I’m first and foremost a scientist. It’s what I went to post secondary school for, it’s how my brain is hardwired. Lucky for us it makes me great at researching and planning and Joey has no problems giving me the reigns. I’m a firm believer in doing your homework to find the best deals. Over the past few years, the trips that we’ve taken have required a fair share of shopping around. Here are some of the best companies we have used during our travels.
A European born company founded in 2008, Uber is a world class transportation service that connects people looking for rides with reliable drivers through a mobile app. By entering your pickup and drop off location Uber has the trip fare displayed upfront so that both parties know the cost, the company then charges the credit card setup on your account so no cash money transfer takes place. New to Uber? Sign up for your own account here and get your first Uber trip free up to 20$. A progressive way to make foreign travel safe and affordable, Uber is slowly becoming the taxis of tomorrow!
https://www.scubaeducators.org/
Scuba Educators is a scuba diving certification agency whose roots stem from the YMCA scuba and skin diving program. In 2008, a group of former YSCUBA instructors Ken Nemeth, Dan Marelli and Tom Leaird banded together to create Scuba Educators – a new high standard scuba education agency with no connection to the YMCA. In 2011 the agency further expanded by purchasing and merging with the first SCUBA instructors college in the United States, the Professional Diving Instructors College (PDIC).
Scuba Educators specializes in supporting independent instructors. Email [email protected] to find out how they help instructors worldwide teach at a high level while keeping fees low.
Dive Zihuatanejo is a scuba diving, snorkeling, and whale watching shop on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Located in the heart of Zihuatanejo, this PADI dive shop may be small in size, but it has a big passion for the ocean. Owner of Dive Zihuatanejo, Maude Jetté is originally from Canada and has been diving all over the Caribbean. With many years of dive experience, Maude knows what it takes to show visitors the best of the underwater Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa region.
Email: [email protected]
What better way to enjoy wintertime than by hitting the slopes either by ski or by snow board. Purplesnow is a Dutch company based out of Dordrecht that offers Alp ski and snowboarding vacations throughout France and Austria. On our Flaine, France winter sport trip we were very pleased with our mountainside accommodations and rentals. The crew at Purplesnow made us feel like family and we had a fantastic time on and off the slopes.
https://stream2sea.com/?ref=divebuds
Stream2Sea is an ecologically sustainable Florida-based company founded by scuba diver and chemist Autumn Blum. What began as a mission to create true “reef safe” sunscreen, has grown and expanded into a mineral-based product line that has been tested and proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish and coral larvae. Today Stream2Sea has passed the stringent HEL Labs Protect Land + Sea certification with scientific work as proof of their ecological integrity.
https://awesome-maps.com/?ref=tuDwr-lZQ-N2
Awesome Maps is a German-based company hell-bent on inspiring globetrotters, since 2010, to discover their world. The company meticulously researches, hand-illustrates, and prints world maps that both inform and inspire wanderlust. Awesome Maps have a wide variety of prints available on paper, canvas, or towel material. These maps are the perfect addition to your home, workplace, van, or backpack.
La Méduse is an artistic glass blowing company founded by François Turbide in 1985. The workshop was originally located behind François’s house in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, where for over 20 years François would demonstrate his craft to visitors. The company is now owned by the daughter of François, Catherine Chevrier-Turbide and his past glass blowing apprentice, Sophie Bourgeois. After several years as business partners, these two incredibly talented artists have brought a new energy and creative avenues for La Méduse’s blown glassworks.
https://www.glasssipper.ca/?ref=-1bwh8ovhqy
Combining their love for glass-making with their love for a sustainable environment, in 2014 Aimee and Fred Promislow created GlassSipper a family-owned business. While GlassSipper started as an artistic hobby turned career, the increasing problem of single-use plastic has committed the BC couple to rid the world of plastic straws and replacing them with fun, reusable and environmentally friendly ones. GlassSipper’s glass straws are made from natural silica making them non-toxic and eco-friendly.
https://spacefisharmy.com/?ref=-1bwh8ovhqy
Spacefish Army is a clothing and rashguard line that specializes in unique high-quality apparel for divers, snorkelers, surfers and ocean lovers of all shapes and sizes. This small-scale business was founded in 2018 by traveler, clothing designer and scuba diver Morgan Oughton, who as a divemaster, was always looking for something fun to wear. Through the Spacefish Army, Morgan unexpectedly combined her past career as a clothing designer in NYC with her newfound passion for the ocean!
http://wildwoodeyewear.refr.cc/divebuddies
Wildwood Eyewear is a premier Canadian brand of sustainable sunglasses created using eco-friendly material. Their sunglasses are handcrafted, unique and stylish, manufactured from various types of wood with polarized lenses. Feel good knowing you’re wearing eco-friendly materials, and your purchase helps protect our planet.
Command Base Creative Design Inc. is a boutique web design and development agency with clients across the United States, Canada and the Netherlands. The company specializes in web design, coding, hosting and maintenance. Over its nine years in business, the company has earned a strong reputation for reliability and security. Dive Buddies 4 Life has partnered with Command Base Creative Design Inc. creating a line of Diver Down Website Packages made exclusively with the diving industry in mind.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
