Scuba Dives

This site contains my scuba dive experiences. Hope you enjoy this site.

Southern California - Los Angeles County

Southern California is absolutely a wonderful place for divers. Many interesting dive spots can be reached by swimming out around 30-40 meters or less from the shore. The water condition is pretty chilly all year round and it can be below 10 C under the thermocline, so a 7 mm wet suit with the hood is a must. The alternating sandy and rocky beaches are marvelous, however high swells are a common occurence, so entry may require advanced experience. Visibility can range from none to very clear. Currents can alternate so frequently. This is for sure one of the most rewarding places to get you trained as a diver. In fact, I did my certifications in this area with my instructors, Todd Wright and David Silverman. I have visited several dive sites throughout Redondo Beach and Laguna Beach. Although hard coral may not be the strong point in these dive sites, the marine life is awesome, including seals, sharks, rays, squid, sea cucumber, pike fish, sea hares and sea urchins. Dolphins and whales are also populating this area. These sites are also excellent for night dives. Catalina Island Marine Park offers a relatively easy entry from the shore, and you will be approached by the Garibaldi. The stunning gold color of this fish is highlighted with blue disco spots when they were young. Diving in the Channel Island area is also awesome. The dive sites can only be reached by boat, due to very strong currents near the islands. I have been diving around Anacapa Island, in three different dive sites. Believe it or not, the three sites offer completely different landscapes, as if you are in a completely different area. The seals are awesome, they are like active dogs that want to play with you. | MAP Laguna Beach | MAP Catalina Island | MAP Anacapa Island

Florida keys

Florida Keys offer a temperate water temperature in the winter and tropical water temperature in the summer. The water is saltier than many other places, however visibility is always excellent, so diving here is fun fun fun. This place is the third largest barrier reef after Great Barrier Reef and Belize reef. It also offers many excellent wreck dives. I was mostly in Looe key and Marathon. Entry is from the boat, around a 30-40 minutes ride from the dock. We visited several dive sites here. Depending on the sites, corals can be a bit patchy (but not in Looe Key!). There are many diverse fish you will see, including Murray eels, sting rays, spiny lobsters, Goliath snappers, barracudas, groupers, hog fish, angel fish, file fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish, puffer fish and lobsters. | MAP Marathon


Belize

Belize is home of the second largest reef in the world after Great Barrier Reef. Belize is located in central America. Despite the fact that all its neighboring countries speak Spanish, Belize's national language is English. So for English speaking persons, it is an easy task to go around the place. Flying into Belize is one way to reach this place. An alternative way is to take a charter car from cities in Mexico, such as Cancun. During that time I dove at St. George's key. Water here is calm, warm and visibility is excellent. Entry is from the boat. Biodiversity and corals are excellent. You will see Murray eels, groupers, drum fish, turtles, shrimps, angel fish, trumpet fish, bat fish, spade fish, damsel fish, marvelous Remora fish, puffer fish, squirrel fish, spider crabs, eagle rays, sharks, tiger fish and gobby fish. We were also helping the divers control the population of lion fish in the area. The island is just serene. Lion fish have made a good dinner on our plate. | MAP St. George's caye

Bunaken

Bunaken is a serene island, surrounded by the sea. This island can only be reached by boat from the main land and the number of boats going in and out the island is restricted to protect biodiversity in the area. This site is part of the Coral Triangle that has the highest number of coral biodiversity in the world. Dive sites are mostly walls and drift dives, so advanced certification is handy, since strong currents may be present every now and then. Night dives are excellent, again thanks to the tropical coral biodiversity of this place. The water is calm and warm all year round. Visibility is excellent. Here you will see excellent coral landscapes, turtles, puffer fish, lobsters, squids, white tip reef sharks, eagle ray, sting ray, trumpet fish, crabs, bat fish, kelps and many anemones. | MAP Bunaken


Bali

The USS Liberty (ID-3461; or USAT Liberty) Shipwreck at Tulamben, Bali is so far for me the most fantastic place to dive in the world! Tulamben is a small serene city, very green with beautiful views of rice fields everywhere.


The wreck itself is a shore dive that lies just a few meters from a very calm smooth-stone beach. The wreck is around 130 meters long with the deepest site about 30 meters deep. As part of the Coral Triangle that has the highest number of coral biodiversity in the world, and thanks to the wreck, this dive site offers unforgettable, stunning, living show of beautiful coral arrangements; more that I have not seen anywhere else. There are many underwater creatures ranging from small seahorses and crustaceans, to the largest fish, including sharks. Unforgettable picturesque place, it is definitely my most favorite dive site so far. | MAP Tulamben


Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world largest coral reef, which has abundant tropical marine life. There are many ways to visit the Reef. I chose to go from Townsville, Queensland, a city that is adjacent to the central part of the Reef. There are a wide range of dive sites along the Reef, and they can be reached by a 30-60 minute boat ride from the shore. For first-timers, without any certifications, this is an excellent place to start, as there are many warm, shallow, calm spots to both snorkel and dive. In fact, this trip was my first dive trip. The Reef was excellent and the crew were very patient and helpful. | MAP Townsville