Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the condition of equipment and frequency of maintenance. Assess whether the overall atti-
tude of the organisation is serious and professional, and ask about safety precautions - ra-
dios, oxygen, emergency evacuation procedures, boat reliability and back-up engines, first-
aid kits, safety flares and life jackets. On longer dives, do you get a meal, or just tea and
biscuits? An advantage of operators offering PADI courses is that you'll have the flexibility
to go elsewhere in the world and have what you've already done recognised at other PADI
dive centres.
There's a decompression chamber in Matemwe (otherwise the closest ones are in Mom-
basa, Kenya - an army facility and not necessarily available to the general public - and
in Johannesburg, South Africa), and you can check the
Divers Alert Network Southern
Africa
(DAN;
www.dansa.org
) website for a list of Tanzania-based operators that are part
of the DAN network. If you choose to dive with an operator that isn't affiliated with DAN,
it's highly recommended to take out insurance coverage with DAN.
Dive operators are listed by location elsewhere in this topic.
RESPONSIBLE DIVING
»Never use anchors on the reef, and take care not to ground boats on coral.
»Avoid touching or standing on living marine organisms or dragging equipment
across the reef. If you must hold on to the reef, only touch exposed rock or dead
coral.
»Be conscious of your fins. Even without contact, the surge from fin strokes near
the reef can damage delicate organisms. Take care not to kick up clouds of sand,
which can smother organisms.
»Practise and maintain proper buoyancy control. Major damage can be done by
divers descending too fast and colliding with the reef.
»Take care in underwater caves. Spend as little time within them as possible as
your air bubbles may be caught within the roof and thereby leave organisms high
and dry. Take turns to inspect the interior of a small cave.
»Resist the temptation to collect or buy corals or shells.
»Take home all your rubbish. Plastics in particular are a serious threat to marine
life.
»Don't feed fish.
»Never ride on the backs of turtles.
