Until quite recently, not many people were aware of the incredible pelagic diving experience found at Wolf Rock on Queensland’s Fraser Coast. New owners at the local dive shop at Rainbow Beach have changed all that. By posting a few videos of their pelagic encounters on Facebook, suddenly they’ve added Wolf Rock to every diver’s bucket list. Continue reading “Wolf Rock, Australia’s new favourite pelagic dive experience”
Category: Destination
The SS President Coolidge: the world’s largest, most accessible wreck
Remnants of the Second World War can be found scattered throughout the Pacific, from the jungles and lagoons of Micronesia and Papua New Guinea to Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. One of the most famous (and largest) wrecks however, is found somewhere in between, in Vanuatu: the SS President Coolidge. Continue reading “The SS President Coolidge: the world’s largest, most accessible wreck”
Koh Ha: Thailand’s royal dive destination
Koh Ha is a tiny group of islands not far from Koh Lanta on Thailand’s south west coast. The tall rocky limestone karst islands are very picturesque, like many of the islands in this part of the world, similar to Koh Phi Phi and the so-called James Bond island in Phang Nga. But the real beauty of these islands is to be found underwater. Continue reading “Koh Ha: Thailand’s royal dive destination”
Diving Nusa Penida’s colourful Crystal Bay – but beware the downcurrents
Nusa Penida’s Crystal Bay provides an animated visual feast of colourful marine life, but beware the currents that create the show.
As you might expect the waters of Crystal Bay in Nusa Penida are crystal clear and I don’t mean like glass, I mean like crystal, every colourful fish positively sparkling in Technicolor! Continue reading “Diving Nusa Penida’s colourful Crystal Bay – but beware the downcurrents”
Australia’s own Indian Ocean Island Paradise
Cocos Keeling Islands is an Australian Territory located in the Indian Ocean approximately mid-way between Australia and Sri Lanka. Consisting of two atolls and 27 coral islands, and defines that mental image of absolute paradise – a faraway, deserted island of warm, golden beaches, fringed with coconut trees and a turquoise, tranquil lagoon. It’s very relaxing diving the Cocos Keeling Islands.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) is an Australian Territory located in the Indian Ocean approximately mid-way between Australia and Sri Lanka. It consists of two atolls and 27 coral islands, and defines that mental image of absolute paradise – a faraway, deserted island of warm, golden beaches, fringed with coconut trees and a turquoise, tranquil lagoon. It’s very relaxing diving the Cocos Keeling Islands. Continue reading “Australia’s own Indian Ocean Island Paradise”
How Sipadan was saved
Dive tourism almost ruined Sipadan. It used to have a dive resort as well as hordes of divers from surrounding resorts visiting it daily. But it all got too much and in 2004 a decision was made to close the resort and to limit the number of divers to just 120 per day.
What makes a world class dive site like Sipadan?
Of course it’s Location! Location! Location! – but nowadays protection is a big factor too. Continue reading “How Sipadan was saved”
What’s it like to encounter a whale shark in the deep blue?
There are places where whale shark encounters are practically engineered, but what’s it like to encounter a whale shark out of the blue?
What’s it like to encounter a whale shark in the deep blue?
There are a few places where encounters with whale sharks are ‘engineered’, such as the Philippines’, Oslob and Indonesia’s Cenderawasih Bay, but what’s it like to come across a whale shark ‘out of the blue’ as it were? Well – it’s a bit like all your Christmas’ coming at once. Continue reading “What’s it like to encounter a whale shark in the deep blue?”
Ever tried Jellyfish soup? – snorkelling in it that is!
There is a lake in Palau full of jellyfish, which are completely harmless and you can snorkel amongst them. It’s a bit like snorkelling in a warm, green jellyfish soup.
There is a lake in Palau full of jellyfish, which are completely harmless and you can snorkel amongst them. “How many jellyfish exactly?” seemed a fair question, but “Between six and twenty million” wasn’t the answer we were expecting from our otherwise precise and accurate dive guides Richard and Paul from Unique Dive Expeditions at Sam’s Tours.
The next question was obviously ‘how?’ How does it happen that on one island of the small archipelago of Palau, in the middle the Pacific Ocean, in a completely enclosed lake, there lives a colony of jellyfish, who have lost their ability to sting, and therefore kill, anything? Being jelly FISH – these guys are obviously not living off fresh air. How does that work? Continue reading “Ever tried Jellyfish soup? – snorkelling in it that is!”
Yonaguni Monument – lost underwater temple or natural feature?
In the remote island of Yonaguni, Japan’s most south-westerly point in the province of Okinawa, an underwater feature has archaeologists and geologists still arguing 30 years on
In the remote island of Yonaguni, Japan’s most south-westerly point in the province of Okinawa, an underwater feature has archaeologists and geologists arguing, still, 30 years after it was first discovered. Is it an ancient monument, the remains of a legendary city like Atlantis, swallowed by the ocean thousands of years ago? Was it built by aliens? Or is it a natural rock formation? Continue reading “Yonaguni Monument – lost underwater temple or natural feature?”
Fiji Friday – Have you dived Vatu-I-Ra?
Looking for a relaxing ‘dive holiday’ dive trip? A place with easy diving and sites with names like Heaven’s Door, Purple Haze and Black Magic? Then look no further than Fiji’s Vatu-I-Ra on Viti Levu’s northern coast.
Looking for a relaxing ‘dive holiday’ dive trip? A place with easy diving and sites with names like Heaven’s Door, Purple Haze and Black Magic? Then look no further than Fiji’s Vatu-I-Ra on Viti Levu’s northern coast.
Fiji’s diving is often overlooked, as many imagine that all of Fiji is just like the vague recollections they have of the beachside resorts of the Mamanuca Islands, or some resort they have vague memories of on the Coral Coast. Not so! Fiji has some of the very best diving in the Pacific. Continue reading “Fiji Friday – Have you dived Vatu-I-Ra?”
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