Go To Scuba Diving And Say Hello To Corals

The waters encompassing the Galapagos Islands is one of the largest marine reserves on the earth, and Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine regularly names it as a top scuba diving destinations in the world anyone who has been diving there knows why.
　　
Many consider the Galapagos Islands a modern day Garden of Eden renown for the up-close encounters with wildlife. Here on the equator where the cold Humboldt Current flowing north from Antarctica meets with the warm tropical waters of the Panama Current creating an unparalleled environment. Going ashore you will find Galapagos Penguins existing a in the same places as tropical pink flamingos. However by going putting on your dive gear you'll discover just how incredible the Galapagos is.
　　
What I found on my two dives was an exhilaratingly clear 80-110 feet of visibility, swarms of small tropical fish, a few larger fish such as some barracuda and Queen Angel fish, clumps and mounds and varied formations of colorful coral and sponges, forests of firecoral waiting for the unwary diver, a seahorse, some stationary rock fish, and much, much more.
　　
The day was partly cloudy but with lots of sunlight in the water. The dive boat provided an easy entry and exit from the water and the crew all spoke good English and were very competent in the water. The air fills were very generous as well. During these two dives, maximum dived depth was 70 feet and the current was mild and tranquil. I was constantly scanning my incredible surroundings. The only other dive I've ever done that compares with it was in Cozumel and it wasn't nearly so spectacular.
　　
The same excellent PADI diving instructors of London diving schools run you through a series of diving lessons that are designed to get you off the heated pool and into the open water quick. Scheduled lessons start you on the basics of safe diving, planning dives, and proper use of diving equipment. Once the scuba basics are mastered, the next step is to test your mettle in London's famous diving spots. London scuba schools in London have complete facilities for scuba diving lessons. They also observe stringent instruction standards for beginners and scuba instructor training. London diving schools ensure that all diving students learn the basics of safe diving and proper use of diving equipments and master confined water diving before an open sea dive is carried out in London's beaches.
　　
It is hard to think of a sport or hobby more exciting or rewarding than scuba diving. First off, scuba diving gives you access to underwater life in a way nothing else can. The vast majority of the world is underwater and waiting to be explored! When you scuba dive, you become one of the few people to have ever ventured into this exotic world to any degree. The world's seas and oceans are some of the last few undiscovered places on our planet - that is why scuba diving is so awesome. There is also the fact that it can be absolutely beautiful under the water. If you have ever had the opportunity to go scuba diving off the coast of Australia along the Great Barrier Reef, you will know how amazingly gorgeous life under the sea can be. Scuba diving can even give you the chance to search for buried gold and treasure. From the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to the Great Lakes to the English Channel, there are countless shipwrecks waiting to be explored.
　　
Students preferring to take complete their scuba diving lessons outside London, they are provided open sea referrals from the diving schools. A diving referral will allow students to take their open sea dive in any PADI affiliated beaches all over the world. Hence, London scuba schools offer a cheaper alternative - students are ready for the open sea when they seek the Caribbean or the Seychelles for the diving challenge.
　　
Diving has three disciplines equivalent to 1m, 3m and tower and divers are labeled by age and gender. Towers vary in height from 5m to 10m and excessive stage competitions like World Cup and Olympics require diving from 10m only. Spring boards and platforms are terms utilized in 3 & 5m in addition to 10m diving respectively.
　　
Even beginning divers can explore the Galapagos Waters. At one of the local dive schools beginners can get certified or complete open-water training in the protected waters surrounding Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands.

Kiteboarding Is Not A Sport Without Risk

Kitesurfing, which is also known as kiteboarding, is the sport of surfing or riding over a water surface on a kiteboard powered by a kite. It is best done on large open water bodies with uncrowded launch areas. Most kitesurfers prefer to surf in the ocean, but kitesurfing can also be done on rivers and lakes. It is not a sport without risk, and you need to have an understanding about wind directions, must be in a reasonably good physical state and must know how to swim well.

History of Kiteboarding:
Kiteboarding is a comparatively new sport, but the idea of using a kite for propulsion purposes has been around for centuries. The Chinese, in the 13th century, experimented with harnessing kite-power. Kite-power, controlled with an innovative 4-line control system, was used by George Pocock in the 1800s as an alternative to horsepower to power carts and boats The first long-range kite-powered venture - across the English Channel - was successfully attempted by Samuel Cody in 1903. Fast forward to 1978, when Ian Day demonstrated that a kite-powered catamaran could go faster than 40 kms per hour. During the 1980s, some adventurous souls had a go at speeding up skating, skiing and canoeing with the help of kites.

But kitesurfing did not come into its own as a sport until the France-based Legaignoux brothers, Bruno and Dominique, and the USA-based father-son duo, Bill and Corey Roeseler separately developed specific and inflatable kite designs for that very purpose. The Roeselers patented water skis that were powered by a two line kite, and had a kite-control bar and surf-board-like skis.

Kite and kiteboard designs continued to be improved and the sport turned mainstream.

Kiteboarding Equipment:
If you want to get started in kiteboarding, it is essential that you equip yourself with the best gear available. Here is what you will need -

• A power kite. Many kitesurfers keep a 'quiver' or 3 or 4 kites, large ones as well as small ones, with lines of varying lengths.The type of kite used depends upon the level of experience, the rider weight and the prevailing wind conditions. If you are a beginner or if it is a very windy day, for example, a small kite will prove much more manageable.
• A kiteboard. This is a small board - like a wakeboard - which has foot-straps or bindings. It is what you use to skim over the water. Some people use a leash to attach the board to themselves, but this is not recommended.
• A wetsuit to protect you in cold water and from jellyfish and other marine organisms.
• A sharp knife to cut the kite lines if it becomes necessary.

It's important to take a few lessons from seasoned kitesurfers or certified instructors before attempting kiteboarding yourself and you should never venture out solo.

You should know about the following things -

• The size and type of kite to use.
• The way to set up and operate a kite.
• The way to maintain a kite.
• The way the safety systems work.
• The way the winds work and how you should gauge the weather.
• The way to avoid hazards.
• The way to select the launch area.
• The way to launch yourself.
• The way to ride the board on water.
• The way to land correctly.
• The way to make emergency landings.

Safety Factors in Kiteboarding/Kitesurfing:
Kiteboarding, if not undertaken with care, can pose a hazard to the kitesurfers themselves, to other kitesurfers, to beachgoers and bystanders and to swimmers, regular surfers and others on the water. To both avoid accidents and avoid giving the sport a bad reputation, it is necessary that you -

• Take lessons from professionals first and understand everything you can about the sport.
• Find out if kitesurfing is allowed before you try it at any beach. There may be a notice stating if its allowed or not, or you can ask a lifeguard or a beach patrol officer.
• Avoid a crowded beach. Especially if you are a beginner.

And keep these warnings in mind -

• Never venture out onto the water in direct offshore winds and direct onshore winds. Direct off shore winds can blow you out to sea to such a great distance that it would be physically tiring or even impossible to swim all the way back to shore. Direct onshore winds, on the other hand, would blow you back to shore and you risk being dashed against rocks, piers, buildings and other objects. Cross-shore winds are the best for kitesurfing.
• Kitesurfing should never be done solo because of the risks involved. Take a friend along. Preferably someone with a boat and enough knowledge of the sport to be able to rescue you if the need arises.

Tetherball Is A Great Sport That Can Be Enjoyed By Everyone

Though no official tetherball games are ever played, it is a unique sport that offers a great workout for young ones and adults alike. In tetherball, a ball similar to a volleyball is suspended by an 8 foot long rope, that is attached to a pole that is 10 feet high. The game is played by two players, and each player is assigned his own area around the pole. It is a game that is easy to play, and is usually popular among summer camps, and in schools. As mentioned earlier, the game is not official, but once the basics of how to play tetherball are learned, and the tetherball rules are understood, the game can become as popular as volleyball itself, as well as other sports such as tennis.

Tetherball Rules and Regulations

The purpose of tetherball is to have the ball wrapped around the pole completely in one direction when struck (hit or punched) by the hand, so that it can no longer be swung by the opposite player. The person who serves first is always at an advantage, that is why one match is not enough to declare a winner. Matches of odd numbers, with a victory margin of 2 games, must be played so as to declare the ultimate winner. After setting up the tetherball equipment, each player can choose their side, after a coin flip that will also decide who serves first.

• To serve, a player holds the ball in one hand, and hits it with the other, so that it swings around the rope in a direction chosen by him, i.e. clockwise or counter-clockwise. Ideally, a good player will serve in a manner that the ball cannot be touched by his opponent, giving him a complete advantage in the game. Once the ball has been served, it cannot be stopped.
• The player hits back the ball, as one does in volleyball, and tries to get the ball to wind around the pole in the opposite direction, for him to win. If the ball consecutively wraps four times around the pole, by the server, then ideally, the server should give the opponent a chance to strike back. This can alter the game, and take it to a whole new level.
• The player to wrap the tethered ball to the pole in one direction, so that it can no longer be swung further by either player, wins.

Among tetherball rules, there are mainly four types of penalties that are applicable while playing the game.

• A player may step off his area, and end up in his opponent's area. This may be an unintentional occurrence, but a penalty nonetheless.
• Players are not allowed to touch the rope while playing the game.
• Stopping the ball, and serving again is not allowed while playing tetherball.
• During a player's turn, he is not allowed to punch the ball more than once. Hitting it more than once qualifies for a foul. In some cases, the ball may hit the pole, and under such circumstances the player is allowed to continue.
• Holding the pole qualifies for an immediate penalty, which means the game is lost by the player who held it.

With the exception of the last penalty, if any of the above-mentioned fouls occur, the ball is stopped in its position, and served by the opponent, from the point where it was last wrapped. On the occurrence of three fouls by a single player, the game is won by the opponent. In case both players commit a foul at the same time, the game is stopped at that point. The ball is taken three feet away from the pole, held by both the players. The players release the ball together, so that it hits the pole, and thereon, either player can choose to hit it, depending on the direction of the ball.

Now that you know and understand all the tetherball rules, play this game, enjoy it, and make an attempt to popularize it enough for it to become a fun official sport.

Basic Tips On Playing Volleyball For Beginners

Volleyball is a team sport, wherein two teams of six players each, try to score points by grounding the ball in the opponent's side of the court. Volleyball has come a long way to become one of the most popular sporting event in various countries all over the world. The popularity of the sport can be realized by the sheer fact that volleyball has become a part of the Olympics within 30 years of its starting. Though watching this game may baffle you in the beginning, leaving you wondering about how to play volleyball like a pro, the game is quite easy, if you grasp the basic volleyball rules.

How to Play Volleyball for Beginners?

Basically, volleyball revolves around some of the basics of athleticism, which include serving the ball, one of the opposition players taking the serve and passing it on to the supplier, the supplier then assisting the ball to the spiker, the spiker smashing the ball in the opponents court and at the same time, the opposition players trying to block the shot with their hands. The moment one team fails in executing any of these steps properly, they lose a point. And therefore, it is important to go step by step, understand the basics of the game before trying to figure out how to play volleyball like a pro. A beginner like you should go through the history of volleyball in order to learn more about the game.

Court and Equipment Setup
According to the volleyball court dimensions guidelines set by International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the volleyball court should be 18 meters in length and 9 meters in width. Each team is allotted one half of the court which measures 9 meters in width as well as length. Both the halves of the court are separated by a net which is 7 feet 11 5/8 inches in height. A line, referred to as the 'attack line', runs parallel to the net at a distance of 3 meters in both the halves. This line divides the players into back row and front row. this line is important when it comes to 'spiking' or when 'rotation' comes into play.

Start of the Game
The game is started off by tossing a coin. The team which wins the toss can either decide to serve or choose the side of the court. The game begins with one of the player serving to the other team. When serving, the ball should be tossed in the air and hit in such a manner that it crosses over the net and goes to the other teams court. The opposition team should ensure that the ball is not grounded in their court. They can do this with a combination of 3 or less passes within the players. The third pass should compulsorily clear the ball over to the other side of the court, as the fourth touch in a row, by the same team, is considered to be a foul. If the ball returned by the receiving team to the serving team's court, the objective of the serving team is the same, i.e. to clear the ball from their area with a combination of 3 or less passes. This continues till any one team scores a point. After a team scores the point, it gets to serve and the game continues.

Scoring in Volleyball
A volleyball game comprises at most of 5 sets of 25 points each. The team which scores 25 points with a margin of 2 points first, wins the set and the team which wins 3 sets first goes on to win the game. When a team is successful in grounding the ball within the opponents side of court, it earns a point. There are several ways to do this, which include an 'ace', i.e. a direct serve which the players of the opposition team fail to take or return, or 'attack' i.e. hitting the ball supplied by a fellow player into the opposition's court by maneuvering it in mid air with a hard smash. If the ball attempted by the opposition team player goes out of the court the attacking team earns a point. However, if the serve goes out of the court or fails to cross over the net and to the other side, the opposition team earns the point and the right to serve.

Volleyball Fouls
There are certain moves which are barred in a volleyball game, and executing these moves calls for a foul and thus, earns the other team a point. These moves range from simple moves, like touching the net or crossing the borderline and stepping into the court while serving, to more sophisticated moves, such as a player outside the 3 meter box running into the box to attack or the supplier touching the ball twice while 'assisting' or supplying the ball for an attack. Quite a few volleyball rules and regulations have undergone some changes which have made the game simpler. For instance, the ball touching the net and crossing over to the other side while serving which was not valid serve earlier, is allowed today.

This was brief information about how to play volleyball for beginners, however there is a lot more to learn in this sport. Basically, volleyball involves proper coordination between the six players of the team and athleticism to execute serves, supplies, attacks, blocks and earn points. As you continue working on simple volleyball tips, you will get well versed with the game, after which playing like a pro will not be a too difficult task for you.