Making Friends on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven Natural wonders of the world and the only one visible from space. There is a lot of hype about it and visitors have seriously high expectations. We went out and made some bubbles. I’m not sure if it was our fault for being overexcited, but our first dive, was not all we had hoped it would be. The site was not uninteresting but it was a bit sparse. It was made worse because we spent a long time waiting around underwater before the dive itself began. That’s right, our dive suffered an attack of the muppets. Once our dive guide had…
Dive Gear – What should you really buy?
Just completed your Open Water course? Fallen completely in love with scuba diving? Fantastic! You’re probably now trying to decide if you buy your own dive equipment. If you are faced with an enthusiastic dive instructor giving you the hard sell, here is what you should keep in mind. Firstly, try not to be annoyed by them. Dive instructors are paid notoriously low wages for working long hours with people who are often demanding! A lot of dive centres insist they meet certain sales quotas. Do you need to buy your own dive equipment? Ask yourself the following questions: 1. How often will you dive and use the equipment? Nevermind…
Get Wrecked in Nassau
Nassau is a wreck divers paradise. For years local dive operators have been sinking wrecks at carefully planned locations, making some fantastic dive sites and over time, artificial reefs. Since the boats are cleaned and prepared specifically with diving in mind there are lots of easy wreck penetrations available and the difficulty scale varies from advanced to easy peasy. Here is my guide to my favourite wreck dives off Nassau. Willaurie The Willaurie wreck is a favourite of most divers who know the area. She is 45m long and lies at a depth of 18m. She was sunk in 1988 and is now heavily encrusted in marine growth, the colour…
Get Wrecked in Barbados
Barbados is a friendly little island with a great dive community. The dive centres based on the West Coast are blessed with easy proximity to a selection of wrecks, including the jewel in Barbados’s wreck-diving crown and some argue the most impressive wreck in the Caribbean. Stavronikita The Stavronikita (or ‘Stav’ as she is affectionately known locally) was sunk by the Barbados government in 1978. Due to having been sunk deliberately the Stav has been prepared for penetration and positioned well. She is 110m long and sits upright on the 40m deep seabed facing shore. The top of her mast is only 10m beneath the surface. Points of interest include…
Dahab Dive Sites
Dahab, as well as being a cool little settlement, is home to my favourite dive sites in Egypt. Unlike the reefs around Sharm El Sheikh the reefs here get far fewer visitors so are in better shape. While living in Dahab I taught many people to dive and had a fantastic time exploring the varied local dive sites, both by camel safari, believe it or not, and loading everything into a pickup truck. From deep blue holes to coral gardens it is all here. The reefs are in good nick, fish populations are healthy and there are lots of critters too. Here is my guide to the best dive sites in…
Cage Diving: How to cuddle a Great White Shark
Do you want to get up close and personal with an apex predator? Or do you think that people who do, like me, are crazy? If you’re keen but cautiously wondering what it involves, or perhaps not so keen, but still curious nonetheless, read on. Magnificent Great White sharks can grow up to 6m in length and are most commonly seen off the West coast of the United States, South Africa and Australia. Cage diving businesses operate in all of these locations (more specifically Guadalupe Island off Baja California, Gaansbai in South Africa and Port Lincoln in South Australia). So if you’re keen for a close encounter with Jaws, head…
Top 10 things to do in Barbados
Barbados is the furthest East of the islands of the Caribbean chain. Very British in atmosphere, it is an island of old-fashioned charm and beautiful beaches. There are many adventures to be had but it is also a brilliant place to kick back and enjoy many, many rums. 1. Catamaran cruise Several operators offer catamaran cruises along the West coast of Barbados. They depart Bridgetown careenage in the morning, and after a usually bumpy five minutes spent getting out of the harbour, head North along the tranquil waters and beautiful picture-postcard beaches of the West coast. The catamarans stop at various points for lunch, a swim and to allow guests…
