Scuba Diving Activities
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Bundaberg Aqua Scuba
About 16km east of Bundaberg, the small beach hamlet of Bargara has good diving and snorkelling at Barolin Rocks and in the Woongarra Marine Park. Bundaberg Aqua Scuba offers four-day, PADI open-water diving courses for $219, but this only includes shore dives. Advanced open-water dive courses cost from $265.
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Scuba Coiba
Run by an experienced Austrian dive master, Scuba Coiba offers divers a chance to experience some of the spectacular marine life around Isla Coiba. Two-tank dives start around US$70 per person, though diving in the park costs more since the distance is much greater.
Scuba Coiba also offers day trips (around US$130) as well as two-day trips (around US$320) to Isla de Coiba, which include entry into the national park, lodging at the ANAM station on Coiba and meals; there's a two-person minimum for these trips. You can also get PADI-certified here for around US$230, and snorkeling gear is available for hire (around US$6 per day). The dive shop is located on the main road…
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Diving & Snorkelling, Dive Timor Lorosae
The reef fringing the entire north coast of East Timor provides spectacular diving and snorkelling opportunities. Many sites, including the legendary K41 east of town, are easily accessed by walking in from the beach, with dramatic drop-offs just 10m offshore in parts.
Dive Timor Lorosae offers day-trip diving around Atauro, including two dives from around US$130 per person (minimum four people). Shore dives around Dili (including two dives) cost from around US$75. There are also PADI courses and trips for snorkellers.
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Blue Island Divers
On the main pedestrian thoroughfare of town, with a gear and clothes shop attached, Blue Island Divers is friendly and helpful, and has a wide range of dive options. The owners have a great knowledge of the Antiparos scene. Accommodation and car rental can also be arranged. A four-day PADI open-water course, a 'discover scuba diving' day session and advanced courses are available. Trips can be tailored to suit individual wishes.
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La Casa del Mar Dive Center
Set inside the grounds of El Conquistador resort, the PADI-certified La Casa del Mar Dive Center is great for all levels. The ‘Bubblemakers for Kids’ appeals to the younger crowd (8 to 15 years; $49); more experienced divers can take the trips to local reefs (one/two tanks $69/99). A two-tank dive over in Culebra is $125.
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Universal Diver
Universal Diver is a PADI dive centre offering all levels of scuba diving.
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Deep Blue Dive
Based in Beach Hotel Inés; the instructor here is also PADI-certified.
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Diving Sites
Roatán has dozens of dive sites and most shops do a good job of making sure divers who buy multi-dive packages don't end up going to the same place again and again. If there's a site you are keen to try, don't be afraid to ask. At the same time, weather and water conditions dictate most site selection, and some dives aren't practical or diveable for days at a time.
Some favorites - among many, many others - include: Mary's Place: fissures in the coral form a deep, sheer-faced maze at this one-of-a-kind site. Winding through, you'll likely see jacks, lobsters and crabs, and huge schools of silversides; near the mooring, keep an eye out for seahorses. Mary's Place is near…
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Diving
Oh to have a few more hours in the day to squeeze in more dives! Marovo Lagoon provides superb dives for both experts and novices. Channels, caves, drop-offs, coral gardens, bommies and clouds of technicolour fish (and yes, sharks are part of the package) - what more could a diver hope for?
Marovo Lagoon has two state-of-the-art dive centres. One is based at Uepi Point (North Marovo Lagoon), the other is located in Peava (South Marovo Lagoon). It pays off to dive with each dive shop to maximise your diving experience during your stay in Marovo.
The live-aboard dive vessels MV Bilikiki and the MV Spirit of Solomons usually include the South Marovo Lagoon into their nine-…
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New Way Diving
This tiny school has built its reputation on offering small diving groups in a professional atmosphere. Their early-morning scuba excursions depart before the larger schools, which means less traffic in the water. It’s not too uncommon to go out for a postdive dinner with the entire school. The manager (a native Ko Tao-ist) can organise discounted accommodation nearby, and the free internet access on the dive shop’s ancient computer is an extra bonus.
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Poseidon Reef Trips
The family-run Poseidon Reef suits fast day divers.
The unrelenting surge of visitors to the Reef off Port Douglas has impacted on its general condition, and although you'll still see colourful corals and marine life, it has become patchy in parts. Reef trips generally include reef tax, snorkelling and transfers from your accommodation, plus lunch and refreshments. Add around A$200/around A$180 for an introductory/certified dive.
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Sea Ventures Pro Dive Center
Sea Ventures Pro Dive Center has three outlets in Fajardo, Palmas del Mar and Guánica. They’re staffed by very experienced professionals offering one-week PADI certification courses. For those who just want the basics or already know how to dive, there are multiple trips to Palominos and Icacos Cays daily (one/two tanks $65/99), and on Sunday there are trips to Vieques and Culebra.
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KoroSun Dive
KoroSun Dive is on the jetty opposite Koro Sun Resort. Two-tank dives/PADI Open Water Course, including all gear, cost around F$210/around F$750; night dives are around F$130. There are special rates for multiday diving and it also offers day trips to the Somosomo Strait or the Namena Marine Park near Namenalala in the Lomaiviti Group.
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Negril Scuba Centre
In Negril, most all-inclusive resorts have scuba facilities. Negril Scuba Centre has locations at Mariner’s Negril Beach Club, Negril Escape Resort & Spa and Sunset @ the Palms, and offers PADI certification and introductory ‘resort courses’.
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Al Boom Diving
Al Boom is the largest dive operation in the UAE and leads daily guided dive trips off Dubai and to the East Coast and the Musandam Peninsula. The experienced staff also offer the gamut of courses, from Discover Scuba Diving to Instructor level.
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Sea Breeze Marine
Diving around the coral gardens near Bongoyo and Mbudya islands, and diving certification courses (PADI), can be arranged year-round at the long-standing Sea Breeze Marine next to White Sands Hotel.
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Blue Adventures Diving
This outfit offers a PADI certification course and daily diving trips around Hania, including beginner dives. There are also snorkelling trips and cruise options if you just want to go along for the ride.
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Lady G’diver
Located at the new marina, Lady G’Diver is a full-service dive shop; dive boats leave at 11am and 2pm daily. It has a retail store, PADI instruction and equipment rentals.
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Scuba Nation Diving Center
The only PADI five-star dive centre in Cambodia. Highly professional, multilingual instructors with first-class equipment offer classes in English, Swedish, French and Dutch.
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Sorrento Diving Center
Sorrento Diving Center organises dives and a series of courses. Budget on around €95 for a half-day course, €45 for a single dive.
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Banda Dive Shop
Extra-friendly dive shop offering two-tank dives for COP$150,000 and PADI open-water certification for COP$730,000.
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Vietnam Explorer
Well-known outfit which also operates out of Nha Trang.
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Diving
Not surprisingly for a place whose underwater habitat resembles a well-stocked aquarium, scuba diving in the Galápagos is world class. The conditions aren't suitable for beginners because of strong currents, sometimes murky visibility and cold temperatures. When the water is warm there's not much of a current so it's also a little murky (January to March); there is better visibility but colder water temperatures from July to October.
Besides an array of tropical fish there are plenty of whale sharks, hammerheads, manta rays and even sea horses to be seen. Most live-aboard boats go to Wolf and Darwin, northwest of the major islands where there's a large number of…
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Diving
Diving is king in Sabang. Ever since former president Ferdinand Marcos declared the reefs around Sabang a marine reserve in 1973, word has been spreading about the great diving here. Favoured sites include the Hole in the Wall, Verde Island and the four wrecks in Sabang Bay. Diving is possible year-round, though seas can get rough from June to September.
The usual price for a single dive with all equipment included is around US$25; it's cheaper if you have your own equipment or book a number of dives. Most of the dive centres offer PADI-approved courses - typically, an open-water course will set you back around US$350. A range of courses for more experienced divers is…
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Diving
Though not home to Thailand's best dive sites, Pattaya's proximity to Bangkok makes it a popular spot to get some underwater action. However overfishing and heavy boat traffic mean the sites closest to Pattaya can be barren with poor visibility. Nearby Ko Larn, Ko Sak and Ko Krok are good for beginners, while accomplished divers may prefer the outer islands of Ko Man Wichai and Ko Rin, which have better visibility and marine life.
In most places expect 3m to 9m of visibility under good conditions, or in more remote sites 5m to 12m. Further southeast, the shipwrecks Petchburi Bremen, off Sattahip and Hardeep, off Samae, have created artificial reefs. The scuttled Thai navy…
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