destinations

 


Komodo Island Fiji Micronesia Papua New Guinea Sipadan Bonaire Grand Cayman Hawaii Great Barrier Reef Red Sea Galapagos Island click on destinations above to find out more

There are many tropic waters to visit as a scuba diver, each with its own special characteristics. Some stand out among others as one of the best out there, but as we say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's hard to make a list that narrows it all down to a top ten and if you try you'll find out that every locale deserves to be on that list. So instead, we compiled a list of dive sites around the world that again and again seems to leave special memories amongst many scuba divers. Each of these places offer something different and unique for divers. We hope to dive all of these waters someday.



Komodo Island/ Flores

The Komodo Island and its surrounding islands and islets spanning between Sumbawa and Flores in Indonesia offer a wealth of terrestrial and marine habitats. The beautiful mounds of dry savannah grasslands rise out from the coral-rich blue waters. White sandy beaches and thick mangrove vegetation create contrasting rings around the base of the mounds. The famous komodo dragons are only one amongst many kinds of creatures in this part of the world. With conservation assistance from the Nature Conservancy, marine life in the region maintains a healthy and abundant population. A great deal of variety in wildlife and underwater topography can be found at the many dive sites. The Wiedenhoeft has visited this area many times and has spotted numerous dolphins, mantas, and turtles. Diving in the region is seasonal, so be sure to plan ahead. Although some sites can be reached by day trips from Flores, the best option is with a live a board. When you go to dive here, please be sure that your dive operator is one who is knowledgable and cares about the marine environment.




Sipadan monitor lizard

Lying in the heart of the richest marine-habitat in the world, the Indo-Pacific basin, is the tiny island of Sipadan. It detached itself from the continental shelf over hundreds of years ago, allowing the climate to remain tropical in the last 100 million years. Because of these reasons, it has nurtured proliferous marine lifes for generations. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds species of corals have been identified here. The island itself is so small that it can be walked around in about ten minutes. The shallow reef surrounding it, however, is almost ten times the size of the island.




Micronesia

a future addition to our site




Papua New Guinea

a future addition to our site




Great Barrier Reef

Perhaps, the most famous dive site out there is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is no surprise given its impressive span of over 1250 miles along Australia's east coast. This continuous strip of living reef is one of our world's natural wonders. You can actually see it from space! Divers flock here for its bio-diversity. Within this 218,000 square miles of underwater haven, there are 2000 species of fish, 400 types of corals, and 4000 invertebrates that have been identified. Imagine the possibilities of creatures and environments to discover. We can assume that divers won't have any problem being preoccupied in this part of the water.




Fiji

a future addition to our site




Hawaii

a future addition to our site




Red Sea camels

a future addition to our site







Galapagos Island

Darwin's ArchA truly unique island, the Galapagos came to be only four to five million years ago through volcanic activities. It has never been attached to any continent. In fact, as an oceanic island, it is surrounded by water deeper than 7000 feet and is 600 miles away from a major land mass. One can only reach it by live-aboard boats. This isolation caused the species that migrated here to evolve differently than their distant relatives. Of all the Galapagos animals, 22 of the 29 birds, 20 of the 22 reptiles, 20% of the marine creatures are endemic to the island. Only a few of them are land predators. This explains why after thousands of years the Galapagos animals have lost their fear for other animals and man and have become more approachable. The island's location is the meeting point of seven major ocean currents, so the constant currents scratches this island off beginners' list. However, the currents bring a lot of fish actions that attract divers to begin with.




Grand Cayman

a future addition to our site




Bonaire


Most divemasters and instructors would agree that Bonaire is probably the best dive site in the world for beginners for many reasons. In 1979, Bonaire became the first to turn its underwater world into a marine park. Mooring buoys were attached to dive sites to prevent anchor damage to corals, while markers were placed to direct both boat and shore divers to dive locations. As a result, Bonaire's underwater environment thrives and stands out amongst the Carribean islands.While the sightings of big fish are rare, you can find an abundance of small fish and macro creatures. Most of the island's dive sites are located on the protected leeward side of the island, keeping the water clear and generally free of currents. With 55 dive markers close to the shore alone, Bonaire provides numerous possibilities with only a short swim away. On top of that, it is one of the few in the world to provide 24-hours shore diving access. For this reason, Bonaire continues to also attract experienced divers who seek the freedom to dive whenever and almost wherever they want. Check out the world's first underwater reef cam placed at Bonaire's Small Wall dive site. Make sure to do it while there is daylight over there!

 

copyright © 2002 Tropic Waters
last updated November 6, 2002