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:: D I V I N G ::

Diving adventures from around the world, since 2001

Small encounter: Our big brother, Hans, in full contact with a baby cat shark, Borneo, 2004

Big encounter: We ran into a whale shark, Dimaniyat Islands, Oman, 2008

So far, we have had some 70 dives each in very different locations. In the following we try to elaborate on our diving adventures in:

Central America: Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras

Oceania: Republic of Palau (Micronesia)

South-East Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines

Indonesia and Melanesia: Nusa Penida, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, Togean Islands

Indian Ocean: India, Andmana Islands, Maldives, Laccadives

Persian Gulf: Oman, Iran

Red Sea: Jordan

:: Diving in Thailand

Dives around Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand and in the Andaman Sea further southwest. Clear waters and water temperatures around 28˚C. Small sharks, turtles, nice hard and soft corals, but don’t expect supreme diving; The new millennia El Niño and global warming has resulted in coral bleaching (discoloring and whitening of the corals) because the temperature-sensitive plankton which lives symbiotically within the coral and gives it the unique color are strictly temperature-sensitive. Expect to see many of the common reef fishes and eels; porcupine-fishes, lion fishes, trigger fishes, bat fishes, moray eels, angel fishes, bump-heads, blues-potted sting rays, puffer fishes, napoleons etc. You may occasionally encounter leopard sharks, white-tipped reef sharks and sea turtles. There are nice walls around the majestic lime-stone cliffs at Phi Phi Islands in the Andaman Sea. Don’t miss the cool King Cruiser Wreck in that area. If you’re into large pelagics (fishes which live in the open ocean rather than around inland waters/reefs), don’t miss the must-see Hin Daeng and Hin Muang dive sites far off the Koh Lanta coast in the southern Andaman Sea offering schools of barracudas and manta rays. You can go there from most places in the Andaman Sea such as the Phi Phi Islands, Phuket or Koh Lanta by speedboat.

· Phi Phi Islands – Andaman Sea (2002)

· The King Cruiser Wreck – Andaman Sea (2002)

· Hin Daeng & Hin Muang – Andaman Sea (2002)

· Koh Tao – Gulf of Thailand (2004)

· Phi Phi Islands – Andaman Sea (2006)

Scenes from diving in the Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, 2002 & 2006

Diving in Koh Tao, Thailand, 2004

:: Diving in Malaysia

Dives around the magical Perhentian Islands off the northern coast of peninsula Malaysia. The beaches are supreme, but don’t go there if you want similar mind-blowing diving. The reefs are okay but have suffered from coral bleaching (read above). There’s a large repertoire of the common reef fishes but the large pelagic fishes are very scarce.

· Perhentian Islands (2006)

Diving at the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia, 2006

TAR National Park, Islands off Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia, 2004

:: Diving in Indonesia

One of the most diverse and best dive-nations in the world. We’ve only been diving around Bali, the Gili Islands northwest of Lombok and the more remote island called Sulawesi – a small part of this great country. Bali is great and teaming with underwater reef life. The 120 m Liberty wreck from WWII is a must-dive. If you want to experience big tuna fishes, barracudas and manta rays go for the small islands Lembongang and Nusa Penida south of Bali. There, if you’re very lucky, you may encounter one of the most rare and beautiful pelagic fishes: The large bonefish, mola mola (ocean sunfish). The Gili Islands has great visibility and many corals as well as anemone carpets. There are loads of schools of fish and it’s almost certain that you will see sharks and turtles on every dive. Sulawesi offers some of the best diving in the world, especially around Bunaken Island in the north. The Togean Islands are remote and propose diving with mantas, schools of dolphins and the occasional hammerhead.

· Gili Islands – Lombok (2004)

· Tulamben & Liberty Wreck – Bali (2004)

· Nusa Penida – Indonesia (2005)

· Bunaken Island – Sulawesi (2006)

· Togian Islands – Sulawesi (2006)

Diving in the Gili Islands, Indonesia, 2004

Diving in Bunaken Island and the Togean Island, Sulawesi, 2006

Diving in Nusa Penida, Indonesia, 2005

Anders, Jakob & Hans at Nusa Penida manta dive, Bali, Indonesia, 2005

:: Diving in the Philippines

With more than 7000 islands, this archipelago is a premier diving destination. On Apo Island south of Negros we did some crazy drift dives with loads of reef fishes and sharks. The Busuanga Islands and Coron Island north of Palawan are some of the best places for wreck enthusiasts – many sunken Japanese army ships and airplanes from WWII are scattered around Coron bay and the life around the wrecks is spectacular. Boracay displays average diving in tropical waters, i.e. not world class diving like Apo Island or Calamian Islands.

· Apo Island – Negros (2005)

· Calamian Islands – Palawan (2005)

· Boracay – Visayas (2008)

Diving at Apo Island, Calamian Islands and Boracay Island, Philippines, 2005 and 2008

:: Diving in Panama

Panama has a myriad of islands and archipelagos with good diving sights. Northwest of Isla Bastimentos the Dark Wooden Reef has many nurse sharks and occasional hammerheads. Off Isla Cristobal the corals are really pretty. The Zapatillas offer challenging drift diving and difficult currents. The Bocas del Toro archipelago’s waters are notorious for bad visibility as more than 40 rivers empty into the bay around the islands. If it has rained in the mountains on land in recent days, 5-10 meters of visibility. On the other hand, if it hasn’t rained for weeks expect up to 40 meters of visibility. When I was there in late August and early September we had around 20-25 meters of visibility.

· Isla Bastimentos (2007)

· Cayo Zapatilla Sur (2007)

· Isla Cristobal (2007)

Diving at Isla Cristobal and Cayo Zapatilla Sur, Panama, 2007

:: Diving in Nicaragua

Reefs full of marine life near Big Corn Island and Little Corn Island offer outstanding possibilities for diving. In Little Corn Island, only Dive Little Corn Resort can arrange diving, and besides a lot of nurse sharks you have a good chance to encounter hammerheads. Also, the beaches around both islands are absolutely magical and the atmosphere on land is genuinely Caribbean.

· Little Corn Island (2007)

Diving at the Corn Islands, Miskito Coast, Nicaragua, 2007

:: Diving in Honduras

In Honduras, at the Bay Islands, diving is by far the most popular activity. Utila is known as the cheapest place in the world to get a certificate, i.e. cheaper than Koh Tao, and fun dives come at US$ 30 for two dives! Utila’s south shore has warm crystal clear waters with tropical fish and corals, whereas the north side displays a plunging wall which makes for excellent drift and deep diving. From March to April and September to October whale shark gather here. Roatán truly is a diver’s paradise with numerous dive sites on the western shore, some of them just meters from the coast. The island seems to display endless variety and excellent diving conditions. Also, pelagic life is richer in Roatán overall, but diving is more expensive here as well.

· Isla Utila (2007)

· Isla Roatán (2007)

Diving in the Bay Islands, Honduras, 2007

:: Diving in India

The Andaman Islands is a secret gem not yet discovered by many divers. The corals are very beautiful and colorful!! The reef life is not overwhelming but you can expect a large plethora of different life forms. Pelagics are rare but the Andamans are ideal for watching hammerhead sharks – that is, if you can afford a boat and arrange a dive in the deeper waters away from the coastal areas.

· Andaman Islands (2007)

Diving in the Andaman Islands, India, 2007

:: Diving in the Maldives

Manta rays, black-tipped reef sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, grey sharks, nurse sharks, dolphins… And many more pelagics. The atolls compromising the Maldives are situated in the middle of nowhere in the open Indian Ocean south of India - translation: Loads of big fishes and mind-blowing drift dives, all in clear waters with near optimum visibility. Diving is expensive compared to SE-Asia, but you also get more action for the money.

· Guiradhoo Island (2007)

· Olhuveli Island (2007)

Diving with a manta and post-diving relaxation in the Maldives, 2007

:: Diving in Republic of Palau

The Palauan Islands are situated westernmost point of Micronesia, the northern subregion of islands in the Western Pacific Ocean. The few adventurers which make it to this island nation often come for the diving. Palau is one the underwater wonders of the world because it boasts all sorts of dives including speedy drift dives, shallow lagoon dives, steep wall dives, drop offs, WII wreck dives, blue holes, caves and tunnels, and otherworldly dives in lakes full of orange jellyfishes.

In Palau you can expect almost everything beneath the surface, but numerous reef sharks including black-tipped, white-tipped and grey species are inevitable. Jakob went there in mid July 2008 and found the underwater scenery/topography to be the most captivating issue but also the abundance of sharks (including bull sharks) on every dive, the steep walls, the reef-hook dives, and the amazing excess of colorful seafans and hard and soft corals was absolutely fascinating. Getting there is expensive but all worth the effort and money! If you cannot afford live aboard diving trips, try Sam’s Tours which is based in Koror, the main island; they arrange journeys to all the great dives spots as day tours.

· The Rock Islands (2008)

· Outer reefs at Ulong Island (2008)

· Peleliu Island (2008)

Diving and snorkeling around the beautiful Rocks Islands, Palau, 2008

:: Diving in Jordan

XXX Jakob XXX Coming soon XXX

· Aqaba Bay (2007)

:: Diving in Oman

Can you dive in Oman? Yes! 50 km north of Muscat, 50 km off the coast of El Sawadee in the middle of nowhere, is a sting of 10-or-so islands called the Dimaniyat Islands. The island chain is quite expensive to go to and demanding to reach, but the corals are in really good shape and you’ll see a lot of turtles and large pelagics. Anders went there in early July 2008 and was lucky to encounter a gigantic whale shark. Jakob went there in late July 2008 (3 weeks later), but wasn’t as lucky (but had just been to Palau, i.e. he was feed up already).

· Dimaniyat Islands (2008)

Encounter with a whale shark, the remote Dimaniyat Islands, Oman, 2008

Unique snorkeling destinations

We have been snorkeling in a lot of different locations and we will not list them all. Instead, we want to underline a couple of unique snorkeling locations other than normal with abundant fish and amazing visibility.

· The Peal Keys, Nicaragua, 2007

· Apo Island, Philippines, 2005

· Caye Caulker & Ambergris Caye Belize, 2007

· Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, 2007

· Inglis Island, Andaman Islands, 2007

· Hin Daeng & Hin Muang Thailand, 2001

· Dahab, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, 2005

· Olhuveli Island, South Male Atoll, Maldives, 2007

· Carp Island, Rock Islands, Palau, 2008

· Mecherchar Jellyfish Lake, Rock Islands, Palau, 2008

WWII Japanese aircrafts and the supernatural Jellyfish Lake, Republic of Palau, 2008

World class snorkeling in Caye Caulker & Ambergris Caye, Belize, 2007

World class snorkeling in Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, 2007

World class snorkeling in the Pearl Keys (Cayos Perlas), Miskito Coast, Nicaragua, 2007

Snorkeling off Dahab, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, 2005

Advices on diving and discussion of diving

Both of us was certified PADI Open Water Advanced SCUBA-divers in the Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, back in 2001 and have been diving on most trips ever since. Each of us has had more than 70 dives in Asia the Middle East, Oceania and Central America.

:: Why is diving so great in South-East Asia? ::

Read and learn our opinion on the diving environment in SE Asia.

:: Some future places to go diving… ::

A comprehensive list of our dreams.

:: The Seven Underwater Wonders of the World ::

Everyone knows The Seven Wonders of the World.

Nevertheless, the Underwater Wonders are quite unknown.

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