| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 12/27/2007 4:05:53 PM | | the west coast of thailand was so amazingto dive off, even diving up here in canada of vancouver island is amazing | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/8/2008 7:52:42 PM | My favorite dive spot is Bonaire. A multitude of marine life. A variety of types of diving. 24 hour shore diving availability.
If with with non divers, the snorkeling is wonderful and most likely they will want to become certified also!  | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/10/2008 5:33:25 AM | | If you like wreck diving, check out Bermuda -Over 400 known wrecks, and the coral reef is in far better shape than our Caribbean counterparts to the South-West. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/10/2008 7:51:51 PM | My favorite place to date is Hawaii.
Reasons:
Convenience - you could be in the water 10 minutes after leaving your flight.
Passport - Or lack of a need for one.
Language - Hey, they speak English there.
Currency - The dollar is just as weak in Hawaii as it is on the mainland. haha But you don't have to exchange any of it.
"The fish tank experience" - That side of the coast is like swimming in a fish tank. You'll see every fish that the movie "Finding Nemo" has.
Your non diver friends will be happy - Hawaii has 11 of the 13 climates on the planet. And volcanoes to explore. Not to mention the history and culture. Can you say "hang loose"?
There are many places up and down the Big Island coast around Kona. There was so much diversity it made the whole trip a blast. Where else can you swim in a lava tube?
Anywhere you go in the world, I recommend a night dive. Just south of the airport in Kona, we did a Manta Ray / Moray eel, night dive. There were 15 or so Manta Rays circling over, and into our heads (keep your flashlights over your head) . We were in 35 feet of water and snorkelers could experience it from the top as well. Very cool. Also the shear number of creatures you will see is amazing. And many of these can be seen just snorkeling in the bay of your hotel. There were lots of turtles, eels (saw 4 types including a dragon eel), spinner dolphins, whales (during migration only), octopus', and a reef shark (we went inside a lava tube with it).
With that said...Cozumel and Belize are wonderful destinations as well. But that is the majority of my experience. I purposely left out the FL Keys. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/12/2008 10:04:23 PM | I have to disagree with you on the Blue Hole dive. I've been in there a number of times and everytime, I come out of the water saying "AGAIN, I want to do it again!" Yes, you are right, it is not the prettiest dive in Belize but to me, it is one of the coolest. Sharks, I love diving with sharks. The geological age of the Blue Hole strikes me every time I'm there. The way the visibility clears and sharpens around the stalactites is fascinating. Did you know that Jacques Cousteau blew away part of the circle of reef, just to get his boat Calypso in there? As you said, from Ambergris Caye, it takes a good two hours to get out there but the two follow-up dives out at the Atolls are world class. Lunch on Halfmoon Caye is not to be missed, surely it is one of the most idyllic islands I've ever seen. Sure, if there was only the one dive into the Blue Hole, I would not encourage people to go all that way but the whole day as a package is fabulous and I want to do it AGAIN.
I've had some fantastic dives off Sipadan and Mabul, some very special dives at Belize and Roatan and Raratonga. Some of the sweetest diving I've ever done was at Bequia. I loved the island of Koh Tao and wouldn't give back that trip for anything, but the diving truly sucked. Cuba and Cozumel delivered. As for Coz, I'm not that crazy about it because I like to dawdle along when I'm diving. Those freight-train currents don't allow for that. Florida . . well . . hey, if you are already in Florida for some other reason, might as well go diving too.
In any event, I'm back to Belize next month. After hundreds of dives there, I'm not totally enamoured of the diving anymore but I love Ambergris Caye. Also, I've never been anywhere else that had the same number of nurse sharks and large groupers. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/14/2008 7:24:41 AM | | Done Great Barrier Reef, Fiji was special, and thailand never seems to dissapoint, however Palawan in the Philippines was absolutely amazing! no other divers in site, didnt see any westerners for almost 2 weeks. micronesia and indonesia is next. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/16/2008 2:08:00 PM | | I worked at diving in the gulf of Thailand and it was amazing. Check out davy jones' locker for some thing different. Tim is one cool guy and he'll show youdive sites no one has ever seen before. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/16/2008 4:52:16 PM | | To me the best place is Aruba. I came home with the most gorgeous shells ever. It's just like being in an aquarium. Oh wait right off the cost of Haiti on a secluded island there are star fish the size of Chicago and many othe things that I had no idea what they were. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/22/2008 7:18:30 AM | I think you've all been to some spectacular places (I'm jealous!!!)
I had a great time diving off of Key Largo. Warm enough to go without a suit, clear clear water, lots of turtles and some really HUGE moray eels. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/27/2008 5:00:15 PM | I'm not a scuba diver but have been known to snorkle.
The most beautiful water I've ever seen is in BONAIRE in the extreme southern Caribbean region. It is a Dutch country with very strict environmental laws protecting the sea and is designated an official Marine Park.
The beaches are not sandy but made up of thumb size corral pieces, and the boats may not use anchors but must tie up to buoys to prevent damage to the reefs. Therefore the water is crystal clear without any turbidity whatsoever. The myriad of vibrant sealife can easily be observed from the roadside. It is absolutely amazing. There is also an underwater 24 hr webcam in place that can be found by googling.
I observed many scuba divers walk directly from the beach and dive over reefs within a few feet of shore. I want to go back!
I would love to explore the waters of Bali and Maldives as well. Anyone have info regarding those destinations? I have a birthday coming up and wanted to go somewhere special! | |
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longte
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Joined: 10/18/2004
Msg: 62 | |
| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/27/2008 5:22:09 PM | Try to avoid Bali
Great tourist trap
lovely people but too many westerners
Head down to Florez Awesome diving there
or up around Minado in Sulawesi Lots of untouched water there
North and Eastern end of Papua New Guinea dont have many tank filling facilities but even snorkeling there is mind blowing
Milne Bay environs will blow your mind
Bit more primitive conditions but much better
Maldives is VERY western now
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/27/2008 7:26:26 PM | | Other GREAT places besides the Great Barrier Reef ( which, when I was there in 1998 was dying and very disapointing)-- The Maldives, in the Indian Ocean; The Red Sea - Gulf of Aquaba, Jeddah, Sharm el Sheik, Phillipines and eastern off shore islands of Malaysia. Fijji of course fabulous too. The Red Sea 120++ft. viz. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/28/2008 1:18:30 PM | longte, I understand why you are saying what you are saying about Bali to nursefine. Regardless, I wouldn't want to discourage her from taking that trip.
nursefine, it's been a few years since I was in Bali, and yes, Kuta is really a gong show, but the island (and the culture overall) is beautiful and not to be missed. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/28/2008 8:36:35 PM | Ok, just to mention some things that have not been mentioned yet . . . weird yet enjoyable dives.
The Comal River in San Antonio Texas. It is fed by a hot spring, so it is always bathtub warm and clear. There is a 3 knot current, and it is a drift dive. There are abundant fresh water fish and endangered crawfish, and many other interesting species especially for a night dive. The bad news is it is only 12 feet deep at its deepest point, so it doesn't qualify for student or logged dives, which must be 15 feet. On a cool February night, the steam rises off it like a hot tub
Another Texas favorite, the oil rigs in the gulf of Mexico. Most of the gulf of Mexico is sand bottomed, no large marine life, no reef systems. but where the oil rigs reach the list of the sun and provide shelter, a coral system grows and it is like "an oasis in the desert." Large schools of fish. It is a very small area, but there are great variations, and it was just the weirdest place ever for huge schools of fish. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 1/29/2008 8:17:37 AM | So glad this thread came back around. Heading to Belize next week - do I or don't I dive the Blue Hole? We'll see.
Mexico - night dive on the lagoon side off Cancun. During the ascent, we extinguished lights and were surrounded by blue glowing algae. Can't beat a night dive. The landscape changes before your eyes as the sun sets. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/1/2008 8:30:26 PM | Come back from Belize and tell us whether or not you dove the Blue Hole. :)
I'll read about it when I get back from Belize. I leave mid-month.
Maybe see you there? | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/4/2008 3:50:01 PM | Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Coral Sea, liveaboard, Australia GBR
Curacao, Netherland Antilles | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/5/2008 3:09:40 AM | I really don't care for wrecks that disintegrate. Salt does that don't ya know????
I DO have a blast exploring the innards of a schooner that went down in 1850 something and the artifacts are all still there ( not stolen like many of those resort wrecks you're ga ga on). If wearing a 7 mm or a dry suit is what you consider uncomfortable, then why not learn to dive them instead of harping on them. Little wonder I leave warm water certs for someone else to dive with. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/5/2008 3:26:26 PM | I've been to Dahab a couple of time s and I just love it! It's so laid back and relaxed.
The snorkelling is out of this world - you can just walk out a few yards and there are the fish and the corals. Walk a little further out and the diving is superb, including that Blue Hole. I'll be there in March running a Yoga and Reiki holiday - care to join me?
I still have some places left for anyone who'd like to chill out for a week, enjoy some yoga - suitable for any ability including beginners - a special trip into the desert, yummy food and a decent hotel. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/23/2008 3:45:45 AM | The Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland have a special place in my heart. I got my diving certificate there in 1992. One time I was on a boat going out to the reef and three dolphins were jumping in the bow wave, then the boat slowed down beside two big turtles swimming on the surface, their shells would have been five or six feet long. They dived when they saw the boat. When we got to the reef I was amazed by the number and size of the fish, and this was before I got off the boat! They came up to the surface expecting a feed and the crew threw bread in for them. We took some bread in our BCDs when dived and a five foot Wrasse and hordes of other fish came up to be fed as soon as I was in the water. The Whitsundays would probably be my first recommendation to people visiting Australia, even if you're a non-diver the sea and islands are beautiful.
Airlie Beach is where most people stay to visit the Whitsundays. The boats leave from Shute Harbour, nearby. Proserpine is the closest airport.
Happy diving. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/23/2008 12:20:38 PM | Regarding the Blue Hole of Belize....at a depth of approx 150 feet, there are open caverns rich with stalagmites and stalagmites, it is quite impressive.
One needs to be comfortable at this depth and needless to say, time on air is limited.
I have been all over the world, but would always love diving in So Cal. In fact, on the open ocean side of Catalina Island, there is a dive site called Farnsworth Banks, which is considered a world class dive and one of the top five dive locations in the world.
The entire pinnacle coming up to about 70 ft (it does not break surface) is covered with California purple hydro coral, a true coral species. This dive is so spectacular, that people from around the world come to dive it and it is a must on many seasoned diver's list. | |
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| Scuba diving' great locations
Posted: 2/24/2008 1:04:38 AM | | Okinawa, Japan has some freaking awesome dive spots. You can go out almost anywhere and find sunken battleships, shot down fighter planes, WWII guns and ammo and lost of other stuff. That mixed with the reefs and fish makes for some seriously beautiful dive spots. | |
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