Photograph by Andrew Simpson

Come with us to this fabulous diving destination!!!

Known for its weird and wonderful critters we are diving in the world famous Lembeh Straits and Bunaken National Park.
The island itself is a jungle waiting to be explored and if you were just fancying a relaxing holiday then there is a luxurious day spa you can enjoy.

This is a marvelous opportunity to dive two completely different and equally wonderful, environments; the dramatic and beautiful drop-offs of Bunaken and the fascinating, critter-rich volcanic sands of Lembeh.

Attached here is our information sheet for this exciting trip.  For more information, pop in to the shop or give us a call.

Related Pages

• Fiji September 2012
• Global Dive’s Poor Knights Liveaboard Weekend & Advanced Open Water
• Sea and Sea YS series Strobes
• Global Dive Trip Schedule

We have done all the spade work and put together the details for a great package to Volivoli Resort diving the Bligh Waters, and this year we have added on the world famous Shark Dive in  Bega Lagoon – All you have to do is come with us!

Fiji Reef with Diver by Andrew Simpson

Volivoli Resort 20 – 26 September 2012
5 days boat diving including tanks and weights, 7 nights accomodation, and all meals included.

Uprising Beach Resort 27-29 September 2012
3 nights accomodation breakfast included, Shark Dive with Aquatrek on the 28th.

Check out all the details here > Fiji September 2012 or contact us at the Shop

Related Pages

• Bula Fiji!
• Fiji 2010 : We’re Running Away!
• Dive Trip to Indonesia July 2012
• Global Dive’s Poor Knights Liveaboard Weekend & Advanced Open Water

Lake Pupuke is a great fresh water dive site on the North Shore in Auckland.
Due to its location – just over the harbor bridge from downtown Auckland- it is often frequented by divers who don’t have boat access to the Auckland Gulf diving. Little or no drive time is also a bonus as well as being dive-able in all weathers. This also makes it popular for other water activities including rowing, wind surfing and sail or row boating so be sure to take a dive flag with you.

The most popular site at the lake for divers is located at Killarney Park.
The park has a theatre, café and toilets situated in the old Pumphouse which is where the North Shore used to get its fresh water supply from. There is ample parking most days but in the school holidays when the theater is running daytime kids shows it can become crowded.

There is a grassy area, which is ideal for gearing up, between the carpark and the lake. There is a jetty for Giant Stride entries or you can do a shore entry from the boat ramp off the grassy slope in front of the carpark.

Approximately 50m out from these entry points is a pink buoy which is anchored to a concrete block in about 8m. This is a good place to start your dive.
You descend down the line onto a concrete pad which covers an area approx 10mx15m. Once you have settled in you can head off exploring.

  The topography is fairly flat with a gentle slope from the shore to about 10m where the slope angle starts to get a bit sharper off towards the deeper part of the lake.  At its deepest it is approximately 60m. There is a weed line (eel grass, ribbon weed or tape weed) which rings the lake extending about 20m out from the waters edge into a depth of about 6m. The local water fowl tend to nibble this down so it will grow to within a swans’ neck reach of the surface.

You can use the slope of the lake for your navigation as you go exploring. By having it slope down to the left and up to the right on the way out from the base of the pink buoy, then rotating 180 and putting the slope down to your right and up to the left on the way back you should be able to find your way along to the ‘Caves’ (a cluster of rocky boulders with indents at the base forming small overhangs) and back.
These are in around 12m.
Alternatively if you head the other way out and back you should come across a grass meadow (chara or nitella) in about 12m or the pipeline in about 7m.

The lake is a fairly murky dive site with average visibility between 3-5m.
This has a green – brown hue. The lake bottom is made up very fine silt which when kicked up or disturbed hangs in the water creating ‘dust clouds’ that take a long time to settle, reducing visibility even further. Frog kicking, good buoyancy control and swimming a different track out and back will aid with avoiding diving through these areas of reduced vis.
If there has been an extended period of rain then the runoff from the surrounding grassy slopes can cause the visibility to drop as well.

The temperature of the lake can get into single figures in the winter months and soar into the high 20’sC in the summer months. There are definite thermoclines in the lake that travel up and down through the year and sometimes you can descend through a couple in one dive depending on the depth you go to.

There are all sorts of wildlife living in and on the lake. Bird life such as Ducks, Black Swans, Geese and Australian Coots are common. You can usually find friendly Pukekos’ on the banks and there are a number of Tui’s present as well.

The wildlife you can expect to encounter underwater includes Trout, Perch, Longfin and Shortfin Eels, Common Bully, Snails and in the right conditions Medusa Jellyfish will bloom in the thousands. There are organised fish releases into the lake for the local fishing fraternity.

Underwater photography by Martin Wallis

Related Pages

• Global Dive Underwater Olympics 2011
• PADI Open Water – 02/03 May 2009

The Scubapro jet fin was originally designed for military purposes, so naturally it had to be tough and do almost any job.
It is a Blade fin with a shaped hole (jet) to maximize the thrust. The fins themselves are fairly heavy and quite stiff so they do take a bit of getting used to if you are used to using other fins. They can accommodate a wide range of fining techniques from delicate flutter to powerful frog kicks whilst maintaining ample thrust.
The Scubapro Jet fin paired with spring straps is a virtually indestructible combination.

All up these fins are well worth the effort as you can get some serious power or delicate maneuvers with a little practice.

Article by Tom Crisp

Related Pages

• Scubapro Everflex 7mm Wetsuit
• Scubapro Tech Regulator bag
• Neptune Godzilla Bag
• iPhone and Smartphone Waterproof Cases

100cm x 48cm x 45cm

Extra large roll-fold dry bag for all your dive equipment.

The biggest dive gear bag we have!! Uber wide opening allows easy access to the internal compartment making it hassle free to get your gear into and out of the bag.

The Velcro fastening and roll tight closure makes a watertight seal that can’t corrode or break like traditional zippers.

Super tough for those of us who are hard on our gear.

Related Pages

• Scubapro Tech Regulator bag
• Scubapro Jet Fin
• iPhone and Smartphone Waterproof Cases
• Scubapro Everflex 7mm Wetsuit

Come and dive the Poor Knights Islands with us!

The boat we use for the Poor Knights Liveaboard is MV Pacific Hideaway.
Most people drive up to the boat on Friday night and stay onboard in the marina that night. You can drive up on the Saturday morning as the boat will not be leaving the marina for the Poor Knights until approx 9am.
We can help out with arranging car pooling if needed.
The ride out to the Knights takes about an hour as the boat cruises at 12 knots and the islands are about 12 nautical miles from the mainland.

There is the opportunity to do up three daylight dives and one night dive on the Saturday and then three day dives on the Sunday (weather permitting one of these is the wreck of the HMNZS Waikato).

Divers can opt in or out of as many dives as they wish to do.
If someone would rather lie in the sun on the deck and read magazines or a good book they can. There are also kayaks available for the guests to use.
Between dives there is around an hour and 20mins surface interval as your tanks are filled. Plenty of time to off gas, log dives, relax and have another meal.

The trip includes all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch, and includes morning tea (freshly baked scones from the skippers secret recipe, yummy), afternoon tea and 1^st and 2^nd breakfast on Sunday!!
If any one has any special dietary requirements or is a veggie let us know in advance so that they can be catered for.

We limit the number of divers on board to a maximum of 12 so that there is plenty of space for all, both in and out of the water. There are 4 cubbyhole cabins which couples get first dibs at and ladies get second dibs. This leaves lots of room for the remaining passengers to bunk down in the main cabin at night. It is recommended that you bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper as there is usually a good chance of at least one snorer being on board.
The boat is back at the Tutukaka marina between 4 -5pm on Sunday afternoon.

Things to bring:
Dive gear including torches and two tanks
Sleeping bag or blanket (there are pillows on board but if you have a favorite lavender scented pillow that you can’t sleep without then bring it along)
Water (the water onboard is drinkable but from the bore water on the mainland so can have an ‘unusual’ flavor)
Snacks (you are fed generously but some folk just can’t live without their treats)
Bottle of wine or a few beers for enjoying at the end of the days diving

The trip costs $450 which includes the boat trip sight-seeing around the Poor Knights, accommodation Friday and Saturday on board, all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch. To secure your space on the trip there is a minimum deposit of $150.

Full gear hire is $140 for the weekend (mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, boots, BCD, Regs, and 2 tanks). Just 2 tanks for the weekend are $60. The tanks are filled on board the boat and you pay for the number of fills that you have over the weekend direct to the boat. These are $8 each.

This trip is aimed at the Intermediate to Experienced diver as there is the opportunity to do night, wreck and deep diving. We run the Advanced Open Water course on this trip.

Photographs by Andrew Simpson

Related Pages

• Photography Liveaboard with Richard Robinson
• Poor Knights July Liveaboard
• Global Dive Trip Schedule
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

iPhone and Smartphone waterproof cases back in store.

We are pleased to announce we have stock of the very popular underwater cases for your iPhone, and now your Smartphones such as Galaxy, Nexus One, Droid X and Nokia X6 to name a few.

These cases are 100% waterproof and rated to 10m.
Your phone can be operated through the case, including making and receiving calls and texts. You can now use your iPhone 4’s HD camera to shoot video whilst snorkeling or diving above 10m.

The cases are available in several colours including pink for the fashion conscious.

They have already become popular with our visiting Rugby fans.
They protect your phone from liquid spills at the bar when celebrating, and against tears when their team loses.

These cases are made by DiCAPAC, who also make fantastic waterproof cases for most compact digital cameras.

Related Pages

• Scubapro Jet Fin
• Neptune Godzilla Bag
• Scubapro Everflex 7mm Wetsuit
• Bare Drysuit range

Refer a friend to Global Dive and receive $25 to spend in store!

Get your friend to bring the referral card in to Global Dive and they will receive 15% off a mask, fin and snorkel package.

For more information, check out the details below or give the team a call on (09) 920 5200.

Related Pages

• The best Scuba Diving Course I Can Imagine
• Learn to Dive Online
• PADI Dry Suit Course
• PADI Open Water – 02/03 May 2009

YS02 strobe Eel with Shrimp

Global Dive customer Glenn Smith has sent us an example of what you can shoot with a YSo2 strobe

Strobe Review by Tom Crisp

Usually I am the diver in front of the camera, posing for photographers, recently this has changed.  In July I took the plunge and bought my first camera.
After all, we do have a lot of talk about photography around the shop and I was starting to feel left behind.
Buying a camera system is no easy task as there are so many options and opinions out there. You have to consider the camera itself, lenses, housings, ports and finally strobes, each with their own sub categories to make the decisions harder.
After finally deciding on which camera and housing to get with a lot of help from both Andrew and Bonnie (thanks guys) I set my heart on a Sony NEX5 camera with fish eye lens and Nauticam housing.
This system is small, light and very high quality so I needed strobes to match.

The search began for a strobe (or two) which would complement the size of my housing whilst maintaining build quality. I have had little previous experience with strobes. In fact about the extent of my experience was being blinded by them.
So once again I turned to Andrew for some expert guidance. He told me to borrow the shop’s rental strobe which was a Sea and Sea YS27 so I took it to the pool along with my new setup and started to fire away.
It was almost exactly what I was looking for. A week later we had a new strobe in the Sea and Sea range dropped in to us so we could have a look, the YS01. This was the newest model in the range so naturally, I had to have it.

Munching mollusc / Photograph by Tom Crisp

With little persuasion I ended up making the YS01 the latest addition to my equipment, and I have not looked back since.

There are two strobes to choose from in the new YS series, the YS01 and YS02.
Both have the same features except the YS02 does not have TTL function or a built in focus light.
The focus light was the deciding factor for me as I bought it with the intention of getting some cave diving shots, making it a necessity.
The strobe itself weighs only 500g keeping it in line with my lightweight rig. It uses a fiber optic cable allowing the unit to be used with almost every camera and housing on the market.  The controls are extremely simple, off, pre flash, normal flash and power adjustment. They are also very easy to use when wearing thick gloves.
I was overwhelmed by the power output of the YS01 and found myself dialing down the power on some of my shots in open water.  Sea and Sea have clearly improved on the YS27 by making the unit smaller, lighter and brighter. At the moment I still have only one strobe so I am still borrowing more for my trip to Mexico (the camera was bought specifically for this trip).
As soon as I get back I will definitely be taking the next step to obtaining the younger brother, the YS02. As I will already have a focus light and rarely use the TTL function this seems the logical choice to accompany my existing kit.

All up I think the newest editions to the Sea and Sea YS series are a winner for entry level to advanced photographers alike.

They will also make a great travel set of strobes and really don’t hurt the wallet as much as some others on the market.
You get a hell of a lot for your money with this package and I can’t wait to start shooting with two of them.

Open water photos shot with YS01 and YS27 strobes

Pool photos shot with YS27 only

As promised here at the Cave photos I took on my recent trip to Mexico.

Related Pages

• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins
• Sea and Sea DX-1200HD Camera
• Scubapro Jet Fin
• Nikon L22 with Ikelite housing

The current star of our camera range this year has been a fantastic little package from two top names in dive photography, Nikon and Ikelite.

The Coolpix L22 is easy to use, with fantastic results from all the divers who have been using it.
The 12MP sensor captures great images, which are easy to see on the 3.0 inch TFT LCD screen.
The standard AA batteries mean you should never be without power, and the SD card means storage solutions are simple and common.

The Ultra compact Ikelite housings are simply the top of their league.  Full camera control is available, whilst also offering a strong, durable package.  The system has proven its worth in many charter operations rental fleets worldwide.

The housing is rated to 60m with additional upgrades available through adding lighting solutions such as the AF35 Auto strobe system, (also in store).

One of our popular Divemasters, Lee Haslam, has been using this system for several months now, with some fantastic results. He loves how you can switch between video and stills whenever your artistic desire takes you.

The package comes with camera, housing, 4GB SD memory card, o-ring lube, vinyl lanyard, port cover, flash diffuser and flash deflector.

Related Pages

• Sea and Sea YS series Strobes
• Product Review : Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins
• Sea and Sea DX-1200HD Camera
• Scubapro Jet Fin