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I never thought I would be a swimwear model: Deakin and Blue swimwear review

5/4/2020

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When I reached out to Deakin and Blue I thought it would be a long shot. I knew of the sustainable swimwear company from social media and had been eyeing up their diverse range of full suits and bikinis for my next trip. I’m training to be a dive professional and told them about my plans to volunteer for good causes using my newly acquired dive skills once I've got my qualification. The ocean needs all the help it can get right now and I can't wait to get involved with marine conservation projects and humanitarian causes. They liked the sound of my plans and very generously let me pick a swimsuit from their extensive range. Read on for a full product review, with some snippets about my Mexican travels thrown in for good measure. And scroll on for my swimsuit modelling debut.


I primarily wanted a new swimsuit to wear under a wet suit while scuba diving. I have tried different combinations of undergarments over the years and
I found two halves easier than a full swimsuit, so due to not wanting to buy more plastic, had settled on wearing an old sports bra and swim shorts I found in a charity shop. Not the most glamorous! So it was a treat to pick something designed more appropriately for the job. The model I chose was the Hepburn. It's designed with activity in mind and is more substantial than almost all bikinis I’ve ever seen. The tops are sized like bras so you can get a really good fit and decent boob support, with the arms of the top being cut low enough that there's no chaffing when swimming lengths in a pool. I chose high-waisted bottoms for comfort under neoprene, and you can pick the size of the bottoms independently from the top which makes a lot of sense. The range also includes full suits and more skimpy numbers in a huge range of size options so they have something for everyone.


All Deakin and Blue have high sustainability credentials. Their website explains that the material used is "
ECONYL® - a 100% regenerated nylon fibre made from post-consumer waste such as old fishing nets and industrial plastic." They are also built to last and are made tougher than most other products. The material feels nice against my skin, dries well and holds up to saltwater, swimming pools and waterfalls. A solid month of 3 dives a day in sea water and being dried in direct sunlight and I've seen no change in colour or stretchiness. The first time I wore it was at the stunning Roberto Barrios waterfalls near Palenque in Mexico, where it dried quickly enough that I didn’t need to perform an awkward towel dance to change my underwear in public! However, awkward towel dances are made easier with the front zip on the top. As demonstrated after swimming at the mossy green cavern that is the cenote in the heart of the city of Valladolid.
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My life as a divemaster trainee involves being wet for large part of the day. I love that I can take half my wet suit off and go to the loo (not an easy feat wearing a full swimming costume). And I don’t feel too naked, so I’m happy to wander around during our surface intervals without anything more on.


I’m so pleased to have found a product that suits my needs so well. I’m not at all comfortable wearing triangles held on with stringy bits and I need something that can offer support when lifting tanks and equipment on and off dive boats. The fact that Deakin and Blue have these design features covered is only made more brilliant by their eco friendly credentials - all happily delivered in beautiful, non-plastic packaging. I’m sure my new swimsuit will last ages but I know where I’m getting my next one. 



So now for the swimwear model moment. Here is a picture of a real person, on a windy day, about to do her 800m snorkelling swimming test in the choppy ocean. Thank you so much Deakin and Blue for the swimsuit and for the confidence you’ve shown in me in providing me with a product.
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Cenotes: Cavern diving in Tulum, Mexico

24/2/2020

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You know those photos on Instagram that don’t look real? The white sands and turquoise ocean, or the perfect sunset from a mountain top. They must be photoshopped to look like that. And that’s what I thought of the cenotes. The famous caverns and caves in the Yucatán peninsula were once dry, allowing stalactites and stalagmites to form and providing homes for humans and animals some thousands of years ago. Now that the water level has risen, the thousands of cenotes provide a playground for scuba divers. And those photos of light streaming in beams through the water? Well it looks even better than Instagram. Read on for my experience with Dive Tulum.


The town of Tulum isn’t really my usual kind of destination. The beach (which I never saw) is lined with resorts and the town is full of souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants. But it was certainly worth enduring the sunburnt drunk people to experience the diving. There are dive sites to both the north and south of the town, my guide Gisela and my dive buddies and I headed north to an area with several cenotes called Dos Ojos. We bounced down the dusty road in the kit-loaded truck to peer into the depths of our first dive - El Pit. Access to this deep dive is down a tall wooden staircase. Once in the water, the first amazing thing was the visibility. No tides, currents or sand to muddy the waters. Having said that, quite soon in our descent to 30 metres, there’s a patch of hydrogen sulfide, making the water all blurry, an interesting phenomenon to encounter. Continuing down and we had to make use of our torches. The formations from when the caves were dry are fascinating. I especially enjoyed being able to see the lights of other divers from a distance. It really gave a sense of perspective in this huge cavern. The Instagram moment happened on our gradual ascent. On turning back towards the surface, the sunlight was streaming through the opening. Bright blue beams intersecting the dark blue water with tiny little divers underneath to give perspective to this beautiful image. Wow.

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The second and third dives were at Dos Ojos - Two Eyes, so called because the two cenotes are connected by a series of shallow tunnels and channels. There are two routes which involve manoeuvring through small spaces - a test of buoyancy skills. It felt really adventurous. Torches out to peak into the dark crevices, not knowing what would be around the next corner. The final dive including surfacing in the bat cave. Looking up at the dozing bats from the surface of the water was unreal. With just a small opening that the bats use - divers have unique access to this special place. Again the contrast of light and dark created a wonderful scene of dark rock formations backlit by the light blue of the water near the surface.


Gisela was an excellent guide. She knows the cenotes and their history like they’re her back garden. Thanks Gisela and Dive Tulum for a fantastic introduction to the cenotes and to cavern diving. I can’t wait to come back for more.


Have you dived any other cenotes? What did you think? Comment below.
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Diving in Puerto Escondido: Mexico

12/2/2020

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Let’s be honest, if you’re travelling to Mexico specifically for diving, you’re not going to come to Puerto Escondido. The draw of the Yucatan Peninsula with its clear waters and abundant marine life - along with the famous cenotes - are paradise for divers. But if you find yourself in the area, is it worth diving in the Pacific Ocean? Read on for my experience.
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The surfer town of Puerto Escondido is on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca and a night bus away from Oaxaca City. The long beach of Zicotela has a strip of obnoxious, westernised cafes, bars and restaurants and some places to stay. The sea is so rough that only the brave and/or those with surf boards venture into the water. But the water contains many wonders if only you’ll look. I flip flopped my way to visit Aventura Submarina dive shop to find out more.
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A huge thanks to Deakin and Blue who supplied me with the sustainable swimwear. I love it! Stand by for a full review...
Instructor Diego and owner Jorge welcomed me warmly and talked me through the dive sites that they have here. There are a range of options within a 20 minute boat ride and the rocky bottom provides a great habitat for eels, angel, puffer, box, lobster and numerous other aquatic life forms. The all important question for me was visibility. The only things I’d managed to find out online had been complaints about the lack of clear water. It’s not the Caribbean but for our dives it was 10-15 metres.


We were going out as a group of four. I was efficiently kitted out with a nice new and colourful wetsuit before a briefing and the short truck ride to the boat. Our first site was just 5 minutes away. With a further briefing and a backward roll we were in. There was plenty to see and it was fun peering into the cracks between the rocks. Diego was great at spotting and even spied some nudibranches (I would never have noticed!).


Our relaxed surface interval was in a quiet patch of ocean where a turtle poked its head above water. The second dive was similar and included a massive lobster and loads of grumpy looking eels!


The whole trip was great. Diego said to me that it’s diving like friends. Aventura Submarina isn’t a super-swanky operation. Don’t expect free snacks, or glossy brochures. It is a friendly and welcoming shop with good equipment and knowledge, and an openness to explore the watery world. If you’re in town then I highly recommend diving with Aventura Submarina.

Have you dived on this coast? Let me know what you thought. Especially if you managed to find a nicer part of town than I did!
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Dahab, Egypt - a diver’s paradise

10/6/2019

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Dahab, a lazy town on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, used to be booming. Hotels and restaurants jostled for position with dive shops - so many dive shops - all capitalising on the extraordinary marine environment that this part of the Red Sea has to offer. But now, as I walked the pedestrian street all along the bay, derelict buildings sit embarrassedly between shiny resorts. Construction sites are frozen in time. Direct flights from many European countries were halted following a so-called uprising in 2011, so it was with some caution that I researched my trip. I had firsthand recommendations and my googling hadn’t led to anything that ruled out my plans. A sense of adventure plus the draw of diving meant that I made Dahab the central part of my Middle East trip.
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It’s possible to exist in Dahab without ever seeing a car. My first few days involved walking the 50m between my room at the fantastic Red Sea Relax Resort, their dive centre and the ocean. When I did see a motor vehicle it was a truck to take us and our scuba gear to the famous Canyon and Blue Hole dive sites which are only a short ride away. The vibe of this place is so relaxed! The idea of it being in anyway dangerous is hard to believe - I could stay forever.


The main reason I enjoyed my stay so much was the amazing service at the resort and the incredible experience with the dive centre. I have genuinely never seen a dive centre so organised. There are numbered lockers for those diving multiple days, special racks for masks and wetsuits and a dedicated classroom with tv and aircon. Course director and manager Jordan fosters the perfect environment. Every one of the staff are friendly, helpful, inclusive and laidback. But when it comes to scuba, the highest level of professionalism is maintained. Walid my instructor was demanding, encouraging and supportive, and knows all the sites as if they were is own house. I very quickly felt like part of the team and not simply a client to please or student to push through exams, which I’ve experienced elsewhere. Check out their Facebook page for some underwater pictures too.
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Similarly, Said and the other staff at the hotel answered every question I had, whilst being friendly and generous. Diving in Dahab is incredibly good value, almost all the sites are shore dives, not boat dives, and the wealth of competition keeps prices low and standards high. You only have to stick your head underwater to meet some of the fishier residents. Red Sea Relax offer a great deal for backpackers - you can stay in the dorm for free for every day that you dive and it’s only €7 for days you aren’t diving. Dahab’s Blue Hole is famous for all the right and wrong reasons - but my dive there is one of the highlights of my scuba career.
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Selfishly, I don’t want the direct flights to start again. I want to keep Dahab for myself - chilled and slow paced, with new friends waiting to be met and dive sites waiting to be discovered. I’ll be back soon to explore the underwater world and relax in a trendy cafe.

Getting there: you can fly via several destinations including Istanbul, to Sharm al sheik which is an hour or so taxi or bus ride away. Or coming from Jordan, you can arrive to Nuweiba on the ferry. See here for more information about that.
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Cedar Pride: diving in Aqaba in Jordan

3/6/2019

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Jordan has so much to offer the backpacker. Come for Petra - the ancient world wonder carved into the rose rocks - stay for the friendly people, good food and some scuba diving.


Dive Aqaba have a shop in downtown Aqaba surrounded by dozens of other shops. It’s a 15 minute drive to south beach where you can shore dive to your heart’s content. The walk from the shady kitting up area to the water is a bit rocky but not too far. Once outside of the swimming area the underwater world is teaming with life. Eels, puffer fish, parrot fish and clown fish are all actively going about their lives.

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Instructor Shammas led us along the reef towards the wreck of Cedar Pride. The giant sailing boat sits on its side across two rocks, leaving space to swim through underneath. After examining the crows nest, the party of trick of this wreck is an air pocket where you’re able to breathe and talk 12m underwater!


This is one of over 20 dive sites in the area, many of the reached from the shore. Others include a sunken army tank and the wreck of a plane. Thanks for having us Dive Aqaba!

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Sharkwater and Girls That Scuba

14/4/2019

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Film maker Rob Stewart died trying to change the world. He exposed the huge, illegal and brutal industry surrounding sharks. Shark finning (where the shark’s fins are removed before being dumped back in the water to die slowly) is a multi million dollar industry. Shark meat or cartilage is in a huge number of products without us realising, from canned fish to dog food and cosmetics. Rob’s activism, along with the first Sharkwater film led to 19 countries banning shark finning. Yet the practice still continues illegally.


I went to see Sharkwater Extinction with a bunch of strangers. Girls that Scuba is an online community for women who dive or would like to. It’s not only the place to get information about female dive kit and support from fellow female divers but founder Sarah Richard has created merchandise and a discount card scheme and GTS trips to world famous dive destinations. She also organised this London meet up.
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As a scuba diver and environmentally quite aware person I was shocked and surprised that not more of the information in the film Sharkwater Extinction is public knowledge. This powerful film, and the original Sharkwater released in 2006, highlights the complex and widespread nature of the problem. Illegal fishing and bycatch (when sharks or other creatures get caught in nets meant for other fish) are the more obvious problems. But I had no idea that the amount of sea pollution means that shark meat has toxic levels of murcury, and is fed to us in various hidden forms.


I left the film feeling pretty depressed, who wouldn’t? However, chatting with other members of GTS afterwards lifted my spirits. Not only because we shared travel experiences and dive stories, but because we all care. We care about the ocean, the environment, and about ensuring the next generation have something to dive for. And we also care about equal opportunities for women in the dive industry and encouraging girls and women to get certified and discover why we all love diving.


I often feel overwhelmed by the scale of all these problems, but what can I do about it? I can’t make a film and I’m not a marine biologist. We can all make small contributions. Here is a list of what you can do from the Sharkwater website. To make sure you’re not accidentally consuming shark, avoid fish products and non-plant based cosmetics (go vegan guys!) and talk to your friends about it. Rob made amazing progress, we have to continue it.


Have you seen the film? What did you think? What can we do?
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Wreck diving with Scubadawgs (and maybe partying): Koh Chang, Thailand

28/5/2018

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The huge dark shape began to emerge from the gloom as we descended. As we swam closer the immense outline of the sunken ship grew sharper and the scale of the wreck became clearer. The 100 metre long HTMS Chang was formerly a US warship known as the USS Lincoln County and was built during World War II. After serving it’s time with the US Navy, it was gifted to the Thai navy and served for 50 years. Diving is a huge industry in Thailand and artificial reefs have been created to increase diving opportunities as well as to help protect the natural reefs. This colossal warship was sunk off the coast of Koh Chang in 2012 to become an artificial reef. It is now teeming with incredibly diverse marine life in all shapes and sizes. As instructor Paul from Scubadawgs and I neared the deck of the battleship I could see almost every inch was covered. Schools of fish gathered along the edge nibbling on the algae, some giving us nervous glances as we drifted by.
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At almost 30m depth the light changes and sound is muffled. We explored inside the first deck. The darkness was penetrated ahead of us by the sun shining through the openings above and we disturbed sleepy batfish on our way. Winding our way through the narrow spaces near the tower in a mild current was a test of my skills, especially when distracted by a grumpy-looking eel peering down and schools of large yellowfin barracudas. Along with light and sound, time seems to change underwater. All too soon it was time for our slow ascent around the tower, the ghostly flag flapped eerily in the current as a reminder of the busy life the ship must’ve had above the surface.
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My first wreck dive and I think I’m hooked. Combine the spooky wreck with tropical marine life, warm waters and an excellent dive centre and you have no excuses not to visit Koh Chang. The island is just 5 hours drive from Bangkok and has beautiful beaches, forest and waterfalls as well as accommodation for every budget. Scubadawgs will pick you up and bring you to the dive shop at Bang Bao where you’ll kit up (excellent quality rental equipment) and board one of their dive boats. I can’t thank Paul and the team enough for my day. (And it was great to talk about our alternate musical lives!). After wreck diving and snacking we dived two more local reefs with mostly great visibility and astounding amounts of marine life. Honestly, it was so busy down there! Schools of fish would cross each other in front of us leaving just a wall of shiny scales ahead. Thailand is famed for some of the cheapest diving in the world which makes it a great place to get certified too. Try diving with Scubadawgs and they’ll let you upgrade to Open Water training using the dives you’ve already completed. Not into diving? Then you can snorkel all the same dive sites - the visibility makes it well worth it.
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Instructor Paul identifying fish with our snorkelling buddies.
Enjoy your trip to Koh Chang and tell Scubadawgs I sent you! Celebrate your diving achievements by partying at Lonely Beach and don’t forget to get a new tattoo while you’re there... ;)
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Team photo!
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    Hannah the traveller

    is a travel and lifestyle blog with focus on running, vegan eating and of course global travel.

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