|
The story of Bali's biggest
visitor all began way back in 1985, with regular sightings of ominous
fins breaking the surface out the back of famous Shipwreck's surf break
at Nusa Lembongan Island. A young Dive Instructor was relieved
to conclude that the massive fins were not that of a very large predator,
but in fact the fins of worlds heaviest bony fish, the Oceanic Sunfish
or Mola Mola. ...more
|
|
Again this year, the "Great Yap Critter Hunt" expanded the impressive list of exotic and rarely seen marine life that exists on the reefs and drop off walls of Yap Island. For a full month, divers followed creature and muck diving guru Larry Smith to the famous and not-so-famous sites to look for the odd, unusual and colorful creatures of the Western Pacific. ...more
|
|
A 700-kilometre chain of 80-plus islands ringed with coral fringing reefs, the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu boasts active volcanoes, lush rain forests and a fascinating array of marine life that includes dugongs, the legendary 'mermaids' of folklore. It is also home to the world's largest accessible shipwreck, the SS President Coolidge. ...more
|
|
Back in 1994 when John
Riley and I were in the latter stages of our search for the wreck of
the MYOLA off Long Reef in Sydney , covering miles and miles of seabed
, where the wreck wasn't, "mowing the lawn" with a towed magne-
tometer, finding and dive-investigating bits of scrap, earth magnetic anomalies and old anchors, we came across a strong hit south of the wreck reef in the Collaroy Basin.. ...more |
|
Cries of, "Thar she blows!" are dim echoes of the 1830's when whaling was acknowledged as Australia's first primary industry. An era when, from shore-side whaling stations established along the country's eastern seaboard, catcher vessels would put to sea to hunt and kill the huge creatures during their annual migration northwards. ...more
|
Travelling the world's hidden byways in search of the perfect diving destination,
many divers pay little attention to the major cities through which their journeys
take them; usually in the belief that such places have little to offer in the
way of diving interest. ...more |
The
rarely seen, tropical mola-mola or ocean sunfish is one of those Holy
Grail type of creatures that many divers and marine scientists would
like to see but few have the opportunity. ...more |
Diving is a potentially hazardous activity. The materials
contained within this magazine are for informational
purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for proper and appropriate
training. Copyright (C) 2002-2005 Hydro Tech Systems. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part without express written permission is prohibited. |
Where can you ride a train nearly 2 kilometres out to sea or walk the length of the southern hemisphere's longest timber jetty and snorkel or dive amongst schooling fish and tropical coral. ...more |
To appreciate Bonaire diving, you first need to understand the basic geology of the island and its reef structure. Bonaire is the most arid and level of the Antilles chain. Being flat, it has great constant breezes - Bonaire is becoming the parasailing capital of the world - and being arid, it has myriad cactus. Formidable organ pipe "fences" are grown to keep the other island constants - the wild donkeys and goats - from eating cherished vegetation. ...more |
"On entering the lagoon, the scene is very curious and rather pretty, its beauty is, however, solely derived from the brilliancy of the surrounding colours" Charles Darwin, 1836 For those of you who, like me, have heard about the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and do not know where they are - let me help you. ...more |
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats." - Wind In The Willows. It's an inspirational piece of advice that, down through the years, has struck a chord with everyone who dives and who has ever dreamt of journeying to those remote diving locations where the marine life is more abundant ...more |
Often hearing experienced divers talking about The Great Barrier Reef "cattle boats", I was pleasantly surprised that there are some operators that offer great boats, great service and most of all, great diving.
...more |
Wander past the shops on the Hawaiian Islands and you'll see T-shirts with many colorful and clever sayings. Pick "Dive the Volcano", the one with the mantas and the lava. That sums up our trip to Hawaii quite well.
...more |
|
The people of Yap have
never been ones to rest on their laurels. This Micronesian island nation,
located just north of Palau in the Western Pacific Ocean, is small in
population but big in breakthroughs. Its people pioneered open ocean
natural navigation, using only the stars, ...more
|
|
Covering an area of more than 38,695 sq. kms, the Kingdom of Thailand has 74 National parks evenly distributed throughout the country. Encompassing every type of topography, from mountain scenery in the north to coastal mangroves in the south, a number of the parks around the southern coastlines are among the world's top diving destinations. ...more
|
|
After an overnight stay in Brisbane I joined the queue for the Air Niugini flight over to Papua New Guinea. Soon after touching down at Hoskins Airport our convoy, a truck piled high with dive bags and two mini-passenger vans loaded up with divers and precious camera gear, was motoring towards Walindi Plantation, a 45 minute drive away. ...more
|
|
I had decided that if I did not see a Great White this time, the shark had won and this would be one of the ocean's wonders that I would never experience.
...more
|
|
Bali beckons many and among those are divers. But just off the east coast is a complex of three islands that few take the opportunity to see. Here the currents run strong and the corals are healthy and varied. For divers, it is a great place to do all kinds of diving, from wild drifts to sedate searches.
...more
|
|
First brought to the attention of recreational divers through the televised exploits of Jacques Cousteau during the 1980's, Sipadan is a small speck of an island located approximately 30 kms offshore from the Eastern Malaysian province of Sabah, on the island of Borneo.
...more
|
|
This summer the legendary islands were host to a "wrexpedition", a unique event that saw divers from 9 different countries converge on former war anchorages in Palau's Rock Islands. Normally, Palau isn't thought of as Micronesia's shipwreck haven.
...more
|
|
Recognising the high rate of quality underwater encounters, many top underwater photographers - like Mike Sevens (who has a dive site named after him), Fred Bavendam; film production giant Stan Waterman - make return pilgrimages to North Sulawesi's, Manado to photograph their next award-winning images.
...more
|
|
I have always loved PNG and during my years in Dive Travel, was lucky enough to visit the country many times. These trips were wonderful experiences but only being able to spend just a few days at a time at any one resort, did not quite capture the luxury of being there on holidays.
...more
|
|
Mark Stegge of MIVA, the Marshall Islands Visitor Authority, is quick to point out that his nation is one of but four in the world that is an "atoll nation". That is, all of the land in the country is part of an atoll. These Marshal Island landmasses have some famous names including Bikini and Rongelap of 1950s nuclear testing fame,
...more
|
|
A rising star in the Asia-Pacific pantheon of wreck diving destinations, the small island of Labuan has emerged from the shadow of neighbouring destinations like Sipadan, Sangalaki and Layang-Layang, to set its own standards for diving excellence.
...more
|
|
In early March 2003, I met up with friends for 10 days of diving in Truk Lagoon. This was my first trip there, and I went mostly because my friends wanted to go. While Truk shows up on several lists as one of the top photo sites in the world, I preferred reefs far more than wrecks.
...more
|
|
To the east of Fiji and south of Samoa lies the island kingdom of Tonga, a still unspoiled South Pacific paradise consisting of 170 islands scattered over a 160,934 square kilometre area, but with a land mass of just 700 square kilometres.
...more
|
|
Four week's worth of "critter hunting" in Yap produced some fascinating creatures and a look at some varied and special marine habitants for those participating in the search for new and unusual marine critters.
...more
|
|
The only thing this turtle shaped island has retained over the recent years are it's clear skies and blue water! It's easier to get to than ever before, it's friendlier, its better equipped and more comfortable, but it still is paradise - only in a slightly more developed form. ...more
|
