If your Second Life is activity based and you enjoy exploring, have you spent any time swimming with the fishes in the blue seas of our virtual world?  If you haven’t, what are you waiting for??  Some time ago, we made changes to the underwater landscape of the Playa Sol Mañanero sim providing an intercoastal type of dive.  Recently, with the other changes on the sim, we have spent some time updating the experience down under too \o/.  So come on over and check it out!

First… if your avatar has some awesome lungs and you can hold your breath for hours, you don’t really need to do more than just walk or swim (fly) under the water for a realistic view of a reef area.  But, where is the fun in that?!?  Better to either put on your scuba gear or perhaps become a mermaid/man and dive in for the full experience.  If you are wondering just where to get that scuba gear, you are in luck!  We have a HEPS equipment vendor for rental gear (5L/minute) and have just opened Sol Mañanero Scuba, if you want to really do it right!

Once you are all geared up and ready for this shore dive, just walk out into the waters of Sol Mañanero and let your diving gear take over.  A shore dive is one where you can just walk out from land to enjoy.  These are quite often considered, our sim not excluded, to also be intercoastal dives which can offer some of the most varied and popular sea life.  As you cross the sim border, you will enter the world under the waters of Playa Sol Mañanero. where you will find sea turtles, rays, sharks and fish swimming and swirling all about the aquatic vegetation.  Look out for wreckage as well… yep, sadly our reef has been the demise of several sea and air going vehicles *wink*   I find swimming underwater in Second Life to be rather peaceful, a moment to enjoy for one’s self.  And if you are suited up  with the appropriate gear, you will also hear your breathing regulator apparatus enhancing the experience.  The ability to see the re-creation of real world sea-going creatures, flora and other items of interest, just add to that moment.

Now, Sol Mañanero is not the only place that you can find such wonderous under sea adventures.  The PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructor) sims called Dive World offer a great environment and the complex supports the world of diving.  On the HEPS website, you can find other locations as well (gear rental and diving).    For a fantastical undersea adventure, check out Syncretia sim where you can suit up with a free skin and gear, including ears and tail, and head underwater to find some very unusual creative scenes.

All in all, diving is just another fun adventure that we can experience year-round in Second Life.  So brush the snow from your hair, and sit in your comfy chair and allow your avatar to explore… while you remain warm and dry!

’til next time,

~Sunshine