Private Charters

After yesterday's post, I know what you are thinking.  No this one is not necessarily about nudity.  But it is about private charters.

Hawaiian Diving Adventures' New Years club dive

Most of our days are spent taking people out diving and snorkeling.  These people book in small groups, ones, twos, and threes.  We put them together on a small boat and everyone is cordial and friendly...but not friends.  This is what makes private charters so much fun.  When a club, group, or family charters out the entire boat, the social dynamic is quite different and often quite enjoyable.

Club member Austin wielding his underwater mace

Private charters are a chance for us to do things that are out of the ordinary.  Usually we will take clubs, like Hawaiian Diving Adventures out for different types of dives than what most local divers do on a day to day basis.  Recently we have done exploratory dives, splashing in where nobody has gone before and we have located some cool new reefs that are still largely unexplored.  We often find strange things underwater too.

Sophie finding a fish prison

Private charters go beyond just diving too.  We have done birthday parties, whale watches, weddings, and just joy rides on the boat.  We have even done a couple of ash scatterings, while not fun in the same sense it is quite rewarding to assist grieving families like that.

All of today's pictures are from private charter days.  You can find them and more at our Facebook page

If your club or family would like to go out on a private charter, please call us (808) 232-3193.  Even if you don't have a specific activity in mind, we can tailor a voyage on the Kilikina that is guaranteed to be a blast.

Diving Naked

That's right, I said Diving Naked.

Actually, people have been diving naked into the ocean for a very long time.  Sponge fishermen in the Mediterranean and Ama fisherwomen from Japan have all traditionally worn no clothing when in the water. And it makes sense considering that clothing creates drag that a breath hold diver must expend more energy to overcome.  However, in today's scuba world people mostly dive naked for tradition and for fun.

Their are at least two traditional times to dive nude. On one's birthday, he dives in his birthday suit; and on one's 100th dive he should likewise be nude. Any milestone dive i.e. 50, 100, 500, 1000 etc., can and has also been used as an excuse to dive naked.

Naked diving can be quite a lot of fun, certainly good for a laugh from the other people on the boat.  But, I would recommend following some simple guidelines.

1.  Do it in warm water.  This might seem like a no brainer, but if your local dive site is 60 degrees you are not gonna have a good time.

2.  Select appropriate dive gear.  I really like a backplate and wing to dive with, but is that crotch strap gonna be comfortable naked?  Feel free to wear that old jacket style BC on this one, or simply adjust your gear so that it is comfortable even if it isn't conventional.  

3.  Select a good dive buddy.  Some argue to do your hundredth dive with complete strangers, others say only your significant other.  I'd suggest one or two close friends.  You want someone along who will verify the story later and doesn't mind looking at you naked.  Even if you are shy, you've still got to try it, but be sure never to dive alone. Maybe a craigslist ad?  Wanted-- one dive buddy for a naked dive.  Must not be judgmental and doesn't know anyone I do.

4.  Cameras!  This is up to you.  Some say "no pictures, no proof", but how many of us are ready to star in an underwater porno.  Whether or not to bring cameras or take pictures is completely up to you and sort of relates to picking a good dive buddy.

5.  Watch out for stingers.  You may not be able to see every little stinging cell in the water, but be ready for them.  Keep a constant vigil on the water around you and avoid stinging creatures like jellyfish, anemones, and corals.  Think about limiting naked dive times in order to reduce your exposure to these animals.

Diving naked is certainly a good time and a great break from the diving routine.   I'd recommend trying it at least once; you are bound to get a good story out of it.

What to do?

It is an age old question: What do you do when your dive buddy is a donkey?  First of all don't panic, grab your towel and follow these simple steps.

Let's back up a minute and identify a donkey diver.  You may even know one.  Donkeys are the type of diver who just can't seem to follow scuba rule number two (see my earlier post for a complete set of scuba rules).  These are the guys who jump into the water with both feet, not giant striding, but jumping often without key pieces of gear.  Their hoses are often unsecured and left dangling.  Their hands and feet, and sometimes other limbs, are flailing in both the water and air, never providing propulsion in the desired direction.

What, you never saw a donkey underwater before?

When dealing with a donkey buddy, it is important to remember that the diver is not intentionally being terrible, he just received poor training.  Donkey divers can often be retrained by their friends and taught appropriate scuba habits.  Using some basic techniques you can help your donkey buddies out.  Emphasize the whys of diving not just the how, why one should not put their mask on his forehead can be far more useful than just "don't do that" and certainly better than just letting him walk around with a mask on his forehead.  If that fails or just isn't enough, gentle teasing of your friends can get them to change their behavior.  "I can't believe they let you be a divemaster when you flail so much underwater" and "your navigation is so bad, how did you find pants this morning" are some good examples; just remember, they are your friends so don't insult them, just their bad habits.

How people perceive Capt. Andrew

The hardest time you will have with donkey divers is on a day boat.  You probably will not know the person who is acting like a donkey and he probably won't appreciate you trying to retrain him. Best to sit back, try to set a good example, and let the donkey be a donkey.  Be careful he doesn't put you into unsafe situations and that you and he are both respectful of the reef; otherwise people will know that your buddy is not a representation of your abilities underwater.

Always remember that a donkey does not know that he is a donkey, nor that it is his fault.  Donkeys are a result of poor training by sloppy instructors.  Anytime you are looking for a new instructor or diving outfit, look at the people they trained.  If their students are sloppy and poorly trained, so are their instructors; and anytime you have a donkey friend, encourage them to seek additional training through your instructor or dive center. Often advanced or specialty training will address some remedial problems.  And as always, Dive Safe My Friends