Zuuuuuuuuma!

The Zuma is Aqua Lung's newest travel BCD. It only weighs 4.4 lbs! And let me tell you, when I packed up my gear to go diving today, I really noticed the weight difference!!! It also rolls into a nice tight little package that would fit perfectly into a carry on. (If you want to see how crazy small the BC can roll into, just come into the shop and see the display!)

When I first saw the Zuma I noticed how low the tank strap was and how bizarre that seemed (tank strap is at the same height as the waist strap). I thought that maybe it would rest uncomfortably on my backside or just constrict my motion underwater. I was also concerned about storage space!!! Where am I going to put all my stuff?! The Zuma has a small pocket that unfolds if needed that has the capacity to carry a dive light or slate. It also comes equipped with a few plastic D rings to hook other attachments on. I was very surprised to find that this BCD had two dump valves - one on the shoulder and one at the rear. I found no problem at all finding the cord when underwater today!

This was also my first experience with a back inflate! Pretty awesome. I've never felt more free (nothing bulky at my sides)! All in all, I was very pleased with the performance of this BC. It definitely was a different sensation regarding the tank strap placement, but didn't take away from my diving experience whatsoever. A+!
-Katherine

Underwater "Olympics"

I totally LOVE to throw events. It is our way of getting a bunch of divers together in one place and just being silly or creative underwater. For Maui Dreams, it is also a way to show appreciation for our customers/friends who visit us in the shop throughout the year and show us a good time!

After 10 years of doing the underwater pumpkin carving contest, last year we told folks it would be our last; it was time to do something new. Of course, this meant we were going to have to come up with something new - doh!

Well, I'd had this "Olympics" idea brewing for years, but kept putting it off, knowing it would be labor and staffing intensive. Yeah, I really just kept coming up with excuses. Announcing out loud that we would be taking a break from hosting the UWPCC for a couple of years motivated me to make this thing happen

So last week all of us MDDC-ers laid out the course and gave the event a trial run. You know what? It was a total blast. I spent more time and used more air clearing my mask than anything else. The mask clearing will not be one of the "Olympic" events, but I was just laughing so hard that my mask kept flooding.

Anyway, we have all loved the phone calls we've been getting about what size spoons you all should bring to the event - hee he he! (More on that in a few days.)

The other comments that have been filtering in have been people's concerns that they might not be "good enough" to participate in this event. To those folks I say, this will not be an event that requires any great levels of athleticism (if you can scuba dive, you are prequalified!) and that this is an event that a diver who earned their Open Water certification yesterday could participate in!!

In the middle of the week, we will send out an update newsletter with more specifics about what's going on, how it will work, etc. Stay tuned, and please plan to join us next Saturday for a heck of a good time.

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. Yes, you KNOW we will have the usual awesome event shirts available too!

I Did The Nitrox Class Online!

A question that I hear often is “Why should I bother learning about Nitrox? Is it really worth it?”. I used to ask that same question until it became obvious why. This happened on a boat trip I took out to Molokini (max depth 80 feet) and then the St. Anthony’s wreck (max depth 65 feet). After a good surface interval between dives, my nitrogen load was still pretty high when I started the second dive. What ended up happening is that I approached my no decompression limit but still had 1700 PSI!!! I had to start heading to the shallows and end the dive. If I was on Nitrox, I could have stayed down longer :(

My first concern with taking this course online is what if I don’t get it and no one is around to explain? Can I repeat the current lesson/chapter until I fully understand? I was surprised to find that the online course was thorough and not as complicated as I had imagined! You can certainly repeat sections that you don’t quite get. Everything that is spoken is also written on the page so you can listen and/or read the material. Most slides also have an additional multimedia piece (video of some sort - although some of them are kind of goofy). At the end of each chapter there is an assessment which you have to pass with 100% before continuing! You can keep retaking the assessment if needed (obviously I know from experience!!). The online course ends with a final exam. Then, the only thing left is the practical portion!

The whole course took me about 2 hours, but feel like it was a bit quicker for me since some of the information is covered in the Divemaster course (which I’m nearly done with – YES!)