A British scuba diving enthusiast bested other applicants for what would be labeled as the “Best Job in the World” – to become caretaker of an Australian island near Great Barrier Reef.

Ben Southall will have a six-month stint as caretaker of the Hamilton Island, which is based in the northern part of Queensland. He’ll be paid more than $100,000 by staying in the island, exploring the beaches through snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing. He’ll also write an online diary weekly to inform the world about the wonders of the island.

The 34-year old resident of Hampshire, England will fit well in the job considering that he’s a fan of adventure including scuba diving.

The global recession and expected decline in tourists prompted Tourism Queensland to launch this campaign. Dubbed as “Best Job in the World,” the contest was launched in January and more than 34,000 applicants submitted their entries.

The publicity paid off, hundreds of thousands of online visitors all over the world accessed the website. The tourism team trimmed down their prospects to 16 finalists before they chose Southall.

Southall will have a three-bedroom house plus unrestricted access throughout the island in order to effectively come up with convincing online entries.

About 25 scuba diving aficionados dove into the 47-degree water of the American River located at Lake Natoma on Friday in celebration of the New Year. Despite the cold weather, the divers were enthusiastic about the event and were not bothered at all.

Both male and female participants wore drysuits and wetsuits before going through the scuba diving activity.

The event is dubbed the 12th annual “Polar Bear Dive” and it was organized by Andy’s Scuba World in Sacramento, California. The divers cruised up to the Rainbow Bridge. They have a buddy or diving partner assigned before they dropped below the surface.

The participants said that it was a memorable day and was worth the cold temperature. Others say that they will make this a yearly activity.

A 58-year old retired nurse reportedly drowned in South Florida seas last weekend in an accident.

According to Broward Sheriff’s Office, Mary Darnley – a recently certified scuba diver was with her husband and other divers at the Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. The couple and the group, after a fun day scuba diving, decided to swim ashore. Darnley’s husband went ahead and thought that his wife was following him. However, when he and the others turned around, they saw her body floating in the ocean.

The group immediately brought Darnley into shore and administered Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, their efforts were to no avail. They immediately rushed her to the Holy Cross Hospital. However, hospital officials declared her dead an hour later.

The couple, who lives in Pennsylvania and came in Florida for a vacation, stayed at the Yacht Haven Park and Marina in Fort Lauderdale. They usually go south each year whenever it is winter time in their state.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Darnley received her scuba certification two months ago. The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office officially ruled that Darnley’s death was accidental.

It is logical that you need a considerable and substantial investment because your diving gear should be durable and effective. It should also be a very effective tool that you can use for a long time. These diving gears should be able to stand the test of time, the water, the water climate as well as other things that have something to do with diving. However, if you are not really into diving and you are just doing this for some other reasons, it is recommended that you go for those cheaper diving gears. If you widen your searches, you will certainly find some diving gears that will surely fit and suit your budget.

However, there are so many advantages of buying expensive diving gears. First of all, your safety and security is assured because it is certain that your diving gears will work and perform well underwater. You can also use these items for a long time so generally, if you want to enjoy these advantages, you’ve got to shop around for the diving gears that offer lifelong use and topmost performance as well.

The Suit Must Fit – The diving wet suit will be a diver’s second skin. Not only will it keep the diver warm under water, it can also protect him/her from the elements. That is why it is necessary that the diving suit fit just right. Too tight and it might end up cutting up circulation or chaffing the diver. Too loose and it may not function well as a thermo regulator. Loose suits can also be very dangerous and can also slow a diver down.

Other items like goggles, diving fins, swimwear and underwater breathing apparatuses must also meet a diver’s need completely. The goggles must fit a divers face and seal out water. Fins must also be the right size and fit the divers feet snuggly.