Springtime Baltic Sea

Snorkeling in the freezing cold Baltic Sea, trying out underwater macro-photography

Bladder wrack

I took my first dip of this year in the Baltic Sea a few days ago. Spring has arrived, and beginning new life is blooming underwater, too. I packed my underwater camera and wetsuit on the boat and headed out to the Finnish archipelago. The idea was to experiment with underwater macro-photography in shallow water.

Angel shark (Squatina squatina)

Spotting a Mediterranean angel shark was, for me, a case of seeing something spectacular and not even realizing it. It was only later that I found out that the thing is actually quite rare, critically endangered in fact. And I thought it was just kind-of-a-shark! Well, the latin name of the species, squatina, does actually mean "a kind of shark", so I guess I was half right.

Diving in Alanya

Planning a family holiday to Alanya in Southern Turkey, I was not entirely sure I would get to dive at all on this trip. While being a popular tourist destination, Alanya is not exactly on the "top ten places to dive"-list. Anyway, that's where we had decided we were going, so I'd have to make the most of it. I'd dive there no matter what!

View from Cleopatra Beach. If you look closely, you can see a dive boat parked in front of Phosphorus Cave.

Changing the battery on my dive computer

Battery change, Suunto Vyper

I was packing my dive gear, getting ready for the next dive trip. As always, I checked my Suunto Vyper dive computer. Only this time it signaled that the battery was low. It would have to be changed before diving. I was in a bit of a hurry to get the battery changed; I was leaving for my dive destination the next day. So I called my local dive centre to get the job done. Unfortunately, they were already closed for the day.

Turtles in Turkey

A sea turtle calmly gliding into view through the clear blue Mediterranean water is an awe-inspiring sight.

A turtle in the distance

I recently went diving with Scuba Turtle Diving School in Incekum in southern Turkey. They are situated within the Pegasos Club Hotel, right on a beach that turtles come to nest on every year. The eggs buried in the sand are carefully protected. The area of the beach where turtle eggs are laid is closed from use as long as the eggs are there.

Beginners Guide to Diving, Part 2

Learning to Dive

So you decide to learn how to dive. Are there any reasons that could prevent you from diving? Your age is not likely to be an issue. It is possible to start as young as eight years of age and dive for as long as your health allows. Most disabilities won't prevent you from diving. In fact, moving in the weightlessness underwater may even be less of an effort to some. Nor is where you live likely to be a problem. 80 percent of the world's surface is covered by water. You can dive practically everywhere on Earth. I myself live just south of the Arctic circle and there are certainly no colourful coral reefs here, and the water gets pretty cold at times. Yet, I have done some of my most memorable dives right here in the murky, cold waters of the Baltic Sea.

A beginner's guide to diving, part 1

Introduction

This article is to those of you who are not divers yet. Don't worry: since you're reading this, you probably want to be, and you'll see there's no reason you couldn't be. Reading this article could well be your first step to a whole new exhilarating life of adventures underwater.