The Surfing Equipment You Need

May 2nd, 2010


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Surfing equipment is fairly basic and not very expensive to buy. If you are a first time surfer, you should borrow a board and get a feel of it before purchasing your own. Do some research on trusted surfing equipment providers and vendors and don’t compromise on the quality of the equipment. If you’re learning to surf, then use this as a check list while you’re out shopping.

The Surfboard

You can’t surf without it! Surfboards have undergone major transformation. Initially they were made of wood and were very big and heavy. But today boards are made of foam, fibreglass and even polyester resin. Newer surfboard designs use materials such as carbon fibre and variable-flex composites. The main parts of a board are the deck, rail, nose, tail and stringer.

The deck is the flat side of the board where the surfer stands. The nose is the part of the board that sits out of the water, it usually pointed and round. The tail is the at the back of the board that has many different shapes. It holds the leash that the surfer attaches to his ankle so the board doesn’t get lost. The rails are the “edge” of the surfboard.

They run from the tail to the nose and also along the place where the deck and the bottom meet. Rail shapes vary from board to board that provide different surfboard performances. There are different types of boards; some are long and some are short. There are four basic designs, the first is the longboard, or the Malibu, the second is the shortboard, known as the thruster, the third is the fish, which is similar to the shortboard and the fourth is the gun. The best board for a beginner is the Malibu.

Wet suits

The next item on the list is the wetsuit. Some people wear trunks or shorts to surf, while others prefer the wetsuit. The wetsuit is great in colder climates, like in Europe or Australia, and keep you warm. Make sure you choose a wetsuit that has a sealed seam, which will hold a thin layer of water that works as insulation for the body.

Leash

A leash is a cable that has one end fixed to the tail of the board and the other end attached to the ankle. The leash ensures the board doesn’t get too far away from the surfer. The leash should be about the same length as your board.

Surfboard Wax

The wax is applied to the surface of the board to enhance the grip of the surfer in any condition. It is also applied to the sides of the board, i.e. on the rails.

You have the equipment and now it’s time to learn how to surf. Soul Surfing in Australia provides surf lessons and also organises surfing camps and yoga retreats. Visit their website for any additional information: http://www.soulsurfing.com.au.

Harrison Keeley is an avid surfer and has travelled around the world in search of the best surfing spots. His articles on his passion are interesting and informative. http://www.soulsurfing.com.au.

See Also : Shop Bmw

Bookmark and Share

Scuba Diving – Scuba Diving the Wrecks in Florida Keys

April 29th, 2010


Image : http://www.flickr.com

If it weren’t for the coral reef located in the Florida Keys, the United States would have nothing to offer as far as scuba diving and coral reefs are concerned. In addition to the living coral reef that has been a main scuba diving attraction of the Florida Keys for more than 35 years, numerous dive able wrecks are scattered throughout the waters providing exotic and breathtaking artificial reef habitats. Here is a brief overview of some of the wrecks you can visit while scuba diving in the Florida Keys:

Benwood – The Benwood is perhaps the oldest scuba diving wreck site to be found in the Florida Keys. This WWII ship was sunk in 1942 when it collided with another whip while dodging German U-boats near the coast of Florida. While the wreck is not intact (it was blown apart because it presented a boating hazard) it is home to a wide array of marine life. Scuba diving near the Benwood will bring you face to face with critters such as Pork fish, grunts, lobsters, moray eels, glassy sweepers, Sergeant Majors, Goatfish, and Christmas Tree Worms. Since the ship had run aground before it was blown up, the dive is a relatively shallow one and great for novice divers as well as advanced divers.

Cayman Salvage Master – This wreck that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys is a Cuban refugee vessel that was confiscated by the US government. The ship was tied up to a dock where she sank before she was re-floated. Then, during her burial voyage of 1985, she sank in about 90 feet of water coming to rest on her side. Recently, Hurricane Katrina righted the ship and now divers can swim along the hull and deck hoping to spy huge Jewfish and moray eels that reside in the open hatches of the wreck.

Duane – If you’re experienced at scuba diving, you might want to pay a visit to the wreck Duane while you’re in the Florida Keys area. This US Coast Guard Cutter was intentionally sunk in 120 feet of water in the year 1987. Due to the strong Gulf Stream current and depth associated with the wreck, only advanced divers are allowed to dive this site. The Duane is home to grunts, sponges, chubbs, jacks, barracuda, and numerous tropical fish.

In addition to these three wrecks that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys, there are several other wrecks in the area that have been intentionally sunk to become artificial reef habitats. Each offers a different experience and a unique look into how the ocean transforms a foreign object into a beautiful habitat where marine life can grow and thrive.

To obtain your 2 FREE Gifts: Special Report “Insider’s Guide to Scuba Diving Gear” and Special Report “Top 10 Ways to Make Money while Scuba Diving”, go to http://www.thatdivesite.com and sign up for the FREE Gifts.

My Links : Mooyong.Mac-Blog.Com Orlandovacation Fossil

Bookmark and Share

He Ain’t Heavy…He’s EN-LIGHTENED

April 27th, 2010


Image : http://www.flickr.com

I have always heard, and believe it is so, that you can’t have an arguement with an enlightened individual. For most, to be enlightened brings up the idea or image of a guru or devotee with a spacey, non caring look and demeanor. It strikes us as someone who might not be all there and isn’t real. However, to be en-lightened is also a way of mind to be that is not detached, but less heavy, less burdened and less needful to be noticed. This leaves most Westerners out of the picture of course, since being full, burdened and noticed is what most minds need to feel good about themselves.

What are a few traits that point towards an EN-Lightened mind?

An En-Lightened mind does not have to win or be right in order to be whole. Where two or more are gathered together either as a company or a church, there is usally an argument. We often see that someone in the discussion has to win the argument or the point whle the others simple have to give up. Everyone contributes to the big picture of what needs to be understood, but one has to win it seems. To be enlightened is to perhaps contribute, but to not need to win. How often those who win the point or arguement by virtue of the power of their personality, lose the truth in time. If they are not enlightened, they will try harder to win the point back to the harm of all. We don’t always have to win or be right in any particular moment to be enlightened.

An EN_lightened mind can easily use such phrases as “I am sorry you feel that way,” or “That’s an interesting view, and may be part of the story or question we are seeking to undersand.”

An EN-lightened mind can accept the way things are and not insist on fighting and resisting as if by sheer will, it can change what is and won’t change. If it can’t change the facts, it can accept them and feel either the joy, embarassment, hurt, pain, anger or despair the facts might be causing. To feel them, is to disarm them. An enlightened mind realized that to fight reality, things as they really are, is to stay stuck in time, revel in pain and make no forward movement in growth. An En-Lightened mind can say things like “my father has now died, I will miss him.” “I have lost my job, it will be interesting to see where this leads.” “I seem to suffer in underachieving, but accept where life has taken me.” “I have lost many friends, but gained others in the process.” “I have health challenges, but I am not my body or my health challenges. I am just fine.” In short, an EN-lightend mind can say, “Is that so,” and mean it.

An EN-lightened mind can say with ease, “I don’t know everything about that. I will look into it.” It can say “I realize you have not learned all you can about this topic, so let’s talk about what you understand, not what you don’t.”

An EN-lightened person doesn’t judge others one bit. The have no need to feel superior, more knowing, in charge or even “more blessed.” We are who we are. All of us come from different place, have different experiences, experience different chemistry and genetic predispositions. While our consciousness all live in a limited five sensed carbon based wet suit, they are similar but not identicle. Our senses come with filters and we tend to like the people who filter their world as we do and dislike those who have fewer filters or even more and see things differently. How boring a place it would were it to be any other way!

An En-Lightened person recongizes that skepticism is the fuel that makes progress work. It’s like walking. If you don’t go into a more or less forward stepping controlled crash, you can’t move. Walking is a controlled crash an looks great when well done! If there was no doubt as to how things are or skepticism about how others inform us of how things are, we would be so stuck as to preclude any further growth or movement. For better or worse, most Churches and religions are agents of getting stuck. They impede the joy of both sex and science. They lock in stone that which was meant to flow more easily and enforce in one age that which is scorned in the next, leaving whole generations of humans obeying at once, that which they now don’t have to because it only took the Church 400 years to come to their senses. To ask questions is to get better answers. To be told you ask too many questions, or doubt the organization too much, is to be labeled as not a team player. Teams are good but so is the Lone Ranger who thinks outside the box, is skeptical of the current information and willing to press on looking.

One cannot become EN-Lightened by refusing to throw off the burdens that simply don’t work or have proved to be untrue over time. Religion is one of the few aspects of humanity that tends to NOT rid itself of that which obviously does not work or serve the people well. Religion accumlates information, even wrong information and tends to insist it still needs to find a place to fit that bad information into the plan. Thus we have doctrines that contain so much trash and untrue information, few can understand it and the contradictions are chalked up to not having the mind of God to understand it, when in fact it is a simple case of clean out the attic and you’ll find what is important. When science makes a mistake, it informs itself by saying, “that’s not true, and we cannot use this information to explain this or that phenomenon. When religion makes a mistake, it says “we did not,” then kills the one who pointed it out and adds the bad information to the teachings that confound the locals even more. When it confounds too much, it is declared a mystery and the questioner can rest assured they are not smart enough to even ask the right questions, much less understand the mind of God in the answer.

Being enlightened is really a function of being less burdened in the head and thoughts that we are so capable of playing over and over again until we pop. Meditation, while not easy, can help us put spaces between the thoughts and quiet the noise that we think is thinking, but is really what the brain does when the mind is doing useful work. That’s why some say we need to go out of our mind before we come to our senses.

Being enlightened is partly a function of acceptance of things as they are along with not having the need to be right, in charge or the final word, as all these things are subject to change. You can’t have an argument with an enlightened being….I like that.

My Links : Chesapeake Sony.Ladywatches.Us Erotikdessous.Ipacapao.Com

Bookmark and Share