Summer’s here and as you can imagine, this is our busiest time of year. Surprisingly though, the summer is actually not the best time to dive, not here in BC anyway. Oh sure, the sun comes out and so does the desire to jump in the water. If it’s cool creatures and fish you want to see, then you may want to rethink your summer diving strategy. Of course there are pros and cons to learning to dive this time of year. Consider the following information when planning your Open Water Scuba Course: Continue reading →

Every once in a while I will offer to you lovely folks my most humble opinion on certain types and brands of dive equipment that I have had experience with and particularly like. If you are in the market for new gear, I hope my experiences and suggestions will be of help. Just remember to keep in mind the type of diving you will be doing and where before making any decision. If you have your own experiences or questions regarding gear, let us know about it!

What’s in a (brand) name? ScubaPro, Sherwood, Cressi, Mares, Aqualung, Zeagle, Tusa, Bare, Whites. These are all big names in the dive community you have no doubt heard of. Chances are every diver, both seasoned and fresh (green), whose brain you pick regarding gear, will have a different opinion about what is best and what’s not. The same goes true with any hobby or activity. Most people, once they find something good that works for them and suits their needs, won’t stray too far from the brand nest.

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Have you ever had those dreams of flying where you can actually feel yourself flying? It can be a strange sensation at first, one that quickly becomes and incredible experience that is, until you wake up and its feet back on the ground again. What if you could capture that feeling in real life? It may be a little scary at first, but once you learn to trust your body (and the equipment), scuba diving is the closest human kind can get to that feeling of flying. Continue reading →

We have all worked so hard (and paid enough to PADI) to get to where we are; whether it is at a professional rank, or starting off in Open Water. We’ve ALL sat through the tedious PADI videos, knocked out the knowledge reviews and quizzes, master the skills in the pool and finished off in the ocean. There were so many things to do, plan, organize and it’s all done in a flash of a second! The dreaded masks skills all seem to be a blurred, distant memory. So what’s next? Continue reading →

Last Friday was going to be Nicole’s 100th dive, which in the diving community is a very big milestone. On this dive you are supposed to swallow your embarrassment and dive naked, however since we’re in the great white north and not in a warm tropical paradise we low the exceptions. So we let it slide for Nicole because we didn’t want her to freeze to death. Little did I know I was going to be the one to freeze by bum off!

The three Diving Locker girls all have our colors, just like the power rangers. Chelsea is black and pink, Nicole is blue and green and I’m red and blue. Only natural since we need some sort of guidance when choosing which dive equipment we should buy (remember the number one rule in scuba diving is looking good!).

When I arrived at the shop Nicole looked like a kid on Christmas morning when she showed me what dry suit she was going to try out: one of the used Drysuit that was bright blue, lime green and pretty pink. She leak tested it that day and felt like it was good to go. I of course get instantly jealous because all I have to wear is the boring black Next Gen suit (great suit for everything but a fashion statement). I wasn’t jealous long, though, Nicole came to my rescue with a Drysuit she leak tested a long time ago that seemed to be okay

It was going to be great. My 100^th Dive! In the diving community, a diver’s 100^th dive is a big deal. The consensus is that you are supposed to dive naked which I would totally door at least I would have if it was, oh say, at least 30 degrees warmer! So I had to come up with something else silly to do (and I’ll take any excuse to do something silly just try me, I dare you!). Luckily, it was Friday the 13^th and already off to a good start. One of our favorite dive playlist songs, Somebody That I Used To Know, by Gotye, just played on our regular radio station at the shop for the first time and I had just found an awesome old Drysuit in the back room. I mean, this suit was funky! Royal blue with bright yellow and pink stripes with a picture of a dolphin on the front seriously people, they just don’t make suits this awesome anymore! Continue reading →

You see it every day. It’s a normal occurrence. You may scoff at it; give it a dirty look. Perhaps even utter your shame and disgust at its culprit. Still you keep walking. After all, you didn’t put it there. It’s ok. We all do it. In fact it is so common a sight, that quite often we don’t even actually see it. Litter. Garbage. Trash. Tossed away and left to decorate our streets, forests and oceans forever. Continue reading →

When the sun falls below the horizon it initiates a stir amongst the nocturnal ocean residents, those who harbor in cracks and crevices during the daylight hours now emerge. Shrimp begin to leap and wander, sea urchins appear to wobble along the bottom and even the Pacific Octo might make an appearance. If you’re up for it, night diving can be a unique opportunity to witness some of the most spectacular moments underwater. It allows us to experience old dive sites in different and exciting ways. If you’re a night diving pro and diving in complete darkness with only your torch to lead has lost its exhilarating quality, recharge your night dives with UV light dives! Continue reading →