They can be summarized in a prioritised list as:

• Height of tide
• Location of the sun
• Amount of tide flow
• Wind

People often think that the time of year might be on this list too, but this is not the case. The coral and marine life are apparent in full colour 12 months of the year.

Let’s talk about each in more detail.

Height of tide The Height of the tide is probably the most significant factor when snorkeling. In the Whitsundays specifically, surrounding islands and Great Barrier Reef, we have maximum tides with 4 metres of range (lowest tide of the year to the highest). As a result, the coral in the Whitsundays locale grows to plateau at.6 metre above the lowest astronomical tide (referred to as LAT). To get the best viewing over the top of the coral, in and around the coral “bommies”, the average person requires.5 metre of water to swim without hitting the coral, damaging the reef and themselves.

This small amount of water also “compresses” the fish into a smaller space for a brighter display in front of your eyes. This compares with high tide of 4 metres, where the coral might be 3.4m below the surface and the marine life more spread out.

The other important factor is sediment.

During a ebb tide, toward low, the less-clean water is coming off the coral shelf and from around the islands. This has more particles of matter making the water slightly more cloudy. For this reason, it is best to snorkel after low tide, optimally 1 to 2 hours after low.

Location of the sun

The next factor is the location of the sun. A sunny day with least cloud and wind is the best. With the sun high in the sky and unmasked by cloud, plenty of light can penetrate the water surface and illuminate the marine life and coral. For this reason early morning and late afternoon demand the sun penetrates the water at an angle sapping its illuminating rays before they can reach and shine on the coral.

Amount of tide flow Amount of tide flow can make a significant difference and is a due consideration. At certain times of the month, in cohesion with the phase of the moon, the tides are higher and low, so that in any given day a 4 metres of water comes in and out twice a day. At certain times of the month, their may be 2 metres of tide overnight and 2.6 metres during the day. The total for the day in this case is far different to the peak of the monthly tides. The result is smaller tides make for less water in motion, stirring far less sediment from islands, and around the coral.

Check the local tides before you go.

Wind conditions Finally wind conditions make a difference. While great for sailing, 20 – 25 knots ( 40 – 50 km/h) winds will create a significant wave – perhaps as much as 3 metres. These waves will create disturbance of the waters around the islands and coral, disturbing sediments, marine life and snorkeler

So, when? So when is the best time to snorkel? The answer is easy. A bright sunshine day with a low tide at 11am, during the time of the month when there are small (neap) tides.

This is also found often as a pornographic niche – the cheap movies with the stories taking place in supposed exotic locations (but are actually filmed in someone’s back yard). Take the pretend-plot and token prop, the soundtrack with thumping dance music and the sexual orgy. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.

We’re not talking about a bunch of people larking about but about the serious pursuit of naked diving. Is this an activity common amongst divers? Is it growing in popularity? Some of us were dying to find out. We’re enlightened adults and support all activities that enhance life – without embarrassing others, right?

Naturism/nudism/clothing optional

Naturism is the celebration of living without the hindrance and inconvenience of clothing. Sure that sounds good. How does it work in scuba diving?

What’s good about nude diving?

Imagine, no neoprene rash, no fussing and struggling to squeeze into that old wetsuit that you bought before that weight gain.

But seriously, diving naked has some real virtues. For one thing, because there is no exposure suit between the elements and your skin, you must be extra cautious and practice good buoyancy control. If you are careless, you WILL feel that brush with fire coral or bump with the sea anemone. Too many divers use the wetsuit as their armour against their surroundings. Many dive sites ban the wearing of gloves because divers become more careless and too tactile with gloves. If wetsuits were banned, the diver-made damage to reefs will probably become a rarity.

Careful where you dive naked

Don’t do it where it’s physically dangerous or where local customs don’t take too kindly to these sorts of transgressions from the dress code.

In order to stay adequately warm for a typical dive – lets say 40 minutes – the water temperature would have to be 34C/F equivalent. Cold can be a hazard so beware of the signs of hypothermia.

Try it

There are resorts and dive operators who cater to this niche. A search online should yield up a list of choices for your next holiday if you’re feeling clothing optional.

Here is a quote from a Spanish naturist site, a warning about some hazards associated with nude diving:

“It is men who risk the only hazards unique to nude diving. Feeding fish is not recommended by male divers. More than one has reported being bitten on the male appendage by some fish that perceived it as a meal. Men are advised to protect themselves if surrounded by fish large enough to bite.”/blockquote>

Hmm. Makes sense. But surely, they’re being overly cautious? A male member isn’t unique in protruding. What about fingers or the nose?

As for me, I’ll stick to my wetsuit. I tend to get cold quickly and besides, there are plenty of opportunities to take it all off after the dives. Hail the hot tub and the apre dive activities.

If anybody out there’s a seasoned naturist diver or has tried it – as a sport and not in a pornographic video – please let us know.

Carlana Stone, a contestant on “Oprah's Big Give,” an ABC reality show that raises money for people in need, is an example of the more prominent role people with disabilities are playing in the entertainment industry. Stone became a paraplegic at the age of 17, but went on to scuba dive, sky dive and get her pilot's license. Ms. Stone is one of the many entertainment personalities featured in disaboom.com's expanded entertainment section.

Disaboom, the leading online community designed for people touched by disabilities, has begun to highlight the achievements and interesting stories of actors, as well as fictional characters, with disabilities. Some of the people featured in the entertainment section include:

• Television – Joe Swanson (cartoon character who is a paraplegic, “Family Guy”), Heather Kuzmich (asperger's syndrome, “America's Next Top Model”)
• Movies – Dakota Fanning (character has cerebral palsy, “Hurricane Mary”), Jean-Dominique Bauby (character suffers a stroke, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”)
• Music – 4 Wheel City (rap group consisting of two members: one paraplegic and one quadriplegic), Mat Fraser (actor, musician, writer, and performance artist who is phocomelic)
• Books – “From Here to There” (45 autobiographies about spinal cord injury)

“The majority of people are undereducated or uncomfortable with topics relating to disabilities,” said Dr. Glen House, founder of Disaboom. “Fortunately, we have witnessed an increase in the presence of disabilities in the media, which is instrumental in helping educate the public about disabilities and lends an added personal connection.”

The newly expanded entertainment section can be found at disaboom.com. Launched in 2007, Disaboom is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people touched by disabilities. To join community blogs and read articles on topics from healthcare to accessible homes, log onto disaboom.com.

About Disaboom

Disaboom, Inc. was founded to develop the first interactive online community dedicated to constantly improving the way people with disabilities or functional limitations live their lives. It will also serve as a comprehensive online resource not only for people living with such conditions, but also their immediate families and friends, caregivers, recreation and rehabilitation providers, and employers. There are more than 54 million American adults living with disabilities or functional limitations today in the United States alone. Founded and designed by doctors and fellow disaboomers to meet this community's specific needs, disaboom.com brings together content and tools ranging from specialized health information to social networking to daily living resources, in a single interactive site.

Scuba Diving Safety Rules

• Get proper training – Being comfortable underwater will go a long way towards having a safe dive. Proper training is one key to being comfortable underwater. The beginning of proper training is to get your open water certification. If you go diving in caves, caverns, wrecks, etc., you should also have the proper training for this type of dive. Don’t dive beyond your ability.
• Never dive alone – Always dive with a buddy no matter where you are. This is key. When you do dive with a buddy, keep an eye on him/her to make sure everything is OK (and hopefully they are doing the same). If something happens, that buddy can be the difference between life and death. Never violate this rule. Also do a pre-dive equipment check with your buddy.
• Be in good physical shape – You don’t have to be a triathlete but you should be able to swim and take the stress of diving. A physical exam is a good idea before diving.
• Don’t hold your breath – Remember to always breathe slowly and in a relaxed manner and to exhale fully. Don’t take short, shallow breathes and never hold your breath. Holding your breath underwater can lead to lung injuries and worse, in the extreme case.
• Ascend slowly and with control – As you ascend you are ridding your body of nitrogen in your tissues and bloodstream. If you ascend too quickly, you risk decompression sickness. Always do a safety stop at 15 feet for at least 3 minutes after deeper dives. After your safety stop, do not propel yourself to the surface either. Ascend that last 15 feet very slowly also.
• Check your equipment – Checking equipment is especially important if you are renting. If you own your regulator and haven’t dove in a while, it should also be serviced to make sure it is working properly. Do a check of the regulator hoses also.
• Relax – Being relaxed and comfortable underwater is key to a successful dive. If something happens, stop, breathe, think and act. Do not panic and rush to the surface. But observing this safety rule could be key to a safe dive.
• Plan your dive and dive your plan – You will hear this in your training (or you should) and you should follow this advice. Prior to going under, you and your buddy should know the max depth you will go, the amount of bottom time you’ll have and how much air you will start to ascend with. Check your air supply often. You should also agree on the hand signals you will use to communicate underwater.

This is just the beginning of scuba diving safety rules. However, if you follow the above list you increase your chances of a safe dive.

Have a safe dive,

The Marine Park
Pulau Payar is a tiny elongated island located midway between Langkawi and Penang. Designated by the Malaysian government as a marine park since 1985, it is the only Marine Park on the west coast of Malaysia. The park shelters species which are not found elsewhere on western coast. The boat ride from Langkawi to Pulau Payar takes one to two hours depending on weather. Even the sea journey would give something productive.

Regular Diving Trips
Tour operators in Langkawi organize regular diving trips for Pulau Payar. Once you book a trip to Langkawi, the operators will themselves approach you on the ferry to check out if you are interested in scuba diving. For the amateur, who have never dived before, they provide one to one guide. With the help of these experienced guides, you could extract the best out of your trip.

Diving in Deeper Water
The guides could take you to deeper waters where you would see a richer variety of large fish. Jacks, titan triggers, morays, blue-ringed angelfish, lionfish, and porcupine fish are some of the residents of this serene landscape interspersed with barrel sponge, and multi-colored coral. You will get to see schools of large fish including barracudas, cod and snappers which are invisible in the shallow waters of the. After spending a couples of hours in the deep water, you could get back to Pulau Payar for relaxing or enjoying some beach games. Normally two dives are scheduled in a day.

Underwater Scene
One is really amazed by the lush underwater scene while scuba diving in Langkawi and take back home some happy memories of rabbitfish snacking on bubbles. You never know when a long barracuda would sneak up to unsuspecting divers. The water near jetty is always populated with thick concentration of fish. You would mostly see the bannerfish and redtail butterflyfish. Most divers dive off the giant platform where the catamarans dock. However, there are several other places on the island where you could dive.

Stress-free Diving
Diving in Langkawi is free of stress. Dives here are not of the struggle-against-the-current variety. This makes it quite favorable among the amateur divers. For the divers who wish to take things easy, conditions are good.