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About Tom Trindell

Tom Trindell has been a member since July 30th 2011, and has created 327 posts from scratch.

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Your Questions About Scuba Diving Lessons

Nancy asks…

Do I really have to spend $200.00 on a scuba mask, flippers ,gloves and boots?

Im going to start diving lessons . And my instructor says I need to spend this much .

Tom Trindell answers:

If you want to dive its a must!Diving is great and it will be worth every penny you spend.

Laura asks…

Sea world San Antonio Texas?

Does it provide scuba diving lessons and licenses? If it does, then how much is it?

Tom Trindell answers:

No it doesn’t.

Mark asks…

Honeymooning FINALLY! Where to go?

We want:
All Inclusive
NO CRUISES!
Lots of GREAT dancing and partying. (we get pretty crazy)
Amazing snorkeling
Scuba diving lessons at the hotel
Amazing scuba diving
Somewhere in the carribean maybe
NOT CANCUN-been there
NOT PLAYA DEL-done that

We want to go do the whole tourist thing. See the sights, enjoy the view’s.

We have a budget of around 2600.00 USD for the plane and the hotel.

Please tell me your thoughts. WE HAVE PASSPORTS!

Thanks, Angel
Oh yes. Please be specific with which hotels you’ve loved and where you would specifically recommend going. Thanks

Tom Trindell answers:

Hawaii,california,cabo new mexico

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Your Questions About Scuba Dive Vacations Mexico

Mandy asks…

good place to dive?

My family is thinking of going on a vacation over spring break, and we are all scuba divers and I was wondering if you know of any places that aren’t really far away (like in Mexico) that are good places to dive. We aren’t all really good divers so if they are easy but still exciting it would be better! Thank you!

Tom Trindell answers:

If you are thinking of Mexico, then the Island of Cozumel, just off the Mayan Riviera on the Yucatan Peninsula is about the best there is in that country. The island has an extension of the second largest barrier reef. You’re being at least an Open water diver will be fine there, since about 70% of the dive sites are at 60 feet or less. It’s fairly cheap for a holiday destination and also pretty safe. There’s quite a bit to do when on the surface as well, like horseback riding, sailing, shopping in San Miguel and seeing the Mayan ruins scattered around the island. You can also go boogey boarding on the eastern shore.

Richard asks…

Dream Vacation.?

My husband and I are planning a vacation for early June, we’ve already been to Cozumel Mexico and liked it. We’re trying to decide where to go, we were thinking about Costa Rica or Hawaii. We scuba dive and snorkel a lot. Any suggestions that are the best

Tom Trindell answers:

If you and your husband like to scuba dive and snorkel you need to go to austraila that would be the best for a fun vacation but hawaii would also be an awsome place for a fun vacation because there is so many things to do there

Sandy asks…

English to Spanish translation?

Dear Alyssa,
I am very happy we chose to go to Mexico for vacation! I hope we stay here for two weeks. Although I doubt we will. We’ll probably only stay for a week. As soon as we have checked into our hotel and have unpacked, we are going to the beach! I’m very excited. After that, we are going out to eat. A man at the hotel recommended a few restaurants he thinks are very good. The weather right now is wonderful. It’s warm with a light breeze. My parents said that we might go scuba diving while we’re here. I couldn’t believe it at first. Later, when we go to the beach, will be the first time I’ve even see the ocean in person. I hope you’re doing well. Maybe you can come along the next time we visit Mexico. I’ll write you again later this week.
Your friend,
Leanne

Thank you!
oh, and please don’t use an online translator.

Tom Trindell answers:

Well, I’d say:

Querida Alyssa:
¡Estoy muy feliz de que hayamos escogido ir a México para las vacaciones! Calculo que estaremos ahí por dos semanas. Aunque tengo dudas. Probablemente nos quedemos sólo por una semana. Tan pronto como hayamos chequeado nuestro hotel y deshagamos el equipaje, ¡iremos a la playa! Estoy muy emocionada. Después de eso, saldremos a comer. Un hombre en el hotel me recomendó unos pocos restaurantes que él considera buenos. El clima ahora está maravilloso. Hace calor con una briza suave. Mis padres dijeron que podríamos ir a bucear mientras estemos acá. Al principio no podía creerlo. Más tarde, cuando vayamos a la playa, será la primera vez que veré el mar en persona. Espero que estés bien. Quizá puedas venir la próxima vez que visitemos México. Te escribiré otra vez esta semana.
Tu amiga…
Leanne.

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Your Questions About Scuba Diving Training

Joseph asks…

Navy seals train for 30 or more months do you get paid while you train?

I have trained my life for this running swimming scuba sky diving cold water bobbing in the water but i don’t know if i want to waste 30 months and then not get picked to be a seal will i get paid

I know during hell week you don’t get any sleep i have trained for that too staying up a full week no sleep non stop working running lifting im ready

Tom Trindell answers:

Yes you get paid.
You have to go through boot camp first and become a sailor.
Then you go to BUDS.
When you finally get to wear the pin you should be a Second Class Petty Officer.
SO2 (SEAL)

Thomas asks…

would the surviving spouse, Paula, have a shot at prevailing in a civil lawsuit against Whiney?

Let’s say Paul wants to go scuba diving at Whiney Springs. At the gate, in conjunction with his admission fee, he signs a waiver of liability. The waiver is a general form and does not include any specific statement as to his giving up the right to sue for negligence of the operators of Whiney Springs.
He finds his way to the infamous spring known as Devil’s Nose.
Although he is not trained in cave diving, he ventures too far in the cave, kicks up silt, and gets lost. Poor Paul is found deep in the darkest corner of cave, the next day.
In spite of this waiver, would the surviving spouse, Paula, have a shot at prevailing in a civil lawsuit against Whiney? The theory of the case would be that Whiney was negligent in failing to properly warn Paul of the dangers of entering this cave.

Tom Trindell answers:

You can argue that but I bet Whitney will say that they did warn him…and unfortunately since he is dead there is no way of knowing…as he is the only one that can refute it…usually in dangerous situations such as this…when a waiver is signed…it is called assumption of the risk….this pretty much bars winning a negligence claim

Contact an attorney in your area for more specific and possibly contrary law in your jurisdiction.

Chris asks…

SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

Do you need to train to scuba dive? and like take lessons or just go and do it??? :)
@ delaney Shut up. ><

Tom Trindell answers:

You may as well ask if you need training to drive a car or to pilot a plane.

Scuba diving involves a variety of risks that can easily result in injury or death in the untrained or careless individual. The scuba industry manages this risk by requiring any individual participating in scuba diving to have completed a minimum level of training and earned a certification card to prove it, or to be under the direct supervision of a scuba instructor at all times. Any reputable dive center will require a certification card to be presented before allowing an individual to participate in organized scuba activities (other than an entry-level certification course) or to fill tanks with compressed gas.

Delaney’s answer may not have been very tactful, but the sentiment is accurate. Scuba diving is not something that you should attempt on your own.

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Your Questions About Scuba Diving Trips Cheap

Linda asks…

Help planing a trip to Hawaii?

i am planing a trip to Hawaii me , wife and 7 yr old daughter. We want to go sight seeing not looking in the club scene maybe some scuba diving,hiking, beach, activities whale watching. Also maybe finding a cheap hotel since we are not going to be in it.Heard about a some kind a cruise ship that takes u to all the different islands. I am looking more for the local owned stuff so the trip wont be so expensive not the commercialized stuff.Is December or january a good time ??

Tom Trindell answers:

I have been researching hotels also for my upcoming trip to Hawaii. The Aqua Waikiki Beachside in Honolulu on the island of Oahu appears to be an inexpensive hotel that is right on the Waikiki Beach.

You need to determine which island or islands you want to stay at first. If you have AAA, go to a AAA travel store. The travel agent gave me a good idea about the pros and cons of each island, and I ended up choosing Oahu, but I think that the other islands might be quieter and cheaper since they have less going on.

Thomas asks…

Is this a good start to my story?

This is the beginning of my story if anyone knows a good title tell me. What do you think about it? Is it any good?

Chapter One
It was a normal day. Not too hot or cold, partly sunny with a five percent chance of showers. Me, Allie, Jenna, Josh, Nick, Ella, Marie and Liz were on our way to the Himalayas. I say this causally because it normal for us to be adventurous. I have pictures of us scuba diving, bungee jumping, sky diving and paragliding. We were just eight normal friends looking for adventure.

The plane was muggy. It was a cheap flight and we expected poor service, too bad we didn’t have more money. I would have loved enjoying the scenery but I was too busy trying not to throw up from the smell of raw meat that was stored in the back of the plane near the kitchen. It was supposed to be a snack on the menu but I wouldn’t consider it edible, I am guessing they cook it later. I am glad we didn’t buy third class or we would be next to the kitchen the whole way to Asia. We had left Philadelphia about five hours ago. We still had ten hours of flying in the muggy, smelly plane.

I looked at the friends on either side of me. Allie was on my left, Liz was on her left and Marie had the window seat on my right. Behind us Josh and Nick sat next to each other in the two seats closest to the window, they were chatting about how Nick had almost gotten his spring break taken away. Next to them Ella and Jenna were busy cleaning up Jenna’s spill iced mocha. I giggled. It was always Jenna making messes everywhere. Ella’s poor jeans were the victim of this spill. I heard them previously talking about Ella’s visit to China. Ella was adopted from China when she was a baby and she decided to search for her parents. She might not have found her parents but she did find a heck of a good time. Marie was listening to her MP3 player. It was pretty loud, but Marie always listened to her music loud. Allie and Liz were looking at pictures from Allie’s recent trip to Arizona. I was busy typing this all this in my virtual journal.
ok thanks i just started writing this like 20 minutes ago so i haven’t gotten very far yet

Tom Trindell answers:

It’s not bad. I’m wondering what age these people are mostly. Also you have good descriptions, and take it from someone who writes a lot, that can be a curse and a blessing. I say this because if you get too descriptive it’ll kind of overwhelm the reader but obviously if you’re not descriptive enough it’ll be boring. I think that you have an great beginning to a good story and keep the good descriptions coming. Using more senses than just sight and hearing is good also like you described the smell and kind of the atmosphere which is going to make your reader feel like their really there, when they can get more of their senses and more of their brain involved, if that makes sense. As for the title, don’t worry about it. Just keep going and it’ll come to you.

Donna asks…

What are my “Must do while in Thailand” things?

I am planning a trip to Thailand for this coming November and need to plan accommodations.

The first 4 or 5 days will be at The Cliff and River Jungle Resort outside the Kao Sok National Park. This is where we are attending a wedding and we are not flexible on this part of the trip. Everything that follows we are flexible. When we leave there, we are considering going to Koh Lanta (Relax Bay Resort). Is this a good choice in your opinion? Where would you recommend? We will have approximately 11 days there when we will fly back to Bangkok and spend 2 days there before we fly back to Canada.

My questions are as follows:

1. Where would you recommend we stay on the Krabi/Ao Nang/Koh Lanta area?
2. What MUST we do when here in south Thailand? The current plans are: Jungle Tour, Elephant Trek, Waterfall Tour, PhiPhi Island Tour, Scuba Diving, Tiger Cave, Thai Massage……what am I missing?
3. What is a good place to stay in Bangkok? For both this and the previous, we are looking for good quality and comfort at a reasonable price (we are not cheap but still have to watch how much we spend).
4. What MUST we do in Bangkok? I am hoping to get tons of great photography opportunities here and in the south.

I thank you for whatever you can offer me.

Tom Trindell answers:

Oh wow! I can so help with this. I’m Canadian but I live in Bangkok.
So:
1. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
Krabi Thai Village Resort
2. I think you got everything…maybe catch a Thai dance show? Your hotel should be able to arrange one. Ask them about what there is to do around the area.
3. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit- A little pricey put nice, with a good location right on the Sky Train Line
4. Bangkok must dos:
The temples/wats obviously. Just buy a guide book and see what interests you
Paragon. Its like, the best mall ever. I realize you might not be interested in malls, but it also has a huge movie theater, bowling, and an aquarium. Its on the Sky Train line too so if you’re stuck with what to do one morning just hop on the train and its not far, you don’t have to switch trains
Chatuchak Market for shopping. Huge and hard to navigate but you will probably get some good pictures out of it as well as good bargains
I would avoid the zoo, it’s a little depressing. The animals are not kept in great conditions
Dream World! It’s fantastically kitschy and fun. There’s a whole park type thing of cheesy statues and sculpted bushes. The rides are good too. Not Disney-World-great, but still fun.
Sorry, I’m a teenager so I like that kind of stuff.
I can tell you there are lots of good galleries in Bangkok, you should check out some Thai artists. You never know, you could find something you really like
Aaaand. Angkor Wat. For sure. Worth the trip. Ask at your hotel about arranging a van. If you have a day to spare it’s great.

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Your Questions About What Is Scuba Diving Mean

Thomas asks…

Experienced ocean scuba divers: what does it mean when they say that the seas are 2-3 feet?

I’m going ocean diving (yippee!) on Monday and Thursday, I’m so excited. My home dive shop has hooked me up with one of their instructors who lives in FL in the winter, she loves to dive, and is taking me to dive in Pompano Beach. She e-mailed me about the seas, about 2-3 feet, or something to that effect. I feel silly, but what does that mean, exactly? Am I correct in thinking that this has to do with getting off the boat and back on it? We’ll be drift diving, which everyone says is easy.
Sorry for the silly question, but I’m a newbie and I’ve only dived in quarries so far.
Thanks!!

Tom Trindell answers:

That is the size of the waves on the water. That is fairly low. She is just trying to tell you what the water is going to be like. That is not rough. I am from Florida, I think we sometimes forget that that kind of talk is not understood everywhere else. Don’t feel silly. Ask her what those questions mean.

Richard asks…

Scuba diving in Noth Carolina good deal or not HELP!!!!!!!!?

This trip includes 3days of diving in the NC ocean
for those 3 day you get lodging, food, and boat ride out on the boat and it’s a tank a day dive tank are not in the price and you have to get there your self to the location I mean the price is $799 good or bad this is my first trip for scuba diving and a max of 5-6 people on the boat not a big boat at all let me know if it sounds like a deal on what you get for the price $799 thanks
This is a shark tooth dive at 80-110 feet and lodging is a full house and for everyroom it’s 2 people in it

Tom Trindell answers:

You aren’t being very specific about what kind of lodging and meals comes with that price so it’s impossible to evaluate on the basis of price alone. However, given that $799 averages to $266 per day and all that is included is a single dive per day (which actually doesn’t sound right, normally charters do two tanks) where you have to provide all equipment including tanks, it doesn’t seem like a very good deal to me regardless of the food and lodging. But given that I’ve never been diving off the NC coast I can’t say if that price is average for the area.

Daniel asks…

Scuba diving oxygen tanks ?

In a scuba tank where do they get the oxygen.

I mean how do they I guess “make” the oxygen do they just fill it up with a special machine.

If so what is it called??

Thankyou for the help (:

Tom Trindell answers:

In normal recreational scuba diving, the divers breathe air (21% oxygen, 79% nitrogen, trace % of other gases). The tanks are filled using a compressor that can deliver clean and dry air. The only special thing about the compressor is that it provides clean, dry breathable air. Using a “regular” compressor can introduce contaminants into the air which can become fatal/deadly/harmful at depth.

With additional training, there is oxygen enriched air (aka nitrox). Oxygen enriched air has an oxygen percent between 21% up to 40% and the nitrogen is reduced by the same amount that the oxygen was increased. For example, you could have a mixture of 30% oxygen, 70% nitrogen, and trace % of other gases. Special training is needed to use these mixes safely. The compressor needs to be “oxygen clean” to be able to handle the increased fire risk in dealing with oxygen.

With even further training, a diver can use mixtures with an oxygen percent above 40% and all the way up to 100% pure oxygen. Pure oxygen is used by some technical divers when they are doing decompression stops at very shallow depths.

Special training is needed when dealing with oxygen greater than 21%. There is a chance of having oxygen toxicity. Oxygen toxicity can lead to convulsions. On land, the convulsions are not very dangerous. Underwater, the convulsions can lead to you spitting out your regulator and drowning.

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