Dive Industry
My Top 10 Tips on Teaching Kids to Dive and Diving with Kids
Sharing my strength, experience, and hope with you. Margo Peyton 1. Kids have very short attention spans, they learn better visually and by doing repetitively. Its one thing to tell a child his max depth is 40 feet for example, but go beyond that with kids. Tell them why; and don't make it about their ability or knowledge, make it physical! Tell them what can go wrong and what can happen. Give them an example. Don't scare them but inform them enough to make a difference. There is a fine line here. Kids are competitive and want to outdo their parents and each other at anything they can, so explain the mandates are about safety, not skill. Example: "Jennifer, your max depth is not 40 feet because your just learning or not a good diver, its 40 feet, because based on all the research we have with nitrogen effects on bone growth at your age, internal organ development and tissue saturation limits, that it has been determined to be the safest depth for your physical composition at this age." ( I even explain to 10 and 11 year olds, that it's like when they go to a doctor and get a certain dosage of medicine based on their age, weight etc. The amount of medicine has to be adhered to, because more than that can be dangerous.) I tell them nitrogen is similar, too much can be dangerous.) This takes the skill out of it and puts into perspective for both kids and adults the real risk factor of not following standards. 2. Gauges and depth. Once most kids are certified, it's all about skill to them. The deeper they go the cooler they think it is. They are constantly talking about depth. So I turn this around and try to make it all about... More »
Stormy Weather
The weather has been in the news lately. Between earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, fires, tornadoes and so forth, everyone has been affected by the unpredictable nature of the planet's weather. I can't remember whether it is supposed to be a La Niña or El Niño year, but out here in Indonesia the weather has been very erratic, except in its unwavering atrociousness. The water along the southern coast of the archipelago has been so unseasonably cold that several boats just blew off diving some of the better critter spots near Pantar Island. In Papua, it has rained steadily throughout the "dry" season. Visibility was off everywhere due to surge, waves, and storms. In early April we were supposed to meet our liveaboard in Ambon, and then cross the Banda Sea to Raja Ampat. But things were so bad out there that we had to reroute and only dive in Raja Ampat, which has decent protection in just about any weather. When you hear about waves several meters high and winds blowing a gale, you don't second guess the captain. You just go with his judgment even if it means that you'll disappoint a few clients, miss a few dives. There are things we can do something about, and there are things that we can't fix. Weather, water temperature, and visibility come to mind. We weren't the only people trying to cross the Banda Sea a few weeks ago. There was a small boat with just six guests that was trying to move southeast between Banda and Alor. Even though the captain was instructed not to leave harbor, the guests raised such a fuss about not being able to dive where they had planned, that the crew chanced it. This boat ended up drifting far from its intended arrival port and finally had to... More »
Dick Bonin: Founder of Scubapro
I'm privileged to profile one of diving's most innovative leaders and pioneers in manufacturing. Dick Bonin, the co-founder of Scubapro, was been responsible for some of the most technically advanced equipment lines the industry has ever seen. For those who started diving in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Scubapro line was revered as the Rolls-Royce of scuba diving. Virtually all other manufacturers were viewed as "also rans" who played second fiddle to the stuff that was stamped with the memorable "S" logo and marked a person as a serious, committed diver. [caption id="attachment_951" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Dick Bonin, President of Scubapro 1974 "][/caption] The list of diving notables who swore by the Scubapro brand included Stan Waterman, Paul Tzimoulis, Dick Anderson, Jack McKenney, Dr. George Benjamin, Tom Mount, Ann Kristovitch, Sheck Exley, Jim Bowden, Wes Skiles, Hal Watts, Rob Palmer, Howard & Michele Hall, Marty Snyderman, Bob Talbot, Jimmy Stewart, Chuck Nicklin, Dr. Sylia Earle, myself and just about every Caribbean and Pacific divemaster who knew that the gear from Dick Bonin would endure just about every abuse and still bring them back alive. It was a brand built from the outset on the reputations of Bonin and his staff who promised high performance and reliability without compromise. Bonin also took the unprecedented step of offering a lifetime guarantee on his equipment including parts! In addition to earning the respect of hundreds of thousands of divers who bought his gear, Bonin became a mentor and father figure to his loyal retailers who showcased his line and his philosophy of diving excellence. Bonin was the first to offer business counseling and focused marketing programs to help the dive stores of long ago... More »
A Blueprint for Sustainable Reefs
Anyone who has dived for a few years has noticed that the reef at their favorite locations seem to be degrading. Although typically the resorts will deny this, saying it is just increased familiarity, it is unfortunately true. We typically dive in the same location yearly, and we have photographs of the same coral formation and how it has degraded. In fact, when experienced divers get together to discuss destinations, the lament over reef degradation dominates the discussion. The list of dive locations that divers have abandoned because of reef degradation is long. We ourselves have abandoned one of our favorite, most convenient and least expensive destinations, because it just isn't worth it anymore. A great percentage of experienced divers only dive liveaboards. They have simply given up land destinations. True, there are land destinations far from the beaten path, usually with minimal accommodations that have robust reefs nearby, and there are land resorts that dive where the liveaboards do. However, the poor accommodations, difficulty of access or long boat rides have convinced these divers that liveaboards are their best option. Actually, this is all not surprising. Once reasonable access is established to a good dive location resorts proliferate. A full service resort requires a fair number of employees. The result is more resorts with more dive guests and more employees at the location. The sheer number of humans overwhelms poor human sanitation procedures that were ok for only a few. The human waste enters the reef and bye-bye pristine reef. Of course this degradation is exacerbated by the ocean becoming warmer and more acidic, but human waste, overfishing, construction waste and debris certainly do their part. We were therefore surprised to return to a land location for the third year and see the reefs actually more vibrant. We were doubly surprised, because this... More »
What’s In A Name?
There’s something very revealing at times about peoples’ names. Remember that a huge segment of our population derived their surnames from their ancestors’ original trades or employment. Just think about how many people you know whose last names are Cook, Smith, Carver, Baker, Carpenter, Speaker, Chandler, Flowers, Fryer, Gardner, Packer, Singer, Fisher, Taylor, Driver, and even Hooker. I even cautiously knew a dentist with the unfortunate moniker “Dr. Payne” on his business card. Not exactly the guy you want doing your wisdom teeth. Of course, it can work the other way… consider the smug satisfaction that dry suit manufacturer (DUI) founder Dick Long has enjoyed over the years. [caption id="attachment_851" align="alignleft" width="305" caption="Stan Waterman in his office "][/caption] But every now and then, fate hands out a surname that is simply perfect… that captures the essence of the person who bears it. I know a guy like that. His name is Waterman. It’s a safe bet that most folks will have name recognition for the likes of Jacques Cousteau or Lloyd Bridges who brought television’s diving hero Mike Nelson to life in Sea Hunt. But for divers, the one person most likely to hit 100% on recognition, popular approval, and appreciation scales simultaneously is, of course, none other than diving’s eloquent ambassador, Stan Waterman. It’s also worth noting that he began diving well before either Cousteau or Bridges first dipped their faces beneath the ocean. Stan’s contribution to the popularity and initial recognition of scuba diving is virtually unequaled. From a humble beginning as a blueberry farmer in coastal Maine, he was inspired to start one of the first pure diving operations in the Bahamas. Chafing at confinement to one locale, he indulged his... More »
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