The popular Dubai resort Atlantis, The Palm has opened ‘The Atlantis Dive Centre’, a new world class scuba diving establishment located within the resort.

The five-star scuba diving center has been accredited by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and the establishment offers courses starting from basic “Discover Scuba Diving” to advanced ones such as “Open Water Diver” qualification. Children can also have fun via the junior diver courses offered by the center. They also offer scuba equipment and swimwear.

Prior to exploring the open ocean, tourists and guests can learn the basics of diving via one of the hotel’s specially-made saltwater pools.

Divers certified by PADI can then participate in a half-day trip in the Arab Gulf where they can visit man-made coral reefs and shipwrecks off the coasts of Dubai.

Advanced courses include deep diving, wreck diving, night diving and underwater photography.

The Atlantis Diver is a certified member of the Emirates Dive Association.

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.