I arrived late September and, after a night in Bali, checked-in for my morning flight to Labuan Bajo, Flores. Such flights mean you can concentrate all your dive time within the park, instead of spending 2 or 3 days getting to and from Bali and diving (in my opinion) inferior sites. The flight with IAT was on a little twin propeller plane which, to my eternal relief, handled the flight well and was a steady as any jet. On board were a mix of locals, divers and other tourists gazing down as we soared over the ever-changing coastline and shimmering seas. I was glad to see my face amongst them, kissing the tortoise shell.

On arrival at Labuan Bajo’s little airport, I was met by a representative of Seven Seas who took us the 15 minutes from the airport to the jetty. The guests introduced themselves in the minibus and chatted excitedly about what the next few days had in store for this group of disparate individuals, united only by a shared love of the underwater world.

The first sight of our home for the next few days was impressive. Standing tall and proud in the harbour was this elegant, burgundy schooner. A beautiful Indonesian sailing ship with a pronounced bow, belying the hull’s original cargo purpose. The crew, all clad in Seven Seas burgundy t-shirts, helped us on board and greeted us with smiles and welcome drinks. We were shown to our cabins below deck. I had a cabin with twin beds and, as with all, an en-suite bathroom of a standard you would be lucky to find in a hotel, complete with excellent piping hot power shower.

We set off from Labuan Bajo for our itinerary around the northern section of the Komodo National Park. I had memories of the Southern section on a previous trip where water temperatures had dropped to the teens. However, I was pleased that on this trip we would be diving mostly in the north. The diving, as promised, was excellent. The one thing that seems to stand out in Komodo is the sheer colour of the reefs. Where else can you find such a riot of yellow, blue, green, red, brown and pink all in the one spot?

The Diving in Komodo

Of course diving Komodo is such a varied experience that it cannot really be said to be about one thing. There are also great numbers of fish in the right spots. One of my favourite dives was ‘Fishbowl’ where, in addition to shark and ray sightings and myriad little reef fish, there were also big numbers of snapper, sweetlips, trevally and fusiliers. When such fish biomass is set against the vibrant hues of Komodo’s reefs surely there are few other locations which offer so much.

Night dives are another feature of Komodo which must be emphasised. One evening we slipped away on the Seven Seas’ excellent tender (which has the type of simple but effective seating arrangement that should be copied by all dive tenders) to a spot above a dive site known as ‘Spanish Dancer’. In the dark of night a fantastic number of nocturnal creatures were scuttling and slithering over the reef, including highlights such as slipper lobsters (my first sighting) and of course the eponymous Spanish Dancers, whose mid-water dance illuminated by our spotlights provided a breathtaking moment.

Pillarsteen was another highlight for me given its incredible topography with all manner of caves, swim-throughs and chimneys. This felt like a real adventure with the divemaster leading the way into seemingly dead-end fissures in the rock only to be followed by a snake of excited divers emerging out of the other side into the sunlight. As a change from focusing on all the colour and fish, Pillarsteen proved a very popular addition to our cruise.
Komodo Dragons

A land excursion near Komodo Island

Of course if you mention the word Komodo to most people, the first image they will have in their mind is that of the legendary dragon. Seven Seas’ Komodo trips include a day’s visit to the island where you can get up close with these enormous reptiles. We chose the 2 hour walk option, which took us inland away from the ranger station and onto higher ground, in search of dragons in a more natural habitat. Walking along through the dry sparse vegetation onto viewpoints from where you can gaze all around, and know that you are standing on Komodo Island, is a special thought. Sadly we did not see any large dragons on our trek. However on the way back we did spot a few juveniles scurrying around in the undergrowth. The island itself is a popular spot with divers and non-divers alike so you are likely to meet other travellers there. If you are on board the Seven Seas you can expect to see plenty of jealous glances into the bay when other people realise you are on the large proud burgundy sailing ship standing head and shoulders above the other vessels at anchor.

The Ambience

Mark Heighes, one of the owners and one of Indonesia’s best known characters in the diving community, was our cruise director and throughout the trip kept us entertained with funny stories and also engaged us with interesting information about the park and the efforts to preserve its environment.

Every night we would sit around after one of the tasty and varied meals that we were treated with, and chat about all manner of subjects. The guests were such a mixed bunch that mercifully we were spared the 24 hour diving chat and instead covered vast range of topics. On a couple of occasions we elected to pop on a DVD and all lounged in the saloon enjoying a movie on the flat screen TV and surround sound.

Possibly the best aspect of the Seven Seas is the amount of space. The A/C saloon is large and comfortable and in addition to the table and benches in the middle of the main deck, there is a lot of space on the upper deck. Above the saloon is an open sundeck area with sun loungers and tables and chairs, as well as cushioned sofa beds. In the aft section of the upper deck is a fully-covered lounging area with sofa beds in the trademark burgundy. It all adds up to comfort galore; and to couple the comfort and space above water with the variety and wonder of Komodo National Park below water, truly is a great combination.

Small Things that Make a Big Difference

Perhaps one difference between cruises on the Seven Seas and those with other Komodo liveaboards is that guests are encouraged to explore the islands rather than spending all their free time on deck. We had a trek over an uninhabited island with spectacular views and a gorgeous beach, where the sand is a few shades more red than its more famous neighbour, ‘Pink (sometimes Red) Beach’. Some guests also went of for relaxing sunset kayak excursions which make magical photo opportunities. One day while moored in a quiet bay, a dugong surfaced for breath near the boat,which was followed by a kayak trip for further interaction. Dugongs however only play when they want to and this time it seems we weren’t invited.

On the trip back to Labuan Bajo as we chilled out with cold beers and the setting sun cast a pink glow over the water, dolphins cavorted in our wake and I found myself more in love with Komodo than ever, and sad to be bidding it farewell.

For anyone with a love of scuba diving or an interest in nature, then this one area with Komodo dragons, manta rays, dugongs, dolphins and innumerable delightful fish and reefs, has an allure that can only be resisted for so long.

I know I will be back one day. Perhaps not for some time but I must surely revisit the magical place that is Komodo.

Gavin Macaulay is Marketing Director of Dive The World which aims to help divers find the perfect scuba diving holiday in some of the world’s most exciting dive destinations. He offers opinions and advice on diving related topics based on his own experiences.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gavin_Macaulay

Here, in no particular order, are 5 places where this is possible and some of the highlights you can expect.

Number 1 the Bahamas

The shark highlight here has to be one of the organised shark feeds that allow you to have a remarkable encounter with a number of sharks all in one place. Caribbean reef sharks are the usual fish to be found in these shark encounters. Not the biggest or most aggressive by any means but when you have 20 or 30 of them swimming around you… Wow!

Number 2 the Maldives

There are some dives in the Maldives where sharks are just about guaranteed. White Tip and Black Tip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef and Silvertip sharks are all pretty easy to spot while diving in the Maldives. Some of the islands in the Maldives even have shallow lagoons that are used as nurseries by some of the local reef shark population. You may be able to snorkel with baby Black Tip Reef Sharks in less than a metre of water. How cool is that?

Number 3 Elphinstone Reef (Red Sea)

Elhinstone is best known for the opportunity to dive with the Oceanic White Tip Shark. The Oceanic White Tip is a large and powerful predator. All sharks need to be treated with respect but the Oceanic White Tip is justifiably considered one of the more dangerous sharks to be in the water with. Use common sense and obey some simple rules and you will be in for the experience of a lifetime.

Number 4 South Africa

Here you have the opportunity to experience the shark of most peoples’ nightmares. The Great White shark. This magnificent animal was the start of the film Jaws (sorry to all the human actors but it’s true) and in South Africa you can cage dive with these big powerful fish. Who remembers the line from the film? “you go in the cage, cage goes in the water, shark’s in the water.”

Number 5 Djibouti

Djibouti is a country on the Horn of Africa and here there is one of the best places in the world to encounter Whale Sharks. These gentle giants are the largest living fish in the oceans today and they can be seen year round in Djibouti, although they are more prevalent from October to February.

So, if you love sharks, if you want to get up close and personal, there a 5 places where you can.

If you are interested in SCUBA diving, want to know more about the basics, want to read equipment reviews or find out more about some of the greatest dive sites in the world then visit us at http://www.infoSCUBA.com.

If you love sharks, or you know someone who loves sharks, then come and look at what’s on offer at http://www.giftsforsharklovers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ralph_Goldsmith

To the general public, the mere mention of the word “shark” conjures up imagery of a fierce marine animal with sharp jagged teeth able to tear into flesh and bone easily, constantly on the prowl in the sea, ever ready to pounce on the swimmer, snorkeler or scuba diver who has the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Thus, as a dive educator, besides instructing the total newbie diver on the skills and safety aspects of scuba diving, there is an added element of trying to reform misconceptions of the marine environment and sway traditional perceptions of dangerous marine animals, mainly sharks!

To simplify things, just put sharks into two categories, oceanic sharks and reef sharks. Oceanic sharks very seldom venture into shallow water coral reefs where it is warmer preferring the colder deeper open sea conditions. Reefs are too warm for comfort for these creatures.

Coral reefs are mainly in tropical zones and reef sharks thrive in this warm water conditions. Oceanic sharks are the type that fall into the more aggressive and unpredictable variety. Makos, Great White, Hammerheads etc. whereas reef-dwelling sharks are generally of the shy and docile type. Since a very significant part of dive activity is done in coral reefs, scuba diver’s encounters are usually with the reef sharks. To allay the anxieties of newly certified divers or for those who are in the process of diver certification training, when they go diving in a ocean environment, just be reminded of this fact.

Reef sharks are generally harmless. Encounters during diving are usually very brief before the shark swims off into the blue; they avoid encounters with people, mainly the annoyingly noisy scuba divers creating so much ruckus with their bubbles, in an otherwise tranquil setting. If they linger around slightly longer, its probably more out of curiosity towards the divers than aggression.

More on the Titan Triggerfish, gangster of the sea on my blog.

http://scubadiversions.blogspot.com/2009/07/triggerfishunderwater-thuggangster.html

I have been a freelance scuba instructor at a Malaysian island for approximately a dozen years,and have compiled a selection of articles about scuba diving for beginners,dive trivial for those who are just certified or those maybe considering signing up for a scuba course,articles inspired by the many frequent same queries from beginners through the years.Check out my blog to see if any of the articles can provide an answer to a query you may have regarding learning to dive or just starting out on your diving adventures.

It’s still a work in progress and will be added on with new articles relevant to the subject. Just follow the link. http://scubadiversions.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Hwang

One of the best Caribbean wreck dives is the wreck of the C/S Charlie Brown on the island of Statia (St. Eustatius). Statia is only a quick 10 minute plane ride from Saba. I truly love vacationing on Saba. It is well away from the crowded reefs like Bloody Bay Wall on the Cayman islands or Palancar reef on Cozumel.

In its hay-day the C/S Charlie Brown spent almost 50 years lying fiber optic cable around the world. She was built in 1950 and is 327 feet long with a beam of about 41.4 feet.

The wreck of the Charlie Brown lies in 98 feet in water lying peacefully on its side. This wreck offers advanced divers, wreck divers, and underwater photographers the opportunity of a life time to watch everything from sea turtles to nudibranchs on the outside of the wreck.

For those of us who are more advanced, exploring the lone hallway that runs down the middle of the wreck is truly breathtaking. This hallway is wide open and runs about 120 feet through the wreck. Once inside you must visit the cable tanks and galley or move all the way forward to explore the reel room.

Unlike most wrecks the Charlie Brown was purposefully sank to form an artificial reef. But, she was not completely salvaged before the sinking. This now provides a look and feel of a real ship wreck.
Now, a little about how to get to Saba to start this dream vacation; Saba is what is called the Dutch Caribbean. The best way is to book your airfare to the island of St. Maarten. (SXM). Once you are on St. Maarten you will have two choices on getting to Saba:

* Take the Winair flight to Saba
* Take the 2 hour ferry to Saba.

Everything is really close. Saba is only 5 square miles while Statia is 8 square miles. You can get to most dive sites within 15 minutes. Saba is a volcanic island with spectacular lava tubes underwater. The best way to truly explore these Dutch islands is to start at Statia for a couple of days, then move on to Saba and end up at St. Maarten. St. Maartin has a great rain forest and this makes a great day to decompress after all of the diving.

For more information on scuba vacations, visit our website – http://www.scuba-info.com/Scuba-diving-vacation.html

Greg Deskin has been a PADI Course Director for over 12 years. With thousands of certified students, he has been asked many questions about scuba and scuba equipment. You can visit his scuba website at http://www.scuba-info.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Deskin

While Aruba may be better known for its beaches and casinos, it is also a good destination for the scuba diver. In fact, Aruba was voted the second best wreck diving in the Caribbean by Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine in 2006. So if you like wrecks, you may want to consider a trip to Aruba. Plus, you can always check out those casinos and beaches in-between dives!

Location

Aruba is situated 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela and is about a 2 1/2 hour flight from Miami. Given its popularity with tourists, this is an easy island to get to with many direct flights from the US.

Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, all located off the coast of Venezuela, form the ABC islands. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and is now a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Geography

Aruba is easy to explore at just 20 miles long and 6 miles wide. Like it’s sister island, Curacao, its landscape is dotted with divi divi trees and cacti.

The highest elevation on the island is Yamanota Hill at just 617 feet. It’s located near the center of the island and you can visit it by car. The northeast coast is rugged with cliffs and pounding surf.

The real draw here is the southwest coast and its beautiful beaches. Of the 3 ABC islands, Aruba has the best beaches. The most famous is arguably Palm Beach and Eagle Beach, which together stretch for seven miles. It’s home to the majority of hotels on the island. When you see its beautiful powdery white sand, you’ll know why. It’s also where you’ll leave from for most of your Aruba diving.

Reefs and Rides

Most of the dive sites in Aruba are best accessed by boat. The vast majority of Aruba scuba diving sites are along the southwest coast of the island. The reef is located on the south end with many of the wrecks on the north end. Boat rides from shore to the sites are normally less than 15 minutes.

If you are staying toward the middle of the island and want to dive the north end, you may want to (have to) take a short van ride to the boat. This is what we did when we were staying at the Tarmarijn and dove the Antilla and Pedernales wrecks.

Diving

The best Aruba diving is wreck diving. While there are walls and reefs, they are generally not as good as those on its sister islands. On many of the dives you can check out both a wreck and a reef for the best of both worlds.

Aruba is currently working to preserve its reefs and to maintain the quality of Aruba diving. Preservation and educational programs have been started, including a reef clean-up program. Dozens of mooring buoys have been installed to protect the reefs and a marine park has also been established.

If you go to Aruba, I hope you have fun exploring the wrecks galore. I know many people that have fallen in love with Aruba and, who knows, you just may be the next.

Dianne Rein is an avid scuba diver and runs a scuba diving website at http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com You can read her article on Aruba scuba diving on her website as well as reviews of Aruba dive sites

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dianne_Rein

The Oriskany reef lies off the coast of Florida and is not recommended for novice divers as by US Marine Law it has to be a minimum of 55 feet navigational clearance from the surface to allow shipping to pass comfortably over it.

Having said that it is that far down you do not have to go down very far to get a good view of it. The massive air craft carrier is very awe inspiring site under water and although it had only been there for a short time in relative terms a lot of fish and reef organisms have made it there home.

Although I’m an experienced Wreck Diver I did not plan to go into this wreck merely to observe from the safest outside distance was enough for me. This was a really strange feeling to just above the top of the island of the flight deck.

These artificial reefs are going to transform the diving industry and also do a lot for the oceans ECO system, we need to see more developments in this field as more and more of the reefs that are current around the world do get damaged by inconsiderate divers.

By replenishing and conservation of existing reefs we may enjoy the spectacular array of life that manages to exist within the depths. I must admit I would quite like to do a wreck dive and penetrate the vessel just to see the varieties of fish that have made it there home. Not a deep penetration as this is highly not recommended but more of just inside to see a hanger deck.

This would require technical diving skills and a lot of good experts to get advice from before tackling this proposition I hope to be able to come back to this wreck within the next two years as a to have a more intense experience with this wreck.

The Oriskany when it was reefed landed in the upright position as this is an air craft carrier and the top of the ship is broader than the base it was not known if it was going to do this. It’s good that it did because it’s more familiar shape that seeing a wreck on its side.

I have dive many wrecks some of the best ones can be found at Scapa Flow in Shetland Islands. After the war a lot of German ships were scuttled there and remain as wrecks they are very popular with divers but it’s a hell of a long way to go to get there. You sometimes think about flying but that cuts down the amount of diving you can do, as most of the Scapa Flow ships are deep dives too.

I hope to find some more artificial reefs to explore and take more photos and keep a good record to see how these artificial grow in diving popularity.

Andy Bolton 41 Liverpool UK England

Automation Engineer | Divemaster | Website Designer | Musician | Hot Air Balloonist | Author Mostly Harmless, Enjoy Travelling and trying new gadgets.

Accident Claims | Compensation | No Win No Fee

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Bolton

And as long as humans have ventured under the oceans, we’ve been trying to get down to these sunken ships to take a look.

In recent history, we’ve been intentionally sinking unused and outdated vessels and calling them “artificial reefs”. There is a measured benefit to both marine life and local economies when “artificial reef societies” intentionally put a ship on the bottom of the ocean. In Nanaimo, BC, Canada, the local Chamber of Commerce reports that the two artificial reefs, the HMCS Saskatchwan and HMCS Cape Breton, located in the Nanaimo harbour, have produced a four million dollar a year increase in tourism since 2001.

The HMCS Yukon contributes more than five million dollars annually to the San Diego, CA region.

Scuba diving on artificial reefs require special care, training and sometimes equipment. Local dive shops provide training and certification for “wreck diving” and provide the special equipment required to safely dive around artificial reefs.

On May 17, 2006, the retired aircraft carrier Oriskany became the largest vessel ever to be “reefed”. At 910 feet in length and with visibility averaging between 60 and 100+ feet, the “Mighty O” is an impressive site to divers. Her flight deck is sitting at 145 feet – considered a technical dive – but her island can be approached at 78 feet.

Overtime, an artificial reef will re-create its own biomass underwater becoming a home to countless species of fish and plants and an attraction and destination to scuba divers.

Rocky Boschman is a marine biologist and founder of Scuble.com. http://scuble.com/

He has been actively promoting conservation for many years. Scuble.com is an online community and a great resource for information about the oceans. Join now, its free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rocky_Boschman

The UNEXSO dolphin dive is a single tank trip only available on certain days and fills up quickly so it is highly recommended to make reservations well in advance. The divemasters suggest that all divers add on an additional two pounds to what they normally use on their weight belt. This is because the majority of time spent during the dolphin dive will be kneeling on an open sandy surface at the bottom of a chosen dive site. After all divers are onboard, the dive boat goes to the dolphin facility minutes away where the dolphins stay. Once there, a dolphin trainer at the facility gives a briefing about the specifics of the dolphin dive as well as dolphins in general. Two dolphins are pre-selected for each dolphin dive. After the briefing, both the dive boat and a second boat carrying two dolphin trainers head out to the dive site with two dolphins following. During the trip out to the dive site, the two dolphins ride the wakes of the boats and make numerous leaps out of the water along the way giving lots of photo opportunities.

Once at the dive site, the divers are instructed to get in the water quickly and head to the bottom which is about 50 feet. The request for the rush is to get the interactions going before the dolphins lose interest. It is emphasized that the dolphins are never forced to interact with the divers and are free to swim off anytime they want. Therefore, interactions with the dolphins are never guaranteed by UNEXSO. Luckily for the divers, the dolphins seem to enjoy interactions with humans as well as the free food. Once at the bottom, the dolphin trainers now in scuba diving gear, direct the divers to space out in a wide circle. The trainers, equipped with a bucket full of food, are in the center of this circle. This is where they direct the various types of interactions that the divers will get to experience with the dolphins.

The first interaction is usually having a dolphin rest in front of each diver. This is when the divers are allowed to touch and stroke the dolphins while avoiding their fins, eyes and blow hole. The second interaction involves a dolphin kiss. Divers are instructed to take their regulators out of their mouths upon a signal given by the trainers. The trainers then point towards each diver. The dolphins would approach each diver and ‘kiss’ each one in the mouth with their snout. A third type of interaction is like a human spinning top. One at a time, the divers are asked to adjust their buoyancy and stay up about five feet off the bottom with arms fully outstretched. The dolphins then push each diver by the hand with their snouts spinning them around in circles. All of these interactions are captured on camera by a UNEXSO staff divemaster. Of course, the photos are available for sale back at the UNEXSO dive shop. At the end of the final interaction, both dolphins make one more pass while waving one of their fins to bid each diver goodbye. Of course, the divers wave back with smiles through their regulators.

What is really unique with the dolphin dive is that scuba divers get to see the dolphins at depth rather than just at the surface of the water. This is in the natural environment of the dolphins. It is really magical to watch from the bottom as the dolphins swim up to the surface for air sometimes leaping right out of the water followed by a dramatic diving re-entry. They move like torpedoes with grace, agility and speed. The divers can’t help but marvel at the abilities of the dolphins. Dolphins do not require gradual ascents and safety stops like us scuba divers do. For any scuba diver who loves dolphins, the UNEXSO dolphin dive is a wonderful diving experience and well recommended.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com, an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Also numerous articles on scuba diving.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clint_Leung