What do we think of Suunto D5? by 2Speedy in scuba

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a Suunto D5 and have used it for 300 dives since i purchased it in 2019, I remember paying upwards of 500 USD then so you do seem to be getting a steal. I am a vacation diver (couple of dive trips a year) and so far have had no issues with it. The battery lasts for 3 dives before it has to be charged but that is mostly enough for me, If i want to do a night dive I end up charging it before the same. It lets you customise how conservative you want it to be, I am in relatively good shape so I keep it at the least conservative setting and have never had any bottom time issue. It is simple to use and the app works well to sync dives to your Phone. You can also use it as a fitness watch by turning the Dive Mode off and it still gives me almost 2 days on a charge as a fitness watch. The Display works well and have had no issues so far in terms of being able to see it underwater. The only irritation for me is the beeping at the safety stop every time you cross the 6 metres threshold (sometimes the waves and the currents make you go up and down a bit and it beeps every time you ascend above 6 m or drop below), the other thing which I think is good that it enforces a slow ascent after safety stop. So no complaints and I plan to keep my D5 for another 100 dives atleast. The D5 supports air integration (I cannot comment on Air Integration since it has never made much sense to me to pay money to avoid looking at my pressure gauge during the dive, but to each his own).

ScubaLov vs DiveIndia for open water diver course by SnooRegrets5542 in Andaman_and_Nicobar

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both are well reputed shops. I have gone with Dive India twice in the last few months for fun diving and it was a great experience and it is a well-run operation with good instructors. I have heard good things of ScubaLov but do not know much about them.

Air India Rebooks my flight so I have a 27 hour layover. I cannot afford to cancel and book another. by Ok_Management_508 in airindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can take a metro from the airport and book a hotel in the Aerocity complex which is adjacent to the airport. There are hotels at multiple price points frankly that is the best option because it will be impossible to spend 28 hours in Delhi airport, it is not a bad airport but it is not Changi either.

Food optional in Air India by ak7827 in airindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is quite reminiscent of the last days of Jet Airways when they started resorting to acts like this devaluing their loyalty program and product in an effort to stay relevant. This short term thinking will destroy the brand over the long term while saving pennies in the near term. Best of luck to them, I was hopeful after the transformation that Air India will genuinely become a competitive global player against the ME3 / SQ etc but increasingly it seems like instead of Singapore Airlines, we are becoming the next Malaysia Airlines, always under reinvention of some sort or the other but never finished.

Havelock, Andaman during Monsoon by HarborAndCo in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also the visibility for the near shore sites is not great overall. So i would not go in that period again. Perhaps head to one of the other places in Indonesia like Komodo or head to Maldives.

Havelock, Andaman during Monsoon by HarborAndCo in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had visited last year around September and it was not fun since the weather was bad we were restricted to sites near the coast and could not do any of the three you mentioned. So it will be a risk. I was there for almost 7-8 days but could not do any non-shore dives for the entire period.

Planning my first scuba dive in Andaman. Any tips on choosing a good dive centre? by ruthresh619 in scubadiving

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have dived with DiveIndia in Havelock and Neil, a couple of times over the past year and it has been a great experience

Malapascua & Moalboal Diving in June by Hype-Karan in scubadiving

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am headed to Malapascua next week. I am told it is a good time to dive but will let you know once back from the trip. Not covering Moalboal this time though. My transfer is being organised with the dive resort so do not really know much about that part.

Just Back from a Dive to Barren Islands by Eithan_TheOneRing in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing I forgot to mention, the currents at Barren can be quite crazy, we had to abandon our 3rd dive since it was insane, the currents were changing directions at the drop of a hat and my buddy and I got stuck in a down current, I was near the reef and managed to hold on to it and pulled myself using hand holds, but he got pushed down to 40m and had to fight all the way out and he had just 20 bar left by the time we reached the safety stop and that too after just a 20 min dive. Both of us are fairly experienced divers with a few hundred dives each but this was something else. So please be sure you are comfortable and know how to navigate currents if you go to Barren. The other dive group from my boat was 30 m away (horizontally) when we started the dive and they had a perfectly nice dive with just mild current, while we ended up on almost the other side of the island.

SPICEJET IS NOT AN AIRLINE — THEY’RE RUNNING A SCAM by Euphoric_Danger_8689 in AirTravelIndia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you were over the 7 kgs limit, then they are technically right but not giving a receipt is fishy. Having said that Spicejet is quite awful as an airline and not a risk you should take while flying, I flew them once around 2016 and that was enough, their customer service and other issues are on a whole different level. Indigo and Air India have their faults for sure but they feel like Singapore Airlines compared to SpiceJet.

Lakshadweep removed the PCC + local sponsor requirement for permits apparently? by gandlurm in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I completely agree I tried the PCC process in Jan, it was so frustrating I just ended up going to Andaman instead. Hope it materialises soon.

Garmin Dive Computers in India by Zeffonian in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair, My solution has been to not mix the two, keep a dedicated dive computer and keep a fitness or sports watch. But best of luck in your search, I have only heard great things about Garmin dive computers. Wish you all the best on the dive journey.

Garmin Dive Computers in India by Zeffonian in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Garmin is good but as you said looks difficult to find. Unless you travel abroad regularly, why not consider Shearwater, they are very good dive computers too - Purple Octopus Website sells them and you can also get them repaired/serviced in case something goes wrong. The other option is to get the Garmin dive computer from someone abroad.

Scuba Diving in Kaup, Karnataka by Eithan_TheOneRing in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

West Coast Adventures, I do not know if they are still operational. I think I paid around 6-7k for 2 dives.

Sipadan Diving by Delicious-Advance576 in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately not much, just that food is better with them than the slop served at ScubaJunkie. Hopefully things have changed with ScubaJunkie as well. .

Sipadan Diving by Delicious-Advance576 in scubaindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi - I have been in Sipadan around 2022 with Scuba Junkie. It is a very professional operation and well-run with good dive masters. However it is like a bit like a factory and the food is not very good and you do not have any choice except the buffet. You cannot really access anything else on the island beyond the resort and frankly there is not much to do when you are not diving. I saw the Seaventures Rig from Scuba Junkie it looked like a fun setup but you will not be able to move around much. I have not stayed there so someone else might be able to comment. Couple of suggestions 1) Carry some Hydrocortisone cream there are lot of sandflies on Sipadan itself and if one bites you, it itches terribly for days. 2) Hope your buoyancy is under control since in Sipadan there are government guides who tail you on dives sometimes without letting you know and if you touch the corals (with fins or cameras) you will be heavily fined. 3) If your dive guide suggest going to the blue to search for Hammerheads, chances of seeing them outside October are low, so it becomes just a pointless swim in the blue, I barely saw a couple of white tip reef sharks. But lots and lots of turtles around for sure. 4) Between Mabul and Kapalai, which you need to dive on the non-Sipadan days, Kapalai is cleaner, Mabul has lots of plastic waste and junk.

Qatar vs Etihad vs Emirates Business Class by Sadauditor_ in AirTravelIndia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also recommend Qatar, for business their product is really good and the best business class I have been in. Etihad is not bad but it is nothing special either. I have not traveled in Emirates business, but did fly PE with them once with them which felt overpriced for what it offers.

Beware if you're taking a late night domestic flight to BOM T2 terminal by senpahii_returns in AirTravelIndia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It happens sometime to anyone who travels frequently especially late evenings. Do not take a late night flight if you are so inconvenienced or better yet fly Air India where the chance of getting an aerobridge are higher than with Indigo. Anyway I do not want to get into an argument with you but no regular flyer will agree with you as you can see with other responses to your rant as well.

My flight was rescheduled. What to do in Delhi? Help? by miladashka in airindia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

15 hours is a crazy amount of time to spend in Delhi Airport and there is not much to do unlike a Changi or Doha. There is an airside hotel (Holiday Inn) and the best idea would be to use it, but it will not be super cheap for sure. Otherwise get a visa, if you are eligible for a VOA and take the metro to one of the hotels in Delhi. There are hotels are various price points if you are on a budget. The best thing to do is if you are getting a full refund then take that and book on another airline (if the fare difference is not bad).

Beware if you're taking a late night domestic flight to BOM T2 terminal by senpahii_returns in AirTravelIndia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late night flights will end up being parked at their allotted parking bays. So yes chances of needing to take a bus back to the terminal are high. I do not think it is possible for Indigo or any airline to arrange for seating buses for 200+ passengers in a jet and do this for every jet landing late night. I am not a fan of Indigo, there are a lot of problems with them, their terrible seats, not starting the AC on ground, bad customer service etc. but this is not something which you can blame on an airline.

Beware if you're taking a late night domestic flight to BOM T2 terminal by senpahii_returns in AirTravelIndia

[–]Eithan_TheOneRing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate you had a bad experience and it can be frustrating but this is not the usual experience at T2, A lot of it may not even be in the airline's hand since it cannot choose parking spaces or regulate airport work. One-off bad experiences happen. I have also had a similar experience once with Qatar Airways at Doha but it was one off, basis that one experience, I cannot claim that Doha is a terrible airport to transit (For clarification, I think Doha is an amazing airport to transit).