May 23 is World Turtle Day, and we LOVE turtles. (just check our our logo!)
So, let’s all talk a moment to enjoy a relaxing dive with a turtle with this video shot on our recent trip to Little Cayman.
We’re going back to Little Cayman, where we see turtles on EVERY dive, in July 2013 so be sure to save the date to join us! Or join us on one of our many other dive trips to dive with these amazing creatures.
This weekend had a chance to try the new D1 Hybrid drysuit from our friends at Waterproof. And WOW!
This revolutionary new constant volume drysuit is pretty amazing, with an innovative mesh liner that means this suit is incredibly warm. We spent an hour in 54 degree water, with just thin undergarments, and we didn’t get cold.
It’s also pretty expensive, around the same price as a custom made DUI suit (which we sell quite a few of), but the workmanship and quality really stands out. If you’re serious about your cold water diver, this is definitely a great suit to consider.
Plus you can look like a superhero!
Not yet a drysuit diver? Take the PADI Drysuit Diver Course with Action Scuba and get free rental of a drysuit. Or, buy a drysuit from us and get the PADI specialty course for free! As an added bonus, the PADI Drysuit Diver Specialty Course counts towards your Master Scuba Diver rating.
Night diving is definitely one of our favourite kinds of scuba diving. But might we be inadvertantly harming the marine environment we want to enjoy?
To safely enjoy a night dive, we must carry a primary light to see by, and it is recommended to also carry a secondary back up light AND a tank marker. PADI`s own guidelines for the PADI Night Diver Specialty course encourage a marker or chemical light.
But can we make smarter choices that are better for the environment? Absolutely!
We strongly recommend the following environmentally friendly measures for night diving:
And whatever you do, don`t toss your old batteries or light sticks into the ocean to leak toxic chemicals everywhere!
Read more on our blog entry on the Project AWARE site.
Learn more about the PADI Night Diver course here in Montreal right here.
(did you know that the PADI night diver course counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating?)
Rebreather Forum 3 is taking place this weekend in Orlando, Florida, and Action Scuba is there.
What is Rebreather Forum 3 (RF3)? It’s a gathering of all of the leaders in the rebreather diving industry to talk about advances in the sport, new product launches and ways to bring rebreather diving to more recreational divers.
So it’s no surprise Action Scuba is there. Our team of rebreather divers, including Gary, owner of Action Scuba, is on hand to learn how to help more and more Montrealers enjoy diving bubble free.
Once the exclusive domain of only the wealthiest and hard core technical and cave divers, the involvement of PADI in recent years means that rebreathers are now becoming accessible to almost anyone, including recreational divers who never intend to surpass 130 feet.
Now there are both technical and recreational rebreathers on the market, and PADI offers standardized courses to help you get certified.
Ah you ask, what exactly IS a rebreather? Well, in simple terms, it is a diving system where the air you breather is recirculated, cleaned and reused. A closed circuit rebreather is one where virtually all of the air is recycled and reused, with little to no air leaving the system. This means that when diving closed circuit, you will have no bubbles. It also means that through use of a scrubber system, you can have longer dives than with air tanks, because there is no waste.
Most rebreathers also use a built in computerized system to manage the gas blend, using input from different tanks (which can be air and oxygen, or include other gases like helium). This allows your system to blend on the fly, constantly adapting your breathing gas to the depth and diving conditions.
Because of this, rebreathers were most often used for cave and technical divers who needed the extended gas supply and variety of gas mixes.
But now, because of advances in rebreathers and standardization of equipment and training, making them simple and safe to learn and use, there is now a whole range of recreational rebreathers available.
Why would you want to dive with a rebreather?
There are a number of reasons why you would want to dive with a rebreather, and it really depends on your own scuba diving goals and profile. But if you just think about the bubble free experience and ability to extend dives, you’ll probably come up with quite a few of these on your own.
For example:
Following Rebreather Forum 3 in Orlando, the Action Scuba team will be happy to chat with you about the exciting developments in this field.
Did you know that Action Scuba offers rebreather courses plus sale and service of rebreather equipment? Drop by to learn more.
Caring for our oceans is what we do and why we scuba dive. So we’re pretty pleased that Project AWARE has featured us once again one their website as an example for others to follow.
Why?
Because we truly care about the causes Project AWARE promotes and the work they do. The world beneath the sea is our second home and we want to do everything possible to help protect it and help educate others.
We believe in doing that one person at a time, and we’ve seen real progress in our community here in Montreal, among divers and non-divers alike.
The tools provided to us by Project AWARE are pretty awesome, and we’re happy to have found an organization that really cares about our oceans as much as we do. The team we work with there is passionate and tireless - kind of like some of our staff.
Now, every single diver who is certified with Action Scuba gets a Project AWARE card and a donation made on their behalf. But more than that. we weave the concept of marine conservation into all of our courses, and we hope that all of our divers walk away with a renewed appreciation for the oceans and their role in protecting them.
So are we happy that Project AWARE has showcased us (again)? You bet! But not because we’re keen to be in the spotlight. Rather, it’s because we believe that by showing others how fun and easy it can be to support Project AWARE, we’ll bring about even more change as other divers follow our lead.
Want to join us? Find out more about how you can be involved in the Project AWARE community in Montreal by clicking here, visiting our website, or stopping by.
Be sure to visit the Project AWARE website and create your My Ocean profile - and become our dive buddy!
We`re pleased to announce the winners of our 15th anniversary prize draw:
The winners are…
3 – Action Scuba beach towel: Mike Malboeuf
2 – Action Scuba beach towel: Alfred Laham
1 – Dive Charter this summer ($80 value) : Karine Ranger
Félicitations! Congratulations!
We are looking forward to seeing Karine out diving with us this summer on our boat in the Thousand Islands!
Another successful Action Scuba event, thanks to all of you!
Yesterday, as a way of kicking off our 15th Anniversary celebrations this year, we hosted a Customer Appreciation Day and BBQ at the shop. Combine with the Pointe-Claire Springfest, a fun BBQ and a beautiful sunny day, you get a hugely successful day!
Thanks to all who came by. We had lots of fun catching up and planning the summer’s scuba adventures. It’s going to be one heck of a great scuba diving summer!
And don’t forget, our 15% for 15 Years sale continues until 5 PM today!
Have you voted yet for our new shark mascot? At Action Scuba Montreal we love sharks - and we`re doing our best to make sure everyone knows it!
And now we`re introducing the world to our new mascot. But he needs a name, and we`re asking you to help!
Suggest a name for our new mascot and you could win a $25 gift certificate and a popular Action Scuba towel. Visit our facebook page to vote or drop by the shop.
Our new shark mascot has already surprised attendees at our last AWARE Shark Conservation Diver course. Where will he turn up next? We have a busy season of activities ahead - you never know when he might make an appearance!
Details about the BIG scuba diving sale in #Montreal this weekend (you know, the one at Action Scuba, home of Montreal`s scuba diving experts)
This weekend we`re kicking off our 15th Anniversary, and we`re doing it right; we`re helping to get you equipped for a fun summer of scuba diving with a HUGE sale.
Since announcing this sale, we`ve had a lot of questions about exactly what is on sale. Well, the short answer is … everything.
To mark 15 great years, we`ll give you 15% on ALL regular priced dive and snorkel gear and swim accessories.
Plus we have lots of items on special markdown for the weekend, some well above 50% off, plus great deals on our well-loved rental gear. Our prices wont be beat`this weekend.
That`s huge savings on leading scuba brands like Bare, Mares, Scubapro, Suunto, Henderson, Hollis, Aqualung, Apex, Zeagle, Halcyon, Akona, Waterproof, Oceanic and more!
What can you buy on sale this weekend?
So drop by, May 4-6 and get yourself outfitted for a great summer.
We`ll be celegrating our 15th anniversary all season long and we want to see you out diving with us!
If you read one of the free #Montreal newspapers today, you might have seen a new ad fom H&M featuring … scuba diving!
Yes, that`s right, scuba diving, a sport that used to be considered “extreme” and for navy seals or hardcore adventure junkies, is now in mainstream media.
Why is that?
It`s simple. Scuba diving has evolved from a specialist, difficult understaking into a safe, fun and easy to learn sport. And we have PADI to thank for that.
Through its system of scuba training, PADI has helped evolve this sport from something only the toughest US navy divers could handle, to a family activity that kids as young as 8 can enjoy.
There are multiple levels of training, allowing people to jump in and try diving in just one afternoon before they even commit to a full course. Then, once certified, there is a huge range of specialised courses people can take that are suited to their interests - like wreck diving or even just learning more about fish.
So maybe H&M is on to something. Forget your old image of scuba being a boys club. Diving is really for everyone, girls included!
And we couldn`t be happier about it.
It means we can help more and more people fulfill their dreams of exploring the amazing underwater world.
Not convinced? Jump in the pool with us for an afternoon and we`ll help you see why scuba is easy and fun.
