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East Timor Banda SeaLocation: 44.5KM East of Dili. Coming down over the ridge after Behau Village the turnoff is marked by a rock with "HB" painted on it. Follow the tracks 15-20m to the water's edge.
Entry: The beach is covered with medium sized smooth rocks. The entry is gradual starting with rocks, going to sand and then coral gardens to the West.
UW profile: To the West, a gradual slope is covered by low lying coral leading to larger coral formations, small walls and coral covered ledges.
Points of interest On entry and after the rocks there is a group of several dozen garden eels that live in the sand at about 5-6 meters depth. One of the ledges further West, is covered with two giant clams approximately 50cm in length, at 9-10 meters depth. Also seen: Napoleon wrasse, lobster, banded sea snake.
Topside: The area at the water's edge is nicely covered with trees and great for picnics.
Go to
website for a list of dive operators in the area.
more info about Behau Forest (Bob's Rock) including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Egypt Red SeaSharks Observatory is located at the famous Ras Mohamed Park - Sinai, very close to the resort town of Sharm el Sheikh.
The site can be dived from shore, dayboat or live aboard safari. In spite of its name, Shark Observatory is not noted for its sharks. Despite this, it is possible to see sharks at the site, white tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, black tip sharks, tiger sharks (during summer months) and if you are lucky, whale sharks as well, have all been spotted at the site.
The dive normally begins on the western side of the corner / point. From shore it is an easy entrance "through a man-hole
type entrance, descending into the reef plate, that leads into a big cave (about 7 meters deep / 10 meters long). Once you exit the cave you will find a big canyon, dissappearing into the blue. The cave itself has some groupers, clearfin lionfish
and also special "comet starfish" near the entrance of the reef plate. The top of the reef is abundant with fish, Arabian surgeon fish, parrotfish etc... Light filtering through the reef plate into the cave is also spectacular. The reef starts right at 0.5 meters depth, dropping vertically down to approximately 200+ meters at some spots. Once you have exited the cave the best is to follow the wall to your left hand side. Along the wall you will find good hard corals with lots of sea goldies, groupers, lionfish, moray eels, turtles, if you look into the blue, you will see jacks, dog tooth tuna, barracuda passing by. Before the corner, on the western side, at a depth of about 15 meter, are some huge fan corals and cave where we always spot hawk fish and in the cave you almost always find a resident scorpion fish and the "rare" Broad-banded pipefish. Above this cave is some "cracks" in the reef, filled with glassfish and groupers. The wall especially at the "corner" offers some of the best and most colorfull soft corals in Sinai. The area also abounds with marine life, lots of jacks, groupers etc...
Late afternoons it is also possible to spot eagle rays and manta rays passing by in the blue. Please take care as the current at the corner can be very strong at times. When diving this site in the afternoon, you will have lots of shadows, giving again excellent light effects.
Sharks Observatory always offers the "X" factor, you never know what you can expect!
more info about Sharks Observatory, Ras Mohamed Park including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Australia PacificBrilliant dive site, safe for all levels, has a cave going right through the rock. Deep enterance is at 23 meters that comes up to about 16 meters inside the cave, dark for about 40 meters or so and light for the rest, come out at about 10 meters at the shallow end. The cave is about 100 meters or so long with turtles, crayfish, sharks, lots of tropicals, normally houses three to five large black cod. Plenty of soft corals, cowries and nudis and spanish dancers.some very friendly bat fish and blue grouper. Other sites in the vicinity are Murrays Passage, which is great for deep diving and some penatration. The aquariam, which is 8 meters to 17 meters or so that houses schooling fish small tropicals, turtles and sharks and nudis. Great machro site. King wrasse corner, shark gutters, fish and chips are deeper sites, all on the southern, eastern and western side and when the conditions are good, the pinnacle on the northern side is an awesome dive for big fish and sometimes up 70 sharks, great tropicals and brilliant vegetation. I know this sounds a little amazing, coz it is. I have been diving there for about 10 years and it never ceases to amaze me. Green Island has much the same life, depth is about 12 meters to 17 meters, the island houses the red indian fish, anglers, nudis, sharks, turtles, schooling drummer. Black rock, 12 metes to may be 15 meters if you have a shovel, once again plenty of tropicals, turtles, hordes of wrasse and blue angels, butterflies everwhere. Bait reef, 9 to 12 meters and ladys reef, 10 meters, awesome machro.. Temp ranges from normall 22 degrees to 26/28 degrees over summer.
The boys at South West Rock Dive Centre have 3 boats, accomodation, hire gear, guided tours and great diving.
0265 666474
website has all the info.
more info about fish rock cave, south west rocks including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Costa Rica PacificMurcielago or Bat islands
This dive spot is for experienced divers and really worth taking the 1 hour and 15 minutes boat trip.
A free decent and you are in a wonderfull place. In the season May - November this place is famous for it's bull sharks.
My firts trip to these islands was awesome.....16 bull sharks!
The biggest Murene eels and big schools of rays. It's just a magnificent place to dive!
Your saftey stop has to be made in mid water without reference, this can be tricky because sometimes the currents are strong; therefore the experienced dive certification.
If you plan to go, be prepared, bring a saftey tube for the boat to spot you.
Bat islands is a national park and an entrance fee of $6 needs to be paid, make sure you take a diveshop that has legal permission because alot of divecenteres will take you on this trip and then you end up returning without any dives because the coast guard interfered with the plans.
One of the dive shops with a permit is Rich Coast Diving in playa del Coco.
website more info about Bat Islands including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Barbados Caribbean SeaThe SS Stavronikita is the wreck of a 365ft Greek freighter which ran in to trouble off the coast of Barbados in 1976. The ship caught fire and was severely damaged. It was towed into the port of Bridgetown where she sat for almost two years.
In 1978 The Greek Government disowned her, so the Barbados government decided to deploy the ship as an artificial reef in the calm tranquil waters of the west coast, just off of Fitts Village in the Parish of St James. The shipwreck lies bolt upright with her bow facing East and the prop is at 40m/130ft. The top of the mast is at 6m/20ft. The house and main deck are to be found at 24m/80ft. The huge forward and aft cargo holds, and the cabins, stairways and engine rooms can be penetrated. This dive is rated as one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean. Hightide Watersports visit this site approx 3 times a week.
more info about SS. STAVRONIKITA West Coast including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Indonesia Bali SeaMy Favourite site. Saw 25 hammerhead here on aug '04. Dog-toothed tunas are also quite a common sight. Excellent soft corals and mesmerizing colors mixed with huge boomies- as big as a house. Not the easiest place to get to in Bali but well worth it. Go with an experience guide. Very important. Minimal experience for this dive is 50 dives. Current is common but not wild. Safe when close to the reef. White tips are almost guaranteed. Have questions regarding this site can ask me at
click here to email , personally I have dived this reef over 250 times.
more info about Gili Selang including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Maldives Indian OceanThe most awesome Night Diving experience. In fact I can't think of a single experience in my 45 + years experience of life that comes close to the action on this underwater hill every night.
The biggest, meanest looking, Barracuda I have ever seen.
Sharks run scared of him.
Fantastic.
more info about Maaya Thila including maps, reviews, and ratings...
South Africa Indian OceanBest of both worlds... underwater and land safaris on the same trip! Great visibilty, very little surge. lovely dive!
more info about Sodwana Bay including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Italy Tyrrhenian SeaI like much this wreck and I made many dives here like a guide. History: a german ship that in its first trip to Africa was sinked by the english U- boat Safari. A torpedo hit the prow. Now the wreck is like in navigation.
website more info about KT 12 Orosei, Sardinia including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Japan East China SeaAwesome site... visibility on a bad day 30ft, 60ft on a good day. Depth ranges 20-60ft evenly, old junk yard dump site, good coral wildlife
more info about Junkyard including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United Kingdom Sea of the HebridesThis was my first 50M dive!
I remember sliding down a fantastic wall, getting narked at 50M and ascending pulling at all the sea pens, which quickly retracted!
On the surface the seals look at you like 'what are you doing' as they sit undisturbed on various rocks. If you're lucky they'll follow you underwater too.
Fantastic stuff
more info about The Sound Of Mull including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United KingdomAnother popular site at St Abbs is Seagull Rock, which has a large cave cut out of the seaward side. Unlike the well-known Cathedral Rock, this site is best dived at high water, as the lower the state of tide the more slippery rocks you have to negotiate. The best route is to swim out along the sewage pipe that is clearly visible from the car park. Raw sewage is discharged from this pipe so if you use the toilet on the harbour front before your dive there is a very good chance that you will meet anything you put down it again on your way out. Still, the fish seem to like it, so don’t be put off; just keep your DV firmly in your mouth!
Further up the coast, just around St Abbs head, is Petticowick Bay, a picturesque cove boasting a Divers Only car park. Petticowick is reached either by a short drive through the nature reserve, or by boat from St Abbs harbour. This is an interesting site, mostly kelp, but with reefs where rare marine life has been recorded. Probably the most spectacular sights observed here though are the diving seabirds ‘flying’ underwater. This site is completely sheltered from southerly winds and a good alternative to St Abbs at such times
more info here
website more info about St Abbs, Seagull Rock including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Italy Ionian SeaThe activity unfolds the long of the coast ionic of Catania until Taormina and inside the reserve marinade "Isole Ciclopi" and in Ustica reserve marinade. The Diving Center "Cassiopeasub" is found in Catania and Ustica island. It is a diving center PADI. One organizes there daily exits during which it is possible to undertake several plunges.
website more info about Catania coast including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Thailand South China SeaHaad Yao Divers offers trips to these site 3 x a week. Different kind of cameras can be hired at their shop. They offer the Underwater Specialty Course.
more info about Sailrock: Koh Phangan including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Ecuador PacificLa Plata Island bottoms are, most of the time, made up of rock combined with massive Coral Reef Patches in good condition, coral fans (Gorgonians) and sand areas. The fauna is very rich and interesting, there are big groups of reef fishes like: angelfish, butterfly fish, trumpet fish, flute fish, jacks, sea basses, puffer fish, balloon fish, morays, snappers, trigger fish, parrot fish, scorpion fish, manta rays, guitar rays and white tip sharks. We can also see some green marine turtles, different species of sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
more info about Isla de la Plata, Manabí, Machalilla National Park including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Saudi Arabia Red SeaAqua Flame dive sites in Jeddah has a lot to offer divers. Sites cater to a wide range of divers and interests. The warm watters and sunny days are ideal conditions for diving almost all year long without the use of thermal protection
more info about Jeddah including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Colombia PacificI don't know who would rate this magical Island absurd. There are more than six authorized sites to dive. I would say that conditions vary, but is pacific and you really need to have a good guide that knows the tides in order to obtain the best visibility. I have seen whale shark, manta ray, white tip reef sharks and a lot of turtles. This is the huge stuff. Barracuda rings are often, parrot fish, grunts, morays, angel fish, butterfly fish, groupers, rays, idols amongs a lot of jacks. To me a wounderful place!!!!!!!!!
more info about Gorgona Island including maps, reviews, and ratings...
GreeceIt is a fantastic dive site. Some they call it Abyss (dive site name), some they call it the Narkosis Theater and some they call it Horse Head. Only one thing I can tell It is really amazing. Only when you dive there you can understand what I mean.
more info about Abyss Kythnos including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Turkey Aegean Seathe best place in Gümüldür to learn to Dive with PADI and TSSF registered diving courses and scuba diving equipment at discount rates.
Scuba Diving is one of those sports that at one time or another we all want to have a go at. It offers the chance to explore a silent and wonderful world full of exotic creatures with excitement unsurpassed by other sports and holiday pastimes.
more info about Gumuldur-Izmir including maps, reviews, and ratings...
IndonesiaThe dive sites around the three islands of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan offer divers the widest possible range of experiences.
The dive site of Mangrove is a stunning shelving reef with healthy coral gardens stretching from just below the surface down to 30 metres. The fish life is rich and varied and the visibility can stretch to 30 metres or more.
Around the corner to the east, Ceningan Wall is an exciting drift with the bottom dropping away to 100 metres or more. The walls are alive with soft an hard corals and large palegics swim by in the depths.
Penida Bay, also known as Crystal Bay, is where the Mola Mola can be seen from July through until August. These majestic creatures come in to be cleaned by banner fish and other reef fish. They rest head up in the deep cool waters of the bay surounded by a cloud of bright fish which remove parasites from their skin. They allow divers to approach quite close and offer incredible photo oportunities.
Though the islands have a reputation for wild currents, there are dive operations that ensure the best possible diving conditions by diving with the rising tide and selecting suitable sites (there are 18 to choose from) with mild currents. Most of the dives are drift dives, so there is no need to struggle against the flow. Just allow the current to drift you along the reef and enjoy the show!
more info about Nusa Lembogan, Ceningan and Penida including maps, reviews, and ratings...