I want to get my fiance into scuba so we can do it on our honeymoon. I am getting her lessons and gear for a wedding present. I was wondering if I should get her high quality gear from the dive shop or get it cheaper at Wal-Mart or similar store. The only gear I would need to get her is fins, mask and snorkel. My family has a spare set of gear that covers the rest of what she would need(i.e. BCD, weights, oct., regulator, etc.)

Get her the higher quality stuff. There is nothing more frustrating for a beginning diver than a mask that does not fit properly. The snorkel is less important, but you can get her a lower profile model at a dive store or large Sporting Goods store. The fins at the mega stores are going to be geared toward snorkeling, so getting a light weight pair of dive fins at a dive shop will help her out while diving and she can still use them for snorkeling.

As far as giving her dive lessons as a wedding present, that is a bad idea. Especially if you are going to get the lessons in Hawaii on your honeymoon. scuba diving lessons for her are a present you are giving yourself not her. Unless she has told you she want to dive, you are doing it so you can keep diving. I understand. I am a diver married to a non-diver. I would love for her to experience the wonders of scuba diving. But more than that, I want her to dive so that I can take great dive trips with her, so get her a wedding present that is all for her.

As far as the lessons, I would recommend she do at least the classroom portion of the course at home before the trip. Then do a referral to a shop in Hawaii for the open water portion. If she does the whole course in Hawaii, it will take all her time, and if she is struggling with it or does not like it, it is going to cause a lot of friction on your honeymoon. And you do not want that.

There are many ways you can get to Hawaii for your holiday vacation and one very common and popular way is to take a cruise to Hawaii. In this way, your holiday vacation starts when the cruise ship leaves the port of your embarkation.

The Norwegian Cruise Line or the NCL for short calls very often at Hawaiian various ports. American citizens will need to bring along their passports for this cruise because besides calling on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, the cruise ships also visit Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati.

This weekly 7 night cruise on the Norwegian Star, which is in service since 2001, will begin the cruise and end in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu. Twice a year, the Norwegian Wind, a sister ship of the Norwegian Star, sails from Vancouver in Canada to Honolulu over a span of eleven days. Both the ships are huge and sometimes are sometimes called floating islands. Housed within the ships are swimming pools, volley ball and basketball courts, spas, fitness centers, theaters, beauty salons, dance clubs and of course, a wide array of restaurants catering to all taste buds.

The days of dining with two formal seating times for dinner at assigned tables are over. Passengers can now decide how they want to eat, when to eat and what to eat. They can choose from various cuisines such as Asian, Italian or French cuisines in either casual or formal wear. Modern day dinning in cruise ships are no longer formal affair unless you choose to opt for eating in formal restaurants.

To occupy yourself when in a cruise ship to Hawaii, you can go to computer classes, attend health and wellness seminars and enroll you kids in a variety of children’s programs. At each port of call, passengers may also choose a variety of land excursions and activities, such as visiting famous Hawaiian volcanoes, go scuba diving or whale watching or just simply relaxing by the beach.

Many other cruise ships also call on Hawaiian ports regularly. Some of these cruise lines include The Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess, Cunard, Seabourn and Celebrity cruise ships.

Booking and paying for your cruise way in advance could save you some money especially when the cruises are fully booked. However, if you intend to cruise to Hawaii during off peak season, then you can take a chance at last minute booking as the cruise lines may sell cheaper unsold tickets.

Before placing your cruise bookings, do ask about round trip, reduced fare air supplements and discounts for children traveling with full fare paying adults. Some cruises do offer summer family cruise packages and if you did not ask, you could never have known.

Chris Chew
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/hawaii-cruise-holiday-vacation-128574.html

When it comes to honeymoons there are literally thousands upon thousands places you could choose to go. But this is a special time and you want to make sure that everything goes smoothly with as little disruption as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to travel on honeymoon inclusive packages that make planning your romantic getaway a whole lot easier.

And after the craziness and stress of planning the wedding the honeymoon is sometimes neglected. If you plan an all inclusive honeymoon you can usually breathe easy knowing that everything is already taken care of. Here’s why.

An all inclusive package is just what it says it is; everything you need is included in one price. So instead of planning every little detail you can find a honeymoon package that appeals to you and your soon to be spouse and once payment is made your all set to go. This leaves you free to concentrate on your wedding plans knowing that your honeymoon is all taken care of.

And when they say a honeymoon inclusive package includes everything they mean just that. This means all meals, snacks, and deserts are paid for before you ever get to your honeymoon destination. You can also pre-arrange all your activities depending on where you go and which all inclusive resort you stay at. Beach activities, scuba diving lessons, dancing, trips to local tourist attraction can all be arranged before you ever leave home.

The best part of these types of honeymoon packages is the savings you can get. Since everything you need is included in one price you don’t need to worry about bringing along lots of extra cash or credit cards. It really is simple to plan and purchase one of the many honeymoon inclusive packages available today. So if you want to take the hassle out of planning your honeymoon you should seriously consider one.

Andrew Bicknell

Diving watches are designed for divers who need to rely on an accurate and sophisticated timepiece, no matter their environment. A divers watch is designed so, at a minimum, they are able to offer a water resistance of ten atmosphere units. This is equivalent to one hundred meters, or three hundred and thirty feet. Typical diver watches, which are available on the market, are going to offer their wearers a water resistance of two hundred to three hundred meters, which is equivalent to diving depths of six hundred and sixty to nine hundred and ninety feet. Modern technology has been impressive in this field and today’s diver watches will allow their wearers to enjoy deeper diving depths without hurting or injuring the watch itself. The International Organization for Standardization, or the ISO, defines the test standards and features in order to help determine which watches are more capable as diver’s watches. A true diver’s wristwatch will often be in accordance with the standards set forth in ISO 6425. In order to distinguish which watches are in line with ISO 6425 and which are not, the watches that do adhere to the standards are marked with the word “DIVER’S”. If a watch has this word printed on it, it is a suitable one for scuba diving.

Some additional requirements for diving watches include the presence of a bezel that is unidirectional. The bezel needs to have at least every five minute markings as well as a pre-select marker to denote a specific minute marking. Minute markings on the face need to be clear and easy to read. These watches also need to have readability or visibility at 25 centimeters, or 9.84 inches, in total and complete darkness. These watches also need to be designed to be chemically resistant. In order to test this, the watches are immersed in a solution for twenty four hours in order to test the watch’s resistance to rust.

Diver watches have been improved upon over time, but in the early days of diver watches they were developed in response to the needs of military and professional divers. It is believed that Omega enjoys the distinction of creating the world’s first diving watch. While watch dealers offer a number of more modern Omega and other divers wristwatches, the first diver’s watch Omega had created was the Omega Marine, which was introduced in the year 1932. In addition to Omega, there are a number of companies that are able to offer consumers highly functional watches designed for diving. They are designed as tool watches, but they can also be designed with fashion in mind. Diver watches have been designed for both men and women, in either an analog or a digital format.

Diver watches need to have a case that is adequately water resistant. It also needs to be able to endure the seawater’s galvanic corrosiveness. Many, including those featured by online watch dealers, are made out of materials such as stainless steel, titanium, ceramics, resin or plastic. Some of the most impressive and popular diver’s watches include the Omega Seamaster 300 M Diver Chronometer, the Breitling Avenger Seawolf Chronograph and the IWC Aquatimer Minute Memory.

Joseph Levy

http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/ – Today’s questions generated a great show. First we tell you about how to get up to the North shore by bus for only 2 bucks! Next on tap are my best “must see'” suggestions if you’re only here for a short period of time. Finally we answer a question about the best place to scuba dive in Hawaii.

While on Maui last week I had a chance to take a look at the Makena Resort and Golf. The resort is undergoing a complete re-beautification which will bring all of the guest rooms a new color pallet and furnishings. In the meantime there are great rates here and the impact on guest who visit during this time is minimal .

Duration : 0:15:0

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