Where's your favorite dive destination in the world? How was it different from all your other dive experiences? What sea life did you encounter?
Poz
Reply to this I was lucky enough to spend a week on Sipidan, off Malaysia, one of the very best dive locations in the world, before it was shut to preserve the ecology there. The island existed purely as a diving destination, where you go out 4 or 5 times a day. Going out with just your buddy from the shore led to gorgeously easy but stunning diving - the island has a wall reef going straight down hundreds of metres. The night dives were also fantastic, with some incredible sights of luminescent fish in their hundreds in one small cave. Boat trips further off from the island were also fantastic. Some of the highlights - seeing 15 sharks in 1 dive, sea turtles mating, and a fantastic shoal of barricuda changing formation in ways I have never seen before.
Although you can no longer stay on the island, dive companies from the surrounding area do still make regular trips to the reefs I believe.
Reply to this The Philippines!!! I spent just over three weeks in the Philippines last year, and went diving near Dumaguete, Apo Island, Alona Beach, and Cabilao Island. It was magnificent! The visibilty is great at 30m+, and the diversity of marine life is amazing. While it might not be the place to see sharks or manta rays, I saw an great variety of micro life, such as nudibranches and seahhorses. Beautiful corals!
Since then I went diving in several other countries, but nothing has even come close to my experiences in the Philippines:
- l'Estartit (Spain): Not impressed....
- Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt): Nice diving, especially in the Strait of Tiran and Ras Mohammed National Park. Nice corals and good amount of fish. The reefs closer to Sharm are not as spectacular. As a day-trip Dahab's Blue Hole is very spectacular. If you want to visit the wreck of the Thistlegorm an early wake-up is necessary, but it is without a doubt the most imprssive wreck I've dived on.
- Pulau Tioman (Malaysia): Nice diving, but the number of sites is limited. Large numbers of turtles and stingrays, and I spotted my first sharks here!
Pulau Tioman
- Varadero (Cuba): Varadero is big on wreck diving as the coral is not very colourful (mainly different shades of brown and green) and diversity of marine life is low. Not bad. but don't go to Cuba especially for the diving...
Varadero
I'll be moving to Papua New Guinea soon for two years. From what I hear it has some of the best sites in the world. Can't wait to try them...
Reply to this #2 (Liz) I agree, Sipadan is ridiculously cool!
#3 (Erik) Any idea which are the good dive sites in Papua?
Anyone been diving in Palau? I met a Japanese dive instructor who thought Palau was his favorite.
poz
Reply to this Poz, I don't know yet which are the good sites in Papua. But I'll post back here, as well as in my blog, when I've found them!
Cheers,
Erik
Reply to this Sipadan so far has been my best diving experience... I let you know how the Galapagos measure soon 😊
Before that the Blue Hole in Belize was one amazing dive - still rates up there.
I love the diving in the Perhentian Islands - but that has a lot to do with knowing the sites like the back of my hand and seeing them change slowly through the season... diving with the Bumphead Parrot Fish is still one of my all time favorite experiences 😊
Tomorrow I dive for the first time in the Galapagos - the snorkelling has been fantastic already - and sometimes from the boats you can see eagle-rays leaping out of the water - amazing 😊
Reply to this Sipadan rules!
Ali, when is the best season for diving in the Galaps? When I was in the Galapagos, everyone I met said when they were diving, they felt like they were in a big washing machine filled with hammerhead sharks. Sounds like it has unparalleled sea life, but the clarity and currents can be bad in certain seasons...
Te gusta los lobos marinos?
poz
~error~ private photo 529142
Reply to this "they felt like they were in a big washing machine filled with hammerhead sharks" - great description 😊 almost reality - but not quite, the hammerhead sharks are quite timid. I didn't get close enough to them for my liking!
I did my last dive this morning and - and - the verdict is... Sipadan - it is great here - but I like it warmer, I like the colourful corals and fish, I like the easy diving, lack of sea sickness, no crazy surge. But - for me - the Galapagos, it's number two so far.
Apparently the best diving season is in February... when the water is warmest and the visibility is best, but the fish can start to die as well... so take your pick lots of fish but you can see them or fewer fish that you can 😊
Reply to this Dahab; gorgeous diving, lovely people... you may not want to leave...
The "Islands" were stunning, as was South of Dahab where it's less busy from the usual Lighthouse and Eel Garden sites (though the Eel Garden is pretty cool). August is hot, which meant less people seemed to be around; you need to be able to handle the heat as temps can reach mid 40's C +. It was cooling off to a comfortable heat in mid October which seemed to bring everyone back. I wasn't overly impressed with the Blue Hole as unless you are a deep diver (30mtrs +) it seemed pretty average... but that's just my opinion, and I have to admit that others do seem to love it. You can drift dive from Bells to the Blue Hole which I thought was a great dive (best of both). Stunning coral, red sea fish, turtles, etc.
Check out both Reef2000 and Divers Down Under. Reef2000 is based at the Bedouin Moon Hotel (lovely hotel with a pool) but about a 20min walk from the centre of the village or 2 mins away in a jeep), the staff out there are fab and on good days you can dive literally across the road. DDU are based in the village (off the main boulevard) and are also fab. They're linked in with the 7th Heaven Hotel (cheap and clean). There are loads of other hotels and dive clubs that are probably just as good, but the above are the two I've been with.
Tip - venture out of the heart of Dahab and go for a wander. There are little shops here and there, people are friendly, and when you get tired someone will pull over and offer you a taxi ride in their truck/jeep/ute. Barter for everything, don't forget baksheesh (tips) and lax out :o)
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I was browsing the blogs just a few days ago and... wow - this one came up
Ecuador part 3: Galapagos Diving & Fratenising
I must must must go back to the Galapagos one day and dive at Darwin and Wolf - you need to take a liveaboard - costing about $3000 - and be able to stay away from the internet for the whole time... so that rules me out for now!
Reply to this Anyone know anything about diving the Mergui Archipelago? Is it possible to dive there without taking a liveaboard from Thailand?
Ali, you know SE Asia well. Heard anything?
Regarding these Galapagos pictures... WOW! Holy $%#!
Reply to this Those photos do look amazing!
No idea about the Mergui Archipelago. But has anyone dived the kelp forests off Britain? I've always wanted to do it - sounds amazing.
Reply to this best ever !!
Papau new guinea..... say no more =))
expensive but worth it!
Reply to this RobinB, where would you say the best sites in PNG are? I've recently moved to Port Moresby and will be in PNG for two years. So far, I've just been diving out of Moresby, and while the diving is pretty good here, it is not nearly as good as on the Philippines. I hear though that the diving off Rabaul, Manus, Kimbe, Kavieng etc. is supposed to be exceptional. Any advice?
Reply to this I love diving and have been on many diving vacations. My all-time favorite place is the British Virgin Islands. The have over 60 islands and they are so beautiful and have some of the most gorgeous reefs in the world.
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