March 2008 >> Archives
After a few windy days in early February, the latter half of the month allowed for some great diving! March will bring the beginning of Spring, so the diving and snorkeling will get even better…
Brick and Mortar.
Last month we gave a few reasons why it’s important to own your own equipment. But, once you decide to get your gear, where’s the best place to buy it? Is there anything else to consider besides the price? Glad you asked. 
Let’s start with the second question first. There’s a lot to consider other than price. First of all, how do you know what’s right for you? A good dive shop will listen to what you want to do with your diving and help you choose the gear that supports you. Then, they'll custom fit that equipment to fit your body. The best shops will even let you take it in the pool and get used to it. After you’ve bought your gear, a good shop will help you take care of it. Remember, regulators and BCD’s need to be checked and serviced annually. Any shop that carries your brand will service your stuff for a price, but some shops (including us) will service your gear for free if you bought it from them. That adds up to a pretty good savings over a couple of years. And what about warranty service? Your dive shop is your advocate with the manufacturer, especially if you bought the product from their store.
I’ll bet you’ve already figured out the answer to the first question. The internet should probably be your last choice since they can’t advise you on what’s right for you, can’t custom fit it to you, can’t service it after the sale, and many don’t even offer a legitimate manufacturers warranty! Your next choice up is the average dive shop that’ll be happy to sell you something, but doesn’t really care about making you a better diver. After the sale, you may get only minimal help and service. So that leaves the top-notch dive shops. They’ll help you every step of the way – before, during, and after the sale. These folks think diving should be a great experience and want to help make it that way for you.
Just food for thought….
It just so happens that the Mares fins that we carry in the shop were the top-rated fins in 
independent testing by Scuba Diving Magazine.
The Mares Avanti Superchannel Open Heel received the "Testers' Choice" Award and Best Buy Award.
The Mares Avanti Superchannel Full Foot also received a Testers Choice and was the #1 fin in "Fastest Fins", "Thrust Test" and "Slalom Course" !!!
Two great fins for your diving and snorkeling needs at great prices.
Check out the full review at Mares.com
Good-Better-Best.
Like to have choice in what you buy or rent? Well, Looe Key Dive Center would like to help. We offer a full range of BCD’s and regulators in both our rental and retail lines. At one end, you can choose basic equipment that is simple, reliable, and gets the job done. At the other end, you can choose equipment with more features and greater performance. Wherever you want to go with your diving, we’ve got the right gear for you.
PADI Specialty of the Month: Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV)
These things are a blast to ride! 
DPV’s offer a thrilling way to see a lot of underwater territory in a brief amount of time. They scoot you through the water without kicking. Want to visit that offshore reef from the beach? A DPV may be the way to go.
DPV’s are also great for snorkeling! Cruise over the reef with minimum effort. Cover more ground and see more stuff in the same amount of time.
More info for divers seeking DPV certification:
- You must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization) and at least 12 years old
- The course covers:
- diver propulsion vehicle dive planning organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards
- equipment considerations
- diver etiquette and how to avoid harming fragile aquatic life
- The PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver certification counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating
.For all the details, check it out at PADI.com
Have you seen me? 
This month’s Looe Key Fish of the Month is…
Blue Tang, Acanthurus coeruleus. You may know it better as “Dori” from the movie “Finding Nemo”. The Blue Tang is a member of the surgeon fish family, which all have a very sharp spine on both sides at the base of the tail, to discourage other fish from gobbling them up from behind. Tangs tend to be a little rounder than surgeon fish and can range from powder blue to deep purple in color. Sizewise, they’re usually in the 5-10 inch range (12-23 cm). We see them here in fairly large aggregations cruising the top of the reef grazing on algae - easily viewable by both divers and snorkelers. As for their short-term memory, we can’t really comment right now. We’ll let you know after we watch “Nemo” a few more times…