A group of 16 divers boarded "Pirate's Lady", a 65' sailboat, in Nassau, Bahamas on July 30 and set sail on a week-long cruise of the Exuma Cays. The weather was beautiful and the water temperatures were in the mid 80's. Joining us on the boat was a family of four, a dad and his three sons from Chicago, IL. The boys were just getting certified so on the first four dives of our trip, they completed their open water training with Tavia, the divemaster on the boat. In our group several divers also completed their Advanced Open Water certification as well as the Underwater Navigation Specialty, the Deep Diver Specialty, and the Boat Diver Specialty with Greg Gilkey and Gregg Hale. 

   

If you've never been on a Blackbeard's cruise it is the perfect trip for those that want a lot of great dives, wonderful food, fun and knowledgeable crew, and lifelong friends and dive buddies. You only need to pack light, a couple bathing suits, neoprene if you are so inclined, maybe a t-shirt or two and your dive gear. Spend the week diving, eating, relaxing, diving and eating some more. 

 

During our week at sea we were treated to reef dives, wall dives, wreck dives and a shark feed. We  stopped one day on a beautiful island which we will forever lovingly know as Schyler's Island for a walk on the beach, some swimming and a easy hike to the top of a hill for some breathtaking views. We made another quick visit to another island where we got to feed the iguanas.

One evening we anchored and were given dingy rides in to visit a beautiful small resort on Norman's Cay, where we sampled Miranda's home-brew, an excellent ale. Norman's Cay is a small island with a storied history that included drug smuggling and a 3,300 foot long runway. You can also see the wreckage of a DC-3 that crashed just off the island, part of which is still above water.

   

No one will forget our dive in "The Washing Machine".The strong incoming tide of up to 6 mph takes scuba divers thru a narrow cut where water drops off a ledge and then makes a sharp bend to the left. This causes the water to swirl like the water in a washing machine. This swirling water will toss scuba divers head over heels. After passing through the cut you glide over a large patch reef. Even members of the boat's crew said it was the most exciting dive in the Washing Machine they had ever had and one of the fastest drifts. Credit goes to Pancho, our captain, who has tried several different put-in spots and marked them on his GPS until he has found the absolute best and most exciting spot to toss his divers into the wash!

It wasn't just the scuba diving that was great. We were lucky enough to be there for the opening day of lobster season. You are not allowed to take lobster on Scuba so with a few lessons about breath-hold techniques and free diving, and some tips on how to spear "bugs", several of our  bunch jumped in and tried their hand at spear-fishing for lobster. Lucky for us the crew actually knew how to catch lobster or we might have had to share one lobster amongst the 22 of us. Instead, the crew came up with an additional 10 on opening day and another 6 or so over the next couple of days. You really haven't lived until you've had Nadia's twice-baked lobster stuffed potatoes. But then that was only one of the many dishes that came out of Nadia's galley that week. Believe me, no one is hungry on a Blackbeard's cruise.

The trip was really unforgettable for a lucky few of us who got to see a Hammerhead Shark!  Rarely seen up close, this one was not far off the anchor line when we descended and Mark B. was able to get photographic proof of the event.

We returned home on the 5th of August and immediately added next year's trip to the travel board. Stop by the shop, watch the video filmed by Brian Erickson on our trip, and sign up for next year's Blackbeards, June 16-22.

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If you would like to travel with Bluewater Scuba, visit our trip pages to see what exciting place we're diving next.

Simple question, right? Simple answer: you do it with Bluewater Scuba!

We offer two basic formats. You can do PRIVATE INSTRUCTION where we can work with your schedule and provide one on one instruction with one of our professional instructors. This format covers the same amount of material but takes a fraction of the time because there aren't 8 other students in class with you. We can do one on one or build a class that's just for you if you've got a group of friends or family that would like to train together. And since we're the only PADI 5 Star IDC in Nashville with it's own pool, we can do all the training under one roof. Call today to book your private class!

Or you can train with a group. This format is a lot of fun. You get to meet new people with a similar interest in scuba diving. Who knows? You might even meet your new dive buddy in class. Bluewater Scuba's group class structure is as follows:

• Home Study - Students purchase a student kit prior to class sessions at BWS. Home study is self-paced and includes watching the PADI Open Water DVD, reading the Open Water Manual and completing chapter review questions. There is also the PADI Electronic Dive Planner calculator in the student kit that has an instructional booklet with sample problems that are worked on prior to class. Most people can complete the home study in 10-12 hours.
• Session 1: Thursday - Orientation. 6-10pm. Offered every other Thursday. Students can attend any orientation prior to their Saturday/Sunday session. Classroom and pool work.
• Session 2: Saturday - 8am-5pm (Working lunch). Classroom/Pool work.
• Session 3: Sunday - 1pm- 6pm. Classroom/Pool work.

After completing the weekend class, you have six months to complete your 4 Open Water Training Certification Dives at a real dive site. This trips are scheduled at local dive sites from May-October, and in Florida year-round. You can also be referred to a PADI instructor anywhere in the world if you have a trip planned.

Under the guidance of a professional Bluewater Scuba instructor, you will develop the comfort, knowledge, and skills necessary to safely enjoy diving for years to come. Our goal is to provide you with the level of training and practice at our pool so that you are safe, comfortable, and ready for your diving adventures.  We provide unlimited practice time in our on-site indoor, heated pool at no additional charge.  NO other program offers this level of value and commitment to you.  You will be well prepared for your diving experience when you leave us.

Knowledge: Bluewater Scuba is a PADI diver training facility as such we use PADI scuba training materials. Each student receives a textbook and DVD which they study at their own pace in a home study format. This minimizes time in the classroom while allowing you to develop real comfort with the material.

Skills: In multiple pool and open water sessions, you will practice scuba skills with PADI's teaching method. That means we provide a comfortable environment without unnecessary risks or stress. All of the skills we teach are real life applicable, not a test of super-athlete endurance. Some of the skills include: Moving in the water with ease, Breathing normally underwater, Controlling buoyancy so you neither descend nor ascend, Easy methods for entering and exiting the water, Getting water our of your mask, Setting up your equipment, and more!

Equipment: You can't scuba dive without equipment and better quality equipment along with a comfortable working knowledge of your equipment dramatically improves both your enjoyment and your level of safety. For that reason our course delivers extensive information about dive equipment.

So what are you waiting for?? Call us today and get started with your Open Water Scuba Certification with Bluewater Scuba: "Where Nashville Learns To Dive."

Guest Blogger,
Kevin Sage