Scuba Geek

Aggressor Fleet of scuba diving liveaboards expands to North Sulawesi April 5, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel , add a comment

Some more news from LIDS. For those who are looking at a liveaboard holiday this might be worth checking out. The Aggressor fleet now operates in Indonesia. The 18 passenger yacht North Sulawest Aggressor offers diving charters departing from Kungkungan Bay Resort in Bitung City. Aggressor Captain Niall Lawlor will guide guests to dive sites near Bangka islands, and the Lembeh Strait, the site of North Sulawesi’s famous “muckdives”. From the pictures on the Aggressor website, North Sulawesi looks like an amazing place to dive.

Regal Dive launch new Red Sea resort - Hamata April 4, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel , add a comment

Regal Dive announced a new addition to their Red Sea holiday portfolio at this year’s London Dive Show LIDS. The southern-most resort in the Red Sea, the Hamata region, offers superb diving and ultimate relaxation away from the crowds.

Regal Dive offer two hotels in the area, both with house reefs and convenient access to the pristine sites of the legendary ‘fury shoal’. You can read more at the Regal Dive Website

Foreigners arrested for scuba diving in marine sanctuary March 27, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : News, Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment

In a story by the visayandailystar, two German nationals and their filipino guide where arrested and fined for diving in a marine sanctuary off the coast of Brgy.

Arrested were Breiten Huber Michael, 39, Tetzlaff Norbert, 45, and Filipino guide Ronald Tan.

Their arrest came after Mayor Rodrigo Alanano ordered the Dauin police through a telephone call to confirm reports that, a group of foreigners had been seen scuba-diving within the marine sanctuary. Alanano has been vocal in his position against violations of municipal ordinances, particularly those related to his program to sustain the coastal resource management gains of the municipality.

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Four scuba divers rescued between Bohol and Camiguin islands. March 23, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Accidents, Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment

The Bohol Chronicle report on four scuba divers who had a bit of a worrying time after becoming stranded on a boat near Camiguin. Apparently they were heading from Panglao to stay overnight at Camiguin, but the rough seas were too much for the boat and they couldn’t reach the shore. Eventually the boat ran out of fuel and they started making distress signals.

They were drifting for more than 48 hours and many passig vessels did not respond, said Elmer Loreno, boat captain, from Sunrise, Tawala, Panglao during an exclusive interview

He identified the scuba divers as Ian Willies, Ali Swandel, Mr. Fritchen and a certain Ruby Hora, from Panglao town. They left Panglao Island at 7 a.m. last Sunday to bring the drivers for an overnight stay in Camiguin.

“Big waves prevented us from reaching the shorelines of Camiguin,” Loreno narrated until they ran out of fuel and the pumpboat’s battery discharged.

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Similan Liveaboard scuba diving trip lives up to it’s reputation March 22, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment

I have been following a great set of reports covering a trip made on a Similan liveaboard by a writer on Travel-Dive, Mark Milburn. The Similan Islands, located about one hundred kilometers northwest of Phuket, are composed of nine granite islands covered in tropical jungle. They have been designated as a national park and there are no resorts on the islands. Mark’s liveaboard trip also included the islands of Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock, and it looks like there is some great diving in this area.

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Roatan: A Scuba Diver’s Dream March 15, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel, Uncategorized , add a comment

I saw this great article on the street.com, by Jennie Lay. Roatan is a island near Honduras, which lies between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, which is known more for all the political troubles and unrest, than as a holiday and scuba diving destination.

Many years ago the area was a haven for pirates, shipwrecked slaves and colonizers from England, but now it seems that Roatan is becoming more popular with scuba divers, and there are plenty of diving facilities available for visitors;

An untold fortune teems below the sea around Roatan. Therein lies a healthy, world-renown coral reef, and Islanders are determined to keep it that way. Devoted local dive-shop owners and dive masters took reef protection into their own hands a couple of years ago with a grass-roots revival of the Sandy Bay and West End Marine Park. The marine park now shelters the stunning reef along Roatan’s most heavily used stretch of coastline — including West Bay, West End and Sandy Bay — and includes a patrol staff that organizers say has virtually eliminated poaching on the reef.

But what of the diving? What can a scuba diver expect to find at Roatan?

The description Jenny gives of the diving sounds fantastic and it seems that Roatan is yet another diving destination to place on the wishlist;

Roatan’s underwater visibility is outstanding. The variety of soft and hard corals is immense and vibrant, and there are two fine wrecks to dive just offshore. Wherever you swim, the variety of fish is astounding, from bitty coral-banded shrimp to elegant spotted drum fish, chummy grouper, turtles, eagle rays and even whale sharks (the world’s largest fish). Some of the best dives, though certainly not all of them, include Texas, Pablo’s, Spooky Channel, El Aguila and the Bear’s Den. Night dives feature the globally rare phenomenon called “string of pearls” — imagine tiny strings of light, each a lightning bug floating in the dark sea as far as you can see, like a 3-D version of the introduction to Matrix or the twinkling tails of a gigantic firework. Phosphorescence is lovely, but Roatan’s string of pearls is even better.

Jenny goes on to talk about places to eat and other things to see, so go take a look.