Jude and I left Townsville on three weeks holidays heading South of Brisbane to Murwillumbah in northern NSW, whilst down there I managed to do 3 dives.
If you are looking for a tropical holiday destination with amazing diving the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island should be on your list. The islands are part of Australia, but are actually located closer to Indonesia.
Once again I was privileged enough to dive with my A team (or should it be eh? team)(Ansdrew Bennett, Amber Nelson, Troy Stefan) on a recent trip to Coffs Harbour.
Well, I take my annual pilgrimage to what is some of the best diving in Australia (not because of the diving JUST but because of the fantastic dive operator).
It all started on flying in early on Friday the 22nd (a day before the rest of the crew, which were coming from the US). I received the most wonderful welcome and had a great time scoping out my new home for the next week and a half before having a great nights rest in my DOUBLE KING sized bed, meaning that it was about 4m wide (never knew they made beds that large!). I awoke to the sound of "Yeeeehaw" echoing through the place and knew at once that the Texans and the rest of the gang had arrived.
"Hey Boss, I really want to take 12 kids diving with about 16 sharks" is not a good request in the days following a tragic attack at the Abrolhos (and the request to take a group there later in the year is a completely different issue!!), and the request being granted was an even larger surprise.
When you dive on a shipwreck, jetty or pier do you consider it a nature-based experience? This is one of the major questions I am seeking to address in my PhD thesis at the University of Newcastle, which looks at the use of artificial reefs as resources for recreational scuba diving.
From looking at sites offering some points of history in regard to diving in Australia, I found nothing in relation to what was once the highest volume retailer of SCUBA equipment and dive accessories in the Southern Hemisphere, circa 1960's.
I want to tell you about a new non-invasive method of tagging whale sharks that everyone who has an underwater camera, digital or film it doesn't matter, can get involved in.
Populations of large marine predators such as sharks are in dangerous decline. Recent scientific studies report declines of up to 99% for several shark species such as the oceanic whitetip shark in the Gulf of Mexico. Studies also indicate that the reduction in number of larger coastal species such as bull, hammerhead, and tiger sharks may be as high as 80% in the Atlantic Ocean.
We had recently completed our Open Water Dive Course. My partner and I couldn't wait for our planned 6 day dive-holiday, on the beautiful Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.
This event took place a number of years ago while diving with a few mates on a charter in Tassie. We had planned to dive the famous kelp forests in EagleHawk Bay, Tasmania and a wall dive recommended by the skipper/guide.
A live aboard dive holiday is the ultimate choice for the dedicated diver and underwater photographers. However there are some important issues to consider prior to making a reservation.
HMI technology is not new. It evolved in the late 1960s when lamp developer Osram began producing HMI bulbs for the film industry at the request of German television seeking a less expensive alternative to incandescent lights. Ironically, HMI is now much more expensive than halogen and tungsten.