Azores Diving... This incredible group of nine islands rises up from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge some 2000m below. The islands act as beacons to the large migratory mammals in this part of the northern hemisphere. Plus they are home to a resident population of sperm whales and blue sharks. In September last year I set out on the marathon journey from Sydney to the island of Pico in the Azores. An odyssey of nearly 40 hours and four …
Articles
Resort Based Diving in Raja Ampat
Resort based diving in Raja Ampat - is it a real option or is a liveaboard the way to go? Raja Ampat is one of the top dive locations globally. Certainly it is the most popular diving region in Indonesia. Deservedly so because there is some spectacular diving to be had there! Come the start of the main dive season in mid-October, liveaboards start to arrive in Sorong in droves. Where just ten years ago you could count the number of those …
The Manta Rays of Milne Bay
Milne Bay Manta Rays - At the southern end of the China Strait is a small island called Gonu Bara Bara. It is quite simply the best place in the whole province to see the manta rays. In fact it is probably the best place in all of Papua New Guinea to see these wonderful creatures!. From a distance there is little to distinguish the island from the myriad of others in this part of southern Milne Bay Province. Reef manta rays - Manta alfredi - …
The Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas
The Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas... Open water (no-cage) encounters with Tiger Sharks are incredible experiences. They are large and extremely powerful creatures that exude total confidence. And they have a commanding presence that allows them to completely dominate the proceedings. Tigers are rarely seen underwater and, even when they are, the encounters are typically fleeting at best. Everywhere that is except for the Bahamas. Where at key …
The Humpback Whales of Tonga
Swimming with and photographing the humpback whales of Tonga had been on my personal "to do" for quite some time. Last year I finally got to spend 3 weeks in the Pacific island nation doing just that... Being in the water with such large, but gentle-natured, animals was an all-round fantastic experience! Quite unlike anything I have done previously! Basically it changed my whole focus towards scuba diving and underwater …
Kavieng’s WWII Wrecks
Kavieng's WWII Wrecks... The small town of Kavieng was seized by the Japanese in January in 1942 when they invaded PNG. That invasion came just seven weeks after the surprise air attack on Pearl Harbour which brought America into WWII. Although it played second fiddle to the huge Japanese naval base at Rabaul in New Britain. Kavieng was in fact a very strategic location for the invading Japanese forces during WWII. The town's …
The Florida Manatee
The Florida Manatee... Kings Bay in Crystal River is probably the best place in the world to see and photograph the quite unique creature that is the Florida manatee. Because every winter, as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico drop to the low 70's Fahrenheit. Hundreds of Florida Manatee migrate up the Crystal River to seek refuge in the warm waters of Kings Bay. The Florida Manatee - Warm Water The peninsular that makes up most …
Kimbe Bay – The Coral Crucible
Kimbe Bay the Coral Crucible. There is a line of thought in the scientific community that this is where it all may have began. Where the first corals originated… a large sheltered bay, roughly one third along the north coast of the large island of New Britain. The bay is called Kimbe and the country is Papua New Guinea. The wild and exciting nation crafted together in colonial times from the eastern half of the huge island of New Guinea …
The Rich Currents of Raja Ampat
The Rich Currents of Raja Ampat - high on the "bucket list" of most divers and underwater photographers is Raja Ampat, the Four Kings. Located in the remote far east of the vast Indonesian archipelago, on the western end of the huge island of New Guinea, it is the incredibly rich currents of Raja Ampat and the area's isolation that have helped create the amazing biodiversity the region is now famous for. Those currents surge down from …