Category Archives: Uncategorized

Yogasana – the eco-friendly approach to practising yoga

Posted by on April 1, 2012 at 10:15 pm.

Photo: Yogasana

Recently I wrote an article for DeeperBlue.com about yoga for scuba divers. As an avid follower of Brittany Trubridge of B-Tru yoga in the Bahamas, I was browsing her website one day for new ideas and saw that she had gone into a commercial agreement with a company called Yogasana.

Yogasana manufacture 100% cotton yoga mats, in different colours. Not only are these mats hand-made on looms, but they are also “green”. Yogasana states that their mats are the most eco-friendly in the world. The cotton can be sourced back to their own mills, they use vegetables and fruits to dye the cotton and they are dried out naturally in the sun. So I ordered one.

It arrived this morning, and I as soon as I got home tonight I put on the Body Yoga DVD by Geri Halliwell into the desktop and lay down on the mat for an intense session of slow, but effective yoga. There is definitely something special about these mats. They feel good to the skin, and the feet and hands don’t slip. They have a natural warm scent, unlike the rubbery scent of other man-made synthetic materials of other mats. And amazingly, they actually good look as floor runners around the house.

The mat cost 65 USD to buy plus 6 USD in shipping to the UAE. I used ShopandShip.com to have it delivered which cost me an extra 137 AED. A fair deal I thought, for a product which is washable, long-lasting, and is versatile.

It is something every Diva in Dubai should have under the body when practising yoga, and definitely scattered around the home.

50 Reasons to go to a Carbon Neutral Luxury Resort

Posted by on March 23, 2012 at 11:32 am.

Do you need to get away?  Do you need to recharge your batteries, leave work behind, and spend time with the people that you love and appreciate?  Does your idea of a short break include white sands, crystal clear water, palm trees and water villas?

If so, then maybe you should keep on reading.  I am looking for a group of ladies that would like to take a break, go diving, or sailing, or snorkelling, and spend about five days in the Maldives doing just that.  The destination will be Lux* Maldives , which is located on a beautiful island in South Ari Atoll with pristine white beaches facing a clear lagoon.  This area is well know for resident whale sharks that cruise up and down the outside reef for about 280 days of the year.  To read a fact sheet on this resort, please click here.

And if you are environmentally conscious, all stays at Lux* Resorts are 100% Carbon Neutral. LUX Island Resorts’ carbon offsetting programme ensures that each hotel stay is made 100% carbon neutral and this is being done at no supplementary cost to guests.

For a sneak preview, you can watch the video of Lux* Maldives on YouTube

Want to know more?  Please contact me through the Contact Sheet on my website.

Happy dreaming…

 

Fazza Freediving Competition – Date Change

Posted by on February 20, 2012 at 6:00 pm.

The organisers just called DeeperBlue.com to announce a change of dates. They will be changing their website as well.  They apologised for the very short notice but it cannot be helped.

Please note new dates:

27, 28, 29 February are training days at the pool.
1, 2, 3 March are the competition days.

Please also check the Fazza website for any updates.

Next available Scuba classes at Dubai Ladies Club

Posted by on January 30, 2012 at 4:06 pm.

Dubai Ladies Club PADI Open Water Course

Anyone who would like to sign up for a PADI Open Water Course can join onto the next available course. Please note that these timings are not flexible unless the weather conditions do not allow for diving.

If a student signs up and misses a lesson, she will have to wait for the next course running to catch up.

Anyone signing up for the Open Water course, has to complete the e-learning first. Anyone who has not completed the e-learning and exam online, will not be admitted to the course.

The fixed dates for the pool/open water lessons are as follows:

Confined Water Session 1-3- Tuesday 21st February – 16h00 – 19h00 at DLC pool
Confined Water Session 4-5 – Tuesday 28th February – 16h00 – 19h00 at DLC pool
Open Water Session 1 and2 – Saturday 10th March – Fujairah Al Aqah – check in dive centre at 0830. Finish time approximately 14h00.
Open Water Session 3 and 4 Saturday 17th March – Fujairah Al Aqah – check in dive centre at 08h30. Finish time approximately 14h00.

NOTE TO LADIES: this will be an all ladies boat, and a minimum of four ladies per trip are required to run the boat trip. The captain of the boat is male and this cannot be altered. Ladies are welcome to organise their own private boats at their own cost. There will be no discount from the regular course price in this case.

Please send an email through the Contact link if you would like to sign up.

Freediving lessons in the UAE

Posted by on January 25, 2012 at 11:02 am.

The last few weeks have seen very cold and windy conditions in the UAE. Unusually so!  It has been a few years since I have experienced these cold winds.  Soon it will be time to put the 5mm wetsuit away and enjoy warmer waters.

This year holds some exciting events for Freediving in the UAE.  In April, Alexey Molchanov will be holding a freediving clinic, and later in the summer there will be some exciting new developments on the training side, with the introduction of some brand new courses which have not been offered in the UAE before.  A press release will be issued shortly, with dates and details!

I will not be holding any official courses until early summer, as I will be focused on my own training to be ready for a busy summer season!

If you would like to learn to freedive, please drop me your details via the Contact Sheet and I will be in touch.

Until then, happy and safe diving!

Aquarius Magazine – January 2012 edition

Posted by on January 5, 2012 at 5:44 pm.

Freediving Course – last one for 2011!

Posted by on November 22, 2011 at 8:56 pm.

How about a freediving course as an early Christmas present?   The weather in the UAE during the winter is perfect for diving and the water is fresh and cool.

The AIDA ** free diver course is an introduction into the thrilling world of Snorkelling and Freediving. It is a basic freediving course designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a non-competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is aimed at students who are already confident snorkelling and freediving and who would like to increase their freediving depth range to a maximum of 3 ATA (20 metres).

Price of course 2430 AED and includes a viewing of William Trubridge’s latest documentary called Breathe which is a 36 minute overview on William’s success as a world champion freediver.

My courses are for a maximum of 4 people at a time so you will not be in a crowd of people. The course is structured similarly to a scuba diving entry level course, where you will do theory first, then a pool session, and then we go to the open sea. There is a buoy attached to the dive boat, with a line that drops down from it, which we use a guide and reference to practice your freediving technique.

Course schedule:

Theory – 20th December from 17h00 – 21h00
Pool session – 21st December from 1600 to 20h00
and then all day on 22nd December in Fujairah (sea session and exam/theory refresher)

Contact me through the contact form for details.

AIDA 2 Star Freediver Course – with a viewing of Breathe!

Posted by on October 25, 2011 at 7:44 pm.

The AIDA ** free diver course is an introduction into the thrilling world of Snorkelling and Freediving. It is a basic freediving course designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a non-competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is aimed at students who are already confident snorkelling and freediving and who would like to increase their freediving depth range to a maximum of 3 ATA (20 metres).

Price of course 1950 AED – and includes a viewing of William Trubridge’s latest documentary called Breathe which is a 36 minute overview on William’s success as a world champion freediver.

My courses are for a maximum of 4 people at a time so you will not be in a crowd of people. The course is structured similarly to a scuba diving entry level course, where you will do theory first, then a pool session, and then we go to the open sea. There is a buoy attached to the dive boat, with a line that drops down from it, which we use a guide and reference to practice your freediving technique.

I will teach you how to dive holding your breath safely and efficiently, and include rescue and safety techniques in the course. The 2 star course covers pool freediving disciplines (static and dynamic apnea) and the constant weight discipline and free immersion disciplines in the sea.

Tuesday 15th November 2011:   18h00- 21h00 – theory in Al Boom diving centre in Dubai

Thursday 17th November pool session  – 18h00 – 20h30 Al Boom diving centre in Dubai

Saturday 19th November 2011:      08h00 – 16h00 sea dives (boat leaves from Le Meridien Al Aqah Resort in Fujairah)

To book you will need to email Al Boom diving directly as they take the bookings for me and will also take a credit card number to guarantee your place, note that there is a cancellation policy.

Please ask for Sonia if you call or alternatively email her on abdiving@emirates.net.ae.

Certified freedivers can join on the 18 November to come and train in the sea.

Freediving Trip 1st October 2011

Posted by on September 24, 2011 at 4:32 pm.

Boat trip on Saturday 1st October, usual rules!

Boat departs 0900 and returns at 1400. Max 16 spots, 4 spots taken.

To book please email Sonia at Al Boom abdiving@emirates.net.ae and let me know please sara@divasindubai.com.

Price 280dhs per person.

Minimum certification required is AIDA 2 Star Freediver, please bring your certification card.

Depth limit 20 metres for two star level unless proven experience is demonstrated
Depth limit 30 metres, for three star level
Depth limit 35 metres, for four star level and above only.

Only Constant Weight or Free Immersion dives allowed, with/without fins. No VWT or NLT.

Check out the Facebook Page for more details.

AIDA 2 Star Freediver Course 16-17th September

Posted by on August 31, 2011 at 4:53 pm.

The AIDA ** free diver course is an introduction into the thrilling world of Snorkelling and Freediving. It is a basic freediving course designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a non-competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is aimed at students who are already confident snorkelling and freediving and who would like to increase their freediving depth range to a maximum of 3 ATA (20 metres).

***Special Summer price 1850 AED!***

(ADDITIONALLY, IF YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED YOUR 2 STAR COURSE WITH ME YOU CAN DO YOUR 3 STAR COURSE AT 1/2 PRICE).

My courses are for a maximum of 4 people at a time so you will not be in a crowd of people. The course is structured similarly to a scuba diving entry level course, where you will do theory first, then a pool session, and then we go to the open sea. There is a buoy attached to the dive boat, with a line that drops down from it, which we use a guide and reference to practice your freediving technique.

I will teach you how to dive holding your breath safely and efficiently, and include rescue and safety techniques in the course. The 2 star course covers pool freediving disciplines (static and dynamic apnea) and the constant weight discipline and free immersion disciplines in the sea.

The course is approximately 2 1/2 days long according to AIDA teaching standards, and is structured as follows:

Sept 16, 2011 – Friday 08h30 – 18h00 – theory and pool work in Le Meridien Al Aqah Resort in Fujairah
Sept 17, 2011 – Saturday 8am – 16h00 sea dives (boat leaves from Le Meridien Al Aqah Resort in Fujairah)
Revision of theory and exam will follow to suit diver’s timing
.

The special offer is 1850dhs.

BOOK BEFORE SEPTEMBER 10TH!

To book you will need to email Al Boom diving directly as they take the bookings for me and will also take a credit card number to guarantee your place, note that there is a cancellation policy.

Please ask for Sonia if you call or alternatively email her on abdiving@emirates.net.ae.

Certified freedivers can join on the 17th September to come and train in the sea.

What is the point of freediving when you can do scuba?

- surfers can train to hold their breath longer under the waves!
- scuba divers can learn to breath and relax more, and improve their air consumption
- scuba divers can learn to dive without tanks if they are on holiday and the cost of scuba diving is exorbitant
- snorkellers who don’t like scuba diving or cannot scuba dive for medical reasons, can learn to freedive and take photographs underwater up to a depth of 26 metres**!

REMEMBER… “he who freedives…. dives free!”

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