Diving Baja California... Bounded to the north by the US state of California, to the west by the Pacific Ocean. And to the east by the Sea of Cortez, the long and narrow Baja California peninsula is one of Mexico’s most visually spectacular and intriguing locations. Despite its arid climate, Baja California boasts some wonderfully rich biodiversity, with an eclectic mix of unique plant and animal species that have adapted to its desert and coastal environments. Those natural wonders are complemented beautifully by extensive desert and mountain landscapes, rugged coastal cliffs, and pristine beaches, combined with a rich cultural …
Articles
Diving the Banda Sea
Diving the Banda Sea... It seems almost beyond belief that some 360 years ago, one of a cluster of ten small and very isolated volcanic islands at the remote eastern end of what was then called the Malay Archipelago, was so valuable that it was exchanged for New York’s Manhattan Island. Those ten islands are the Bandas, and they are now part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. A group of around one thousand islands which, even today, is home to just 2 million of Indonesia’s nearly 278 million people. Often referred to as the “spice islands”. Maluku was the source of the incredibly valuable spices that were in great demand in …
Getting into Blackwater Diving – The Anilao Night Shift…
Getting into Blackwater Diving... The images are what immediately grab your attention - seemingly alien creatures lurking somewhere out there in the dark of night. Long after most people have called it a day! What are these creatures and why are they there? How does it work? Was it all just another clever marketing gimmick to suck you in. Or was this thing something really new and compellingly different? After a lot of discussions with people I trust it seemed clear that I just had to give it a try. And so at the end of January I took my seat on the Qantas flight to Manila in the Philippines, as I made my way to Anilao – Southeast …
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Technical Diving Match Fitness
Technical Diving Match Fitness... As the end of 2023 approached, I made a decision to approach technical diving from a different perspective. Instead of merely hoping to engage in occasional tech dives. I decided to commit to dedicated trips where there was no option but to dive technically. I eventually settled on Master Liveaboard’s trips to the Solomons and Bikini Atoll. In that order because while the Solomons trip is a dedicated week for the WWII wrecks, you can dive rec or tech, as the wrecks are not that deep. Or, put another way, my current level of certification was enough for the Solomons. Whereas in Bikini nearly all the …
Diving Misool in Raja Ampat
Misool Scuba Diving… The second king – Misool, the large, remote, and sparsely populated island that is the second biggest of Raja Ampat’s “four kings”. It is said that the name Raja Ampat derives from the local folklore story of a woman who finds seven eggs. Four of which hatched and the hatchlings grew to become the kings of those four islands – Waigeo, Misool, Sulawati and Batanta. Located some 150kms from the main regional city of Sorong. It’s a 5-hour journey by fast boat if you are one of the lucky ones staying on the island. Or an overnight sail if you are one of the lucky ones visiting on a liveaboard. Either way you are …
Diving Rabaul’s Wrecks, Reefs and Jetties
Diving Rabaul Wrecks Reefs and Jetties... In January 1942, just 46 days after their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Imperial Forces redirected their attention southward and launched an invasion of Papua New Guinea. Their primary objective was the capture of Rabaul on the north-east tip of the large island of New Britain. Specifically, they wanted Rabaul’s Simpson Harbour. And its sheltered, deep-water anchorages as the base for their South Seas 4th Fleet. The first stage of taking all of PNG and then using it as their launch pad to invade Australia. And seize it they did by completely overwhelming the small …
Switching to SEACAM – First Impressions
Switching to SEACAM... In late 2023 an incredible combination of circumstances came into alignment for me. And I was offered a formal association with the Austrian underwater photography equipment company SEACAM. I could not quite believe it at the time and sometimes still can't! I have always considered Seacam as the Rolls-Royce of the underwater photography world. But never ever imagined I would be associated with the company. But sure enough in February 2024 I travelled all the way from Sydney to Voitsberg in Austria. To receive the equipment I had requested, plus three days of technical training on it all. It really was quite …
Diving New Britain’s Fathers Reefs
Diving New Britain's Fathers Reefs... The large crescent shaped island of New Britain is almost uniquely located on the interface of some unbelievably powerful forces of nature. Physically, it sits on the south-western arc of the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire. And is characterized by the exceptionally high mountain ranges that traverse its spine. Together with its many volcanoes! But that location also positions it on the epicenter of the eastern lobe of the renowned Coral Triangle. The world’s richest known area of marine biodiversity. And, in a roughly rectangular area about one-third the size of Tasmania. The north coast of New …
Cape Kri – The World’s Best House Reef?
World's Best House Reef... Google Earth is a great place to start if you want to understand why the island of Kri has such a stellar reputation for incredible diving. Viewed from above, the long, slender island is the first major landmass in the path of the Indonesian Throughflow as it streams through the Dampier Strait. Rich with nutrients swept up from the deep basins to the north, Those waters arc around Cape Kri on the north-eastern tip of the island. Almost force-feeding the reef systems that bloom there. Dived on the right tide it is truly one of the wonders of the Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat’s marine biodiversity …