Scuba Diving in South Korea

Here's the question:

I was wondering if you knew of anywhere in Korea that would be good for gaining a diving license. I have nothing at the moment and would need to start from scratch. Also I don't live in Seoul so if there was something on the south coast or in Busan that would be great.

While generally not seen as a popular pastimes among Koreans, Scuba diving is gaining some momentum these days. Just as with other watersports (pun intended), Koreans are warming up to the water and trying out some more leisurely pursuits. Personally I am not into diving as the initial costs deter me from starting, but there does appear to be a couple expat resources.

Scuba in Korea, based out of Daejon, offers some pretty decent info. They've got everything from courses and dive sites to underwater photography and shark diving info.

* Aquatic Frontier, based out of Osan, makes the claim to be the only "USFK Approved Diving" club in Korea. They also offer courses and have a pretty active calendar.

* Deep Blue Quest also offers courses.

* Wet ROK Diving out of Daegu has got some courses and by the looks of it, they seem to offer the cheapest courses.

* Big Blue 33 is the number one dive resource for Jeju and it appears to be doing quite well. Its prices are reasonable as well.

I'm sure there might be some other smaller groups or clubs out there, but if you get connected with any of these organizations I'm sure you'll be able to get into the sport.

Any divers out there have any recs?

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Western Food and Costco in Daegu, South Korea

Here's the question:

Hello!

Some days I live off of cereal and soup. Can you please tell me I will be able to buy such things as Captain Crunch Berries, Honey Bunches of Oats, Ramen Noodles and Hot Chocolate mix with the little marshmallows. I am very open to eating others foods I just wanted to know if they had this stuff or should I try to cram it somewhere in my suitcase. And also can you tell me what foods I just won't be able to get so I can be mentally prepared...lol. I will be living in SangIn, Daegu.

Thanks!

Food always seems to be a big concern and well, I'm sorry to say, but I think I can go ahead a cross Captain Crunch Berries and Honey Bunches of Oats right off that list. You will not find them in any Korean supermarket. Luckily however, you won't be totally out of options. First of all, take a look at EZShop Korea. It does a pretty good job at detailing what's available in the stores. On top of that, you're going to Daegu (which is a lovely city), you will have the luxury of a Costco is your city. Yet, you will be living in Sangin, which is southern Daegu and the Costco is north of the city in Buk-Gu. Here's a little map.



For a quick read on the Costco in Daegu, check out the Galbijim site. It looks like it's a bit difficult to get to for anyone without a car, but they offer some info about it's location.

You can take Line 1 or Red line from Sangin Station to Keungogae Station and "then from exit 4, cross the street to the other side of the intersection and take a cab the rest of the way, which will only be a 3-4 minutes drive." You could also check out some other modes of transportation here.



I have not been to the one in Daegu, but I do know that I have seen the "hot Chocolate mix with the little marshmallows" here in a Seoul Costco. The cereal that I've seen tends to be limited to General Mills cereal and as I'm writing, for some reason I get the feeling that I've actually seen Honey Bunches of Oats, but I'm just not sure. You can look at a broad overview of some of the Costco products here. As for ramen noodles (라면), you're heading to the mecca of all things ramen. The flavor might be a little different from what you're used to, but there is never, ever a shortage of ramen here. Click here for an overview of what Korea has to offer in the world of ramen. Same goes for soup. The average Korean eats soup more than twice a day and the variety is really quite fantastic. Click here and here for a quick look at some Korean soups.

As I mentioned, a lot of people are concerned about adjusting their eating habits to an entirely new taste and it's a totally valid concern. There's nothing easy about it, but after a few months of open-minded dabbling, you'll discover what western treats you can live with and without and which Korean flavors you like. Here's a list of some restaurants in and around Daegu. I also have heard of some people who had friends in the US military that would bring them on the base for some all-western grocery shopping. I know Daegu has four camps around the area, but I don't know what the grocery situation on base is.

But remember, a package from home is always an option.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

South Korea Weather and the "Four Distinct Seasons"

Here's the question:

What's the weather like in Korea? All the travel books say that it's the same as Washington DC (I'm from Baltimore) and the seasons are about the same as well. What's the monsoon season like?

Daniel

As I was reading the question I was really hoping that a "four distinct seasons" line would be in there, but I assume the season's comment was a reference to that. As most people do before coming to Korea, purchasing a travel book is always a good idea. And when you start reading it, an absurb fact that has been mocked over and over again for years and years among the expat community is revealed: KOREA HAS FOUR DISTINCT SEASONS. Despite that there is nothing unique about this weather pattern, Korea seems to like push the line. New K-Blog, Dong Chim, takes a nice shot at the claim here.

Unlike those guide books and even the graph to the right, I would say that Korea (or at least the northern regions) has closer to two seasons. The summers are long, wet and hot and the winters are long, cold and dry. Spring and fall are essentially short transitional seasons that experience very unsteady and drastic temperature changes. This winter, for instance, was very long. It started to get really cold last October and was still near freezing this April. In fact, according to Gangwon Notes, it snowed on April 26th in Gangwon-do. Last May, I went camping just north of the Han river and it was literally below freezing at night.

However, you can escape the weather in the north simply by heading south. I might be partial since I had an amazing trip the south last weekend, but Jeollanam-do is really beautiful and the weather seems to be more steady as well as all the other southern islands and cities like Busan, Daegu and, of course, Jeju. That's not to say they don't get cold, they do, but really anywhere in the Gyeongsangnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do usually experience warmer weather. Or since you're an American, I'll put it this way: If you live in northern South Korea, then expect Midwestern US weather (Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri etc...). If you decide to stick to the south, you can expect southern US weather (Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina etc...)

The monsoon season can be bad and it has been known to flood some regions south of Seoul, but for the most part it just means a wet walk to work for about two or three weeks in July or maybe August. In my opinion, like the Yellow Dust issue, the monsoon season tends to be greatly exaggerated.

I'd say that it's nothing that you should be concerned about. Just read the averages and pack well.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.