- scuba diving
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Diving the Poor Knights is a must for anyone in possession of a scuba certificate visiting New Zealand. There are many boats running day trips to the chain of islands but did a two day/one night live aboard with Ocean Blue. The obvious advantage to this is maximizing diving time along with the fun of staying on a boat and being looked after by the dive master qualified husband and wife team. Food was both all inclusive and wonderful.
The Poor Knights Islands and the waters around them are protected by 900m no fishing zone so the size of fish shoals can be quite staggering. Equally the diversity of soft corals growing on the walls and pinnacles, not to mention the animals that inhabit them, make diving there a unique experience. Larger predators, including Manta rays, Hammerhead sharks and even Killer Whales have been spotted there on occasion.
Watching the sun set over the islands with a sky full of returning seabirds finished off a fabulous day's diving.
www.oceanblue.co.nz/
Ocean Blue, Berth K11, Marina Road, Tutukaka, New Zealand 0173
+64 (0)274 880459
Google map: bit.ly/L7ZJmh
Great diving in south west Ireland - wrecks, dramatic underwater scenery, loads of sea life, rocks carpeted with sponges, Fastnet Rock, U260, Kowloon Bridge, etc. All of this and also welcoming locals, great food and drink. You can either spend a week here (I do two sometimes) or a couple of days.
Contact Jerry and Rianne at Aqua Ventures in advance whatever your plans to check on what boat dives they are running / can arrange. Accommodation can also be sorted out. Excellent if you want to arrange a week of diving for experienced divers, but not so great if you want to pop in for a day while on holiday and lack experience in the conditions (even in August it may be rough and only 13 degrees in the water).
www.aquaventures.ie/index.htm
Baltimore Rd, Baltimore, Co. Cork, Ireland
+353 28 20511
Interesting day trip from Reykjavik, although I went for a long weekend just for the diving. You get to scuba dive along the volcanic cracks where the European and North American plates meet. Utterly fantastic visibility of 100m or so underwater. You get guided through and can hire all equipment. The more experience you have beforehand the better to enjoy it rather than fight a hired drysuit for the first time. If you show you know enough they may take you to the lower levels, which are up to 40m deep and totally enclosed - great fun, but not for everybody. Go in wintertime as it is quietest then.
Several dive operations in Reykjavik - I used these guys: www.dive.is/Diving_Iceland.php?page=Silfra
Hólmaslóð 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
+(354) 663 2858
Google map: bit.ly/GV8OjN
One of the top diving spots in the world - exploring the four WW2 cargo ships torpedoed off Bell Island. Expect excellent visibility (30m on a bad day) and collossal intact shipwrecks festooned with cold water corals / marine growth. Yes it is cold (8 degrees maximum in Sept-Oct) and the water will be below zero even at the start of summer, but it is spectacular and the dive centre staff are the nicest I have ever met. It is a long way to go just for diving, so if you do best get used to drysuits and hone your skills first. Hire a car for your visit to explore Newfoundland as well.
I went with Ocean Quest Adventures, Conception Bay South, Newfoundland www.oceanquestadventures.com/
17 Stanley's Road, Conception Bay South, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada A1W 5H9
+1 866 623 2664
Google map: bit.ly/HgIcYb
While hopping from one island to another in French Polynesia I recommend you to book a two or three nights, three or four days on a catamaran to best discover the Rangiroa atoll. You can dive (lots of sharks), fish and BBQ your catch after that, snorkel, have romantic diners, enjoy the sun and the stunning beauty of this atoll. You might even stop by a tiny coconut farm also making local jewellery.
www.tahiti-tourisme.com/islands/rangiroa/rangiroa.asp
Google map: bit.ly/yHpp2u
Family run cottages with marine biologist owner and qualified dive master. There are communal dinners from freshly caught fish and home grown veg which allow you to chat to other guests and compare marine life you've spotted. They can organise trips to nearby reefs (all four types of reefs are found in these islands) and deserted islands allowing you to explore the region and visit the bajo sea gypsy's. Fantastic snorkelling off the jetty. The family were lovely and friendly, taking us to see the local village and school and on nature walks to see hornbills and monkeys on the island. They also have a few homemade canoes you can borrow to paddle around the island. It cost around £10 per night per person for three meals a day and accommodation in May 2011. As there are only 10 cottages, it's never busy and we could often have the whole beach to ourselves. We planned to say four days and ended up staying two weeks!
Togian Islands are off North Sulawesi. An overnight ferry ride (best to upgrade to get reclining chairs) from Gorontalo. Most resorts meet the ferry and take you back to the island you're staying on for free. Fadilla Cottages (fadhilacottages.free.fr/)and www.sulawesi-info.com/togianislands.html
Google map: bit.ly/A0v4Vr
Holidaying in Cape Verde brings the unexpected, mainly due to the relative difficulty in planning one’s movements and activities ahead of time. Armed with a West African travel guide published the same year as my first trip to the islands, most of the information was already well out of date. Small businesses had blossomed and gone bust so with our hopes of seeing any more than Santiago dashed (the cost of last minute flights between islands were prohibitively expensive), my husband and I switched our thinking from trekking adventure to beach side relaxation and chanced upon many beautiful beaches around Santiago, our favourite being Tarrafal's beach.
On advice from an English speaking hotelier in Praia - a rarity, a small minority speak French as a second language and an even smaller number speak English - we found a minibus coletivo to Tarrafal. By ‘found’, I mean that after several fruitless conversations with local shop owners requesting directions, we caught sight of a driver trying to drum up more business while his present customers waited patiently within the vehicle. He stood on a street corner shouting “Tarrafal! Tarrafal! Tarrafal!”. A couple of hours north west on a bumpy cobblestone road later, we arrived at the picturesque sleepy fishing village of Tarrafal.
After walking through the small town centre and past the local open marketplace, we were greeted by pristine, soft sun bleached white sands, clearest of blue waters and the entirely unexpected view of neighbouring island Fogo across the water. Fogo’s volcano appears to hang over the water in the distance through the clouds, not unlike a hologram. Accommodation was a breeze to organise and within an hour of
our arrival in Tarrafal, we were in the water. In the dry season you can expect temperatures of upwards of 40 degrees and the water is pleasantly cold. The fishermen sorting their nets on the town’s white sandy beach is very classically African. Other beaches in the
immediate region have volcanic black sand. It’s a scene of colours in motion; the boats are brightly painted and the fishermen are dressed
equally vividly. It’s a noisy but efficient affair - after sorting the nets and docking the boats, the beach is quickly returned to its previous spotless state. Ordinarily there are few tourists on the beach, the sun is harsh and most can only take an hour or two at a time.
An alternative to sun baking and beach swimming can be found ten minutes walk away at the Hotel King Fisher, where diving and snorkeling equipment can be hired. The director of the diving school at Hotel King Fisher is a marine biologist and master diver, offering lessons for a reasonable fee. King Bay is accessed through the hotel and is well worth the trip on its own. Perfect for snorkeling even for less than confident swimmers with an array of colourful marine life to be seen, access to the water through the hotel is free of charge for those staying in alternate accommodation.
Extra tip: Euros are the easiest currency to exchange for Cape Verdean Escudos so don’t bother with US dollars or British pounds and remember your Portuguese phrase book!
Tarrafal is located north west on the opposite end of Santiago from Praia and is accessed via one of two arterial routes (either via the coast line or over the mountain route over narrow terraces and ridges) via minivan. Minivans run from Praia twice daily roughly at 10am and 3pm, departing only when the van is full. Expect to encounter the odd chicken or two on their way to or from market within the cabin with you.
The Hotel King Fisher villas (www.king-fisher.de/index.php?lang=en) start at about £50 per night. Cheap and cheerful B&B style rooms (don't necessarily expect hot water or electricity, check beforehand) near the beach are easy to find without a booking for considerably less also.
Google map: bit.ly/udVe1f
The Red Sea is one of the best places to dive in the world (I think). The small piece of coast in the south of Jordan has over 15 dive sites protected by a marine park. There are a lot less divers getting in your way then on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea and the coral and fish are just as beautiful!
Ahlan Aqaba Scuba Diving Centre is highly professional, friendly and fun. I love diving with the team there and am impressed with their commitment to protecting the reef, through clean up dives and surveys.
diveinaqaba.com/
+962(03)2062242
Google map: bit.ly/sUYLZu
There are several places that offer great snorkelling opportunities along the Kenyan coast. Choose your time of year carefully though, to avoid the rainy seasons, which can adversely affect conditions and visibility.
My first ever experience of reef snorkelling was at Watamu; a small, laid back and relaxed village about two hours drive north of Mombasa. The snorkelling here is excellent. There is a nice hotel on the beach called Ocean Sports, or for a more Swahili feel, try Marijani Hotel in the village itself. It's less than two minutes walk from the beach.
Alternatively you could head south of Mombasa, to either Diani or Tiwi. Diani is a bit more developed, whereas Tiwi is very chilled out. It may be tricky to get to Tiwi Beach without your own transport, but there is snorkelling available off the beach there. There are various accommodation options in the area.
Near Tiwi and Diani there is also a Colobus monkey conservation project and a very large, community-run elephant sanctuary, which are also well worth a visit.
Snorkelling is also pretty good in some spots just north of Mombasa. There are some big hotels in this area, but they are generally quite expensive.
You could also try scuba diving while you're in Kenya, with it being one of the top-rated dive destinations in the world!
An amazing crystal clear natural pool over 70m deep about 200m back from the beach and connected underground by passages. This geological oddity, a flooded cave with its roof collapsed, is as the name suggests full of colourful fish and good for subaqua exploration, or just a dip and a drink or plate of crocodile at the cafe nearby.
Bay of Pigs, coast road about 12km west of Giron, Varadero.
Koh Samui has the natural geological formations known as Hin Ta and Hin Yai Rocks (the Grandpa and Grandma rocks), which look, respectively, like male and female genitalia. Even stranger, they are close to one another, giving rise to a convenient legend explaining how they came into being.
Anyone on Koh Samui will tell you the story, which goes like this: Ta Kreng and Yai Riem (grandpa Kreng and grandma Riem) lived with their son in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat. Their son having come of age, they felt it was time he got married, and they set their sights on a union with the daughter of Ta Monglay, who lived in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, about 400 kilometres to the north.
They set off by boat but, on the way, the boat was caught in a storm and sank just off Koh Samui. The couple, unable to swim, drowned and turned into rocks: proof to the parents of the proposed bride of their good intentions. And there the rocks stand to this day.
The Similan Islands are a group of nine virtually uninhabited tropic islands lying approximately 80km (50 miles) northwest of Phuket. The group has been declared a marine national park, and increasing efforts are being made to keep them in their currently pristine condition.
The islands include some of the best dive sites in Thailand. The possibilities range from touring coral gardens to adventurous drift diving in strong currents. The visibility tops out at over 40 metres (130 feet) during the November to April peak season, revealing a wonder world among the giant coral encrusted granite boulders, which are piled on top of each other from depths of 25 metres (90 feet) and more.
Koh Huyong, the southernmost island of the Similan group, offers a magnificent coral garden in 7 to 14 metres (23 to 46 feet) of clear waters. This site frequently has more than 30 metres (100 foot) visibility, only slight currents and is considered a very safe site.
Scuba diving is something that's definitely worth doing on Paxos - the caves around the cliffs are stunning - and the only guy who seems legit, amongst a lot of sketchy operators, is Paul, an English guy with a license, a compressor and a boat.
When you get to Lakka, in the north of the island, call him on +30 978 167 506
Sipadan and nearby Mabul offer some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world. I stayed at Uncle Chang's which is actually on Mabul, so you can dive in and snorkel straight off the front of the dining room.
The dorms are basic, but there's a fantastic open-sided dining room/common area with the sea lapping against the supports. The food is good and plentiful, and the price is really good value (50 ringgit per night, full board). Make sure you book in advance though, and tell them that you want to dive at Sipadan, as there are only limited spots on the trip each day and people had to wait a few days if they had just turned up.
You can fly to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur, then a fairly expensive taxi ride to Semporna. The mainland office is next to the large Dragon Hotel on the sea-front, and the boat leaves for Mabul every morning. www.sipadanbackpackers.com/
Alcossebre is a lovely town with three lovely beaches (all blue flag) and lots of quality restaurants that cater for those wanting romance, family or tapas-style food. Although Brits are finally discovering the town and the surrounding area, Alcossbre still retains its Spanish roots.
It is ideally located to discover the wonderful Costa Del Azahar - the larger holiday resorts, Peniscola and Benicassim are about 20 mins drive away. You can relax, play golf, scuba dive and cycle to your hearts content.
Costa Del Azahar (approx 70km north of Valencia, 65km south of Reus)
I've stayed at the Sunny Bonaire bungalows. Very nice bungalows!
Bonaire is a beautiful island in the Dutch Caribbean. It is a sleepy island, with a mellow atmosphere. A great place to learn scuba diving or windsurfing. And now I've my Padi!
Netherlands Antilles, Bonaire
www.sunny-bonaire.com
Charter a boat out of Santa Eulalia for a day and visit the island of Tagomago for the best scuba and shallow diving. Tagomago also has some nice little beaches for the nudists among you.
Every resort will offer several scuba diving schools. They offer PADI courses leading to world-wide recognised qualifications. A 3-4 day PADI Open Water course leading to qualification in Thailand will cost you about £120. This is probably half the price you'd pay in the UK.
The only link I can lay my hand on is: www.westcoastdivers.com.
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