Great Barrier Reef daytrip to Michealmas Cay
Meeting friends in Cairns recently, I was keen to show them the reef. An incredible number of people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year and, since a lot of them go to Green Island because of its proximity, which keeps costs down, we decided to go elsewhere. Michealmas Cay presented itself as an option, and looked amazing – easy decision. With over 900 islands, covering roughly 2,300 kilometres, choosing which island to visit could be an endless task. Fortunately tour operators only offer trips to a few islands or the choice might take all day. We started the day with a leisurely 33 kilometre sail out to sea, which…
Scuba Diving in Boracay, Philippines
Part of what made diving from Boracay Island in the Philippines so exciting was that it was the off-season and tremendously windy (gusty really) on the side of the island most of the dive centres were on. With absolute faith in what I was being told about great diving being available somewhere else I signed up. Getting ready The first interesting point of the adventure was being given a men’s wetsuit to wear. When I asked for a women’s wetsuit I was told ‘this one will fit you’. As a suitably female-shaped diver I knew this was going to be one of those baggy wetsuit experiences. I donned the wetsuit…
How to become a scuba diving instructor
Some divers are satisfied with being vacation divers, but if you want to do more diving and are tempted by the lifestyle, read on for tips on how to become a scuba instructor. There are several different scuba diving organizations. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the largest and most well known internationally, but there are others, including BSAC (The British Sub Aqua Club), NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), SDI (Scuba Diving International), TDI (Technical Diving International) and CMAS (Centre Mondiale des Activities Subaquatiques). Each system is just a different approach to diving. They each require divers to get recreational tickets before progressing through further courses and gaining…
Underwater Animals – Don’t trust them!
After several years of working as a scuba diving instructor all over the world I am still passionate about the underwater creatures that keep diving lively. This post is about just a few of the critters I have encountered while diving, sort of a dive instructor’s guide to what really goes on under the waves. The Mad Humphead Napolean Wrasse are gentle giants. They can get to the size of a cow and are generally a greeny-blue-ish colour. They tend to have a pronounced forehead (hence the name) and large lips. In some places they have become very familiar with divers and will approach them. I had exactly this happen…
The day I became a Shark Photographer
The season was coming to an end and it was time to decide where to go next. As a globe-trotting diving instructor the world, it would seem, was my oyster. I came across a job listing “Underwater Photo / Video Pro needed in the Bahamas” The Bahamas featured in my mind as a string of jewel-like islands strewn across the glittering Caribbean Sea (which I later realised was not true. The Bahamas are actually too far North to be in the Caribbean, they are in the Atlantic.) Still, the Bahamas sounded perfect. Before I knew it I had landed at Nassau airport on New Providence Island (having been allowed in…
The most amazing dive I’ve (n)ever done
Mention Ningaloo Reef to people and their first thought is usually ‘Whale Sharks’ but divers also love the area for a special dive site called ‘Navy Pier’. The Navy Pier When I told friends I was heading to Ningaloo Reed, one friend urged me to make sure that I dived the Navy Pier while I was at Ningaloo. Now the Navy Pier doesn’t sound very excitng, does it? It is true that it is a man-made dive site, rather than a natural spectacle, but nature has a way of taking over beneath the surface. Nothing is ever simple There are several dive operators in Exmouth (the town nearest Ningaloo Reef)…
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…
