The discovery of the HMS Nottingham - The Last Scout ⚓

You and me diving- what normal divers achieved by dedication to their hobby 🤿.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQmViCTB2IB2I

@scubadivers

#diving #scuba #scubadiving #wreckdiving #GUE #ccr

Ending A Decade of Birthday Dives

Today is my birthday! I originally planned to be in the Philippines celebrating and scuba diving the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered my magnificent birthday dive schedule this year. And it has also ended a decade of consecutive fantastic birthday dives.

Spending time out of the water has allowed me to reflect on the good times and how fortunate I have been. About seven years ago, I picked up underwater photography and later videography.

Here are a few images that have brought back a few fond memories of phenomenal scuba diving.

Taking the Wreck Diver Specialty Course in Grenada

Entering the Shark Arena Nassau (Bahamas)

https://youtu.be/JP6OTh0aScM

Navigating Shipwrecks in Grand Cayman

Exploring the Reefs in Barbados

https://youtu.be/Pc-7LcoHLgI

https://youtu.be/Xo4ImQGWRtU

Discovering the richness of Isla del Caño (Costa Rica)

Scuba Diving is the Best Way to Face Your Fears

How do you know if you’re truly living your life to the fullest? For some, it may be taking the plunge into underwater adventures with sharks and sea turtles. A scuba diving trip to a far off country like Egypt, Fiji, or Maldives might just be what it takes to face your fears, meet new people, and live boldly each day by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Scuba Diving in the Open Ocean with Sea Creatures

Sharks, stingrays, octopus, and dolphins are just a few of the creatures you might encounter while scuba diving. If you’ve ever wanted to face your fears, now’s your chance! The first time I saw a shark off our dive boat was life-changing—I’m not even kidding. Being in complete awe of nature’s beauty alongside fellow open water divers made me feel like I could take on anything in life.

And if seeing a shark doesn’t do it for you, there are plenty of other reasons why it’s worth taking that next step out of your comfort zone by enrolling in a scuba course and dive into deeper waters:

• You’ll discover what living more boldly means for you personally.
• You’ll learn how to break through perceived limitations such as fear.
• You’ll meet new people who will challenge your thinking and push you to live more fully.

Living Fearlessly

Scuba diving can be one of the most exhilarating and liberating things you’ll ever do, and it offers a unique opportunity for you to face your fears head-on. Swimming through a shipwreck or undersea cave, surrounded by schools of colorful fish, it’s easy to understand why diving has become so popular. However, what many people don’t realize is that scuba diving also gives divers an opportunity to meet their fears in an incredibly safe way. If you have a phobia (or multiple) but want to get past them, make plans for an upcoming vacation trip: Naui / PADI / SDI certification courses are offered all over the world and there are plenty of dive resorts available everywhere from Gulf of Mexico to Indo Pacific. Whatever your fear may be — Closed spaces? Wildlife? Self-reliance? The dark? — scuba diving lets you face them while relying on a tank full of oxygen.

Why Do It?

Scuba diving offers a natural opportunity to confront fears and phobias. If you’re not comfortable in water, for example, learning how to swim and dive better can help you overcome those fears. Scuba diving also gives you a chance to observe sea life and other creatures that live under water. Some divers are able to see sharks or scuba dive at night, which allows them an adventure they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. There are countless reasons why people choose scuba diving – maybe it’s new experiences like these you’re looking for as well?

Hank is a NYC based scuba diver.

Wordless Wednesday : Anchor Chain

Image captured with a Panasonic Lumix GH5 and edited with Lumiar 4.

Remnants of War: SS Thistlegorm

SS Thistlegorm was a British cargo steamship built in 1940. It was sunk by German aircraft bombers in the Red Sea in 1941.

The ship rests underwater in the Ras Muhammad National Park at the southern extreme of the Sinai Peninsula. It overlooks the Gulf of Suez on the west and Gulf of Aqaba to the east.

The ship contained trucks, armored vehicles, motorcycles, guns, ammunition, radio equipment, boots, aircraft parts, railway wagons and two steam locomotives.

German aircraft dropped two 2.5-ton high-explosive bombs on Thistlegorm. Both of these bombs struck hold 4 near the stern of the ship in October 1941. The bomb exploded and ignited some of the ammunition stored in hold 4. This led to the sinking of Thistlegorm. The explosion caused the loss of four sailors and five defensively equipped merchant ship (DEMS) gunners.

In the early 1950s, Jacques Cousteau discovered the shipwreck by using information from local fishermen.

In the 1960’s, recreational diving began on the shipwreck. Today the SS Thistlegorm shipwreck hosts about 100 scuba divers per day.

More images from Egypt can be found here.