Nature/Wildlife
We live busy lives, often in urban settings, so when the time comes for a vacation, many of us know that the best thing to do is to turn to nature. Nothing blows the cobwebs away more than a trek in the mountains or communing with creatures in the deep forest. Whether peering into a volcano, riding horseback along a trail, or spotting wildlife on a river cruise, something deep within us needs to feel connected to the natural world. All regions of the world present opportunities for enjoying nature.
In cooler temperate climates you may seek out snow-capped mountains such as the Alps, while equatorial regions offer the dense jungles of Asia or the vast plains of Africa. Anywhere animals live free offers us the chance to witness their majesty and understand better our place in the natural order. We can give ourselves privileged memories of seeing lions, elephants and gorillas on safari, or witness orangutans, monkeys and birds in the trees of the rainforest. The oceans and coastlines of the world offer opportunities for encounters with whales, dolphins, penguins, seals and more. Nature is always good for the soul.
Diving with Manta Rays: Graceful Gliders
We have done some of the world's best manta dives and know that the joy of diving with these creatures is difficult to overstate. They capture divers' imaginations since they move so gracefully and majestically through the water - whether frolicking in the surf, or...
Diving with Great White Sharks: Misunderstood Terrors of the Ocean
No creature on earth evokes the same response in people as the great white shark: fear, reverence and awe. Our perception of this misunderstood species has been tainted by their media portrayal as monsters. The film Jaws, although it inspired many to learn about the...
Things to Do in Sulawesi – Celebes Adventures!
Celebes, the 'Spice Island' is an oddly shaped island in the north of Indonesia and is home to world-famous dive destinations such as the Lembeh Strait, Bunaken and Bangka (all near Manado), and Wakatobi - places high on the wishlist of scuba divers everywhere....
Diving with Harlequin Ghost Pipefish: Masters of Disguise
Divers of all kinds just love these fish. Colourful and distinctive, small and delicate, motionless and elongate, they blend in so well with their surroundings that they are near-impossible to find and divers practically drool over sightings. Amazing camouflage of...
Diving with Frogfish: the Obdurate Anglerfish
A pair of frogfish with amazing colouration in Kapalai, Malaysia. Photo Courtesy: Ketrick Chin Open any coffee table book of underwater photography and you are almost certain to see a few pages dedicated to the majestic frogfish. One of the critter kings, anglerfish...
The Banda Islands – a Brief History of the ‘Spice Islands’
The Banda Sea is surrounded by the sprawling mass of islands that comprise eastern Indonesia, lapping the shores of Sulawesi to the west, Alor to the south and with West Papua to the east. Within this body of water lie the fabled Spice Islands in the modern day...
Diving with Whale Sharks: the Largest Fish in the World
If you have been there then you know. If you haven’t, then it is difficult to describe the feeling of sharing the water with this, the biggest fish in the sea. More like a whale than a shark, these fish are right at the top of most divers “To...
Things to Do in Sabah: Borneo Adventure Tours
Located at the meeting point of the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea, Malaysia’s most eastern state of Sabah sits at the northern tip of Borneo, the world’s third largest island, and provides you with 1,440 km of coastline and 74,500 km²...
Diving with Clownfish: Finding Nemo and Finding Out All About Him
Scuba divers have long held the clownfish close to their heart but in recent times, thanks to animated movies such as Finding Nemo, suddenly this little character of the coral reef has entered the mainstream consciousness. What is it about the clown fish that...