Mermaid Dive Center Joined the International Cleanup Day 2009

On the 25^th of September, a Friday, the local dive community fielded a fleet of 15 dive boats and about 70 divers to do an underwater cleanup of our local Batangas Channel in lovely Puerto Galera. The Mermaid Dive Center provided one of our dive boats and 7 divers to join in. Our guest and staff divers collected around 200 kilos of undersea trash. Such things as old tires, paint cans, plastic bottles and bags, beer cans, rubber hoses, and many other unwanted material underwater. The experience was lots of fun and full of friendship.

We hope to be able to have more activities like this and we invite everyone to join this continuing effort!

Care to join us next time?

Why Fins and Not Stilettos

Why not stilettos

While I was getting ready for one of my morning dives at good old Mermaid Resort, Master Instructor Bob Kieran of the Mermaid Dive Center was looking at me rather curiously. I was checking out the wide array of fins available for rent that it probably reminded him of my remark the other day that before the year is over, I would have tried each and every fin they had.

“So, what fins are you taking with you?” Bob goes.

To which I jokingly reply, “I don’t know, Bob. I just bought these sneakers and they come with a new technology design I was told. Maybe I should try them under water.”

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From Renting to Owning: What Equipment to Purchase as Soon as you’re Scuba-serious

Years back, I bought this pricey pair of open-foot trekking sandals I felt were real nice and made me look like a true outdoorsman. I made a couple of treks with those flops (no pun intended) but soon had to switch to closed-foot trekking boots instead. Apparently, the mountain hiking paths I was to take back then were full of poisonous and prickly plants. Good thing I had pants protecting my skin down to my ankles. My feet, though, were not spared from the eventual itchy rash I had to endure for days after the hike. Had I known about this earlier, I would have saved myself some money and could have had a better wilderness experience.

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Kick, Flash, Boom! How Divers Affect the Reefs

For the initial offering of The Green Diver, I invite you to discuss the very heart of a diver’s duty to the environment - Marine Life Conservation.

An interesting article came out this month at the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s website. The Philippines was named by The National Geographic Society’s Adventure Magazine as one of the “25 Best New Travel Destinations for 2010.” It made me wonder how much our diving resources affected this country’s inclusion into the list. A lot, apparently, as the actual article about the Philippines as a travel destination included a trip itinerary, set by their partner outfitter, Wilderness Travel, which ends in 5 days of diving where the adventurer can “bob around reefs, scanning the area’s 350 varieties of coral.”

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The Mermaid Dive Center has a New Compressor Room

The Mermaid Dive Center takes in another addition to its already excellent service.

We are very excited that our new “state of the art” compressor room is nearly operable. We have installed a Nitrox membrane system, a large air bank, air-dryer, two compressors and an exhaust system. The compressor room resembles a hospital operating room with its cleanliness and organization. This means we will have Nitrox mixes for you at very affordable prices.

As a bonus… take our PADI Nitrox course at the advertised price and get 5 eanx dives at regular prices.

Ready for some Nitrox dives?