Home to an active volcano within a lake on an island within another lake (essentially volcano-ception), sunken Japanese shipwrecks from WWII, and the second highest amount of coconuts in the world, the Philippines boasts more attractions than we’re able to list. This collection of over 7 000 islands is a popular destination among divers and it’s not hard to see why. From abundant fauna and flora to a variety of unique marine life species, here are the top 7 reasons why your next trip should be scuba diving in the Philippines: 1. Dive in the Coral Triangle Home to nearly 600 different species of reef-building corals, six of the seven marine turtle species worldwide, as well as over 2 000 species of reef fish, the Coral Triangle is a biodiversity haven. As the Philippines is located at the very tip of the triangle, divers visiting this region get to dive right in the famous Coral Triangle where they can expect to see an abundance of healthy reef systems and marine life. 2. See Unique Species From the giant whale shark to world's smallest fish (Pandaka pygmea), the thriving marine ecosystem of the Philippines offers an extensive variety of marine life sightings. Spot rare thresher sharks in Malapascua, whale sharks in Oslob, sea turtles in Apo Island, or towering walls of jackfish in Balicasag Island. And don’t forget the rich coral reefs of Tubbataha Reef. 3. Explore A Wide Variety of Dive Environments The dive possibilities are endless when you’re surrounded by thousands of islands - and thousands of dive sites. Whether you’re an Open Water diver looking for shallow reef dives or you’re a Cave Diver in search of caverns and cave systems, there is a site for everyone in the Philippines. Here, scuba divers can find everything from natural
Home to an active volcano within a lake on an island within another lake (essentially volcano-ception), sunken Japanese shipwrecks from WWII, and the second highest amount of coconuts in the world, the Philippines boasts more attractions than we’re able to list. This collection of over 7 000 islands is a popular destination among divers and
Palau is made up of more than 350 of the most photogenic volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean you’ll ever encounter. Its waters boast more than 1,300 species of fish and more than 800 species of corals and sponges. Palau dive sites are among the best in wold. You'll also find that big pelagic encounters, tranquil coral gardens, current-swept drop-offs, and many World War II wrecks are among the area's major allure. The history of Palau is a diverse one. The region was first colonized by Spain in 1885, then Germany, followed by Japan and the United States. Despite this, it has maintained its own unique culture with a relaxed lifestyle and simple but comfortable ways. It is a place that is in tune with the environment and an excellent site for scuba. This stunning locale sits out in the Pacific just two hours east of Manila and three hours from Hong Kong. Situated midway between the Philippines and Guam in the western part of the Caroline Islands, it offers truly world-class diving. Palau is particularly known for its incredible diversity of dive sites. With wreck dives, reef dives, and drift dives, the locale offers an incredible number of new places to explore, including historic World War II battlefields. The diving season is year-round, but experienced divers know that the "dry" season before May 1st is the best for experiencing the world beneath the waves. The best part of Palau is that you can dive at the same site again and again and have completely different experiences each time! Best Palau Dive Sites Blue Corner Location: 25 miles SW of Koror, Northwest end of Ngemelis Island Suitable for: Novices (no current) up to Experienced/Advanced (strong current) Depth: 25 feet (8 meters) to 90+ feet 30 meters Plateau: 45-60 feet (15-20
Palau is made up of more than 350 of the most photogenic volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean you’ll ever encounter. Its waters boast more than 1,300 species of fish and more than 800 species of corals and sponges. Palau dive sites are among the best in wold. You’ll also find that big pelagic encounters,
The hardest skill to master as a SCUBA diver is buoyancy control. That mid-water, floating-in-space, horizontal body position may look effortless, but learning to do it can be tricky and confusing. Buoyancy control is also the most important diving skill; in fact, it is the essence of diving, and a diver without buoyancy control is not really a diver at all. Buoyancy control means that you can place yourself exactly where you want when you’re underwater. You can achieve your intended depth and maintain it. You can ascend and descend calmly and efficiently. You can get close to the reef without touching it- no part of your fins, hands, face, or body ever make contact. Most importantly, you can “hover” in one place. This means that you don’t move significantly forward, backward, up or down. Hovering is the hardest of the buoyancy skills. It’s also critical for an underwater photographer. A photographer needs to hover to check the camera settings, frame a scene, get focus, and wait for the perfect shot. As an underwater photographer, your buoyancy will be tested to the extreme. A diver’s brain and body already have two tasks to manage (exploring the reef and controlling buoyancy); underwater photography adds a third, and the excitement and challenge of taking pictures often steals the spotlight. It’s not uncommon for an underwater photographer to crash into the reef, break coral, get stung by urchins, or float away from the group while focusing on the camera. These mistakes can injure both diver and reef. It’s easy to brush up against a venomous organism like a scorpionfish or hydroid (or worse) when you’re not paying attention. And from the reef’s perspective, a broken branch of coral is a big loss- coral only grows 5 centimeters per year, on average. Plus,
The hardest skill to master as a SCUBA diver is buoyancy control. That mid-water, floating-in-space, horizontal body position may look effortless, but learning to do it can be tricky and confusing. Buoyancy control is also the most important diving skill; in fact, it is the essence of diving, and a diver without buoyancy control is
The Maldives. The name of this country alone conjures up images that make most dive enthusiasts float away on a SCUBA daydream. These isolated atolls in the middle of the immense Indian Ocean have sat firmly among the top five tropical dive locations worldwide for decades. This is the place to go for big and plentiful marine life and a top-side view of picture-perfect deserted islands, their white sandy knolls rising only a meter or two from the lapping waves, dotted with swaying palm trees. Within the Maldives, the Central Atolls preside over the country’s dive scene. This area’s underwater treasures were the first-discovered and remain some of the best-loved. You can find everything here- whale sharks, reef sharks, mantas, coral, swarms of fish, and macro-critters- and it’s all within spitting distance of the international airport on Male. There’s hardly anywhere else in the world where you can step off your plane and plunge into world-class diving so easily. Where to go North Male Atoll: North Male diving goes back to the beginnings of the Maldives dive scene, but its dive sites are well-preserved. Coral cover here is better than South Male and Ari. Perhaps its most famous dive site is Manta Point, a cleaning station for the winged giants that receives so many visits you might actually lose count! Manta-viewing opportunities like this owe their thanks to the tiny blue cleaner wrasse, a roughly 10 centimeters long fish which eats parasites living on mantas’ skin and in their mouths, a service so beneficial to the mantas’ health that they virtually wait in line to get it. For coral in North Male, Banana Reef is a long-time favorite, which thickets of healthy branching coral. Other great dive sites include the pinnacle Girifushi Thila and the Victory Wreck, a shipwreck which has grown
The Maldives. The name of this country alone conjures up images that make most dive enthusiasts float away on a SCUBA daydream. These isolated atolls in the middle of the immense Indian Ocean have sat firmly among the top five tropical dive locations worldwide for decades. This is the place to go for big and
On November 4th, 2016, we set out to colorful Cuba, in hope to dive in one of the Caribbean's best kept secret - The Gardens of the Queen archipelago, located just south of the main island of Cuba. Diving in Gardens of the Queen is said to be one of the most incredible experiences for the avid scuba diver, with beautiful healthy coral reefs, abundance of marine life and most importantly - SHARKS! Plenty of them, up close and personal. As you will read below, our expectations were met with flying colours! Gardens of the Queen DELIVERED! We started our adventure in Havana, where we all gathered at Iberostar Parque Central. Parque Central is located right in the epicenter of Havana Vieja (old Havana), overlooking their little "Central Park", a short walk from the famous Obispo street, the impressive El Capitolio building and the Grand Theater of Havana. The lucky ones who arrived early or a day prior, joined me on a lovely day tour in Old Havana, with Erika, our knowledgeable guide, who took us through the main highlights of Havana and provided fascinating background stories on every spot. We had plenty of time to experience the local atmosphere, purchase some genuine Cuban cigars and Rum and drink a couple of Mojitos. After the tour, we gathered the entire group for dinner in the most delightful, cozy restaurant in the heart of Old Havana called Ivan Chef Justo. Booking in advance is highly recommended. Prices were very reasonable and the food was delicious! Our hosts provided excellent service and we were excited to meet our dive buddies for the upcoming week. Fast foward to 3:30am - the hotel wake-up call abruptly ends our peaceful night sleep. Time to wake up! We're going to see some SHARKS! We grabbed a quick early-AM
On November 4th, 2016, we set out to colorful Cuba, in hope to dive in one of the Caribbean’s best kept secret – The Gardens of the Queen archipelago, located just south of the main island of Cuba. Diving in Gardens of the Queen is said to be one of the most incredible experiences for
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the ocean. Last month we went on an adventure, to explore the shore diving capital of the world, while learning UW photography from a skilled professional and having a blast! Buddy Dive Resort and Dive Center The week surpassed all of our expectations. We arrived to Buddy Dive Resort, a lovely complex which feels more like a small and pleasant village. We were greeted by a charming lady at the reception named Carmelita, who took us to our room. We took the Studio, which was very large and included a great little kitchenette, small desk with a couple of chairs and a very comfy bed. You can also choose to get the 1-br unit, which includes a large living room in addition to the above. Shortly after checking in, we received our pick-up truck, as part of your Dive n’ Drive package. To get a sense of the true freedom of diving in Bonaire, you want to get a truck. With your truck you can roam the island freely, diving wherever and whenever you please! Once we’ve settled in the room, we headed out to the dive shop for a mandatory introduction and filling out forms. Bonaire has been a nature reserve since the 70s, so they take conservation very seriously and make sure each diver knows what they’re doing and adheres to all the instructions. At this point you will also get your marine park tag ($25), which you will need to wear on your BCD at
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and the ocean.. Last month we went on an adventure, to explore the shore diving capital of the world, while learning UW photography form a skilled professional and having a blast! Here are some of the highlights for the week! Join us next year for another diving adventure in paradise and learn how to shoot like the pros! Click Here for more details
Imagine waking up in a tropical paradise, grabbing your dive gear, loading a couple of tanks on the back of your pick-up truck and heading out to explore the wonderful treasures hidden underwater around the island! This is what your average day looks like in Bonaire! No time limit, no tank limit, just you and
Shooting people UW is pure art. Benjamin Von Wong takes it to the next level. His latest work took place in Fiji, the South Pacific island nation. It involved a model acting as a "shark shepherd", with a beautiful white dress and sharks swimming around her in a magical UW cave. To create the perfect conditions for the shoot, Von Wong and his team had to do every thing in a two hour window (11am-1am) during the exact time when the sun rays enter the water in a perfect angle and the shark are most active. The amazing model Amber Bourke - a champion freediver, had to stay as still as possible so that the sharks will get close to her, you can see the surreal result yourself. This project supports a great cause. Von Wong wants to raise awareness for the threat of extinction Sharks are facing. His goal is to create a no-kill policy for Sharks and to start a new dawn for these beautiful creatures. If you find these shots magical and you wish to know how to take breathtaking photos of people underwater youself, you are welcome to join us on an UW fashion photography workshop with Zena Holloway.
Shooting people UW is pure art. Benjamin Von Wong takes it to the next level. His latest work took place in Fiji, the South Pacific island nation. It involved a model acting as a “shark shepherd”, with a beautiful white dress and sharks swimming around her in a magical UW cave. To create the perfect
