Have You Ever Puffed a Puffer? (we hope not)

Since earning my Open Water certification in 1996 and then starting to work in the dive industry in 1998, I have now finally "been around" long enough to be able to look back and notice some changes and some patterns, both locally and globally.  It's interesting to look back and take stock of what's changed.

At Ulua Beach here in Maui, I can remember the locations of three different turtle cleaning stations (these locations change over the years).  I can remember when the shop I worked in only carried a single dive computer and it sat in the case for months!   I can also remember when, as a dive guide, I used to hand divers collector urchins, and I remember when I saw my first porcupine pufferfish puff. 

Of course now the turtles at Ulua Beach seem to be in transit and now we can't keep dive computers in stock because it's difficult to imagine diving without one.

In recent years, it has become unacceptable to touch anything and now I would never dream of ripping an urchin from it's life on the reef to hand another diver.  In fact, it was even hard to just admit the urchin thing! It is also now very rare for a customer to want to touch something.  Around the time I was becoming a better educated educator and diver, I would attempt to hand a critter to a diver and they would refuse it.  Somewhere along the line, the general consciousness seems to have arrived at the realization that this type of interaction is not advantageous to the critter nor is it necessary!  This all is fodder for a much longer blog post, but for now, we're just observing changes ;-).

I can also remember when I saw my first puffer fish puff.  Prior to our dive, I had mentioned to my dive guide (and friend) that I had never seen a puffer puff.  Imagine my surprise during this dive when he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a puffed puffer floating nearby - wow!  We watched it for several minutes as it was swept back and forth in the surge on the bottom, unable to swim or do anything else until it deflated back to normal size.

After the dive, I exclaimed about how cool it had been to see a puffed puffer. When the dive guide winked and said, "you liked that, huh?", I suddenly realized that I had not just witnessed a natural occurrence; the guide had stressed the puffer on my behalf, causing it to puff and become otherwise defenseless for my "benefit".  I cringed inwardly and surprised myself by telling the guide that I would never want him to stress an animal for me. 

As a result of this specific incident (and some others), my views on animal interactions changed immediately.  These days, I much prefer to observe underwater animals in their environmental in a much more natural state.  I educate divers about what we'll see and why we don't need to  (and in fact shouldn't) be handling them. 

And I included the puffed puffer photo (not mine) so that we could all see a puffed puffer...but please imagine that shot with a big red circle with a line through it!

Diver Gift Ideas, Part 2

What can you get a new diver? All kinds of stuff, starting with more diving! Divers fresh out of an Open Water course can really benefit from continued diving. You could sign them up for an advanced class or even purchase dives for them a la carte!

Once a diver has gotten the hang of things, the desire for accessories sets in. Some must-haves include slates (our favorite is the Mini Quest), logbooks (you can personalize them with patches!) and noise makers like the sub-duck or H2YO.



Stocking Stuffers!

 There are some accessories that really surprised and captivated us this year, and top among them was the Sola 1200. If you want to really score big with your dive buddy this holiday season, this light will make that a sure thing!

The new DryCases have been popular so far too. Everyone who visited the shop after Thanksgiving noticed Gabe’s phone sitting in the water all day (in his DryCase of course)! These come with armbands so you can use them while snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, etc. Yes, you can even go diving with your phone if you must!

Finally, we have recently gotten in some very cool “diver jewelry” and at very cool prices (ranging from $10 - $36). With whale season upon us we think the whale tails will be popular, and we also have these fun charm necklaces in stock.

If you need ideas, have questions on sizes, availability of things, etc., please give us a call.  You might be surprised to learn that we even know what YOUR dive buddy wants for Christmas - no kidding!

Diver Gift Ideas, Part 1

The diver in your life is easier to shop for than you might imagine, and we’re here to give you a few ideas from big ticket items to stocking stuffers, so here goes, starting with a couple of those biggies!


If it’s time for a computer upgrade, the Cobra 3 is an excellent choice and through the end of the year, when you purchase one of these, you’ll get a FREE Suunto heart rate monitor watch. Also from Aqua Lung, we have the new, top of the line Legend series regulators in stock, including the LUX edition with pink gold on it!

And speaking of pink gold, we currently have LOTS of girlie goodies in stock. From pink dive flag key chains to unique (and inexpensive) jewelry, you can surprise your dive girl with a gift that lets her know you’ve been paying attention! And keep checking in with us because we also have a bling bling apparel order that’s been lost in the mail, but it could arrive any day now and contains even more new items for the ladies.

We’ve got some hot items (literally) for the guys too! I know we’ve been going crazy over Lavacore, and it’s been with good reason! We sold out of our first shipment in only two weeks and just received another batch. The long sleeved hooded shirts have been very popular, but we also have Lavacore shorts. This is an item anyone who usually wears board shorts will appreciate, as wearing Lavacore shorts instead of trying to jam a traditional bathing suit into your wetsuit just makes everything so much easier! We also have what we like to call “diver’s formal wear” – nice button front shirts with subtle hammerhead embroidery on the front, very classy!

No gift idea list is ever complete without mention of gift cards, and yes, we have those too. We’ve even printed up a new batch this year with the caption, “Let the dreaming begin”. I know that’s what happens when I get a gift card, especially if it’s dive related! We can accept phone orders for these and have been mailing them out daily for our mainland customers.

So that concludes part 1 of your divers' gift buying guide.  Stay tuned for part 2 coming up in the next few days (this will include more stocking stuffers and gift ideas for the newer divers out there) and be sure to email us with any ideas you may have!

I Love My LavaCore!

We’ve all heard it. Everyone who lives in Hawaii and dives on a regular basis always gets asked the same question by visitors: “WHY are you wearing so much exposure protection?”. People from colder climates don’t seem to realize how the human body adapts to year-round warm weather, and just how sensitive many of us get to cold. I originally moved here from New England, and I went from diving in a shorty to diving in a 3mm...to a 5mm...to a 5mm with bonnet hood...and I’m STILL cold out there—I just dive too much for my core to stay warm. I’ve been looking for something that keeps me good and warm in the water without also making me carry the lead that a 7mm wetsuit would require...and now I may have found it.

Two days ago, I bought a new Lavacore long-sleeve shirt with hood to wear under my wetsuit, and yesterday I put it to the test. For those who haven’t heard of the product, Lavacore is a new line we’re carrying at Maui Dreams—sort of a hybrid between a rash guard and a wetsuit, with some innovative technology to keep you warm. When I first tried it on in the shop, my initial reaction was that it seemed a bit tricky to don, and that the hood felt constrictive--but it was also the first time I’d worn a full-face hood, and I know from experience that how something feels in the water is the true test. My other first reaction was: WARM! The thing had a slick, water-repellent outer shell, a middle layer that reflects heat but lets your skin breathe, and a fleece liner. You can feel the effect immediately—if you don’t believe me, come into the shop and try one on.

Okay, off to the water. Since I tend to FREEZE out there, I wore my Lavacore under my 5mm full suit. The suit slipped on easily over the full shirt, and saved me from the “putting on the wet wetsuit first thing in the morning” curse...enough reason to own one right there! Once I got in the water, I was sold—that fleece inner liner gets cool for the first few min, but then traps the water it absorbs, warms up, and becomes insulation. As for the hood—I forgot I was wearing it 10 min into the dive. And the Lavacore is neutrally buoyant, so no extra weight required! I did two dives and felt nice and warm throughout. Between dives, I noticed another thing—usually when I’ve worn a rash guard under my suit, exposing the rash guard to air feels like someone dumping ice water on me due to rapid evaporation...with the Lavacore, I got that effect for maybe 3 seconds, then I was warm again...even in the wind!

Later, I did a 3rd dive at night...and a really really long one, just to put it to the test. I was MUCH warmer than I would have been without a Lavacore, and I don’t think I want to ever dive without one again. Overall, I’d say it’s an extremely well-designed and well-manufactured product that absolutely lives up to the hype...the only caution I’d give is to practice putting it on and taking it off a few times before you take it diving, it takes a little care as the hood and neck fits rather tightly and you don’t want to yank off your own ears. : )

As for me—I think I’m going diving again tonight, as I’m looking forward to staying warm! 
Aloha, Jim

Here's a p.s. from Rachel:  Gabe and Zac love theirs too!  My friend Rob who lives in Kansas loves his too!  Rob offered this tip:  The soft fabric on the outside of your lavacore can be easily snagged on velcro or worn if you put your BCD on it directly.  He recommends wearing it under your wetsuit or even another rash guard.

Have You Ever Lied About Your Air?

 Come on, have you? Well, if not, you might be surprised by the number of divers that have.



As divers, we can sometimes be very focused on the numbers of the sport. “How deep did you go?” “How long was your dive?” “How much air did you come back with?” In addition to the normal chit chat about what you saw or who peed in their wetsuits, these semi-competitive comments are pretty common.

1500psi on a Suunto gauge

We all like to be the one who found the coolest critter, got the best photo, dived the longest dive, had the best air consumption. And sorry guys, but your female dive buddies will almost always ace you on air!   

As a dive instructor, I have had the experience of divers lying to me about their air. I might ask them how much they have and while they’re telling me, I glimpse their gauge. Hmmmm…1500 psi, better head back, I think to myself. Imagine my surprise when the diver signals 1800! What??! I glance at the gauge again and maintain my plan to head towards shore, all the while wondering what’s going on.

As we cruise along and I continue to point out cool critters and ensure that my divers are safe and comfy, I puzzle over what has just happened. Maybe it was just the angle I was viewing the gauge from? Maybe the diver can’t read the gauge? From a customer service stand point, I don’t want to “shame” the diver in any way. From an instructor standpoint, I am concerned about whether the customer knows how to read their gauge, knows how to communicate properly, and I am motivated to help this diver when we have a private moment after the dive. By the way, this can also be resolved by pointing at the diver’s gauge and signaling back to them what they actually have, but the first time this happened to me, I was a bit flustered by what was happening.

I know I keep saying this, but imagine my surprise when, during a post dive chat, this particular diver confides in me that he just didn’t want to be the lowest on air! The good thing about this was that it lead us into a whole new conversation, and one I hadn’t been anticipating.

If you have ever lied about your air or thought about doing it, then I am talking to YOU right now. When you lie about your air, you are potentially endangering yourself AND everyone else you are diving with. Yep, that’s right.

Almost Out!!!

If you are with a guide who takes you at your word when you communicate your air, they will continue the dive plan based on that. If you have less than you say you do, you could find yourself deeper or farther from the boat or shore than you want to be once your air gets very low. If you are a diver who only checks your gauge when asked, you could find yourself completely out of air. And this is just the beginning of your new “situation”.

Now you’re low on or out of air and not where you should be. Does your buddy share air with you? How much air do they have left? Can you continue on your buddy’s air or should you go up? What are conditions like at the surface? Will you have to pop up far from shore or from where the boat captain expects you to be? Do you have a surface signaling device? Does the entire group now have to surface and deal with this together? The answer to that last one is probably yes.

As divers, we all can get caught up in the excitement—and yes, even competition—of a dive...but sometimes we get caught up to the point where we forget the basics we learned back in our Open Water certification classes. Remember, these aren’t just hints; the following points are part of your responsibility as a certified diver:

1800psi on Suunto Gauge

• Monitor your gauges frequently

• Make sure your dive plan covers what to do in a low or out-of-air situation

• Always wear a surface signaling device

• Be aware of how your actions affect everyone else

• Don’t be afraid to ask for a larger tank

And finally, we all know about the two kinds of divers, right? There are those who pee in their wetsuits and those how lie about it.
JUST DON’T LIE ABOUT YOUR AIR!

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. To my fellow dive guides, I say when checking air, it can never hurt to “trust but verify”!

Maui Dreams Gone Green

I love nature, both above and below the water- you could even say I'm an enthusiast. I try to do my part to recycle, buy localally grown produce, and I pick up rubbish that I find on the ground or during a dive (it makes my little heart flutter to see my fellow divers or students also pick up trash during a dive!). As I was reading the latest Undersea Journal (a professional dive publication), I came across an article about how dive shops are making an effort to ‘go green’ in the sense of making their companies as environmentally friendly as possible. Many of us divers are ambassadors of the environment, and I think that it is great that the shops that support them are doing their best to protect the wonderful world that we all treasure (both above and below the water!).

As I read through the article, I was very proud to see that both Maui Dreams and the Maui Diamond II have already implemented many of the ideas that were mentioned. I also happened upon a published photo of one of our recent underwater clean-ups.  (I was made anonymous in the photo by another enthusiastic diver's hand)!

Maui Dreams asks all of our customers for an email address (if they have one) so that we can email receipts instead of printing them off. We also have an email newsletter that anyone can sign up for which further saves paper. We make good use of our website to inform fellow divers of the current conditions and list basic information about our classes, gear and dives. We are very active on Facebook and  always love to see our divers posting photos or tales from their most recent adventures.

If you choose to take a class from Maui Dreams, your certification will be processed online. Not only does this save time, money and paper, you get your new number right away and do not need to provide a photo (we take a digital photo of you right in the shop!). If you haven’t taken a class in a while, check out the wide variety of classes that Maui Dreams offers - there is something for everyone! There are several Project Aware certifications that will increase your awareness and understanding of our watery world, including Naturalist, Fish ID, Coral Conservation, and Our World Our Water. A good diver is always learning!

The Maui Diamond II has reusable plastic mugs that are washed at the end of each charter, and the crew recycles all of the aluminum cans that are used each day. The wetsuit cleaner that is used on the boat and in the shop is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.  About four times a year, the shop and boat crews volunteer to lead clean-up dives which always fill up with divers wanting to help out - awesome!

So a BIG MAHALO to all of our divers for their efforts in keeping our world beautiful! Thank you for picking up rubbish when you are diving and for being mindful of the environment by exercising good buoyancy control. Mahalo for coming out on our clean-up dives, and even for buying our reusable eco-friendly stainless steel water bottles.  Aloha, Sara

Course Director's Day Off

How does a PADI Course Director spend her day off?
Diving, of course! Sara, Sandy, and I went over to Maliko Gulch for two spectacular dives this last Tuesday. Maliko Gulch is a special place on Maui which faces Northeast. It is near the world-famous Jaws surfing site. This means that during the winter months we cannot get in the water at this site (sometimes Jaws gets waves higher than 50’!). So summer is the only chance we get.



Flying Gurnard

 One reason Maliko is unique, is its placement on the island. Most of our dive sites face the west or south. If you have been to Maui County, you know that it is made up of several islands other than Maui itself. These islands, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Molokini, and Maui, surround a kind of bay which reaches only about 700’ deep. However, the north and east sides of Maui face the open Pacific Ocean which drops down to 10,000’-25,000’ pretty quickly. The next land mass is the mainland thousands of miles away.

Blue Rice Coral

This means the water conditions can be pretty rough at times, which I believe is why I don’t see some of the more fragile corals such as finger coral. Instead we see more plate corals and the beautiful Blue Rice Coral more often. Because access is more limited, we also see bigger fish. For instance, Sara spotted the largest Flying Gurnard I have ever seen! We also saw a couple of pairs of HUGE Sailfin Tangs, as well as a pair of the largest Butterflyfish in the world, the Lined Butterflyfish. One of my favorite moments on this diving excursion was when we sighted a delicate Pearl Wrasse.

Rugged conditions usually create fascinating topography. Maliko Gulch is a bay which gives us the opportunity for two distinctly different dives. The right side has wonderful canyons we can drop into which are filled with giant boulders. Sandy referred to the first one as the “Grand Canyon”. As we glided over the ridge and floated down the canyon wall we could see large schools of Surgeonfish and huge Parrotfish. Sandy and Sara especially enjoyed seeing the largest Green Sea Turtle they have ever seen!

On the left side of the bay, towards Hookipa, we found my favorite part of Maliko. There are a series of ridges which are separated by fantastic lava tubes and caverns. The walls are mostly smooth curves with the sunlight entering through openings in the top, creating the most serene environment I have ever experienced.

Of course, after the great diving we were hungry and thirsty, so we went into Paia and enjoyed an Ono Fish Burger with a Mango Margarita at a nice little Mexican restaurant. Ahhh, just another wonderful day off as a PADI Course Director here at Maui Dreams.  Aloha, Teri