THE DIVE SHOP

Sammie Audion

Finding joy in Second Life (SL) depends for a big part on having a purpose there. Certainly many purposes are available, given one takes the time to look through the options. Those options might be in education, art, technology, creativity, social activities, friendship, romance, exploration, companionship— even a job.

Many residents come to SL looking for romance alone. Some are lucky enough to find what they came for; many don’t. Perhaps finding someone with similar interests and having something to do together will increase the chances for a fulfilling love life in this virtual world. But this piece is not about finding a fulfilling love live whatsoever. This is more about finding a possible purpose, something to explore— alone or, perhaps, together.

Just what is this possible purpose? Scuba diving. That’s right. Scuba has been available on SL for quite a while. Some diving sims are more serious than others. One of the best places to get into scuba diving would be The Dive Shop. The Dive Shop is supported by PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Much of the technical background taught at The Dive Shop is surprisingly accurate and gives a glimpse into the technical aspect of scuba diving in RL as well.

The Dive Shop claims to have the most realistic underwater environment, though I’d be curious to see other sims challenge that stat. They also give a home to RL PADI diver training, including an introduction to NITROX. In recreational diving terms, enriched air nitrox (EAN) refers to any nitrogen/oxygen gas mixture with an oxygen concentration higher than the 21 percent found in normal air— 32 percent oxygen being the most common. It is this higher percentage of oxygen, and the proportionately lower percentage of nitrogen, that allows divers to lengthen nodecompression limits, shorten surface intervals, and get an added safety buffer for decompression sickness in certain diving circumstances. But of course, this is not all! Interested in learning how to read (and understand) a dive computer? Besides the technical aspect of scuba diving (as far as it can the recreated in SL, anyway), the Dive Shop offers access to five truly amazing, geographically-themed dive sites. Divers can observe fish and other sea creatures and dive all the way down to depths of 50 meters.

Some dives can be simple, swimming through shallow waters where small, colorful fish attract the eye. In these shallow waters, almost alien-like nudibranchs or colorful slugs might be hard to spot, but their graceful moves and stunning beauty is always a welcomed reward on any dive. The deeper the dive takes us, the more likely the fish will get bigger. One might find a grouper, a swordfish, a stingray or manta, perhaps even a shark.

Other dives are more technical, taking the adventurer to a sunken boat that might hide a forgotten treasure or hold an old secret that went down with the sinking ship. Entering boats underwater is not without risk. For instance, an inexperienced diver might stir up sediments, and soon they might not be able to see anything anymore. It is not unheard of for divers to miss going deeper inside the wreck and lose track of proper decompression. With proper training, however, wreck dives are truly exciting and fun.

Eventually, when returning to the surface, some decompression stops might be necessary, depending on the depth and time. So, why not get the training to explore this photogenic wonderland freely? Taking underwater photos in SL is fantastic, too.

This scuba journey might take an SL resident even further. Sure, it is great to spend time with a friend or loved one like this. A shared adventure is certainly meaningful and can be fun for many hours.

But this adventure could go beyond even that. PADI offers their theory education fully online. Imagine, you and your partner could take this to Real Life (RL). Pass the theory portion of a PADI Open Water online training, then meet at a tropical

Granted, not everyone might be interested in becoming a scuba diver in RL. However, it could be something to explore in SL— alone, with a loved one, or with friend(s). After all, virtual scuba diving for a second date might not be such a terrible idea at all.

Visit The Dive Shop at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ Ukupanipo/133/102/63

Arya Braveheart

August is here, which signals the final few weeks of summer both in Second Life and for half of the Real World. That means we need to make the most of the last vestiges of sunshine, swimming, and sunscreen before the days grow shorter and we are cast back into autumn.

Naturally, that meant that I had to do a pool related scene for you with all the things I enjoy about summer: swimming pools, cold drinks, snacks, and dining outside. Let’s soak it all in and appreciate the warmth of August.

The pool was a natural choice for this article, as it had a great decking area and a lovely gazebo for dining. The cool thing about this pool is that if you touch the wooden decking, it slides over the pool to create more space for dancing or partying when the water gets too cold for evening swimming. The pool is from Your Dreams and is aptly named the Hidden Pool.

The lovely dining table, chairs and place settings are also part of the pool set so that makes it easy to decorate with items that fit the space perfectly. How easy is that? It also means that you can enjoy the ice cream quicker!

The awesome floating pool car and movie screen are a great way to watch some YouTube and relax at the same time. Yes, the TV works! You can rez as many cars as you want, and they come with animations, too, if the movies get a bit dull. These items are from CHEZ MOI. The rest of the deck items are from a variety of designers around Second Life— some are old and some are new. Never fear using a mix of your inventory items to create the look and vibe that you want. If it works, it doesn’t matter when you bought it, although I would stick to mesh items if I were you.

Being a safety-conscious pool owner, I also decided to fence the whole pool area off; this meant I could add some gorgeous fruit trees from Little Branch to the scene. What could be better than a swim and some fresh fruit off the trees lining the pool? They can be eaten or used in drinks!

There are many amazing pools around SecondLife, so I hope this inspires you to go and check them out for yourself. Every summer backyard deserves a gorgeous place to swim and relax. Enjoy August!