leedesmond’s blog

Always wanted to do something sensationally different and still no plans yet for the summer? Interested to explore the vast open waters of mother-earth but have no idea where to start under safe, fun conditions and good company? Want to stay away from the computer and spend some quality time getting wet? No time to exercise those lazy muscles of yours?

I would like to share this piece of news I received with all of you out there. A well-established dive-shop in Zürich is planning to organize the PADI Open Water Diver course this summer. Depending on demand, this scuba diving course run by certified instructors will be specially conducted in the English language, with the first session scheduled to start sometime mid July 2008 (subject to change).

If you answer Yes to any of the above questions, do not hesitate to get in touch with me for more details. You can also register for a free account on this blog and post your comments (your email and other details remain private).

As always, I am keen to get to know new people anywhere in the world who are looking for diving mates / dive buddies, so write me soon. Next on the list would be the dry-suite course around Zurich, a must for the challenging continental European diving conditions (lakes, sea, oceans, ice, etc.). Any one like to join?

Technorati tags: Scuba Diving

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I have put together (more) contents for one of my favorite past time. Besides the blog posts on this subject, you will find a page dedicated to recreational scuba diving with sub pages or sections. These focus mainly on a variety of topics that are typically longer in terms of contents. The goal is to share and exchange ideas with anyone interested in this sport on the various tips and tricks I have picked up from diving peers around the world (which I met or have dive with).

You may also find selections of interesting underwater photographs at the different dive sites I visited, the most recent being the Maldives. With almost complete disconnect with the urban world without a television, radio, Internet or mobile phone access, it can be very relaxing and certainly helps to recharge your batteries. Give it a try and experience it yourself first hand!

I should have photographs of other diving expeditions I did as well. I may post some of them once I get around sorting them out. My dive certification profile may also find its way on this (sub)page.

So lift your fingers, start pounding the keyboard and let me know your thoughts. I am always looking for dive buddies - new or experienced - so please do not hesitate to contact me (post a comment with your contact details)*.

Tip: bookmark this blog and subscribe to the syndicate (live RSS feeds) to keep up to date.

* moderated so your detail information will remain private

Technorati tags: Scuba Diving, Diving

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It was not a 1st April fool’s prank or joke. When I received a reply from Mark Fyvie’s email account, I was taken aback by the contents which left me momentarily frozen. The tragic news was delivered by Robert (Mark’s brother) - Mark has passed away while on a cavern / cave diving expedition in Ginnie Springs, Florida on 10 March 2008. Shocked and not believing what I read, I sprung straight away to verify this unfortunate fact, which was reported in several web sites* and officially announced at englishforum.ch, an online forum founded by Mark for English speaking expatriates in Switzerland.

I remembered vividly that impulse decision that lead me to take up recreational scuba diving some years back. That was after I came across an advertisement in one of the newsletters I subscribed to that would help me realize the dream of weightlessness flying with the fishes in the open deep blue seas. It went something like this:

DIVING COURSES –MAY AND JUNE

Please contact: Mark Fivie for more details

mark {a+} zurichdivers com

For those of you who have always been meaning to get
back into the water but have “been too busy”, 2005 is
the year to rearrange priorities and make some time to
get into the water. For those of you who were active
in 2004, plenty more underwater adventures await you
this year.

In-water activities:

May 14-16 - Rescue Diver course (requirement: Advanced
+ 20 dives)
May 21-22 - Open Water Diver course (This is the
beginner course, only 2 places left)

I had the strange urge to do something different, adventurous and out-of-the-ordinary to my life. It was in early spring time where 10 degree C or less was not uncommon diving in the Zurich lake region. Even getting into the 5mm full wetsuit with another jacket over felt sorely insufficient against the treacherous cold in and out of the waters (fond memories of having to fiercely struggle with the gear at the car park area under the flyover near the lake). We had to hit the roads early weekend mornings in order to secure our slot in the deeper end of the swimming pool just outside of town. Otherwise, as the morning progressed with more pool users arriving, we may be asked to leave early, thereby cutting short on our available pool time, oddly a Swiss thing, said Mark. Intensive evening academic and knowledge review sessions, both self and group study, were conducted. Naturally, Mark was my diving instructor for this PADI OWD (zurichdivers.com) and there was also this nice lady from the UK as well (her name must have been Linda or something).

Despite Mark’s limitless patience, expert guidance, detail attention and genuine interests to help new divers achieve certifications within their capabilities, my inadequate fitness and hectic travel schedules then did not see me through the full course, unfortunately. I can see “safety” written all over his face and vocabulary, as he felt I was not ready until I get into better shape, mentally and physically, to take up this sport. I am pretty certain Mark has taken all the necessary safety precautions to mitigate any possible risks in penetrating the cave, a passion that grew on him in recent years where he lamented the difficulty to find good buddies to explore together with. To try to appreciate why, take a look at this contribution by RebreatherPro.

Rather than going away disappointed, I was inspired and drove myself to work harder on my fitness, confidence, and overcome fear and remaining reservations I may have as suggested by Mark. Mark and I continued to stay in touch mainly through email all these years, talking about topics around health, fitness, cars, life outlook, diving, and I still managed to join him once in a while at the divers meet-and-greet sessions he organized. Not the online englishforum discussions or events however, as I am often not im Land, otherwise I could have gotten to know the forum users, the man himself and his fiancée better, whom I did get to meet on a number of brief occasions.

I can now confidently say that I have covered some grounds (lakes/seas/oceans) as far as recreational scuba diving is concerned, motivated, driven, inspired and challenged, largely attributed to Mark’s (and only a few others like him I have the good fortune to know) unique mentoring style, spoken or written words of intelligence, intellectually stimulating and encouraging. His immense passion for the sport drove him to greater heights in the pursuit of his dreams that many others in a lifetime cannot even possibly lay claim to or come close to achieving. I am saddened that I cannot personally share my recent Maldives live-aboard (safari tour) diving experiences with Mark, which he commented he would like to see (more diving stuff) on my blog. Not to mention I will certainly miss his interesting viewpoints, colorful ideas and feedback that are always welcome in my books. Why must bad news happen while I am away and not able to attend to?

Mark, it was my honor to know you in person. You left behind a legacy that will remain in the hearts of those touched one way or another by your gentle kindness and selfless nature to share with strangers and friends alike. To Lynn, Robert and family of Mark, stay strong and take good care of yourselves. I know how hard it can be as I personally am still trying to move on for a recent lost myself.

Please consider making a donation to help keep Mark’s vision and contributions for englishforum.ch and the community alive.

* nullzeit TAUCHEN, bluedivers.ch, heute-abend.ch (Pg 9), Florida Spring, deeper blue, CDNN, gainesville.com, The High Springs Herald

Technorati tags: Scuba Diving, Diving

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Booking in advance for a desert safari tour is recommended. Depending on the operator, it can cost anywhere from AED 150 to over 400. The price includes pick-up / drop-off at your hotel or designated pick-up points in the city between 1500 and 1600 hrs plus entertainment and BBQ buffet dinner. Transport will either be on a small bus or one of the 4-wheel drive vehicles. I recommend that you take a look at going with Unique Tour.
Depending on the Dubai traffic condition of the day, the journey from Dubai to the first mandatory stop before the actual ride commences can be 45 minutes or more. This pit stop is critical as you can see the drivers all scrambling to deflate the tires in preparation for the real desert adventure ride. It is also the last chance to make a biological stop or grab some quick refreshments.

After an initial short bumpy ride of about 10 min, you will arrive in the operator’s base camp. Here, you have a chance to ride one of the safari bikes for a fee (AED 50 for 10 minutes).

As you can see, first timers will likely fall off or stir up a little sand storm and help is always on standby to assist anyone out of any of these not so pleasant and dangerous situations. Don’t be too adventurous, always watch where you are going and maintain a good grip and speed.

Just when you thought you have the whole desert for yourself, more guests started arriving. Once the guests were gathered together, the available 4×4 vehicles were formed into a convoy. This was lead by a convoy leader but each individual driver can maneuver through the desert whichever way he deems fit. Up and down slopes of steep inclines (estimated 30% or more) with sudden directional sways of the steering wheel, all the while with swift changes of gear seem to be a hallmark of desert driving in order to keep moving to avoid getting sand stuck or force to slide down from failing to negotiate a slope.

As you can imagine, trying to take decent photographs while on constant jerky, bumpy grounds through the desert proved to be another challenge itself. Just take a look at our driver’s intense concentration and driving skills yet he managed to make all on board felt sufficiently relax (and somewhat safe). I reckoned all of us had seat belts on but he apparently had no need for one. Warning! The ride can be very hard and exhilarating if you have not done anything similar before so do not go with a full stomach. It must have been 20 minutes or so before the ride was finally over (without one consciously knowing it) and the convoy made its way once again back to base camp. Here, the camel and bird handler started parading, enticing guests for a (very short) ride or have the bird perch on their arms to take a snap for a nominal fee of AED 10. It was kind of fun watching the female guests screamed when the camels stood up and sat down simply to enable mounting and dismounting.

Dubai Adventure: Desert Tour Wed 19 Dec 2007.
To be continued …

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Compared to using air, extended bottom time and reduction in nitrogen exposures are two key benefits of recreational diving with nitrox. Instead of the regular 21% oxygen, you get to learn about the various gas mixes and the allowable depths, plus all the important knowledge around diving with enriched air.

All PADI dive enthusiasts (air or Nitrox) are invited to contact me to plan our next buddy dives together. Note that I shall be spending a substantial amount of time working and traveling in the gulf region in the coming months. Great reef, wreck and deep dives - to name a few exciting options - await you here!

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Calling all PADI OWD enthusiasts! Get in touch and contact me by posting a comment to this blog entry. Let us explore the underwater world together and chart our journey into exciting territories and log new adventures.

Current location: Dubai GMT/UTC + 4

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