Scuba Vacation

Dive In Maldives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0000

The Maldives is situated off the Western Seaboard of Southern India stretching between the 7 degree meridian in the North to just below the Equator in the South. The Atolls are actually the tips of a submerged volcanic mountain range sculptured by the ocean currents and overlaid with centuries of rich coral growth. There are two main seasons, NE Current (Our Winter) and South West Current (Our Summer), dictated by the prevailing winds at the different times of year. Diving is good all year round, although June is liable to be more rainy due to the period of change from the NE monsoon to the SW. During the NE Monsoon the clearer water is to be found on the East side of the Atolls. Active currents bring in good predatory pelagic action, with a variety of sharks and eagle rays, particularly in the channels. At this time of year the nutrient rich waters on the West side create a perfect environment for the large plankton feeders such as Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. In the SW Monsoon the scenario is reversed, the Mantas and Whale sharks migrate to sites more on the Eastern side of the Atolls and predatory pelagic action is found in the channels on the West side.New divers to the area may come across local terminology that they are not familiar with, here are some descriptions of different dive site features.

1) Maldives Victory
The "Maldives Victory" is a 110-meter long cargo vessel that sank in February 1981. The dive takes you 12 meters down a rope to the ship's main deck, where you will be sheltered from the strong currents. Here you will be amazed by the colorful marine life that calls the Maldives Victory home, from large groupers and tunas to giant trevallies and schools of fusiliers. Come face to face with turtles guarding the bow of the vessel and its stunning corals, or step back in time and explore the ship's former accommodation quarters and bridge. On your ascent you will have a majestic bird's eye view of this beautiful vessel. This dive is best undertaken by experienced divers only.

2) HP Reef
The plethora of soft corals in every conceivable colour explodes like a paint splash over three enormous coral heads and overhangs. Between the tides, an enormous flow of water oozes through this channel.
Jacks, Blue striped snapper, groupers, fusiliers and eagle rays are seen here. Lurking amidst the corridors of a luxuriant coverage of iridescent corals are red coral groupers, giant cods, crocodilefish, and scorpionfish.

3) Banana Reef
Banana Reef is the first dive site discovered in the Maldives and still among the best. The plate corals (Acropora) on the reef slope are some of the most pristine in the Maldives. The best diving on this banana shaped reef is at the north eastern end where there are caves, gutters and precipitous overhangs filled with ornamental fishes and soft corals. Napoleon Wrasse, Moray eels in amazing numbers and thousands of Schooling Bannerfish fluttering in the water like butterflies in a deep blue sky makes this dive site one of the most popular dive sites in the Maldives.

4) Kahambu Thila
Kahambu in Dhivehi (the local language) means Hawksbill Turtle and these are frequently sited on this small reef. The striking feature are the black coral trees surrounded by small glassfish. The reef is also the home of Fred the frogfish. Here you also find lionfish, scorpionfish, the very shy cometfish and whitetip reef sharks cruising arround.

5) Middle Point
"Middle Point" is situated in the middle of the Tamburudhu channel and offers a drift dive for the experienced and adventurous. It rises from 100 meters below the sea to ten. When commencing your dive you will jump into the deep blue of the ocean with nothing much around you until the current takes you to the front point of the reef, where you will observe a large school of gray reef, silver tip and white tip sharks circling the deeper waters. Looking up at the surface you will discover eagle rays dancing in the current accompanied by tunas and barracudas. After some time of underwater dreaming, you can let the current carry you along the reef and enjoy the other treasures it has to offer.

6)Randhi Wreck
A 25 metres long steel wreck lying on its side at about 27 metres in sand. The shallowest part of the wreck comes up to 22 metres. You can get a closer look at the keel, the railing, the propeller and into the cargo hold. It is covered in soft corals and tube anemones. Many big lionfish and pufferfish live here.

fact : Did you Know?
There are 1190 coral islands in the Maldives.

Related links in Dive In Maldives :

Scuba Travel - Maldives

Maldives Liveaboards

ProDivers.com

InTourist Maldives

Maldives Dives & SurfTravel

visit MALDIVES

Dive in Sipadan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:38:00 +0000

Dive In Sipadan

Sipadan Island is a small rainforest covered tropical island rising from a depth of more than 600 meters from the bottom of the Celebes Sea. It is the only oceanic island in the region. The island is the top of a long-lost lava chimney from a prehistoric volcano. The very famous late French underwater explorer and filmmaker, Jacques-Yves Cousteau once remarked about Sipadan Island “I have seen other places like Sipadan… 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art.” Although that was many years ago, it is still true today. The island is arguably the top scuba vacation in the world.

The island is about 45 minutes from Semporna town by speedboat in calm seas. Other nearby islands include Mabul Island and Kapalai Island. All within just a short hop by speed boat ride from each other.

Sipadan Island

The attractions that you will see while scuba diving in Sipadan, Malaysia are endless. Turtles are abundant here, and it is not uncommon to be able to watch them for lengthy periods munching away at algae and sponges or lazing around on wall shelves. The amount of macro life that inhabits the walls is also staggering. You could literally while away hours of precious scuba diving time zeroing in on these tiny, wonderful creatures.

Sipadan is also home to some of the most popular scuba diving sites to be found in all of Malaysia. Here is a brief overview of just a few of the most popular dive sites to be found in Malaysia:

1)South Point’

Located at the southern-most tip of Sipadan, South Point’s drop off is about 45 degrees, which slopes down towards a flat sandy area of coral formation at approximately 65 metres. It then continues on toward deeper end of the sea.Marine life here includes the leopard sharks, reef sharks, turtles, soft corals, large batfish, sweetlips, turkeyfish, bigeye trevallies, great barracudas, whale sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, and hammerhead sharks.

2)Staghorn Crest’

Another wall dive well known to Sipadan is the Staghorn Crest. This site begins with a gentle descent along the drop-off till it reaches approximately 70 metres and continues with a gradual ascent along the wall. It concludes in a staghorn coral garden at a shallow depth.At greater depths, other types of species can be found, i.e. foxsharks, and trevallies.Marine life here includes of course the staghorn corals, seawhip corals, gigantic barrel sponges, black corals, angelfish, groupers, shrimps, giant mantas, barracudas, and fox sharks.

3)Hanging Gardens’

This classical wall dive is at a vertical drop-off point over a meter from the surface, which descends to about 70 metres. Here, the seabed suddenly plunges into the abyss. The dive always follows the current here, which isn’t that strong.

Marine life here includes the alcyonarians, gigantic gorgonians, black corals, sweetlips, angelfish, groupers, green turtles, imbricate turtles, blue-spotted ribbon-tail stingray, nudibranchs, tiny gobies, gorgonian hawkfish, leopard sharks, and hammerhead sharks.

4)Barracuda Point Reef

Putting it mildly, Barracuda Point is famous for barracuda sightings. Actually the barracuda sightings reported at Barracuda Point are not mild by anyone's standards. While scuba diving the point, many divers have reported being caught up in a swirling vortex of chevron or blacktail barracuda so dense that they could not see anything through the vortex. Grey reef sharks are also frequently spotted in this favorite Malaysia dive spot as are parrotfish and turtles.

5)The Drop Off

The Drop off is not only the best shore dive in Malaysia, it is often regarded as the best shore dive in the entire world. Just a short distance from the beach, strollers will encounter The Drop Off. Scuba diving in this location will reveal a magical underwater world complete with colorful coral and sponges clinging to the vertical wall. Nooks and crannies are home to crabs, shrimp, and other macro life just waiting to be discovered by inquisitive divers. If you don't feel like searching for the underwater wonders of Malaysia, don't worry. Scuba diving in this location will also bring you up close and personal with large schools of jacks, barracuda, and bumpheaded parrotfish as well as whitetip sharks, grey reef sharks, and turtles.

6)Sipadan Midreef

The 6 metre hard coral flats that top the reef make an ideal safety stop. Small hardy stubbly table corals, and porites corals dominate here, and these form the staple diet for packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes 40 or so strong. Moving like a herd of African buffalo, munching their way through the dense bush, these largest of all parrotfish are a terrific sight and safety stops often become very long here!

7)Turtle Patch

The reef here has some outstanding acropora staghorn coral stands, leather corals and small table corals. Hiding out here you can find spotted sweetlips and pufferfish, such as the mappa puffer. Lionfish and moray eels are also common here. In the rocky areas, orange spinecheek anemonefish watch you from the safety of their magnificent anemone homes of orange, green and purple. And with a bit of luck and if you're observant, you may spot a leaffish swaying slowly in the current.

Turtle Patch is located in the southeast corner of Sipadan Island, just to the northeast of South Point. Since it is located along the east coast, its wall is best dived in the mornings, however, the shallows are exposed to sunlight throughout the day.

8)Turtle Cavern

Inside the cavern you will see the skeletons of those previous entrants who failed to find the exit and perished. Deeper penetration of the system reveals the cavern as home to shoals of fish specifically adapted to the low light environment of the further reaches.

9)Whitetip Avenue

The wall is full of terraces, crevices, ledges and vertical chimneys which are worth a look into - you'll find sponges of all shapes and colours, black coral colonies and gorgonian fans. Among this rich coral life, you'll find reef and den fish circulating merrily. Watch out for groupers, emperor angelfish, moorish idols, triggerfish, parrotfish, clownfish, boxfish, scorpionfish and butterflyfish. You may also find yourself cavorting with a friendly turtle (or ten!).

10)Coral Garden

In depths between 5 and 10 metres, you can observe dozens of green turtles feed on the edges of the wall, and encounter featherstars at every turn. If you are looking for an encounter with a wrasse then the humphead wrasse will oblige. Triggerfish of the clown and titan variety are plentiful and may even allow you to take their photo without attack on their mind. Good luck!

There’s a reason why the place is called the Drop Off. Imagine just kneeling down in shallow water and looking straight down into the abyss 600 meters away at the edge. Really scary and exciting at the same time! During your dives at the Drop Off, you might see (or maybe bump into, if you don’t see where you are going) a couple of Manta Rays playing nearby.

Chances are very good that you will encounter a big swirling school of thousands of chevron barracudas and also see packs of patrolling grey reef sharks at Barracuda Point.

If you are lucky, you can spot the largest shark species, the Whale Shark gliding by in the current off South Point during it’s migration.

Related links in Dive In Sipadan :

Dive the World
Sipadan Dive Resort
Sipadan Kapalai Resort
Divesite Directtory
Sipadan Diving Vacation
Sipadan Dive- BackPackers.com
Diving At Sipadan
Dive Malaysia.com
Asia Divesite

Scuba Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Scuba Vacation

Have you recently decided that you would like to take a scuba diving vacation or at least go scuba diving vacation on your next trip? If you have, it is advised that you start preparing for your scuba diving vacation in advance.

When it comes to preparing for a scuba diving vacation , many individuals wonder exactly how they can go about preparing for one. In all honesty, there is actually a lot of preparation that you can do. A few of the many steps that you may want to take to prepare for your next scuba diving vacation are touched on below.

Enjoy with it...Scuba Vacation

When it comes to vacationing, nothing equals the ability to customize a trip to your very personal ideas of fun and relaxation. For scuba enthusiasts, visiting a scuba diving resort can be the epitome of a vacation, where they can relax, enjoy themselves, and participate in as many scuba related activities as they want. A scuba diving resort offers a chance for divers to focus exclusively on what they love to do and there’s no greater vacation than that.

Scuba diving is popular worldwide; the experiences differ depending on the region you visit. Choosing a scuba diving vacation begins with your regional preference. If it’s winter where you live and you’re craving the warmth of the sun, then head to any of the multitude of places that are conducive to scuba year round; the Florida Keys, South America, and the Caribbean.

Perhaps, the most important preparation step that you need to take before going on a scuba diving vacation is making all of your reservations. If you are vacationing in an area where scuba diving vacation is a popular attraction, like Hawaii, you may want to make your scuba diving reservations in advance, to ensure that you are able to get a spot. It is also important that you book your travel arrangement, including your overnight accommodations and airline reservations.

Prepare your equiment....!!

When taking a scuba diving vacation, you will want to prepare by bringing along any supplies that are needed. For starters, if you are required to show proof of taking a scuba diving training course, it is advised that you bring all applicable documents with you. If you are an experienced scuba diver or if this isn’t your first time taking a scuba diving vacation, you may want to bring your own scuba diving supplies, like a wetsuit. However, you should know that many scuba diving companies have all needed supplies available for rent.
If your are a complete scuba dive beginner, don't worry. All scuba dive vacations have dive facilities that appeal to beginners, who probably don't know a regulator from a wet suit. But that doesn't mean that the experience scuba diver and certified divers are not catered for as well.

Let's go...

Going on vacation is every mans dream, and if it the vacation is planned around scuba diving, it can be exotic and exciting. Many people are fond of scuba diving, as it is one of the best and most loved sports. Not all experienced scuba divers and take lessons and training from various professionals to learn the various technicalities involved. Once people are comfortable and have the correct training, scuba diving can be fun. Planning a scuba diving vacation can be exciting and choosing the right vacation spot is usually a priority. Choosing a destination can sometimes prove to be a problem, as there are places that offer various vacation packages at fantastic, discounted rates. Research can be done on the Internet, travel magazines and other informative sources. People can also talk to relatives and friends who have been on a scuba diving vacations.

When choosing a destination, people should consider weather conditions, the environment and the location of the hotel or resort. A resort along the coast is more preferable than others, as the waters are usually beautiful and filled with wonderful things to see. Scuba diving vacation is about exploring the sea and the marine life. Hence, it is essential for people to get acquainted with the marine life to know what they are looking at beneath the sea. A scuba diver needs to have a calm and patient nature to enjoy the excitement of watching marine life. Any form of anxiety can attract harmful sea creatures like sharks, Morey eels and barracudas.

It's so beautiful

It is advisable to purchase scuba diving equipment before training in order to become familiar with it. Vacationers who are new to the world of scuba diving need not worry as training can be taken while on vacation.

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Discovery Dive World

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