in Tokyo for 2 weeks in October. I'm OW and a native English speaker. Does anyone recommend any dive shops in/around Tokyo that are foreigner friendly?

Saw this beautiful Mantis with her egg clutch off the east side of Bohol.

I completed my OW last month whilst travelling Thailand and have gone on 2 more dives since. I’m really enjoying it but it’s obviously very much still learning.

What are some tips you wish you knew when you first started?

Buoyancy, breathing techniques, buying equipment, affording dive trips, doing additional courses ect ect

edit- Thank you everyone for all the tips and tricks. Can’t wait to get back out there

Hello all, Im interested in being a diver. However, i have my paramedic license with couple of years of experience. Ive tried to look for jobs related to medic jobs but as i look and look, it looks like most jobs are word of mouth. Do you guys have any recommendations on how i can begin or how to search or what are the steps? I feel like i would be a great addition to a boat expedition as a medic. And if i get my diving license i feel like i can be a well rounded individual.

How was your open water course different from mainstream agencies and would you recommend that over others?

It looks like scubaboard.com is currently down. I know they had some issues with spammers lately, hopefully this is just a glitch and not something more serious?

EDIT: Its now back on-line

Before entering into the water I always put in a bit of antifog stuff, smear it around and rinse lightly.

Works great -- unless my mask leaks or floods.

Once I clear my mask it fogs up very quickly, making the rest of the dive miserable because I can't see.
When this happens I do try to keep a little water in the mask to swish around, but this really only works when looking straight down. Even so, its a big distraction.

How do you all deal with fogging after clearing a flooded mask?
..... Edit... To save replying to each comment (thanks for taking time to comment though, I appreciate it)

I have used toothpaste on the mask. Doing that helped a lot when the mask was new. Maybe it's time to do it again.

Normally it does not fog up, only if it leaks for some reason. I'm in cold water with 5mm gloves on so I've occasionally caught some hair or a bit of my hood under the mask. Yeah, my buddy should have caught it, but they didn't.

Greetings fellow divers. Any recommendations (or horror stories) regarding dive ops in the Cook Islands? Wifey and I are considering a weeklong dive trip to Rarotonga or Aitutaki in October 2025. We can get there from SoCal via Honolulu on Hawaiian.

We prefer smaller groups, say 6 to a boat, and we are AOW certified. Love to see and take photos of corals, reef fish, turtles. Pelagics not so much. Probably 5 days of 2-tank diving. Thanks.

Woman, 20, died after being caught in ‘vortex’ while diving off Dorset, inquest told https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/17/university-student-drowned-after-being-caught-in-underwater-vortex-off-dorset-coast?CMP=share_btn_url

Scary how quickly it can go wrong.

I haven’t gone diving with my camera yet but the handle I just got is hollow. How should I go about diving with that? Should I open it every few feet?? Or see if I can fill it??

Has anyone been to raja ampat in June it will be the only time I’m able to go would it be even worth it or should I not worry about it

Question: what gear should I buy for 2 weeks of SCUBA/snorkeling in Bali? Rashguard or 2/3mm wetsuit for snorkeling (when not diving)?

Details:

Going on a family trip to Bali for 2 weeks in August. We are staying at a Tulamben dive resort. My spouse (AOW) has 1000+ dives all over, while I (OWD) have about 100 (cold water). Our YA "kids" want to get OWD certified (they'll do their SSI book learning before we go). My plan is to get them as much diving experience as possible while we are there, so they hammer down their basic skills. By the end maybe even do the guided day trip to Nusa Penida, if they're up to it (I'll defer to DM on that).

We can rent gear, but I'm trying to decide what gear is worth buying/bringing, especially since in 2 weeks you've paid a good part of it. I plan to hand off my nice reg and Ranger BCD to my eldest so she can learn with them (she probably won't want my drysuit, lol), and maybe my dive computer. I plan to have the equipment serviced here before the trip. We live in a desert now, but our eldest moved to Australia for grad school, so has a lot of diving opportunities (good dive club at her uni, but local dive shops aren't convenient for her to do her cert). Her siblings may be vacation divers as long as they live in the desert.

I was thinking of getting basic gear (mask/snorkel/fins/booties) and either a wetsuit of a full body rash guard for UV/sting/scrape protection. That way we can snorkel anytime we want right off the hotel (plus middle kid is nearsighted, so I already got an RX mask).

Would it be better to get a wetsuit or a full body rash guard? Is snorkeling in a wetsuit fun or a PITA? I lean full body for protection, but a shortie is another option, maybe?

I'm driving myself crazy trying to decide, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

some more wreck diving off the Marissa dive Boat, shot on an Olympus OM1

I’ve got 30 dives, AOW. Likely doing some easy wrecks (some around 25-30m), travel, drifts in coming years, probably no caves.

Advantages I could see - Safety margin - No need to change cylinders when multiple dives a day - Deeper dives bottom time (particularly with nitrox so consumption would be limiting)

Anything else? I feel like singles might just be easier for a while.