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Great Florida Diving Sites Along the Atlantic Coast

Mike — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:03:23 +0000

Many open water divers attend Florida diving basically because there are plenty of diving sites found around the coast of Florida. A little known fact is that apart from being located in a nice and warm region, Florida has the longest coastline of all the states in the U.S.

When we first look at the Atlantic coastline you will find a series of reef lines creating an outer reef, inner reef and middle reef. These reefs run along the coastline providing different diving experiences from north of West Palm Beach all the way down the coastline to The Keys. A fantastic event up and down this coast is the perpetual current of warm water which is The Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream runs near to the shores heading north before veering out into the Atlantic. The Gulf Stream provides a cleansing action for the marine bio system and brings with it nutrients which provides essential food for the growing marine system.

Florida diving centers are able to find a variety of dive sites along the coast.

Florida Diving Sites: West Palm Beach - Miami

West Palm Beach has a fantastic variety of dive sites with loads of wrecks to explore such as the Thozina which is just one of three ships making up one dive site known as Governor's River Walk Reef.

In West Palm Beach Florida diving beginners can still enjoy a pulsating experience scuba diving well known reef systems such as Breakers Reef.

Travel south down the coast and you find Ft. Lauderdale. Known as "The Venice of America" this is a wonderful place to visit on any Florida diving trip.

Apart from the canals and waterways Ft. Laud offers extraordinary diving opportunities such as Tenneco Towers or Oil Platforms. Venture further south and you arrive at Miami.

Miami. Culture, fashion, sport and 'er' Army tanks waiting to be explored on the sea floor!

Apart from all the cultural things you can do around Miami on your Florida diving trip there is also a great variety of scuba dive sites that provide novice and experienced divers plenty of chance to have fun.

Florida Diving Sites: Key Largo - Key West

Beyond Miami and travelling further south, no Florida diving schedule would exclude a visit to Key Largo or Key West.

When you catch sight of the vast choice of diving sites available it's easy to see why Key Largo is one of the most popular diving destinations in the world.

The locale around Key Largo is amazing in its diversity with shipwrecks, reefs and caves to be explored. The biggest wreck ever sunk off the coast of Florida is the Spiegel Grove and this challenging dive is rewarded with the astonishing sight of one huge shipwreck now occupied by some very great fish. The are many other ships including the U.S.S. Duane and U.S.S. Bibb which can be dived by less experienced divers.

When it comes to underwater photography or macro photography Molasses Reef provides an interesting opportunity to perform your underwater skills with the shallow waters and amazing marine life providing the fantastic colors and lighting.

Key Largo is the finest known by the Florida diving community for its wide choice of diving sites but Key West is the location to go for the nightlife and culture if you do travel to The Keys.

Key West provides some of the best entertainment in The Keys with the streets full of jugglers, singers and other entertainers going through their routines in the street. With some great dive sites Key West is many peoples favorite destination.

So many places and so little time and what's more we haven't even looked at The Gulf of Mexico on Florida's west coast. That we will do in an additional article.

Written by Stephen H Brown you can find more on Florida diving sites at this Florida scuba diving website.

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Scuba Diving on Kauai

Mike — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:01:16 +0000

By Steve J. Grant

If you are looking for a great scuba diving experience, we recommend that you to go to Kauai and enjoy the warms waters of this island. Diving on Kauai is where you can discover amazing sea life and be able to swim between schools of fishes that will take your breath away. It is an experience you must not miss and you don't need to be a certified scuba diver, but you can become one if you take lessons while you are here.

If you want to try scuba diving you can get a tour where you will be guided by some qualified instructors. They will let you know how to properly use the equipment and take you to an area where you will have a wonderful diving experience. Most of the time the groups are small so that the instructors can spend more time with each of the guests and provide a more personalized service.

Kauai is also known as "The Garden Island" and this island is surrounded by warm tropical waters that make it perfect to enjoy scuba diving while looking at marine life and wonderful coral reefs. There are a lot of companies which provide scuba diving services including Adventure Travel Kauai, Dive Kauai Scuba Center, Snorkel Cat Adventure tours, Sunrise Scuba Adventures and Kauai Nitrox Divers.

If you want to experience a totally different way of diving you can do it in Kauai. On this island you can enjoy the best night diving experiences. You will be able to do it in the Pacific Ocean and you will be able to see some of the rarest creatures in the world. Dive master guides can show you how amazing the Kauai night life is under the water.

Scuba diving is just one of the many activities you can enjoy when visiting Kauai Island, so take you time and enjoy all that this place has to offer.

For more information on Kauai please visit: Kauai also if you are interested in Scuba Diving in Hawaii be sure to check out our new guide.

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Long Caye at Lighthouse Reef, Belize – A Diver's Delight!

Mike — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:51:07 +0000

By Dustin Hart

The Cayes of Lighthouse Reef!

Belize boasts of three of the most unspoiled and pristine atoll reefs in the world - and the one which is farthest offshore is the teardrop shaped, Lighthouse Reef Atoll. A diving expedition to Lighthouse Reef starts from its northern shores, where the Sandbore Caye and Northern Two Cayes greet you at this gateway. Most of these Cayes have an internal lagoon, which also acts as a giant natural cooler.

For divers, the real action is in and around the "diving jewel" known as Long Caye, which is at southernmost tip of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Most divers travel by boat 2.5 hours in each direction, to and from Ambergis Caye to Long Caye - which is surrounded by eight of the finest diving sites in Belize....and perhaps even the Hemisphere. Long Caye is slowly becoming the most sought after diving destination in the Caribbean - leading to an unprecedented rush to get a piece of this Belize Real Estate.

It makes sense to have a modest beach house on Long Caye - particularly for seasoned divers who make frequent trips to and from Long Caye.

And, if you love the red footed booby bird, then you have Half Moon Caye, a natural monument of the Government of Belize awaiting you just less than three mile due east of Long Caye.

From Cayes to Diving Holes...

Black Corals, Orange Sponges, Frigates, White Pelican - It cannot get better than these, and particularly if you are a diver. One could not have asked for a better deal from Mother Nature - Almost 40 of the most untouched diving spots in the world...adorned and naturally manicured with 20 foot stalactites, coral reefs, mangroves and sublime internal lagoons. It's no wonder that the Real Estate in Belize is lapped up by the nature lovers from around the world. So, let's meander around some of the most famous diving spots in Belize and Lighthouse Reef Atoll...

The Great Blue Hole...

The Great Blue is 1,000 feet across 400 feet deep and the coral is visible right from the top. It is not only visited by diving aficionados but also by fish of every variety. And if you did not know, the Great Blue Hole is the largest ocean sinkhole in the world - large enough to be visible from outer space. This marine treasure boasts of red algae, hydroids and gorgonians cover most of the corals. You may also find sharing brush, mermaid's fan algae, elkhorm, club finger, shallow-water starlet corals, giant green anemones and various urchins.

Half Moon Caye and Wall...

At the southeast corner of the atoll, nature opens its full panorama for mankind - A densely populated bird sanctuary to the west and coconut palms to the east. If you are an ornithologist, this might tickle your curiosity - 98 recorded species of birds including frigate, red footed booby birds, pelicans, ospreys, egrets, gulls, storks, terns - just to name a few. And to top it all, you have a treetop bird watching platform...Can it get better than this?

The Wall is located south of Half Moon Caye. Divers can experience a depth of 30 feet and a visibility of 100 feet. The nature's aquarium at Half Moon contains garden eels, conch, rays, flounder, star-eye hermit crab, tilefish, manta rays, groupers, yellowtail snappers, razorfish, toadfish, spotted eagle rays, turtles and black groupers.

Hat Caye Drop

Visibility - 50 feet, Currents - minimal...This is for the beginners who come to Hat Caye Drop, very close to Long Caye. Marine life is exceptional and unique - basket sponge, coral shrimp with white antennas, giant yellow tube sponges and deep-water lace coral. The lack of current at Hat Caye makes it an absolute favorite for the beginners.

Tres Cocos

To the east on Long Caye stood a trio of tall palm trees - and that's the origin of Tres Cocos. It is almost one mile from Hat Caye Drop and boasts of a diving visibility of 80 feet and 30 foot depth - minimal to medium currents.

What comes along with Tres Cocos is a feast for the eyes - coral shrimp, large spotted moray eels, lion's paw sea cucumbers, urchins, arrow crabs and sea feathers, parrotfish, damselfish, blue tang, jacks, large black groupers and turtles.

Long Caye Ridge...

To the west of Long Caye is hidden the perfect diving spot for beginners - depths of 40 feet, 80 feet of visibility and minimal currents. For those of you who are itching for marine photography, you have - soft coral, vase and tube sponges, yellow pencil corals and you will also see coral niches for spotted crabs, lobsters, filefish and arrow blennies. West Point I & II is also a great diving spot for beginners.

Que Brada...

Que Brada means "broken reef" - and its ½ mile north of Long Caye - 40 plus feet, 80 feet of visibility. The marine vista continues with schools of yellow tail snappers tailing divers on the reefs, large black groupers, ocean triggerfish, spotted eagle rays and turtles.

Cathedral Reef...

With mild undercurrent and 50 feet of visibility, Cathedral Reef is a great diving destination for intermediate divers.

Silver Caves, Nurse Shark Lodge, Eagle Ray Wall, Southwest Cut are other favorite destinations for beginner divers who travel to Long Caye.

The Aquarium...

To the northwest of Long Caye is the Aquarium - aptly named because of the multitude of marine flora and fauna that adorns the ridges and reef. The variety of invertebrates and exotic fauna at Aquarium is mesmerizing to say the least. The sheer brilliance of colored fish is dazzling for the divers.

Dive Away...

The unforgettable mosaic of marine life and clusters of natural diving platforms entices the novice as well as professional divers time and again to Long Caye at Lighthouse Reef.

Because of the spurt of activity in the Belize Real Estate segment, the environmental conservation has become one of the top most priorities for the government and Belize Property developers.

Dustin Hart is not a quintessential writer - rather he is a back-packer who lives off his ultra-light folding bike. He lives (or tries to live) in the state of Washington - with his dog Toobs. He recently caught up with Larry Schneider of Eco Holdings Limited in relation to the ecofriendly tourism & real estate in Belize.

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Maui Scuba Diving – Some Essential Tips

Mike — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:05:14 +0000

By Jing Dolenec

Maui is popularly called the tourist Mecca loaded with fun filled adventurous tourist activities. The best scuba diving center is located at the Molokni crater which is about 20 minutes from the coast of Maui. This location has about 100 different species of fish and it is a great place for snorkeling too. This is often considered to be one of the best places for scuba diving in the world. The visibility range is almost 40 to 50m of distance and hence all the features can be truly enjoyed. There are many other locations specialized for windsurfers, helicopter tours, horseback riding but scuba diving locations alone give much importance for the true pleasurable experience for the tourists. Nature can be enjoyed at its best here.

The Scuba dive in Maui is mostly a drift drive on most days. Due to the clear visibility range, divers can see many species of fish, turtles which come to the surface for fresh air. The places are filled with sharks and occasionally whales can also be found. They can be seen at a depth of 70 to 80m of distance. Manta rays are excellent to be watched and most scuba divers will get their chance to watch them. They are harmless if the divers restrict their activities. Feeding directly is not allowed with these gigantic creatures as they may start following the tourists after feeding. This may create a problem for them. Hence direct feeding to the fishes is prohibited.

Almost all the beaches are open to scuba diving. The sands are warm and gold and the water is so clear in the beaches. Molokni is the famous scuba diving center, and it has strong current flowing. Expert divers can enjoy a lot here. Ka'anapali Beach has also got strong current flow and the shallow dives are most popular here. Honolua Bay will take only few minutes of drive in a boat from Ka'anapali Beach. This beach allows a dive of up to 40 feet maximum where lots of coral deposits can be found. Various forms of fish life can be seen. Ulua Beach is another site, which is most suitable for beginners. It has got an underwater cave with a resident reef shark. Divers can have a top notch experience of entering the cave, come up and sit on the rocks with the breathing apparatus out of their mouth. This can be an exquisite experience for all the divers.

Most people would prefer to have diving classes. There are many travel advisors who will teach lessons in a short span of time before diving. They will teach about the tips and safety guidelines that are to be followed. There are even advanced open water diver courses for the experts. Agencies which arrange for the scuba diving should supply with equipments those are 100% working and safe. Get set to enjoy the perfect tourist destination in the world and collect information about the various activities to have a fun filled tour.

If You are looking for more information Regarding Maui Scuba Diving then feel free to Visit http://mauiactivitylady.com

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Where to Find Spectacular Scuba Diving Spots in Hawaii

Mike — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:30:37 +0000

Where to Find Spectacular Scuba Diving Spots in HawaiiBy Gary Allalouf

As you'd probably guess, Hawaii has some spectacular spots for scuba diving enthusiasts to spend a day exploring the depths of life under the surface of the ocean. On the other hand, it could be a little overwhelming to find the best spots considering every direction you go there is ocean lapping up on the shorelines. If you love to scuba dive or have ever wanted to try it, here are some fantastic places to do just that. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner who has never ventured beneath the sea or a scuba diver well versed in the art, there are scuba diving opportunities for everyone in Hawaii.

Scuba Diving in Oahu

One of the most popular islands found amidst the scattered islands of Hawaii is Oahu. This is a wonderful island to visit for beginners and experts alike, because of the diverse scuba diving locations found here. If you're going to dive in Oahu you absolutely should head to the Pearl Harbor wall. There are over 40 diving sites in this one area that you can pick from. Here, you'll be diving in to part of history; exploring the depths that hold plane and ship wreckage. At the same time, it's an amazing biological playground that is rarely seen. You'll likely see hammerhead sharks and green sea turtles just to name a couple. It's pretty easy to hop from one island to the next, though, if you find you'd like to try another area. Most of the islands are very easy to travel back and forth between.

Scuba Diving in Molokai

Although not one of most popular diving areas, Molokai holds some fascinating diving spots. This isn't really an area for beginners though. If you have some experience diving or an advanced diver then may be just what you're looking for.

For advanced divers, you may want to head to Fish Rain or The Cove. In Fish Rain you'll typically drift dive because there are very strong currents here. You'll likely see an array of life forms including hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and maybe even an endangered monk seal, as well as a multitude of fish varieties. At The Cover you'll encounter beautiful butterfly fish, long nose hawkfish, and sometimes sharks and manta rays. Don't wander out of the protected cove, though, if you don't want to enter the strong currents.

If you're not quite an expert but have some diving experience, then a Molokai scuba diving location to visit is the Fish Bowl. Divers see reef sharks and fish, eagle fish and octopus here. If you're lucky you may run into a hammerhead shark.

Scuba Diving in Maui

If you're a total newbie to scuba diving, there's no worry. You can find groups and companies that you can train and dive with to explore the amazing underwater world of Maui's shores. Tropical Divers Maui has free pool lessons each day and you don't have to be licensed to enjoy the thrill of a scuba diving trip. With over ten years of experience, you're in good hands and have nothing to worry about. Once you get your feet wet you can try out Molokini Crater. The inside of Reef's End is a beginner-friendly diving place with beautiful scenery that you're sure to remember for the rest of your life.

If you're an advanced scuba diver you can check out Hidden Pinnacle which is found on the Southwest side of Maui. There are strong currents and can only be accessed when there are good conditions. However, if you make it out here you can see pyramid butterfly fish, octo coral and amazing lava formations.

Gary writes for Hawaii Homes where you can find Hawaii real estate for sale in the all the major islands. Review real estate in Oahu along with other great listings.

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Curacao Sept 13-20, 2008

Shannon — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:25:35 +0000

Curacao Sept 13-20, 2008

We just returned from a wonderful trip to another one of the ABC (A= Aruba, B=Bonaire, and C = Curacao) islands. This was our first trip to Curacao! Curacao is a small island slightly north of Venezuela. We chose to go there because our trip took place during hurricane season, and the ABC islands are generally considered to be out of the hurricane belt.

We chose to stay at Lion’s Dive resort, as there was a reputable dive shop on site, and it was attached to the marine park. Any resident of Lion’s Dive has free access to the marine park for your entire stay. The hotel, in our opinion, was adequate, although there were a few frustrations here and there. When we first arrived they didn’t have a lock to our safe, as promised, and we couldn’t get it until after noon the next day, which was quite inconvenient to us. We also had a ton of mosquitoes floating around our balcony, and several slipped into our rooms for nightly visits! I left with many more mosquito bites than I care to have had! People we met from other hotels said they did not have issues with mosquitoes, so not sure if it was the position on the island, or what… but definitely if you go here, bring your DEET! In general, however, the front desk staff was quite friendly and helpful. The rooms were OK, but not quite what we noted on the website. A little smaller, and a little more plain, but the oceanfront view was nice, and there was a refrigerator for our beverages. It was adequate for our needs. You don’t really spend much time in the room anyway!!

Lunch and dinner was most excellent at both Nemo’s and Hemingway’s, the hotel’s two restaurants. We ate a wonderful dinner at Nemo’s the first night we arrived, although the food there was pretty expensive. We frequently visited Hemingway’s for their wonderful cheeseburgers, pizzas, and sandwiches for lunch. The Nemo staff was excellent, but the staff at Hemingway’s, one of the two hotel’s (less expensive) restaurants varied a bit. Many of them were friendly, but it seemed they were a little inconvenienced by some requests. Prepare yourself for no split bills (as it plainly says on their menu). There are no split bills, and there are no exceptions. Our friends and ourselves (four of us on this trip) started sitting at different tables so we could easily keep our finances straight. Oh, and just an aside, if you happen to be a ketchup freak like myself, buy a bottle at the nearby store, and take it to your meals, both on, and especially off the hotel grounds. After two packets of ketchup at the local Kentucky fried chicken, you have to buy each packet!! Breakfast at Nemo’s was just so-so, and I didn’t think worth the $13 and some cents price tag. We only did that one day, and stuck to our granola bars and store bought stuff the rest of the week. They also informed us they didn’t give change at Nemo’s for breakfast, so you lost even more money if you didn’t bring exact change (if you decided not to pay for the entire week ahead of time like we did). After a few days, we rented a car, and hit a nearby grocery store, and the cost for meals came down significantly.

Lion’s Dive dive shop is Ocean Encounters. It was a well equipped facility with very nice dive boats. The staff there was very accommodating to the changing needs of our group. Sherman was one of my favorite divemasters… he was very funny and fun to be around. The diving was good. BE SURE to go to the Mushroom Forest as that was one of the most, if not THE most beautiful reef I’ve ever been to. It’s mushroom after mushroom of coral reefs with so much marine life there. It’s $40 extra as it’s about an hour boat ride each way, and lunch is provided, but it’s worth every penny. After that far of a haul, I was disappointed we only did one dive there, and then a second at a nearby site. The second one wasn’t nearly as good. However, I imagine they do that so as to keep that reef as pristine as it currently is. Also during our surface interval we snorkeled to the edge of the rocky shore, dove down, and came up in a cave with an air pocket where we could all see and breathe above the water. That was pretty cool. It was a much better than the average ‘sit around on the boat’ surface interval.

One difference between the dive shops at Bonaire and Curacao, was that Bonaire was much more structured and informative to divers when they got to the island. I felt this way with both the shops I dove with there. First day in Bonaire, you sit down with a dive shop member to pay your marine park fee, fill out your paperwork, and then go over dive procedures on the island. In Curacao, there was no marine park fee (paid at the dive shop, anyway), and there was not much of an introduction. We basically felt our way around and asked lots of questions along the way. Being experienced divers that was no big deal. For new divers, however, this would be a little more of a disconcerting way to get started. Proper orientation is a lot more comforting than being thrown into your dive day, and figureing out your check-out dive, schedules, and procedures all on your own.

Sherry, Crystal, and myself also did the dolphin dive. It was about a 30 minute open water dive with, in our case, two dolphins. The dolphins, Annie and Tayla were both pregnant and preferred to spend a lot of time together, so they were both present on our dive. They came very close and everyone had 4-5 opportunities to touch them. George, the marine biologist, gave us a very good briefing prior to the dive and then met us at the site with the dolphins following his boat out there. It was a wonderful experience, I’d do it again in a heart beat, even for another $200!! We have the video and have included at the bottom of this post.

The Sea Aquarium next door was a little small, but definitely worth a visit. There is a schedule, and you can watch the dolphin and sea lions train, as well as feeding of the fish. We also have some great photos of Crystal and Sherry feeding the nurse sharks. You can schedule a time to snorkel with the dolphins or sea lions if you like. Sherry and Crystal scheduled private time with the sea lions where they were allowed to touch one, get a kiss from one, and then snorkel with several in their pens attached to the open ocean.

One of the biggest highlights for me on the trip is that I was introduced to Dolphin Assisted Therapy. At the sea aquarium they have a two week therapy session for the disabled. They take anyone from childhood to young adult. The facility is staffed with physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and speech therapists, who work with the patient dockside. As part of their therapy or behavior rewards for the child, each child gets to interact with the dolphins. A dolphin trainer is also present at each platform to work with the therapists. Because of my background as a therapist, I was encouraged to come learn about the center, and was permitted to observe as the sessions were going on in the water. It was a wonderful thing to see. The director of the program introduced me to the program itself, and gave me information to bring back home. As most of the participants are from Germany and Holland currently, she was hoping I’d take the idea home to the Americans. It is only one of a very few facilities of its kind in the world. She said she had seen some phenomenal results, as kids come back year after year. It is $6000 US to participate, but it appeared to me to be worth every penny. She also stated they were building more hotel rooms right next door that were being designed to be more handicapped accessible, not only for program participants, but also for the general population that has more difficulty getting around, due to age or disability.

Towards the end of the week we added a few non diving activities to our agenda. First we went to the Aloe Vera farm, where you could see aloe plant after aloe plant after aloe plant. Their products are 98% aloe vera, which is supposed to have very healing properties. It was a quick stop, but I thought worth the trip. Right next door, we went to the Ostrich Farm, which was some of the most fun we had all week. We climbed up on a big old German world war two vehicle that had been outfitted with benches for tourists. Our guide took us around the farm explaining facts about, and the habits of the ostrich. There is a restaurant onsite were fresh ostrich is served, if you desire to partake. We just took the tour out of pure interest. For $10 it was worth the trip. At one point we got off our vehicle, each held a big pan of ostrich food, slowly backed our way up to the ostrich pen, and all these ostrich heads appeared curling around in front of us going crazy on that bucket of food. You couldn’t help but just burst out laughing! Later we actually got to hold a 3 day old chick and we each stood on an ostrich egg because they’re so strong they can hold up to 400 pounds! They have to, because the males fertilize them! We learned they’re not the smartest animals, but that they are some of the strongest! Their method of defense is kicking forwards with both of their legs. They can defend themselves and kill a cheetah by kicking them in the head. They broke both the forearm bones of a hired hand awhile back the guide told us. “He didn’t come back after that”, the guide said.

We also went to a small cave in the area which was a fun diversion. It was the first cave Mike had ever been to, so he found it very entertaining. There were plenty of bats on the ceiling, and interesting formations inside to be found. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Most people on the island spoke Dutch and English, so wherever we went there was someone who could speak to us in English. After the cave we drove north and hit the coast line. We walked over a natural bridge, went into caves the sea ran in and out of, and hiked along the coastline to see what we could see.

The last couple of days we went downtown for a little shopping. They had a very quaint little, Dutch styled downtown. There was a waterway dividing the two sides of town. Connecting both sides of the town was a bridge you could walk across to get from Punda to Otrabanda. The interesting thing about the bridge is that it had a motor at one end. When the large cruise ships or cargo ships went through, they engaged the engine on the bridge and pushed it to the side to allow the ships to pass. During this occurrence, people were shuttled from one side to the other via small ferry. We used both methods of transit during our stay just for the fun of it. Also downtown we saw the floating market. This was where all the small boats gather that carry produce across the ocean from Venezuela. Locals go there to purchase their fresh produce and exchange goods. We saw some fun artwork in their alleyways, an old beautiful church with white sand for its floor, and lots of the local wares. Of note, the map given to us by the hotel had many unmarked roads on it. Also some of the roads on the map were marked very poorly with lack of street signs on the island. It took a little bit of getting used to getting around on our own, but with a little help from the front desk for directions, by the end of the week, we were getting around to just about anywhere we wanted to go.

All in all, it was a very fun trip. Curacao is definitely a place I’d return to. We’d been to Bonaire 3 times, as we liked it very much. We expected Curacao to be very similar, and in many ways it was. The language, the laid back people, and the diving was much the same. However, Curacao is a bit more developed. It’s larger with more to do than on Bonaire. So, if non-divers were participating on the trip, I’d have to pick Curacao over Bonaire, because there’s more places to go and more things to do. Nightlife is also more plentiful in Curacao, as compared to Bonaire, for all you party hounds our there!

We hope you enjoy.

Shannon

Photos from our Trip

Curacao 2008 Photos

Cold Water Diving in Alaska

Mike — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:29:29 +0000

By Scott C Anderson

In the Alaskan winter the glacial runoff and plankton bloom is diminished along the shoreline. For this reason, our winter diving transitions from Resurrection Bay boat diving, to shore-based diving in Whittier at Smitty's cove. Winter conditions include water temps get as low as 38 degrees, but the visibility can improve up to nearly 100 feet. Smitty's cove has debris which was dumped into the water during WWII. This debris includes pipes, railroad tracks, pilings, an aircraft fusalage, a railcar tanker, and the parts of a crane which lie in water ranging from 30 to 100 feet.

The bottom composition is primarily gravel in the shallows, yielding to a deep "silt" arond 70 feet, There are sea pens and whips in the deep, and ling cod, octopus, rockfish and a whole variety of invertabrates and smaller fish. In the winter you'll find divers concentrated at Smitty's cove due to the lack of accessibility to other water front areas. Industrial developement such as a marine ferry terminal, railroad terminal, and marina occupy the majority of coastline. Smitty's cove has recently been designated by the city of Whittier as a marine sanctuary, but this status seems to remain somewhat tentative in nature and subject to political influences.

To dive Smitty's cove, there is a small fee, but the proprietor of the parking lot has provided a warm up shack for the divers to use before and after the dives. To get to Whittier, you'll drive south on the Seward Highway from Anchorage for about an hour to the Anton Memorial Tunnel. This is a unique one-way tunnel through the base of a mountain and allows traffic in and out of Whittier on an alternating schedule. Be prepared to pay about $12 for a round-trip ticket. Rental tanks and equipment is available in Anchorage, with no support and very little in the way of amenities in Whittier. The cove is protected against prevailing winds and waves most of the time, and represents a convenient dive site for winter time diving.

President of Dive Alaska, Scott has been a cold-water diver for 20 years. With extensive experience diving in south central Alaska, and operating the regions only full time professional dive charter boat, Scott has a vast knowledge of Alaskan waters. Scott is a scuba instructor for PADI, GUE, SDI, TDI, ERDI, and is experienced in cave and technical diving. For more information about cold water diving in Alaska, visit http://www.divealaska.net

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Bonaire Diving Review

Mike — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:19:05 +0000

Bonaire Diving Review
By Michael James Smith

Bonaire is a small island located about 120 miles off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. It is renowned for great diving. Everyone from novice to advanced divers will find something to their liking here. Although it has endured an occasional hurricane in its history, it is generally considered to be out of the hurricane belt, which allows for great diving year round.

Bonaire is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the best diving destinations in the world. I actually visited three times within a period of eighteen months because I enjoy it so much. There's something to be said for returning to places you are familiar and comfortable with. The people are warm. The system for accessing your tanks for shore diving is very user friendly. Nitrox was not an additional charge, as the dive shops felt it was important to encourage its use to protect its divers. It's also an island that's very easy to get around. Rent a truck at the airport, and off you go.

To date, I've gone diving with 'Buddy Dive' and 'Toucan Diving' dive shops. Both dive shops were very accommodating as far as staff goes. Toucan Diving had a 'one-up', however, as their dive boats are stored in a protected area. You're able to load your things and get your gear organized prior to leaving the dock in calm waters. The Buddy Dive boats were on a dock adjacent to open ocean, which was a nice view, but the boats were constantly slamming into the dock as divers were trying to board with heavy equipment. You have to get your gear ready on the way to, or at the dive site, because you just need to sit down and hang on as the boat bangs away while everyone else is loading. Another reason I favor Toucan Diving is one dive master in particular. His name is Jackson. He is ever enthusiastic about the sport despite doing it for years, and is always making a point to show divers the cool things, like frog fish, and the air pocket at the 99' deep Hilma Hooker wreck. Of the two dive shops, Toucan diving has always been my preference.

Bonaire's marine creatures are plentiful. I started my first dive with a beautiful floating spotted eagle ray, and saw several more as the week progressed. There were also turtles on several dives. These will always be some of my favorites. Bonaire also has several dive sites where the seahorses tend to gather. These are definitely a creature you don't see often, but I've seen them on every trip to Bonaire. There were also several chances to see the frog fish, as well as many smaller creatures allowing for great macro photography. There were many more marine animals which deserve honorable mention, but too many to include them all here! Let's just say the diving here gets a definite thumbs up!!

Bonaire is well known for its shore diving, and I have tried that many times. Although the freedom of the shore diving is wonderful, the entries at many sites are still quite challenging as they are often rocky and slippery. Be sure to watch your fingers because there are little eels everywhere (and no gloves allowed as Bonaire is considered a marine sanctuary)! There are several shore diving sites I do favor such as "Oil Slick" because you can enter via platform ladder. We also like "Angel City" because that site has never disappointed me. The old coral is a bit of a tricky entrance, but it's definitely worth it when you jump in and see all the squid that like to hang out here. I will always like the boat diving best because I like jumping right in to the water without the hazards of spraining an ankle on the way in (which happened to a friend of mine even before she made it into the water)! Also, if shore diving, make sure not to leave anything valuable in the car as I've heard of theft issues, but have never experienced them.

So, whether it's boat diving or shore diving that suits you, you'll find it in Bonaire. This quaint little island allows for both a relaxed and rewarding dive experience. Call your travel agent, and pack your gear. Great diving in a tropical paradise awaits you. There's no better formula for a great dive vacation.

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In's and Out's of Cave Diving – Exciting, Dangerous, Or Both

Mike — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:27:18 +0000

By Darrell Young

Participating in cave dives can be the most exciting adventure on this planet. If you are the adventurous type that is. Some divers don't care for the claustrophobic affect of cave diving. If you do have a touch of claustrophobia on your phobia list, you might want to consider spear fishing or just sight seeing. Panic state at 120 fsw(feet sea water) is not healthy.

Tip: 120 fsw is 120 ft, no matter how you measure it. The only difference between 120 ft sea water and 120 ft fresh water is the density factor( I'll have an article covering that kind of stuff in an up-coming article).

Here are some things you can look forward to in your quest into cave diving. To conduct a safe cave dive, you need to, ( no you must) participate in a cave and cavern training course. Your open water certification does not give you the experience you'll need for cave diving, (period). Without proper training, cave diving can lead to Many dangerous situations. Many cave diving fatalities over the years were due to the fact that divers were not cave certified. Here are some things you'll learn in your training for cave diving.

Having the right special equipment.

Continuous Guideline: To avoid getting hopelessly lost inside a cave, you must run a guideline from the cave entrance through-out your dive. If you have dove in a particular cave before, don't assume you remember how to get in and out without using a guideline. Things can change from dive to dive.

Air Supply: Never use more than a third of your gas supply to enter a cave. Reasoning is, you'll need a third to exit. Keep the rest of your air for surfacing and for any catastrophic events e.g. your buddy had a gas loss due to equipment failure, you would have to help him get to the surface, and vice-versa. That's only one example of what having a diving buddy is all about.

Recreational dives are limited to 130 fsw. More than likely you'll be using compressed air. Deeper than 130 fsw on standard air increases the risk of Nitrogen Narcosis. Your fine to go deeper (if) your advanced in the application of mixed gases. Mixed gases reduces oxygen toxicity and Nitrogen Narcosis. which leads to safe diving. Tip: If your not certified through training, do not attempt to use mixed gases. Keep your dives at the recreational depth, limited to 130 fsw.

Battery Powered Lights: You want to be able to see inside a cave, the standards for lights, are to carry two battery powered lights. But to be on the safe side, carry three. Lights are very vulnerable and can fail. Tip: Make sure to care for your lights. If you have rechargeable lights, make sure all three are fully charged prior to a dive. You don't want your dive to be a dark one.

If your planning a collection of artifacts(providing there are any), you'll need to purchase a collection bag. $20 to $50 bucks, depending on size. Collection Bags come in all sizes and shapes and are usually made of nylon mesh. Most bags clip to your waist belt D rings. Tip: Get the kind that rolls up when not in use, that keeps the bag from dangling.

You'll need to communicate with your buddy or buddies underwater, and also keep notes and records of various events. So, you'll need a Dive Slate. $10 to $20 bucks. Tip: Carry your dive slate in your pocket so they don't cause drag. I've seen some divers have them dangling from their belt. (Not good), they can catch on all sorts of things underwater, so keep them in your pocket.

I hope some of the subjects I've covered will shed some light on your quest to become the best scuba diver you can be. It's never to late to pursue the beautiful art of scuba diving. It's for the young and old. Just make sure you have the physical requirements and the ability to make sound judgment, and always take a buddy with you to dive. For your equipment needs, advice. tips and information on this great hobby, visit my website at http://www.scuba-pro-tips.com

Darrell Young

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Scuba Diving in North Sulawesi – The Natural Wonders of Bunaken and Lembeh Strait

Mike — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:25:15 +0000

By Mark J Burns

Full of natural wonders, and offering an almost unparalleled levels of marine biodiversity, North Sulawesi has become one of the worlds premier destinations for ecotourism and adventure travel in recent years. Today, large numbers of scuba divers travel to this distant part of Indonesia, to sample some of the finest dive sites to be found anywhere throughout South East Asia.

The diving in North Sulwesi is focused in two main areas, the Bunaken National Marine Park and the famous muck diving capital of Lembeh Strait. There are other destinations where good diving is on offer in North Sulwesi, including the dive sites in Sangihe Island and Pulau Bangka, however it is the dive sites in Bunaken and Lembeh which draw large numbers of scuba divers here year after year.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991, and the deep waters of the park offer one of the greatest levels of marine biodiversity to be found anywhere in the world. A home to over 70% of all fish species found throughout the Indo-western pacific region, the waters of Bunaken are home to an incredible array of coral and marine life.

The scuba diving in Bunaken is predominantly characterised by the awesome vertical walls which almost surround the island. Along these walls, an array of cracks, caves and crevices are home to a wide range of fish life during the day as well as the night. Dive sites including Fukui Point and Black Rock provide divers with access to stunning corals as well as stunning array of smaller marine life.

Lembeh Strait is widely acknowledged as being the 'muck diving' capital of the world, and offers what can only be described as a truly unique experience in diving. The diving itself is shaped by the black sandy bottom of the ocean in the region, which is home to a wide selection of critters and smaller marine life. It is for this reason that underwater photographers often choose to make the longer journey out to Lembeh Strait, to sample some of the finest opportunities for underwater macro photography to be found anywhere in South East Asia. Octopus, flying gunnards, frogfish and dwarf lionfish can all be found throughout the numerous dive sites in the Lembeh Strait.

Diving is possible in North Sulwesi throughout the year, although the best conditions are to be found from late March through to November. From January through to March, heavy rains and strong winds can be found throughout the region, leaving the conditions unfavourable for scuba diving.

Without doubt, the diving in North Sulawesi is of the highest standard, and the region fully justifies its claim to be one of South East Asia's leading scuba diving destinations. The superb dive sites of Bunaken and Lembeh undoubtedly ensure the longer journey time to reach here is worthwhile, and leave you only thinking of when you can return!

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld.tv, a large scuba diving holidays web site, and a comprehensive source of information on scuba diving in Sulwesi

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