As a sequel to my last article about Internet dive sites, I have been asked to compile an article about international Websites too. So hopefully after you read this you will have a good idea about where to look on the web for the best or at least a pointer in the right direction.
I thought I would start where I started last time by looking for the best diving search engines and came across quite a few, as you would probably imagine. Some of which are good and some of which are just ok. The two favourites were: www.diverindex.com and www.scubaduba.com I liked them a lot. The designs are good, therefore easy on the eye and they look professional, as for the content, they seem to have covered mostly interactive subjects, chat rooms, discussion boards and buddy lists, as well as classifieds. Although a bit long-winded to navigate through, when you eventually get there the info is worthwhile.
The next search engine I used was www.3routes.com. Now, even though this is a great site with over 5000 destinations to look through to find locations, the design is pretty basic and not amazingly user friendly so if you want something a bit more pretty and interesting go to www.diveguide.com. Now this site claims to be the number one resource on the net. To be honest it is very comprehensive but there is something missing, after a while it just becomes a series of lists. One I found which was quite useful to me for this article was www.scubaclicks.com it lists top scuba sites every week and has some interesting forums too.
As far as dive shops internationally on the net I found some gems. The UK based (but still a dot com) is www.narcosis-divewear.com, cool T’s and great prices, I’ll be buying from them. A funny site I came across, but each to their own is www.divegoddess.com, now, don’t get me wrong, this really isn’t my kind of thing, but its unique and interesting, so check it out, if you don’t like it, it will at least make you smile.
I actually found it quite hard to find good apparel companies on the net and even though they already advertise with Deeper Blue, www.seventenths.com are still high in the list, so click on them if you haven’t already. Also, as you probably already know, Deeper Blue has just opened its range of Tee’s too; so don’t miss it at www.phatdive.com.
In searching for a great international dive centre site, it was hard to choose. I decided to choose three sites. The first is www.seaquestdivecenter.com in the Philippines. I chose this site, because it is so intricate, also because I would love to go there. The prices are unbelievable and the information they provide on the site is well researched, and very thoughtful. The design is not "wow" material, but it serves its purpose, and I am sold on it. The next is www.divecayman.ky. What a lovely site, I admit the prettier the better, but If you are going to spend hours trawling on the Internet, then why not eh? They give you weather advice and they help you find the best places in the Cayman Islands to dive which, in my opinion is one of the best places to visit. And the third is www.scubabimini.com, which is a site that is based in the Bahamas, the design is refreshing and the information is basic and easy to navigate through-perfect.
I kept finding cool sites and one that I can’t end the article without mentioning is www.scubadiving.com. A great site that has everything, just what we need, and my favourite part, a bit girly I know, is the video clip of the week, catch it soon and you will see the spotted eagle ray clip.
There are many good sites out there and I would love to review all of them and maybe in time I will, but if I have left any wonderful ones out, mail me and I will review them month by month as last time I had quite a lot of "what about us?!" mails. Send me a mail and I will review the best. I promise. Until then, happy surfing.
