Scuba Diving Locations

In our forth and last part of “The Greatest Spots For All Kinds of Scuba Diving” we will be discussing the more challenging and technical dives. In this part we will cover drift diving, ice diving and deep diving.

Drift Diving

When drift diving the diver is transported by the currents by the tide of the water or in a river. This kind of diving is especially fun because of the speed. You really can get moving! You don’t really have to do something when drift diving, just relax and follow the group. Most of the time a boat will follow the group of divers to pick them up afterwards. It’s important to stay in group when doing this kind of dives because it’s easy to get separated from the group because of the current. Make sure to be properly trained when doing a drift dive!

Best locations: Palau (Micronesia), Boracay (Manila), Jupiter Ledges Drift (Florida)

Ice Diving

Ice diving is some kind of penetration diving. The dive takes place under the ice. This kind of dive is very challenging and involves many hazards because the ice is covering the water and there is only one single entry/exit point. Because of this the diver will have to follow a special training before he is qualified to do this.  In this training you will learn how to identify possible unsafe ice condition and will have to do lots of safety drills. The low temperatures will make these dives only harder.

Best locations: Canada, Russia

Deep Diving

The diver will need the correct skills and knowledge when attempting deep diving. Diving to a depth of 30 meters below sea level or more requires a special certification. The main reason why people or diving so deep is to sea things that can’t be seen else. There is a different marine life and often you will have to dive so deep to find ship wrecks. Challenges involved with deep diving are rapid air consumption and decompression sickness.

Best locations: South Africa

Last week we discussed shark diving, turtle diving and reef diving. In this part we will be focusing on some of the more technical dives. In part 3 of “The Greatest Spots For All Kind of Scuba Diving” we will discuss cave diving, wall diving and night diving.

Cave Diving

Some people will wonder what’s so exciting about exploring a dark, potentially dangerous cave. Well, it’s not only about the cave itself but about the challenge that is involved with this kind of dive. Cave diving is a type of technical diving which involves many hazards. Because it’s a form of penetration diving (by actually entering the cave) the diver cannot directly ascend to the surface in case of emergency. Many times the navigation in the cave system is difficult which is another factor that makes cave diving so exciting. On top of that the visibility is very low because there is no natural light inside the caves. An flashlight will be mandatory when exploring the darkness inside the caves. Cave diving is known to be one of the most dangerous sports, so good training and special equipment is a must.

Best locations: Grand Bahama Island (Bahamas), Florida (USA), Yucatan (Mexico)

Wall Diving

The most exciting part of wall diving is the fact that you have no support under your feet. Wall diving is a different kind of diving than what most divers are used to. You will descend near a vertical wall and often you are unable to sea the bottom. When wall diving it’s advised to descend slowly. This way you will discover many kinds of fish and plants. Often you will find different kinds of corals covering the walls. When doing this kind of dive it is important to pay attention to the depth. There is no floor to prevent you from descending too deep.

Best locations: Cayman Islands (Caribbean), Grand Turk (Caribbean), Red Sea (Egypt)

Night Diving

Diving in the dark is a complete different style of diving than diving during the day. You will have to concentrate more on nearby objects because the visibility is much lower during the night. Night diving involves some hazards such as unable to read the instruments, failure of the flashlight and it’s easier to get separated from the group. Maybe you wonder why you should bother with night diving. You might think there is nothing to see because it’s dark, but that’s not entirely true. Many species of marine life only emerge at night. You simply won’t find them during the day. Night diving is something you should try at least once. Some people like it other people hate it, but there is only one way to find out…

Best locations: Worldwide

Technorati Tags: bahamas, caribbean, cave diving, Cayman Island, corals, marine life, night diving, red sea, wall diving

Last week we focused on wreck diving, blue holes and diving between dolphins in the first part of our “The Greatest Spots For All Kinds of Scuba Diving” series. Today we’ll bring you the second part. In this part we’ll continue where we stopped last week, being the very diverse marine life. This article will zoom in on shark diving, swimming between giant sea turtles and reef diving.

Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are large reptiles that inhabit tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world. They are air-breathing reptiles but can divert to anaerobic respiration for long periods of time. Sea turtles lived through the age of the dinosaurs and survived the ice ages. They are the true ancients of the world. If you have the chance to see them or dive between them, simply don’t hesitate. Being able to swim between these giant creatures gives a special feeling, a connection between you and the pure, untouched nature. Sometimes they will just swim through a group of divers like they really don’t care about the presence of humans.  There are many species in all forms and sizes but they are all threatened with extinction. The most famous species are: green sea turtle, hawksbilland  leatherback. Sea turtles can grow as large as 2 meters and weighing 590 kg.

Best locations: Hawaii, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia

Sharks

This is something for the people who like the kick of diving between potentially dangerous animals. You can dive freely between the sharks or you can descend into the water in a cage if you’re not completely confident about it. Either way it’s a great thing to do and will give a great adrenaline rush when you are surrounded by sharks. If you are carefully, watch out and don’t interfere with what these animals are doing they will leave you alone. But that doesn’t mean you can go out on your own. If you want to do a shark dive always do this in the presence of an experience shark diver. These people know what they are doing and know how to handle these animals and how they react on the human presence. For the brave ones among us it’s possible to rub the belly of a shark after gaining trust and calming down the shark. It will surely give a great feeling being able to control such a dangerous animal.

Best locations: Shark Alley (South Africa), Galapagos Islands, Thailand, Bahamas, Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

Reef Diving

This is the type of diving that is best suited for the recreational diver. The dives are not deep and there are lots and lots of thing to see. First of all there is the beautiful underwater landscape formed by the reefs. Second there are the wonderful corals that come in all shapes and colors. Thirdly are the large quantities of tropical fishes. And in this case you get both quantity and quality. There are so many species, so many colors, so many shapes,… You will not grow tired of reef diving anytime soon. There is simply to much to enjoy. One thing to remember when reef diving is to be careful and not break the reef by getting to close. It takes years to recover.

Best locations: Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Grand Central Station and Chimneys (Fiji), Belize Barrier Reef (Belize)

Technorati Tags: bahamas, coral reefs, green turtles, hawaii, marine life, scuba diving locations, sealife, sharks, turtles, underwater landscape, underwater life

Ship and Plane Wrecks

Diving to some kind of ship or plane wreck gives some kind of magical feeling, especially if there is a story behind the wreck. Although most wrecks are ships you will also find plane wrecks on some locations. Wrecks function as a artificial reef which create a habitat for many types of marine life. After some time coral will start to take over the wreck. These kind of things result in great pictures. That’s one of the reason divers are attracted by old ship and plane wrecks. There are several categories of wreck diving each involving a greater risk. Non-penetration diving (diving over the wreck), limited penetration diving (diving into the easily accessible parts of the wreck) and full penetration diving which involves many risk like getting lost, complete darkness, instability of the wreck, etc. You will definitely need adequate training to do a penetration dive.

Best locations: Truk Lagoon (Micronesia), Red Sea (Egypt), Cayman Islands (Caribbean)

Blue Holes

Everyone who has been diving for a while or is only a bit interested in scuba diving knows the famous blue holes. The Great Blue Hole in Belize, Bahamas is probably the most famous one. Blue holes were formed during the glacial periods when the sea level was 100 to 120 meters lower than nowadays. This made the limestone formations subject to the (chemical) weather conditions. These underwater sinkholes can be seen from within an airplane. They have a dark blue color and have a circular shape. Diving into a blue hole might seem intimidating because they are so deep. For a long time people thought that they were bottomless, but with the modern equipment scientist were able to determine the depth of these vertical caves. Contrary to what people believed they are not bottomless but are on average 200 meters deep. You definitely need some experience with deep sea diving but the kick of diving into one of those sinkholes is worth it although you won’t find much tropical fishes.

Best locations: Belize (Bahamas), Long Island (Bahamas), Red Sea (Egypt)

Dolphins

Diving or snorkeling with dolphins is a great thing to do. Dolphins are very intelligent and friendly creatures that like to be around people. You will immediately notice how intelligent dolphins when you enter the water. They will try to interact and encourage you to play with them. Dolphins are very active animals and will really enjoy when you play with them or touch them. The more you keep the dolphins interested in what you are doing, the more they will show their interest to you. It’s really nice to watch them swimming in their natural habitat where they will move like torpedoes and leap out of the water sometimes.

Best Locations: Bahamas, Australia, South Africa

Technorati Tags: bahamas, blue holes, caribbean, Cayman Island, red sea, scuba diving, scuba diving locations

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and has some of the world’s most famous monuments. There are the archaeological sites and ancient ruins such as Thebe, Karnak and the Valley of Kings and the pyramid complexes and sphinxes including the ones in Giza. But Egypt also offers some of the best scuba diving locations in the world. Egypt scuba diving is mainly situated around the Red Sea.

There are two major scuba diving areas around the Red Sea, Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghade. Sharm El Sheikh is more established and is located at the northern part of the Red Sea. The scuba diving industry grew along with the steady growth of the resorts, tourist services and other shops. The Egypt scuba diving shops are almost all affiliated with or work together with hotel resorts. Most hotels even add some form of scuba diving in their holiday package. Another good, but less known diving site is Hurghada. Once this was a small fishing village at the west side of the Red Sea but it is starting to grow as many divers go there as an alternative to Sharm El Sheikh.

The coral reefs in the Red Sea can go to very shallow depths, and that is something typical for the Red Sea that will not often be found at other diving locations around the world.In the Red Sea you will find some underwater life that are only to be found there. Lionfish for example, extremely rare elsewhere but abundant in the Red Sea, but you will also be able to see schools of tuna or other fish. Night diving is also among the possibilities. At night the coral reefs here are more spectacular than at other diving locations around the world.

To get to the right locations boats drop off divers at their location and pick them up afterwards. But you could also join a liveaboard. Liveaboards are the ultimate way to experience the Egyptian Red Sea. With these ships it’s possible to make mini cruises and stay aboard for 1 or more nights which allows to travel further away from the coast than on a normal boat. This way you will be able to visit dive sites, shipwrecks and reefs that are normally inaccessible.

Egypt scuba diving is something  you have to be done at least once in a lifetime. One thing to remember when diving at these sites is that the maximum allowable depth for recreational scuba divers is 90 feet or 30 meters in Egypt.

Technorati Tags: coral reefs, Hurghada, night diving, scuba diving, Sharm El Sheikh

Hawaii – the tropical paradise both above and under the water surface. The water is warm and clear, lots of white shores, volcanoes and excellent surfing spots. But this is only half of paradise, there is also a whole world to explore under water. Hawaii scuba diving is a rich and colorful experience. Whenever you travel to Hawaii be sure to add some days for scuba diving in your planning. You will have the experience of your life, you simply have to see the underwater life!

Hawaii has a huge diversity of colorful fishes that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. And it doesn’t stop there, there are also the coral reefs, the caves, the caverns, the lava tubs, drop-offs and basalt boulders. Sometims you can even swim side by side with seals and dolphins. You will also see moray eels, scorpion fish, shrimps, giant sea turtles, tropical reef fish, living coral, star fish, lobster, octopus and so on. There is more than enough to see but if you want you can also try out night diving to see the underwater creatures sleeping peacefully. The only drawback of Hawaii is that it is not possible to dive during winter.

Hawaii is a group of eight different islands each with its own characteristics. A large part of the Hawaiian tourism is focussed on delivering the best scuba diving experience possible. Many diving equipment shops are located next to the hotels and there are lots of opportunities to follow diving classes as well. Trained divers will teach all the different skills needed to the vacationers. After following these courses you will be able to dive in open water and explore the best scuba diving locations in Hawaii.

Maui offers excellent sites for diving of any level, Kauai is known for the pristine and rugged diving sites and Lanai is known for its lava formations. The formations are created by nature and include archways, tunnels, ridges and pinnacles, a must see! Oahu is another scuba diving site. It has lava offshore formations, grottoes and ship & plane wrecks. And then we have Maui which offers a range of different scuba diving options: shore dives and boat dives for beginners and advanced divers.

Technorati Tags: boat dives, caverns, coral reefs, dolphins, Kauai, Lanai, lava tubs, Maui, night diving, Oahu, scuba diving, sea turtles, seals, shore dives, Tropical Paradise

The Bahamas is made up of about 700 islands of which only 30 are being inhabited. This makes Bahamas scuba diving a unique experience. At the Bahamas you will find the real and untouched nature both above and under water. You will be able to swim between fishes that have never seen a human being before and sometimes you can even touch them. There is huge diversity of undersea life to explore.

This big area of untouched nature is good for more than 1000 scuba diving sites. Shartered boats and yachts are available in abundance and this makes it really easy to get to the exact location of your preference. The people that have never dived before can follow a series of dive classes in a period spanning five days. After that you will get your diving certification which allow you to dive in open waters. At that point you can decide what you want to do. Bahamas Scuba Diving stands for several different types of diving: diving between the sharks and feed them, diving with dolphins, exploring the blue holes, cavern diving, cave diving and so on.

The Bahamas are well-known for their Blue Holes. These Blue Holes are portals in the coral reefs in which you can descend. The walls of these holes are covered with coral reef and when you dive into one of those holes you will be surrounded by the coral. Not only the coral reefs will speak to your imagination but also the great variety of other sealife. When you are at the Bahamas you simply have to visit one of those.

Some of the most beautiful blue holes full of tropical fishes can be found around the Andros Island. This is also the location where you can find the third largest barrier reef. Throughout the Andros Island, you’ll find several dive sites such as the Amphitheatre, Alec Caverns, Cara Caverns, Coral Caverns, Dungeons Dianna, the Staircase of the Giants and so on. San Salvador and Abaxos are also frequently visited where you will find an abundance of colorful corals and fishes, porpoises, green turtles, seahorses and moray eels. But there are also some shipwrecks you can bring a visit. Other popular spots are Freeport, the Berry Islands, the Bimini Islands, Nassau, Free port and San Salvador.

Technorati Tags: Andros Island, blue holes, coral reefs, dive classes, diving site, dolphins, green turtles, seahorses, sealife, sharks

The Caribbean Islands are a very popular locations to go diving. Especially among the people from northern America this is a top scuba diving location. Because the great popularity of this location all the needed accommodation is available. The Caribbean is a scuba diving paradise for both experienced and inexperienced divers.

The islands are literally packed with scuba dive shops and training opportunities. Many of the tourism on the islands revolves around making the Caribbean scuba diving experience the best you’ll ever had. Almost all holiday makers and hotels add some form of scuba diving as an extra option in their package. This tropical paradise with its top scuba diving sites offers warm weather all year round, clear and warm tropical waters and a great diversity of underwater life.

Scuba diving at the Caribbean islands can be done at more than 30 locations. Each of the Islands offer a unique diving experience but something that is certain when scuba diving at the Caribbean is that you will see a great variety of coral reefs and underwater living species.

Some of best known diving sites are the Cayman Island, Bonaire, St. Lucia and Costa Rica. Another location you must check out when you g diving in the Caribbean are the British Virgin Islands. Here you can dive to amazing caves, sinkholes, ledges and canyons. Antigua is another beautiful location but maybe lesser known. It has no deep waters but the coral reefs here are stunning. But the most spectacular Caribbean scuba diving location is Painted Walls. At this diving site you will be able to see all the colors of the rainbow while you are diving. This  really is a spectacular locations. Be sure to check it out!

Technorati Tags: Antigua, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Islands, Cayman Island, Costa Rica, Painted Walls, St. Lucia, underwater life

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving where the diver carries a source or container of compressed air with him. By doing this the diver can stay underwater for a prolonged time which makes scuba diving  a much richer experience. To get the most out of it, it is important to choose a good location. Scuba diving locations around the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Hawaii or the Red Sea in Egypt or all excellent sites.  Many people travel to these locations for a scuba diving vacation in particular but while there they use the spare time to visit the surroundings, be it the ancient pyramids in Egypt or just to enjoy the nature somewhere else. These locations are very well-known scuba diving locations and attract millions of tourists every year.

Because so many people go there for diving all the required accommodation is available, both for experienced divers and novice divers. For the people who never did this before there are enough places where experienced divers teach you how to dive and help you to get a diving license. This allows you to dive in the open water while most of the diving classes are done where there is not a great current.

But what’s so special about diving? Why is this one of the fastest growing water sports?
This is not so difficult to explain. If you have ever seen some pictures of the awesome underwater landscape you will understand. Add the marine life, the diversity of tropical fish, the corals, sponges and reefs to this and you have an unforgetable experience. For the more adventurous and experienced divers it is also possible to dive to a ship wreck, go cave diving, ice diving or deep diving. Another positive thing about these scuba diving locations such as the Bahamas, the Caribbean or other tropical locations is the clear and warm water. The clear water allows you to see everything of the underwater fauna and flora around you.

A very famous location are the blue holes around the Grand Bahama Island. This dive site has become very famous because of the TV series “Sea Hunt”. The blue holes are portals in the reefs through which it is possible to descend and which are surrounded by reef walls on all sides. Also from the air these blue holes are spectacular. Something you must have seen yourself at least once in your life.

Technorati Tags: bahamas, blue holes, caribbean, corals, hawaii, marine life, red sea, reefs, scuba diving locations, underwater diving, underwater landscape