Diving in the Galapagos: a first-timer guide
The Galapagos Islands are a dream, a promise, an overwhelming expectation. The Galapagos Islands deliver. But don’t believe it …
DEMA Show : 5 things to know before you go
The DEMA Show may be the most famous of all the scuba diving shows in the world. This scuba diving trade show sets the trends in the scuba diving industry for the coming year. The DEMA show is usually the place where scuba diving innovations are introduced first. It changes locations between Orlando, Las Vegas and now New Orleans every year. I attended the …
Discover Golfe-Juan : the best of diving between Antibes and Cannes
It is something I always loved with scuba diving. It always put on my route hidden gems. With such famous neighbours, Antibes and its billionaire superyacht marina, and Cannes and its international film festival, Golfe-Juan is surprisingly tucked away from the crowds on the “Cote d’Azur”. Just after diving in Nice, it was then the perfect extension to my trip including a scenic drive …
Living the thrill of competitive freediving in Villefranche, French Riviera
Mermaids are real. I know because I lived with them during the 4 final days of the AIDA Depth World Championships which were held from the 7th to the 14th of September 2019 in Villefranche-sur-Mer, right next to Nice. Villefranche Bay is nicknamed the Bay of Legends due to its history of being the birthplace of apnea competition. AIDA (in French, “Association International Développement …
Diving in Nice, the heart of the French Riviera
Through a fortunate chain of circumstances, this summer, I have spent in total of one month in Nice, between my first house-sitting experience and an enthralling blog trip. Only 40 km from the Italian border, I embraced its strong local culture, whether we talk about architecture or culinary specialities, and of course, went diving in Nice. It always surprises visitors that the elegant capital of …
Successes & failures of an aspiring responsible diver
We all heard it from our first Open Water class “Only leave bubbles”. Scuba divers have the incredible privilege to witness the beauty of the 71% of the planet that most people will never see. We are a crowd aware of the fragility of our environment with repeated coral bleaching events and marine life choking on plastic. However, to be a responsible diver, the …
Outlaw vs Rogue: full review of Aqualung minimalist BCDs
“No, Florine, it’s not a travel BCD, it’s a minimalist BCD”. You should have seen my face when at Paris Dive Show 2017, Aqualung’s product manager introduced me to the prototype of their brand new concept, the Outlaw. Too late, I was already in love. Minimalism is not something I fancy, it’s my way of living (says the girl who carry 20 kg of …
How to edit underwater photos with the free editor Gimp
Following my blog post which aim was to show the basic techniques on how to take pictures underwater, here are the details of my routine to edit underwater photos. With the open-source editing software Gimp, it is easy (and free) to learn how to edit your underwater pictures to enhance your best scuba diving memories. Even if you couldn’t manage to take beautiful photos, this …
How to take pictures underwater: my top 5 tips for beginners
There’s no greater pleasure for me than to bring back underwater memories from my scuba diving trips whether they are tropical destinations or local dive sites. I love the diversity of aquatic ecosystems. For us, scuba divers, it feels natural to share with family and friends the absolute beauty that lies below the surface. Especially since we are the only ones to witness the …