UTD Journal Volume 2, Issue 2, February 2014 | Page 5

Current Day Two millennia, three centuries and some years later UTD courses are regularly being conducted on these same shores. Diving in Lebanon is still a mystery to a lot of foreign dive enthusiasts who have not yet had the chance to experience the varied dive sites such as 600’/200m drop-offs accessed a few yards from shore, or the numerous wrecks ranging in depths from 40’/12m to 460’/140m, rare shark species sightings, deep underwater sulfur springs, underwater roman ruins and fresh water cave systems. Alain briefs divers. With so much wealth offered for divers the sport has grown exponentially since the early nineties. Many agencies have produced thousands of divers within an unregulated, compact and extremely competitive community; a community that has been haunted by a number of undisciplined dive operators and accidents. With such continued growth and no governing body to ensure safety within the local diving industry the only hope for a future of safe diving is developing new divers with the right set of skills, ethos, protocols, and most importantly the “Thinking Diver” mindset, effectively leading the community by example. Mo Hammoud on the MV Tala, Hurghada, Egypt. UTD courses have gradually increased here in recent years and have proven to meet the demands of the underwater conditions on this easternmost part of the Mediterranean ridge. Strong currents and sur vR