Readers of Scuba Diving Magazine have selected Bonaire as the #1 dive destination for the sixth year in a row in the magazine’s annual survey. New Horizons divers feel much the same way; we are taking another trip to this wonderful island from July 12 – 19, 2008. Click here to read details about the New Horizons trip.

Here is the full story about Scuba Diving Magazine’s rankings:
Kralendijk, Bonaire  (December 18, 2007)  Continuing its reign as one of the world’s top dive destinations, Bonaire was for the sixth year in a row rated the Top Dive Destination Overall (Caribbean/Atlantic) in Scuba Diving magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2008.

Bonaire also received the #1 rating in five other Caribbean/Atlantic categories: Top Shore Diving, Top Destination for Beginners, Top Destination for Advanced Divers, Top Destination for Underwater Photography, Top Marine Life, and took second place in the category of Top Value.

“For more than twenty-five years Bonaire’s dedicated and environmentally-conscious dive industry has worked diligently to protect our coral reefs coral reefs and provide a superior dive experience, and we are honored that for six straight years divers have recognized our efforts and rated Bonaire the top dive destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic,” said Ronella Croes, Director of the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB).

For the Readers’ Choice awards thousands of Scuba Diving subscribers and web users rated their dive experiences on a scale of one to five. Results of the 2008 Awards will be featured in the January 2008 issue of Scuba Diving magazine.

Located eighty-six miles east of Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire offers year-round sunshine, low annual rainfall, pristine coral formations and the most thriving fish population in the Caribbean. Ideal for adventurers, explorers and sun-worshippers alike, Bonaire offers myriad eco-adventure activities including world renowned scuba diving and snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, landsailing, mountain biking, sea and mangrove kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking, bird watching, sailing and deep sea and bone fishing. And with a selection of accommodations ranging from full-service oceanfront resorts and condominiums to guesthouses and small inns, Bonaire has something for every lifestyle and budget.

15 New Horizons travelers had a super week on Ambergris Caye, Belize. The barrier reef was only a five to ten minute boat ride from the hotel dock, which made for easy logistics. Life on the reef was active and plentiful. We saw countless nurse sharks actively swimming on patrol, lots of big grouper, several turtles, eagle rays, moray eels, and a wide variety of tropical fish. Sea conditions got rough a few days, but we enjoyed the dives once we jumped in the water!

Click on the video below to watch a one minute clip of nurse sharks having a fish snack courtesy of our dive guide. You will notice that the camera got a few “bumps” as the sharks eagerly chowed down.

Below, an Eagle Ray “flies” over by our dive group at 70 feet.

Gail cruises down a coral canyon enjoying the colorful sponges.
Nice form, by the way!

A sea turtle pauses during a snack to check us out.

Local Divemaster Carlos holds a nurse shark so divers can have a close encounter!

A lobster peeks out from under a ledge to see what’s going on.

Green moray eels like this one were frequently seen on the reefs.

On our last day, we went into the heart of mainland Belize to see the Mayan ruins known as Lamanai (meaning “submerged crocodile”). It was fantastic!

Thanks to everyone who went on the trip; we hope you will join us again for another New Horizons Diving adventure!

Want to fine-tune and develop precision buoyancy control skills, learn new propulsion techniques, and vastly improve your comfort in the water? Then the Peak Performance Buoyancy course is for you. Whether you are a beginner or a diver of many years, this class will surely give you many new tips and tricks that will increase your diving skill. You will learn good body posture, proper weighting strategies, and develop the ability to make small moves in depth and position with minimal effort. These skills are a “must” for photographers and those who love to look closely at the reef without touching or causing harm. The dives in this course will even be filmed and reviewed so you can see exactly what you do well and what you need to work on.

The course takes place in two sessions:
Tues., October 14: 6:00pm – 9:00pm New Horizons classroom
Sat., October 18: 9:00am – 4:00pm at Falling Rock Park in LaGrange (open water dives)

Prerequisite: Open Water Diver or other beginner scuba certification
Instructor: Ed Gabe
Course fee: $150 per person
Additional costs: tank fills, admission to Falling Rock Park ($20), transportation
If you need a scuba kit, rental for the open water dives is included; all you need is your own mask, fins & snorkel.

No textbook or advance preparation is required, and there is no written test. If you show improvement through the open water dives and can demonstrate controlled hovering, refined propulsion techniques, controlled ascents and descents, and good team awareness, you will be awarded the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy certification at the end of the course; this counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating.

Click here to send an email to Ed Gabe if you have additional questions.

If you want to sign up for the course, simply come to New Horizons to pay the fee and register.

If you have already completed your Confined Water (classroom & pool) training, and are now ready to compete your Open Water certification dives, the time has come. Through Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19, you will complete four dives under an instructor’s supervision. During those dives, the instructor will have you demonstrate the skills you learned in the pool. If you can successfully complete the skills and show that you are comfortable and capable in the water, you will receive your PADI Open Water certification.

Last local certification of the season!

Here are the details:
Instructor: Johnny Varner
Dates: Saturday October 18 & Sunday October 19 (you must attend both days)
Times: start at 9:00am each day, ending early afternoon.
Location: Falling Rock Park, LaGrange, KY (click for their website).
Click here for a map & brochure about Falling Rock Park.
Cost: $200 (includes use of scuba kit, tank fills & certification card). You supply your own mask, fins & snorkel.
Additional costs: $40 entry fee (CASH ONLY) paid to dive site (covers both days), transportation, snacks.
Other things to know: You should come to New Horizons before 5:00pm on Friday the 17th to pick up your scuba gear for the weekend. Students are responsible for bringing their own gear each day and must return the equipment to New Horizons by 5:00pm on Monday the 20th. It takes an hour and a half minimum to get from Lexington to Falling Rock Park in LaGrange, so give yourself plenty of drive time each morning. Falling Rock Park does not have much in the way of facilities other than some port-o-johns, so bring your own snacks and drinks. Also bring a towel or two, a change of clothes, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a beach chair if you want, etc. Once you finish your last training dive on Sunday, you will be able to continue diving with a buddy as a newly certified diver!

Find your way with the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course!

Be the diver everyone wants to follow and make your sense of direction legendary with the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course. When everyone’s buzzing about a reef or checking out a wreck, they’re having a great time – until it’s time to go. Then they turn to you, because as a PADI Underwater Navigator, you know the way back to the boat.

Underwater navigation can be challenging, but in the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course, you master the challenge.You learn the tools of the trade, including navigation via natural clues and by compass. You learn to estimate distance underwater, follow navigation patterns and know where you are while following an arbitrary, irregular course using the Nav-Finder.

Click here to learn more and watch a video on the PADI website.

Date & Time: Sunday, October 19  9:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Falling Rock Park, LaGrange, KY
Prerequisites: Open Water Diver (beginner, any agency)
Instructor: Ed Gabe
Course Fee: $195 includes textbook, Nav-Finder, and rental equipment
Additional Fees: transportation, admission to dive site ($20), snacks
* Students also need a good compass for this course. We will loan one to you as part of the course at no extra cost, but it is strongly recommended that you have your own compass that meets your preferences and needs. A console or wrist mount is acceptable.

Students must read the textbook and complete the written Knowledge Reviews in the book before the start of the class. If you learn and demonstrate the advanced navigation techniques in this course, you will be awarded the PADI Underwater Navigator certification, and this counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating.

Breathing enriched air (nitrox) instead of air has several benefits, including longer allowable dive times, shorter surface intervals, and less decompression stress on your body. The course covers how enriched air is used, how to analyze the breathing gas, how to plan dives with it, and special equipment considerations.

Click here to learn more on the PADI website.

If you are working toward your Master Scuba Diver rating, this course counts as one of your five specialties.

Class date & time: Tuesday, August 26, 6:00 – 10:00pm at New Horizons
Cost: $125 includes course fee, textbook, and 3 enriched air dive tables
Instructor: Ed Gabe
Prerequisite: PADI (beginner) Scuba Diver or equivalent from other agency

Challenging and rewarding best describes the PADI Rescue Diver course. This class will expand your knowledge and experience level. Rescue Divers learn to look beyond themselves and consider the safety and well being of other divers. Although this course is challenging, it is a rewarding way to build your confidence. Rescue Diver training will prepare you to prevent problems and, if necessary, manage dive emergencies. Many divers say this is the best course they’ve ever taken. You’ll cover:

• Self-rescue and diver stress
• Emergency management and equipment
• Panicked diver response
• Under water searches
• Surfacing an unconscious diver
• In-water rescue breathing protocols
• Egress (exits)
• Dive accident scenarios

Click here to visit the PADI website and see a video about the Rescue Diver Course

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, September 13-14 (9:00am – 5:00pm each day)
Cost: $395 includes student kit (textbook, slate, resucitation mask)
Students must also pay $15 per day entry fee to Falling Rock Park
Instructor: Justin Byall
Prerequisites:

• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent from other agency
• CPR training from New Horizons or equivalent agency

* Important: If you are not yet trained in CPR, you must take the EFR course at New Horizons before the Rescue class (click here for details on the class on Sept. 11).

Come to New Horizons to pay for the course and to get your student materials. Join us in this fun and challenging course!

Dive the largest artificial reef / wreck in the United States! The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is over 900 feet long and lies in the waters off Pensacola, Florida. Divers reach the top of the ship’s superstructure at approximately 60 feet, and you can max out depth at about 130 feet on the flight deck. This is simply one of the biggest, most awesome sights you can ever see under water. The superstructure has plenty of swim-throughs as well.

Here’s the trip schedule:
September 18 – 21, 2008
Thurs: drive to Pensacola, FL
Fri & Sat: dive the Oriskany (two nitrox dives per day)
Sun: drive home

An Advanced Open Water certification or significant diving experience is recommended since this is a deeper off-shore wreck site.

$599 trip cost includes diving and three nights accommodations (double occupancy) at the Suburban Lodge. Divers are responsible for their own transportation and meals. Come in to New Horizons soon to sign up because this trip will fill up fast.