Florida – PADI IDC Exam Revision and Theory

Dive for Less at Rainbow Reef

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Rainbow Reef Dive Center

Tropical Odyssey Dive Boat

As a full-service, PADI 5 Star Dive and Career Development Center, Rainbow Reef Dive Center offers an array of premium services from training courses of all levels, new training center with a 12 foot pool, all the latest dive gear in it’s newly renovated retail center, to guided dives on Key Largo’s top dive sites.

Courses include anything from open water certification, advanced open water, refresher classes to all specialties like nitrox, deep diver, wreck diver, drift diver, digital photography, side-mount, Tec-40, re-breather courses, instructor training and more. Classes are offered seven days a week, reservations are required. Most courses will have no more than four students to a class, instruction is personalized to meet the needs of each diver.

A customized fleet of five dive boats comfortably accommodate all sizes of dive groups and individuals. Boats range in size from a 30-foot island hopper taking no more than 10 divers to one of the 46-foot Newtons with amenities like tanks, weights, and warm water showers. All boats feature top-of-the-line engines for shorter rides to the reefs, higher rails to allow divers to spread out on the boat, and wider aisles for maximum enjoyment and comfort.

Every dive is guided with no more than four to six divers per guide for a personalized tour of the reefs and wrecks. Additional amenities would include bottles of water and cookies after each dive.

Rainbow Reef Dive Center is also conveniently located next to The Courtyard Marriott Key Largo, and offers discounted stays when booking your dive trip. The Courtyard features 91 newly renovated rooms and deluxe suites, each with a private balcony and dramatic view. The marina’s waterfront location offers easy access to everything in Key Largo. For more information on the hotel, visit Marriott.com/MTHCY.

For limited time, book 3 nights at the Courtyard Marriott Key Largo and get the 4th night free* when diving with Rainbow Reef!

*Offer is based on availability and valid for new bookings only. Blackout dates may apply.

Package Validity – Start Date Feb 1st, 2016

Package Validity – End Date Jun 30th, 2016

Travel must be booked by May 31st, 2016

Website www.rainbowreef.us

Booking Email Address divers@rainbowreef.us

Booking Telephone 800-457-4354

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World’s Best Destinations for Diving with Macro Critters

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Why do the Top 100 Readers Choice Awards, now in their 23rd year, still matter to divers? Because these are your picks, based on thousands of votes from the most experienced dive travelers on the planet. Why do they matter to us? Because every month you hear from our editors on what we think matters in the world of dive travel. For the January/February issue of Scuba Diving we get to listen to you, and we’re taking notes.

Here, we proudly present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Best Macro Diving category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.

Terrence Ross/Tom Stack & Associates

Bonaire

Best Macro Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic

Think you have to book a flight to Indo to see exotic nudis, seahorses and frogfish by the handful? That ticket might be considerably less expensive than you think, for North American divers, if you aim for the island of Bonaire instead. Decades of institutionalized protection and loving management of its pristine reefs have helped to preserve an environment where nearly 400 species have been documented, most of it the small stuff beloved by underwater photographers. Looking to capture a particular subject in a specific situation? Bonaire also offers the ultimate freedom to plan your own dives 24/7, instead of waiting for the dive boat or competing with other photographers looking for the same stuff you are. Many of its resorts’ house reefs are literally alive with critters, so you don’t even have to crank up your rental truck — just fall off the dock and start shooting. — Mary Frances Emmons

Best Overall Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire

2. Cayman Islands

3. Bay Islands

4. Mexico

5. Curacao

Terrence Ross/Tom Stack and Associates

Bonaire

Macro finds include teardrop craps in this Caribbean Island.

Jennifer Penner

Bonaire

Tiny squat shrimp are often found by sharp-eyed divers in Bonaire.

Wayne MacWilliams

Bonaire

Macro photographers love Bonaire’s critters like this spotted eel.

Barry Brown

Bonaire

These crazy critters are not glow sticks, but bearded fireworms shot under blue light at night.

TimsImagesUnderwater/Alamy

Bonaire

Gobies find shelter in colorful tube sponges.

Eric Madeja

Indonesia

Best Macro Diving in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Sure, Lembeh Strait is the world’s epicenter of macro div- ing, with enough crazy critters — hirsute frogfish, microscopic seahorses, kaleidoscopic nudibranchs and more — to fill a logbook, but don’t overlook the enchanted islands of Komodo, Bali and Wakatobi. With their eagle-eyed guides, you might not need a magnifying glass to find it all, but you will need more logbooks. — David Espinosa

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Jeff Rotman/NPL/Minden Pictures

British Columbia

Best Macro Diving in North America

Decorated warbonnets, grunt sculpins and candystripe shrimp are just a few highlights to spotlight while shooting in Canada’s westernmost province. Browning Passage, a legendary site near Port Hardy, hides so many macro treasures the challenge is not finding cool subjects but deciding which ones to skip and save for the next tank. So many pictures to make, not enough bottom time. — Brandon Cole

Best Macro Diving in North America

1. British Columbia

2. Washington

3. California

4. Florida

5. North Carolina

David Hall

British Columbia

Nudibranchs are a favorite of macro photographers; this Hermissenda is praying on stinging hydroids.

How We Got the Numbers Thousands of Scuba Diving subscribers and online users rated their experiences at dive destinations in a variety of categories on a scale from one to five. Final scores are an average of the numerical scores awarded. A minimum number of responses was required for a destination to be included in these ratings.

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Our Florida Reefs 2016Â Community Meetings

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http://ourfloridareefs.org/

http://cf.c.ooyala.com/hxcDRmMDE6uLLbY52TAapzP6BjHN-YGf/3Gduepif0T1UGY8H4xMDoxOjA4MTsiGN

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The Our Florida Reefs community representatives invite all southeast Florida community members and visitors alike to participate in the Our Florida Reefs community meetings, coming up later this month and in February. 12 meetings will be held in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties to discuss proposed management recommendations for the northernmost section of the Florida Reef Tract. The community members driving this process are eager to share information about these recommendations and are seeking feedback about them.

Our Florida Reefs is a community-based planning process for the future of southeast Florida’s coral reefs. Community representatives have been meeting for a year and a half to learn about southeast Florida’s local reef ecosystem, its threats, and come up with management strategies to better balance the use and protection of this resource.

Now, it’s time to learn more about these draft recommendations and give feedback. You can give feedback by going online to www.ourfloridareefs.org/RMAcomment to view, read, and comment on the draft recommendations, or attend one of 12 upcoming community meetings at a location nearest you. The meetings will take place:

Tuesday, January 26-Martin County

Wednesday, January 27-North Palm Beach County

Friday, January 29-South Palm Beach County

Tuesday, February 16-Broward County

Wednesday, February 17-South Miami-Dade County

Thursday, February 18-North Miami-Dade County

Two identical sessions will be held at each location, one from 12-2 p.m. and another from 6-8 p.m. Community Meetings are free and open to the public, all are welcome! For the full list of locations, see the attached flyer or visit . In order for comments to be reviewed or considered, they must be submitted in writing via hard copy forms (available at the meetings) or electronically 24/7 through the website. The website will be open for comment until March 1, 2016.

http://ourfloridareefs.org/

http://cf.c.ooyala.com/RrcDRmMDE6OvSLnqh2gRphD6kdWraGLy/3Gduepif0T1UGY8H4xMDoxOjA4MTsiGN

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World’s Best Destinations for Advanced Diving

Here, we proudly present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Best Advanced Diving category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.

Cayman Islands

Best Advanced Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic

Rebreathers let divers see the Kittiwake shipwreck in a new way.

Best Overall Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Cayman Islands

Brandon Cole

Palau

Best Advanced Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

This “Jake” seaplane — Allied code for the Aichi E13A-1 Japanese navy seaplane — went down off Palau in World War II.

Best Overall Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

All Canada Photos/Alamy

British Columbia

Best Advanced Diving in North America

A diver exits the purpose-sunk wreck of an Air Canada 737 near Chemainus, British Columbia.

Best Overall Diving in North America

1. British Columbia

2. North Carolina

3. Florida

4. Washington

5. California

World’s Best Destinations for Advanced Diving Read More »

World’s Best Destinations for Advanced Diving

Here, we proudly present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Best Advanced Diving category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.