Posts Tagged ‘Scuba’

Scuba Diving in Puerto Rico: What Underwater Sights to Behold?

It is always necessary to go with a dive guide when you are diving in a region unfamiliar to you. Scuba diving in Puerto Rico is as easy as inquiring at the front desk of your motel. Many diving centers that cover the island as well as most of the motels in Puerto Rico offer scuba training and diving guides. From there, you can begin your adventure into the wonderful, blue ocean.

From the Condado District of San Juan, you can start your journey. You will encounter amazing lava reefs that protect and shelter an array of sea life. From arrow crabs to coral shrimp and sea horses, as well as batfish and snappers, these beautiful reefs shaped from ancient volcanic activity provide an incredible view of ocean life that cannot be witnessed from above. However, the most popular areas for scuba diving in Puerto Rico is on the western coastline where reefs are surrounded by beautiful, clear waters adding to its attraction.

An excellent destination for divers of all levels is Desecheo Island, also on the west coast of Puerto Rico. From snorkeling to diving, there is much to behold. Mona Island is also an ideal place for scuba diving in Puerto Rico. This beautiful island is only accessible by boat and the marine life concealed here is incredible which includes dolphins, sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and hundreds of tropical fish.

At Mona Island, it is guaranteed that divers will see wide variety of fishes and sea animals on every dive. There is also many other spectacular places to dive in Puerto Rico. For instance, on the southern most coast of the island is Fajardo. It lets you see the world of caverns and reefs with clear view beautiful coral of all types. You can also see beautiful parrotfish, as well as bantailed puffers and more on the amazing double-barrier reef surrounding Palomino Island.

Cayo Diablo, just a little further east, is where you can as well find amazing corals, as well as marine life, such as green moray eels, octopuses, even the occasional manatee. Further south from Fajardo is the Humacao Region. Here you will discover the Basslet Reef and its amazing caves, overhangs, and incredible tunnels stretching over a mile long. Visiting this reef in the spring will enable you to swim with dolphins.

Not far from Basslet Reef is the Cracks. This is an area known for its incredible caves and alleyways that seem like they could hide an underwater civilization. Here is offered the benefits of visiting a cleaning station where goby-fish take advantage of the opportunity to clean and feed off of the local marine life. You are also likely to encounter a lobster and get a good up-close look at some amazing corals. In an area called the Drift, you can swim along side nurse sharks, as well as beautiful angelfish, and enter a world of incredible swim-troughs and amazing ledges.

Scuba diving in Puerto Rico would not be complete if you fail to visit Red Hog drop off. This area is relatively new for divers and offers an amazing panoramic view of a drop off that goes from eighty feet to over one thousand feet. It is indeed a wonderful experience in taking a dive in Puerto Rico that will stay with you forever. There are so many different things to do and views to see which you will surely enjoy.

Want to find out more about scuba diving in Puerto Rico, then visit MyDiveBuddies site and start planning your scuba dive today.

Maldives Top Five Scuba Dives

The maldives have long been known as wonderful vacation resorts beloved of scuba divers. The thousand or so islands each sit in lagoons of coral that have built up over a quarter of a million years. The shallow waters are abundant with sea life. Eveything from the tiniest nudibranch to the great Whale Shark can be seen here. The real stars for most people are the pelagic Manta Rays and the loggerhead turtles which are often found in large numbers. They are attracted by the abundance of food, as are plenty of sharks.

But when faced with such a mass of options, which islands shoul you choose? The readers of The Maldives Review have given their approval to the isllands of Dhiggiri, Kudahithi, Ellaidhoo, Fihalhohi and Filitheyo as the five Maldives destinations that tick the scuba diver’s boxes most fully.

According to editor Nicola Brown the scoring is based not only on dive quality, which in most cases in the maldives is a given, but also on accomodation qality, standard of food and drink on the island, party atmosphere and general levels of customer service.

Above all that, the standards of the Scuba dive center (invariably a PADI centres in the Maldives) are what mark out a first class scuba diver’s island as opposed to just a good one. The staff of the dive centre must be patient, professional, knowledgeable, environmentally aware, multilingual and also friendly too. When they can deliver on all those fields, then what you have is a top five maldives dive resort.

Best scuba diving

Florida has exceptional dive sites that have something to offer to scuba enthusiasts regardless of their level of ability. From shallow dives that offer plenty of bottom time to deeper more technical dives for the more experienced diver.

BLACKMAR’S REEF:

If you are looking for one location that will provide an entire week of diving, then Blackmar’s Reef might be just the place for you.

You will find Blackmar’s off the coast of Jacksonville. It’s a diverse scuba site that is both man-made and the work of nature. You will find five large wrecks that include airplanes, a super barge, a tug, and even a ferry boat.

To complement these, you will find natural limestone reefs with soft coral growth. Even though the reefs are not exceptionally large, it tends to be a magnet for a diverse range of  marine life. If you are interested in photography, this site is a must visit.

THE GATOR BOWL REEF:

If you are interested in a dive that is one of a kind, this site might be of interest to you. After being given a NFL franchise, someone in Jacksonville had the inspiring idea to drop the press boxes from the old stadium onto a group of small reefs.

Now they are a popular Florida diving site and the sprawling press boxes are home to huge schools of assorted game fish. Don’t forget your light, because there are plenty of caves to explore in the same area.

You will also discover that the gator bowl reef is a popular night diving spot.

COPPEDGE TUG:

As part of the Jacksonville artificial reef program, the Chippewa was sunk off the coast in 1988.

One advantage of this site is that it sits in only 75 feet of water. This makes it an excellent dive site for the beginner as the depth allows for plenty of bottom time.

You will find the tug sitting upright with it’s prop still in place. At first the wreck might be difficut to spot amongst the thousands and thousands of fish that occupy the reef.

THE HALSEY:

This world war II wreck can be found just offshore of Fort Pierce.

It may well be one of the state’s most interesting “natural” wrecks you will enounter.

It sits in the exact position it settled to the bottom after it was torpedoed. The bow, midships, and superstructure sit upright, but the stern settled upside down.

The ship is fairly intact, and is in about 90 feet of water.

Most likely the fish you will spot here will be of the large variety. That might include barcuda, nurse sharks, and big grouper.

If you look carefully at the sea bottom you may spot some extremely large lobster as well.

KINGFISH HOLE:

If your interests lean toward night diving, this site off the Treasure Coast might be just the dive for you.

It has the advantage of being quite shallow at 40 feet or so, and as a result you have the opportunity to spend lots of time on the bottom.

You’ll be able to observe lobsters, and large schools of snapper, and it you’re lucky, some nurse sharks having a nap under one of the many overhanging ledges.

THE PLAYGROUND:

This is for the more serious, experienced diver. The Playground is located in West Palm Beach and sits at 125 feet or so.

Pipes, and culverts are scattered across the sea bed. This provides an opportunity to see some very large, green moray eels. Barracuda are also in the neighborhood, as are some very big residents such as, eagle rays, whalesharks and even sunfish reaching weights over 500 pounds.

SAND KEY:

This tiny strip of land is located near the southwest of Key West. It has a huge variety of dive sites as the island that houses the Key Lighthouse is surrounded by reefs.

Off the South side, brilliant colored coral can be seen in every direction you look.

The area is simply teeming with fish and has interesting trenches that are fun to investigate.

As you venture further out, the bottom will begin to slope away. This is where you want to be sure and have a camera along as often eagle rays and huge morays can be spotted in the area.

Whatever your experience of interests when it comes to scuba, Florida is sure to have a site to make your next dive a memorable one.

Scuba Diving in Costa Rica: Why an Amazing Quest?

Scuba diving in Costa Rica is distinct from any other scuba diving location. It presents two different, widely diverse locations for diving. There are many different things to see and experience. Somehow, like any scuba diving adventure, it is best to have a guide that is familiar with the area. In this way, you will be assured with great fun and safe dive.

If you are not familiar with scuba diving and would like to get a sight with the amazing underwater world that Costa Rica has to offer, many of of the motels, as well as the travel companies, offer scuba diving lessons. Near perfect conditions such as excellent water temperatures to amazing marine life makes scuba diving in Costa Rica among the best. There are many admirable destinations to dive on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The area called Bahia Drake has amazing dive spots, especially around the Isla del Cano, as well as the Isla del Coco. Off the coasts of the two islands is an amazing display of marine wildlife. Around these islands are rich of sharks, sea turtles, and several different species of fish, making them the perfect underwater paradise for divers.

Around the Isla del Cano, over eighteen different species of coral, several species of dolphin, and many more species of crustaceans are also found. Also on the Pacific coast, you can encounter many different species of shark, including the dangerous hammerhead and the enormous Whale Shark. On the other hand, while the Pacific coast is copious with beautiful fish and interesting sea life, it pales in comparison to the wildness of the Caribbean coast. There are very few scuba diving centers on the Eastern coast of Costa Rica, however, the diving is still premier.

Failure to explore the amazing shipwrecks, scuba diving in Costa Rica would not be complete. The Caribbean Coast offers three. The first is the Fenix, which was a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Isla Uvita in Costa Rica many years ago. Further south you will find Cahuita National Park and a reef stretches for nearly seventeen hundred feet long and covers a total of 63,828,741 square feet.

It is on this reef where the second and third shipwrecks can be seen; two galleons of either Spanish or French origins, believed to be pirate ships, sunk in only twenty-three feet of water. Their surroundings could not have been more apt for a shipwreck, surrounded by the beauty of an incredible coral reef and thousands of fish of different species. Knowing the outstanding underwater worlds that blossom on either side of Costa Rica will bring much excitement to visit and experience scuba diving in Costa Rica.

Want to find out more about Scuba diving in Costa Rica, then visit MyDiveBuddies site and start planning your scuba dive today.

Best Places To Dive. The World’s Prettiest Coral Reefs, Islands, Holes And Scuba Destinations

Are you tired of snorkeling in the public pool? Well itâ??s about time you got your fins together and went on a real SCUBA adventure. Where can you start? Here are a few suggestions:

Palau, Micronesia

Palau is considered to be one of the most exciting diving sites in the world. There are over 100 dive sites along the 90 mile coral lagoon of Palau. You will find Blue holes, underwater caverns and a colorful variety of exotic marine species. Sharks, turtles, dolphins and rare fish gather at Palau at the crossroads of three of the world’s major ocean currents.

The Galapagos Islands

These magnificent islands rest on the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of mainland Ecuador. The Islands are a heaven, a garden, an alternative universe for wild life. In a short visit under the sea of the Galapagos you are most likely to discover a new fish and maybe get lucky enough to have it named after you.

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The Disney Land of diving features thousands of sites and the largest coral reef in the world. There are over 2900 reefs and 900 islands stretching along 2600 km from Gladstone to Cape Tribulation. A large part of the reef is a protected marine park, but weâ??re sure that you will find a nice enough spot to dive in.

California, La Jolla Cove

The entrance takes quite a few steps down, through a rocky cove and resting sun-tanners. Just beyond the entrance, you will find a large kelp forest and rocky area, beginning in 6 feet of water, and heads out to La Jolla Canyon. This is a great place to see local fish and crustaceans, and maybe even a shark or two. Down the coast is by far the best place to see huge variety of what this cold water haven has to offer. The Cove is protected, so you cannot take anything to keep as a souvenir.

Egypt, The Blue Hole.

In the Red Sea shore of the Sinai Desert, rests the blue hole. Surrounded with Bedwyn merchants, selling everything from diving gear to local food, the Blue Hole is one of the world most famous diving sites. The site doesnâ??t look like much until you realize that the sea floor drops abruptly away from the coastline. Many divers risked their lives in this hole. The tunnel that connects the hole with the open sea is more than 50 meters deep, thatâ??s when nitrogen narcosis begins to influence.

California, Kelp Beds â?? Spring Fall

When the sun is out, and the water is clear, you will feel like you are diving in a cathedral. The beauty and life of these underwater forests are endless. This can be a tough dive, due to the fact that you can get caught up in the kelp. But weâ??re all about adventure, arenâ??t we?

Limitless Adventures would like to invite you to join us on a customized SCUBA diving adventure. Whether you’re a beginner who wants to get certified and complete your first Open Water dive, or you’re an advanced diver looking to further your skills, we take care of everything! Check out www.limitlessadventures.com and explore our best SCUBA destinations: The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Southern California, and many more.

www.limitlessadventures.com designs, customizes, and promotes safe and fun adventures all over the world.