BACK TO BASICS

Definitely more than just a buoyancy masterclass, the Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) Fundamentals course hones skills to enhance enjoyment in the water.

The Fundamentals course, or "Fundies" as it is affectionately termed, is tailored to help the diver acquire skills to make him more comfortable, confident and competent in the water. Although it is a prerequisite for all of GUE's technical and cave diving courses, it is still an excellent programme for the recreational diver who is committed to safety, awareness and acquiring knowledge of the environment.

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Planning is key when plunging into caves
Don't believe everything you see in the movies, says cave diver

The New Paper on Sunday, 3rd April 2011
By Noor Ashikin

Cave diving - death defying? Probably so, judging from Hollywood's depiction of this extreme sport.

Both The Cave (2005) and Sanctum - which opened in theatres here last Thursday - left viewers breathless in fear with scenes of actors being trapped and drowning in the dark.

But Singaporean cave diver Leon Boey says cave diving isn't usually as "extreme" as it is shown on the big screen.

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Get GUE, Asian Diver August 2011
by Leon Boey

Cave diving… it is truly the last frontier of scuba diving. For the uninitiated, it’s dangerous, unknown and scary. However, with the proper training and consideration for the environment, cave diving can be safe, enjoyable and challenging at the same time.

Unlike in open water diving, caves are overhead environments, making a direct ascent to the surface impossible. Because of this, one has to be very aware of the resources available during the dive, such that in the event of some failure (light, gas, lost buddy or lost line), everyone can safely exit the cave.

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Living Fantasea, Shape Magazine, July 2011

by Li Yuling

No prizes for guessing my favourite Disney cartoon: The Little Mermaid had me at Sebastian's soulful rendition of Under The Sea. Though the film offered only a hint of the ocean's true glory, it was enough to fuel my curiosity. But before taking the plunge, I'd need a scuba licence.

BUOYANT WITH ANTICIPATION

Standing at the water's edge, I bubbled with excitement. Earlier that week, my buddy and I had our first theory lesson with Leon Boey, our instructor from dive education centre Living Seas. We'd pored through the first half of the Padi Open Water Diver textbook during the intense three-hour sitting, and covered topics ranging from underwater breathing and movement to gear fitting and selection. Now it was time to get wet.

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The Sinking of the TT Seven Skies

Wreck Diving in the South China Sea

By Richard Walkland

It is 1969: Nixon succeeds Johnson as President of the USA and the Beatles give their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records. The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight. John Lennon records “Give Peace a Chance” from his hotel bed as the Battle of Dong Ap Bia, also known as “Hamburger Hill,”rages in Vietnam. The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle lands on the lunar surface and the world watches in awe as Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the moon. Unnoticed for another two decades, the first strain of the AIDS virus (HIV) migrates to the United States via Haiti. Woodstock is held in upstate New York and on a Sunday night in early October “Monty Python's Flying Circus” airs for the first time on the BBC…

...the next morning sees the sun rise hot over a flat calm South China Sea as an oil tanker cruises southwards at 10 knots east of the island of Tioman. She is on route from Japan to Dubai where she will be re-stocked with crude oil, but for now her holds are empty—almost.

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Living the high seas

Comfort zone lies the water for the owner of a dive school. Karen Ng reports

'Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air's salubrity,' seems to be the most apt description for Leon Boey, the new owner of dive school Living Seas. But in this case, American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson's take on freedom actually describes what My Boey does for a living.

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Darker Shades of Blue

Text Leon Boey Photos Daniel Riordan Araujo

What would make three Singaporeans travel halfway around the world to dive in an overhead environment hundreds of metres from the nearest entrance in the underwater caves of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico? That’s something we asked ourselves during our long flight to Cancun, to undertake our GUE Cave Diver Level 1 course.

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Masters of the Sea

Sea "masters" Thomas Yong and Leon Boey share their most memorable underwater memories.

by Ashley Choo

Divemaster Thomas Yong can't remember the number of times he has dived since taking up scuba diving in 2004. "200? 300?" he ponders aloud when asked. One of his diving buddies reckons it's closer to "400". 'What the 50-year old can recall vividly though is the time spent underwater, especially at his favourite dive site at East Malaysia's Pulau Aur which according to him, "is like a swimming pool" because of its easy access.

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