Image courtesy www.samal-island.com

UPDATED 27/03/2010

Dive Davao Festival 2010 is the latest in a series of annual scuba diving events designed to promote the superb scuba diving and snorkeling areas in the Davao Gulf, around Samal Island. Almost all of best Samal Island beach resorts take part in the event and offer special packages for scuba diving adventures, and snorkeling adventures for those who have not yet qualified as scuba divers.

The week long Dive Davao Festival 2010 (formerly: Dive The Gulf 2010) activities will climax on Saturday evening with the Caracoles Festival. The Caracoles Festival is a dusk-to-dawn party along Peñaplata Wharf and adjoining beaches, with music & dancing, food & merriment served all-night long.

Photo courtesy Aquaventure Whitetip Dive Supply

Introducing the Suunto HelO2 dive computer, for technical diving enthusiasts, at the Philippine Boat Show Sea-Expo 2010, more than just a boat show – the complete nautical lifestyle event for anyone interested in water-sports, beach resorts and he lifestyle of the rich and famous.

The new Suunto HelO2 is an advanced mixed-gas dive computer rated to 120M/393 ft, for technical diving enthusiasts who use multiple gases (such as nitrox, trimix and oxygen) to deep dive deep, for longer. Featuring the Suunto Technical RGBM algorithm and a Multi-gas Dive Planner, the HelO2 is designed to make your whole technical diving experience simpler, faster, and more flexible. The algorithm extends decompression flexibility into the world of technical diving by allowing continuous decompression.

Photo courtesy Aquaventure Whitetip Dive Supply

The Philippine Boat Show Sea-Expo 2010 is not just about boats, nor is it simply a nautical lifestyle event. The Philippine Boat Show Sea-Expo 2010 is also about introducing the latest trends and technology that make life wearable.

To lose weight is a goal of millions who want to get into the wearable lifestyle but only now is it something applicable to scuba diving. Last week GetWet spoke to Aquaventure Whitetip Dive Supply, at their Manila headquarters, to discover what was new in scuba diving in 2010,and some of the new is very surprising.

Photo courtesy Nautik Recovery Asia

Until recently Nik was one of the most popular dive instructors in Puerto Galera and then he just disappeared. Some said the Coral Cove thresher shark got him, others spoke of sirens. In fact he was one of two chief divers for Nautik Recovery Asia, a private company headed by Klaus Keppler on a secret mission to unlock the treasure and history of the Forbes – an English flagged privateer – that hit the then uncharted Discovery Reef off Belitung Island, Sumatra, Indonesia, in 1806. The wreck of the Forbes was discovered laying in 36-40 metres of water.

Today, Nik telephoned with the story of his work as part of the team who uncovered the treasure-filled wreck of the Forbes. In his first interview since the Forbes discovery became public knowledge, Nik described the moment the first treasure was recovered from the seabed.

Photo courtesy Prosafari Dive and Equipment Center

UPDATED 30/06/2009

Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines will host the 1st Alona Beach Digital Underwater Shoot-out, digital underwater photography scuba diving event, on 10th July 2009. The entry fee will be Php500, inclusive of the Awards Dinner.

This Digital Underwater Shoot-out is organised in collaboration with MADaboutUS, the Blue Group of Mr. Joel Uichico, and the Bohol Dive Operators, based on Alona Beach. The Digital Underwater Shoot-out is the most colourful annual scuba diving event in the Philippines.

Photo courtesy Turtle Bay Dive Resort

Scuba diving paradise of Moalboal, Cebu: OK, I accept that I am biased as I am lucky enough to spend my days running (my wife Fe will object to this verb as it implies action) a boutique dive resort overlooking Moalboal Bay and the Tanon Strait. The Tanon Strait bottoms-out at around 500meters, divides Cebu Island from neighbouring Negros Island, and is home to one of the largest collection of whales, dolphins, sharks and whale sharks in the Philippines.

Getting back to the topic of this article, I borrowed a few words from an article recently published in Plongée (in the November 2008 edition of this French Dive Magazine) and written by the well known underwater photographer from Marseille – Henri Eskenazie.

Photo courtesy Oceanic

James Bond Scuba Gear - DataMask

James Bond scuba equipment - DataMask - will be on display at the Philippine Boat Show 2009 for the first time in the Philippines. DataMask is new from Oceanic and really does change things for recreational scuba divers, professional and technical divers, and for people with certain physical handicaps, wishing to go scuba diving along side the more able-bodied.

DataMask combines technologies tested to exceed even James Bond’s rugged requirements.

Directions: How to Feed A Sea Turtle. Following the success of the How To Jump Off A Boat video in the last issue, this video introduces a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), munching its way through a sparse field of sea grass near Club Paradise island resort, northern Palawan. In this How To Feed a Green Sea Turtle video, those scuba diving nearby introduce themselves to the green sea turtle and offer some sea grass from their hands; watch as the green sea turtle politely accepts the offering, thanks the scuba divers by waving at the camera and then swims off, with its passenger load of remoras, to regain some privacy. A thoroughly civilised sea turtle.

Photo courtesy Sea Dive Resort

Scuba Diving Coron wrecks: northern Palawan is known for dramatic limestone cliffs and thermal lakes, but it might be said that it took an act of war to turn scenic Coron on Busuanga Island, into one of the best scuba diving destinations in the World.

Early in the morning of 24th September, 1944, a wave of Hell Diver bombers burst out of a cloud bank, high above Coron Bay and commenced their rapid descent towards an unsuspecting quarry. The American fast carrier force, in the Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea, launched a daring long-distance aerial raid on a Japanese supply convoy hiding in Coron Bay.

Photo courtesy Boy Ramon Siojo

Freediving is simply said: diving with a single breath of air. If you go into more detail for some, freediving is a way to enjoy the depths of the ocean without the need of heavy, clumsy and uncomfortable scuba diving equipment. Others see freediving as an extreme sport, with the uniqueness of requiring deep relaxation and peace in contrast to most other adrenaline pumping extreme sports. Some others also see freediving as an discipline for hunting underwater. Regardless of what draws one into the practice of Freediving, it is a form of meditation and relaxation that very often leads to a positive change in one’s awareness of oneself and the surrounding environment.

Many now will say: "But I cannot hold my breath for a long time!"; you can! Within only two days you can learn the basic techniques of freediving.