Diving Little Cayman

The Atlanta-based Outlaw Dive club with its national following zeroed in on the small Caribbean island of Little Cayman for its spring 2010 dive adventure. It is the smallest of the three Cayman islands (10 square miles) and has a population of about 150.  Believe me, it’s small when Cayman Airlines has to fly 2 planes for each flight - one with bags, and one with people.

But the reason you visit Little Cayman isn’t for the above-water action - hanging out at the bar for karaoke on Friday night is the main social event.  It’s for scuba-diving.  We spent a ton of time on the northern side of the island hopping between locations at Bloody Bay wall and Jackson’s Bight.  We even managed a visit to the Tibbetts which is a Russian frigate that was sunk on Cayman Brac.

While the diving was very good (I still give Bonaire a leg up just because of the abundance of life), the resort we stayed at was outstanding.  The Little Cayman Beach Resort wasn’t the fanciest but the charm was in the staff, the pace, and the food.  BTW, did I mention the food?  Normally all inclusives are so-so for the food but not here.  Every meal was off the charts and the deserts - well, let’s just say I’m going to have to drop a few pounds as I enjoyed myself at lunch and dinner with the sweets!

Click here or on any of the pictures to see the photos from the trip.  Click here if you want to see the youtube video I made.

Congratulations to the newest certified divers

This weekend, the country celebrated our Independence Day.  In a way, so did 6 newly certified openwater divers.  They mastered all of the new skills needed to enjoy the beauty and freedom that only comes from the beauty of being underwater.

The class started as all openwater classes do - students eager to learn but a bit unsure of what to expect.  They completed academics this week along with 2 grueling in-water pool sessions where they learned all of the skills they would need.  This weekend, they put them on full display at Aquarena Springs in San Marcos where they simply “smoked” the class.  The last dive we did was perhaps one of the most enjoyable dives I’ve done in class as I watched everyone put their new skills on display and enjoy the beauty of Aquarena.  Each demonstrated very good buoyancy skills as they explored the vegetation and fish around the submersed submarine and then showed their buoyancy skills tackling the rings.

Congratulations to Joe, Chris, Adam, Joshua, David, and Mark as the newest PADI-certified OW divers.  Thanks for letting Nick and I in on the fun!

To see the pictures from this weekend, just click on the picture.

Scubaland launches new dive club

More information can be found on Scubaland’s dive club website.

Scubaland Adventures is dedicated to delivering some of  the best dive club events possible.  If you would like to join one of the most active dive groups in Austin, subscribe to the Yahoo news group.  You will receive the latest information on dive club events and other relevant topics to Austin divers.

Win a $100 gift certificate!
Design our 2009 dive club t-shirt.

Send submissions to mlutz@scubaland.com by March 31st.

1 Year Memberships
Individual $45    Couple $75    Family $99

Membership Benefits

• Free Club T-Shirt

• 15% Discount on all equipment purchases

• Reduced entry fees to events

• Early notification of special offers

Some of the events we have planned for 2009…

Check out some of the activities that we have planned for this year.  If you see something interesting, let us know.  If you would like to make some suggestions for group activities, contact Mike Lutz at mlutz@scubaland.com.  We’d like to have your help and suggestions.

In cooperation with the dive club Scubaland is also supporting Dive Around Texas, a statewide effort to organize Texas divers to take advantage of all the great local diving that Texas has to offer.  Checkout the Dive Around Texas website to learn about local dive destinations and all the great prizes you can win.  Sign up at any Scubaland location!

Drysuit diving - I loved it!

I got a chance to dive dry for my 1st time yesterday when John Linsdsey from Scubaland taught me about drysuits.  I’ve got to admit, when I got into the pool for the 1st time, I was longing for my trusty wetsuit that I was so used to.  I found the drysuit very bulky and the buoyancy control just plain awful.  Think about it - you’re essentially wearing a balloon and you’re riding an air bubble.  For those of you that remember your openwater classes - remember how strange the hover felt?  Well, just imagine riding an air bubble that moves on you - from your legs to you neck just with changing positions.

Well, I completed all the required skills but still felt aprehensive about going to the lake.  What a difference a few more gallons of water make and actually getting some depth make.  The water was 59.  I dove the lake last year in a 5M with a 5M hooded vest.  I lasted 35 minutes and refused to do another dive I was so cold.  Yesterday, I did 2 dives with the last one being an hour and came up plenty warm.  I learned to love that little bubble of air and got more comfortable doing some strange moves to get the air where I needed it.   Any major change in swimming position alters the bubble so moves have to be slower - which is good because of the bulk of the suit itself.  The coolest part is hanging upside down where you can feel yourself suspended by your feet.

So….. I liked it.  I need to dive it more (which I’ll do this weekend helping out an advanced class) to get more comfortable with it.  I liked the fact I came out of the water and wasn’t cold.  It wasn’t cold getting in.  And best of all, I got to dive Windy Point where John and I were the only 2 divers in the water.  The viz was pretty good in most spots and I got to see the biggest catfish ever.  I was tempted to put a hook and line in his mouth but he could of eaten me alive.  He was a good 4 1/2 foot long and had a head 1 foot wide.  He was inside a sailboat.

Scuba Instruction Services

The dive season in Central Texas is just around the corner.  No better time to begin planning your next vacation to some place warm and to begin (if you haven’t already) thinking about adding scuba diving to your list of great activities.  With all the talk of being “green”, there’s nothing better to learn and see firsthand the beauty and the peril of our most valuable unseen treasures - our oceans and waterways.

BECOMING A SCUBA DIVER

Becoming a scuba diver is both fun and safe.  I personally got certified to enjoy a vacation with my family to Hawaii and enjoyed it so much, I turned it into a partime career.  The thing I love the most is the friendships you create with fellow divers all around the world.

SO WHAT DO I DO?

I am a PADI MSDT scuba instructor.  MSDT means I teach all the basic certifications but also teach speciality courses that allow you to add different types of dives and locations to your diving activities.  While I teach as an independent, I strongly recommend that I work with you through my dive shop, Scubaland Adventures.  They have 3 convenient locations (south Austin, Central Austin, and the Lake Travis/620) area.  They are a full-service dive shop and offer convenient schedules and the best customer service anywhere.   They also provide the best equipment that can match both your diving needs and budget.  You might be tempted to buy online (I was) but I can vouch for the perceived difference in cost - you’ll find the service and knowledge of their staff well worth every penny.

Here are the different types of courses that I can teach.  Click on each one and you’ll see the course description from PADI as I teach it.

Beginner courses include:OpenWater, and Advanced OpenWater, Rescue, Project Aware, Peak Performance Buoyancy

If you want to pursue specialty courses (I highly recommend them to expand your adventure), I also certify you as a Master Diver in the following specialties: Enriched Air (Nitrox), , Night Diving, Deep Diving, Underwater Navigation, Boat Diving, Drift, Multi-level,  and Underwater Photography.

If you’ve been certified and just need a refresher, I also teach Scuba Review refresher courses.  If you’re interested in turning pro, I can help you get started with your DiveMaster professional certification.

Please contact me to find out more.  Here’s where you can also see the list of scheduled classes at Scubaland.  Make sure that you request me or tell them I sent you!