Scuba Travel Ventures, Inc. News

Divers usually experience a thermocline as an unexpected and often unwelcome cold rush at depth. But British dive gear manufacturer Fourth Element gives the word new meaning with its Thermocline line of naturally buoyant wetsuits, which are perfect for warm water diving.

Fourth Element may be an unfamiliar brand to some American divers, but the company has been in business for 11 years, making drysuit undergarments, hoods, gloves, boots and neutrally buoyant wetsuits. A combination of thoughtful design, high quality materials, expert manufacturing and practical function are the hallmark of the company's products.

The Thermocline neutrally buoyant wetsuit represents an evolution in thermal protection, using state of the art materials to maximize performance without compromising comfort. The Thermocline gives the equivalent protection of a 2mm wetsuit, but weighs only a little more than 2 lbs. Thermocline also provides a real solution for people who suffer from neoprene allergies by eliminating contact between the skin and the wetsuit. The suit's light weight makes it easy to pack, dries quickly between dives and is machine washable.

Recently, we at Scuba Travel Ventures carefully checked out several Fourth Element products at dive industry trade shows this spring. We liked what we saw -- and so did the divers visiting the company's booth. In fact, we liked Fourth Element gear so much, we bought some for ourselves.

Fourth Element always wants to get feedback from customers and visitors to their site. If you want to make comments, ask questions or give suggestions to the Fourth Element team, send an email to its East Coast Sales Manager Warren Miller, at warren@fourthelement.com.

If you’ve always dreamed of sinking mind, body and fins into the realm of the Maya underworld and the magical Caribbean Sea, getting your hiking boots in the dusty earth of ancient ruins and spending your down time sipping margaritas and watching sunsets in the trappings of luxury, Scuba Travel Ventures is now ready to bring that fantasy to life.

Scuba Travel Ventures, the dive travel leader, is offering an exclusive eight-dive-day, seven-night extravaganza in Riviera Maya, Mexico’s most popular dive destination. It’s an action-packed week worth of diving in cenotes (the mysterious, sunken sinkholes with crystal clear waters which the ancient Maya believed were gateways to the underworld); wreck and reef exploration; visits to pre-historic Maya ruins and even the mangrove-laden Siaan’ kaan biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the village of Tulum.

No hablas espanol? No problemo. A bilingual guide is available 24-7. Concerned that while in Cancun you may not get to visit Cozumel? No worries. Scuba Travel Ventures has a day-long excursion included there. Airport transfers in Cancun? That’s covered, too.

Of course, luxury accommodations are provided for the duration. Moments after you land in Cancun, you’ll be ferried to the magnificent Hotel Playa Palms, with its extra comfy studios and suites, where a white sandy beach and the sights and sounds of downtown Playa del Carmen await. If you choose to stay in a premium studio, you’ll enjoy unobstructed ocean views and your own private terrace furnished with a hammock and dining set.

At a welcoming cocktail party on the night of your arrival, your STV hosts will brief you on all the particulars of your upcoming week’s worth of adventures. Your first three dive days include the fishy Mama Vina wreck, a turtle magnet site called Tortugas Gardens, and wall diving off Cozumel Island and Palancar Beach. All the boat rides to these sites, including the ones in Cozumel, take 35 minutes or less. After the Cozumel dives, you’ll be driven around the island in a stylish, old-school VW convertible to San Miguel town and other sites, arriving later that night back in Playa del Carmen.

On your fourth day, get ready for a truly mystical experience as you plunge into the sacred waters of the Maya at fresh water, stalactite and stalagmite-adorned cenotes, south of Playa del Carmen. Don’t have any cavern or cave dive experience? Don’t seat it, as none is needed to enjoy these natural wonders. After these dives, you’ll have plenty to talk about with your dive-mates over lunch in STV’s secret, beachside hidden paradise.

For those of you armchair ecologists, this trip also has something special for you, too. You’ll discover more ancient Maya wonders in a visit to the Siaan’ kaan biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Tulum, a sleepy hamlet along the Riviera. The biosphere’s name alone -- which in its English interpretation means, “where the sky is born,“ -- is an enticing invitation to nature. Your boat will guide you into the tangle of mangroves where the ancient Maya hand-carved a complex canal system to foster a network of trade routes. After your two-hour tour, enjoy a dive on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, with a hearty post-dive lunch of ceviche to eat and ice cold cervezas to drink.

Your last full dive day on your Scuba Travel Ventures trip will be memorable for many reasons. You’ll connect with your inner archaeologist, Indiana Jones-style, as a specialized guide leads you through a thorough exploration of the Coba Maya ruins -- one of the most important trading centers of the Maya world. Afterwards, you’ll dive Gran Cenote, a spectacular cavern dive with decorated chambers and air pockets with intriguing coral and seashell fossils.

On your off-gassing day before you head home, spend it luxuriating in your hotel or stocking up on souvenirs for your friends and family members. No doubt, you’ll have plenty of stories and adventures to regale them with -- and suitcase full of experiences that will be yours and yours alone.,/p>

Call Scuba Travel Ventures today at (800) 298-9009 to speak with a friendly and knowledgeable dive travel professional, or visit www.scubatravelventures.com to learn more about this exclusive trip of a lifetime that has your name written all over it.

Congratulations! Noah Whitney, of Olympia, WA, has won the Scuba Travel Ventures (STV) Free Vacation to Fiji.

During the month of May STV exhibited at three consumer dive shows along the west coast: The Bay Area Dive Show, The Scuba Show in Long Beach, and most recently The Dive and Travel Expo in Tacoma. Paradise Taveuni in Fiji, in conjunction with STV, provided a giveaway vacation of a 5 Night Dive Package for 2. After all the shows were completed the lucky winner was drawn from over 700 entries.

STV thanks everyone who entered. Continue to check our website for future giveaways and promotions!

Mind your shoes and feet

After Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi's threw his shoes at President Bush, the commander-in-chief said he wasn't insulted. He should have been. In Arab countries, the soles of the feet are considered impure; flinging a shoe is no better than throwing offal. Buddha, too, taught that the feet are the lowest part of the body—physically and spiritually. Therefore, in most of Asia, showing the bottoms of one's feet, even accidentally pointing a foot at someone, is a grave insult.

Don't use your left hand

In the Middle East, South Asia and even parts of Africa, the left hand is reserved for sanitary practices. One must never touch food with it (or goods in the market, or strangers). In India, the tradition crosses into religious practice. During Hindu prayers, the prasad—or, gift—is received only with the right hand. For Muslims, too, right-handed eating is more than a simple matter of cleanliness. According to the Koran, "Satan eats and drinks with his left hand."

Always toast with eye contact

Just as a handshake is said to have originated as proof that your companion wasn't concealing a weapon, so goes the rumored origins of toasting by robustly clinking mugs. If a would-be assassin has poisoned a drink, he will be reluctant to see his drink mixed with his target's. Some cultures have gone even further. Drinkers in many European countries must prove their sincerity by looking into every other drinker's eyes during the toast. At a large table of friends, the process can take awhile, but failure invites a dire consequence: seven years of bad sex.

Never insult the royal family

Just ask any foreigner who's been to a movie theater in Thailand: The royal family is held in high regard. Before a film begins, patrons are asked to pay their respect to the king while a short reel about his life is shown. Failure to do so can result in criminal charges under "lèse majesté," or injury to the royals. As Harry Nicolaides found out, the law is often at odds with Western expectations of free speech. In 2008, Nicolaides was sentenced to three years in Thai jail for criticizing the monarchy in a book. He was eventually pardoned—after spending six months in prison.

Silence your nose

While China is renowned for its public expectoration, just across the sea South Koreans are more mindful of their phlegm and spittle. Even the slightest sniffle at the dinner table will paint you as a barbarian. This can be a tough trick for foreigners whose palates may not be ready for the omnipresent spicy gochujang sauce. Still, when you feel a sniffle approaching, excuse yourself and head to the bathroom. In Japan, using a handkerchief in public is also considered rude.

Manage your chopsticks

There's more to expert chopstick usage than simply getting food from plate to mouth. Chopsticks aren't meant to push bowls or plates around. Rarely are they used to pierce food, and morsels should never be passed directly between two sets of chopsticks. The most crucial misstep foreigners can make is improper placement. Chopsticks should never be placed vertically; say, in a bowl of rice. The two sticks will resemble incense used to honor the dead, and you will have invited death to the dinner table.

Go ahead, hold his hand

Even the most open-minded visitors to Middle Eastern and Arab countries are surprised by the close physical contact between men. "Arab men may be seen walking hand in hand," says Alinda Lewris, founder and executive director of the International Association of Protocol Consultants and Officers. "It is considered a sign of kinship and does not imply any sexual connotation." So, when your new Arab friend clutches your hand on the way to afternoon tea, give him a squeeze back. He's just being friendly.

Be quietly grateful

It runs counterintuitive to Western upbringing, where "please" and "thank you" are often the first pleasantries we learn as children. But thanking your Arab and South Asian hosts may lead to awkward moments. Thanking your host too much suggests they've done more than what was expected, that they deserve kindness. For them, being a generous host is standard practice. It's a useful lesson to learn. As one expat living in Goa says, "I have felt far more integrated since I dropped all the 'please's and 'thank you's, and [I] certainly attract far less curious looks."

Don't touch heads

The top of the body, too, carries its own importance in many parts of the world. In countries where Buddhism flourished, even generations ago—and those of Southeast Asia in particular—the head is said to contain one's soul. Noted travel journalist Everett Potter found out the hard way when he "patted someone on the head in Thailand, and realized with horror as I did it that I was committing a real faux pas." The head is sacred; don't touch it.

Don't shake hands across a threshold

In Mediterranean countries, even strangers kiss one other on the cheek; in Japan, bows are exchanged. In Russia, there's just one rule to remember: Never shake hands across a threshold. Says Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone contributing editor and longtime Moscow resident, "Shaking hands 'cherez porok' is a major no-no. When I went to college there and tried to introduce myself to my teacher, she flipped out."

1. Check In Online

The line at your airline's check-in desk or kiosks can be long and aggravating. Consider checking in online and printing your boarding passes at home. Then, once you get to the airport, you can quickly check your bags or, if only taking carry-ons, head straight to security.

2. Sign Up for Email or Text Message Alerts

There's nothing worse than arriving at the airport only to discover you'll be delayed for a while. Signing up for email or text message alerts is a great way to stay informed of any itinerary changes affecting your trip. While it would be great for customer service to get in touch to inform you of such changes, in this day of cash-strapped airlines operating on short staffs, it's highly unlikely.

3. Make Sure All Gifts Are Unwrapped—or Ship Them Ahead of Time

During the holidays a few years back, my friend's mother and cousin were traveling together for their annual family reunion. At the airport, her cousin asked her mother to watch his bag of Christmas gifts while he went to get a snack. Thinking she'd be helpful, she decided to go through security with the packages. An official, curious about the (wrapped) gifts, asked what they contained.
"I don't know," my friend's mother honestly replied. "Someone gave them to me."

Needless to say, she was detained until the cousin returned, the packages were unwrapped and rustled through for contraband, and a situation that could have been expedited got dragged into a prolonged affair.

Long story short: If you're bringing holiday gifts to the airport, make sure they're unwrapped and keep all of them with you at all times. Or, better yet—save everyone a lot of hassle and get them shipped to your destination in advance.

4. Know Your Airline's Baggage Policies and Be Prepared

The days of arriving at the airport, checking your bag with ease, and moving along to your gate are long over. Many carriers have now implemented first- and second-checked-bag fees; you may also find additional penalties for your bag's weight or size. Additionally, if you're transporting something unusual, such as skis, antlers, or the like, expect to be socked with an additional fee. The best tip? Know what you'll be paying before you go, so there are no unnecessary surprises, conflicts, or negotiations once you get to the check-in counter.

5. Have All Contact Information Handy

If you do find yourself delayed en route, make sure you have all customer service phone numbers easily accessible. You'll want to have the number for your airline, hotel, rental car, and tour operator ready in case you need to update your arrangements on the go. And if you're at the airport already, get in line while also calling customer service to stay ahead of the game and minimize further delays.