Scuba Diving
Few hobbies in life involve travelling to some of the world’s most beautiful destinations and communing with nature in such an amazing way as scuba diving. Entering the underwater realm means being transported to a whole new world, vastly different from the one we inhabit in our normal lives. It is hard to worry about quarterly business results when you are eye-balling an intelligent octopus, swimming in a school of hammerhead sharks, or finning along a reef wall riotously coloured with sponges and sea fans and schools of fish darting all around you.
For some the idea of a vacation is to lie on a beach doing nothing but looking at the sea. For scuba divers all the fun lies in the sea. Whether staying at a resort and accessing sites from shore or by dive boat, or enjoying the comfort and convenience of a splendid liveaboard yacht, divers often want to spend as much time as they can hanging out with the marine life. The world is full of amazing scuba diving destinations.
To Insure or Not to Insure? That is the Question
In developing countries, medical facilities and resources are limited and emergency medical services are practically nonexistent. In some poor countries, local health standards are poor, equipment and supplies are scarce and essential items, such as oxygen kits, are...
A Brief History of Pulau Sipadan – From Obscure Island to World’s Top Dive Site
Rising majestically from the deep blue heart of the Celebes Sea, Sipadan Island is often hailed as the crown jewel of diving. But long before it was consistently ranked among the top dive sites on Earth, this oceanic volcano had a rich and tumultuous history. Its...
Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area – So Good!
Officially established in 2001, the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) is situated in the South Sulu Sea, 80 km off the coast of Borneo, and 40 km from Turtle Island Park, covering 467 km² of open sea including 3 main atoll islands: Lankayan, Tegaipil...
Muck Diving in Mabul: A Macro Photographer’s Paradise
Blue-ringed octopus. Photo courtesy of Seaventures Dive Rig. Personally I had never been much of a fan of the smaller stuff that scuba divers look for underwater. Give me schools of chevron barracuda, manta rays, hammerhead sharks and throw in the occasional whale...
Tun Sakaran Marine Park – The Soul of Semporna
Gavin Macaulay talks to Helen Brunt about the establishment of a marine park in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo... Q: What is happening in Semporna and what has been your involvement? 30 years ago this area was identified as an area of outstanding marine biodiversity by Dr...
Whale Shark Marine Protected Areas of the Maldives
Sanctuary for the World’s Largest Fish There are many reasons to scuba dive in the Maldives; superb visibility up to 40m, teeming biomass in warm waters and exhilarating drift dives are but a few. Near the top of the list must be the excellent opportunities...
A World War II History of Palau: Setting the Scene for Invasion
In early 1944, during World War 2, American sea power was beginning to make inroads on the southern flank of Japan's Pacific frontier territories. The islands of the Pacific were of key strategic importance since they helped to facilitate the protection of the...
Palau’s Impressive History of Marine Protection – On the Frontline
Blacktip reef sharks are protected in Palau. Photo courtesy: Aggressor Fleet Palau is a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and north of West Papua in Indonesia. It is one of the world's smallest countries with only around 20,000...
Red Sea Marine Parks and Protectorates: Safeguarding Egypt’s Miracle of Nature
Diving in the Red Sea marine parks. Photo courtesy: South Moon Although we often hear terms such as "Egypt's marine parks", there is no official national marine park that covers all or even large swathes of the Red Sea. Rather, in addition to the Ras Mohamed National...