First day scuba diving in Dominican Republic

It took about two weeks after I first got here that I finally took a day for scuba diving in Sosua.

On the north coast of DR, Sosua is the place for diving. In the small city, there are no less than 16 dive shops.

Of course, the term "Dive Shop" is used here in the loosest of terms. In other words, to open a "Dive Shop" all you need is a dive flag and a couple square feet of space you can claim and a boat you can borrow. A rowboat may prove sufficient.

Of all those "Dive Shops" the only one that deserves mention is Northcoast diving .



They offer products and services one may expect from a normal dive shop, that is, they have a boutique, they have equipment rental, fill their own tanks on the premises.

I really liked the way the shop is setup. The only drawback, which isn't one really, is that the shop is not directly on the water. One has to walk to the beach and then walk into the water to get on the boat. There is no docking. But that's okay, I did that in Percé and it adds to the fun.

I brought the strict minimum with me and walk with my socks in the streets and onto the boat. I keep my socks when I use no boot fins because I've had problem with chafing before. I also dove with my short and T-shirt and only my dive watch. No weights needed since my back plate provided me with way more ballast than I needed.

Viz was definitely sub par for the first two dives. The first one I had trouble with my right ear and it took me about 10 minutes before I could dive and join the other. I had the same problem last year in Cuba.

Since I was less than 30 feet (10 metres) above the group, I could easily see them and didn

The third dive was a shallow dive and of course, viz was excellent. At times, we were surrounded by sargent majors. I learned that for years they've been trained to expect divers to feed them so that is why they clump up around us. Recent law now forbids feeding the fish, but old habits die hard.

I will upload a video of a diver surrounded by sargent fish next time.

Am I a creature of habit ?

As I continue on with my new lifestyle in the Dominican Republic, I can't help but notice that some things don't change. Here's proof:

Me at my condo in Magog, Canada:



Me at my apartment in Cabarete, Dominican Republic:

In Dominican Republic, sneak peek at my apartment

My home for the next 4 months or so.

Can a glove fit over my finger ?

My sister dropped a 25 pound weight on my finger. I had to go to a clinic to get an x-ray. The bone on the tip of my finger is cracked at two places. They put me a splint that I will keep for the next couple of weeks. I also have to dunk my finger in cold water for the next three to four days, after that, it will be warm water from her three to four days on the next couple weeks need to talk my finger in cold water for next three to four days, and then in warm water for another three to four days to reduce the swelling in my finger. Right now it looks like a light bulb but a black light bulb.

I wonder if the metal splint will kick off the metal detector at the airport? Will I have to check out my splint with the stewardess in case it may be considered a lethal weapon?

All these and more will be answered in the next episode of the New Adventures of The Man Of The Seas.