Scuba Diving

Lloyd (right) & Partner with Jellyfish, Anzac Day 2006, Blairgowrie Pier. Photo: David Bryant, SeaPics.

For Xmas 2004, my then partner, an experienced scuba diver, gave me a trial dive with Dive Perfect. For Xmas 2005, she gave me a mask, fins and snorkel. And on Boxing Day, she asked, "Do you want to go snorkeling?" It eventually dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, she wanted me to join her under the water.

Finally getting the hint, in January 2006 I booked in to do the PADI Open Water course with Dive Perfect. And so, in early February 2006, I began to learn about scuba diving.

In typical fashion, I've decided to document here my experiences and underwater adventures.

• Scuba Gear — details of my scuba equipment
• Dive Boat — details of my dive boat
• Dive Articles — articles I've written on scuba diving
• Underwater Pics — my underwater photo and video setups
• Dive Log — my dives and dive profiles
• Dive Sites — details of the sites I've dived
• Dive Equipment — my scuba gear inventory
• Dive Statistics — a snapshot summary

You can also read how phpDivingLog is being used to make my Diving Log 4.0 based diving logbook available online for you to browse.

Diving Resources

Since I took up diving in 2006, I've been trying to put together a collection of helpful resources for use in recreational and technical diving.

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the calculations and data below. Always verify against other sources.

• Best Mix Calculator — a Best Mix calculator for Nitrox
• EAD Calculator — an Equivalent Air Depth calculator
• END Calculator — an Equivalent Narcotic Depth calculator
• MOD Calculator — a Maximum Operating Depth calculator
• Nitrox Calculator — a Nitrox calculator
• SAC Calculator — a Surface Air Consumption rate calculator
   
• Decompression Dive Planner — Worksheet used to plan technical/decompression dives (Adobe PDF | 1 page, 24KB)
• CNS Percentage Tracking — Table used to find the percentage CNS oxygen toxicity dose for a dive (Adobe PDF | 1 page, 16KB)

Diving and Snorkelling Sites

I'm also been trying to document the shore and boat diving and snorkelling sites of Victoria. It's become my hobby, that I spend way too much time on, but I've always looked on it as a community service.

• Melbourne Dive Sites Map — Interactive map of Melbourne and Victorian dive sites
• Melbourne Dive Site GPS Marks — All of the Wreck, Reef, Wall, Drift, Shore and Pier GPS marks
  

Diving Community

Mid 2006 I became aware of independent, non-profit, private diving clubs when I was approached by the Victorian Sub-Aqua Group (VSAG), one of Australia's oldest non-commercial scuba diving clubs. I joined VSAG and built a new web site for the club, see www.vsag.org.au.

Some of the VSAG members are also heavily involved as volunteers with the Victorian Artificial Reef Society (VARS) and I also joined that organisation. VARS is the Victorian dive community group behind the push to secure, prepare, sink and dive the ex HMAS Canberra as an artificial reef dive site for Victoria. Again, I ended up building a web site for VARS, see www.vars.org.au, and for the ex HMAS Canberra, see www.hmascanberra.com.au.

In April 2007 I also joined the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), see www.bsac.org. I intended to join the Melbourne BSAC branch and attended a few of their meetings. I was then approached to assist in forming a new BSAC branch based on the Mornington Peninsula. Thus the Bass Strait Aquatic Club (BSAC branch # 2396) was formed, having its inaugural club meeting and dive day on 21st July 2007. And of course, I built a web site for the club, see www.bsac.org.au,

I'm enjoying many new and wonderful underwater adventures with the great people I meet and dive with through these dive clubs.

Dive Businesses

In 2006, I created a web site and online dive shop for The S.C.U.B.A. Doctor, a local dive shop in Rye, Victoria. For many years I provided advice and helped the owners grow their online business to service divers Australia wide and internationally. In August 2013, I purchased the importation, distribution and retail businesses enabling Peter Fear to focus on cylinder testing and dive equipment servicing and repairs. In January 2022, I sold the business.