Sea Fans

Most people are fascinated by scuba diving because it allows them explore the underwater world. Due to the nature of scuba diving; the fact that you are weightless under the water means that this is a sporting activity that all people, including those with physical and lesser mental disabilities can enjoy and benefit from. Water has been used over the years in recovery treatments and physical therapy, so this is a wonderful way for a person with a disability to enjoy the freedom of movement while discovering a whole new world under the water.

In contrast to most sporting activities that need some form of custom-made apparatus, such as in wheelchair rugby, basketball or cycling, scuba diving does not require any special equipment. When it comes to diving, able-bodied or not, you are weightless in the water and any limitation on movement that you may face on land is totally eliminated beneath the surface.

Diving has been proven to be therapeutic in helping to control pain, even stop it completely; reduce limitations, which in turn has a positive effect on both the mental and physical health of divers with a disability.

Training offered by a scuba diving center and organizations that support this

The International Association for Handicapped Divers or IAHD: This organization offers a variety of courses for able-bodied and disabled divers and an instructor training program that is recognized by the leading SCUBA organizations including PADI, SSI and NAUI.

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI: This is the largest and most recognized certification agency for diving worldwide. This association works with the IAHD to encourage divers with disabilities to give scuba diving a try and discover the truly magnificent world below the waterline.

Nudibranch or 'Sea Slug'

Learning at a dive center

Divers with a disability will generally be assessed before embarking on their course.  Scuba divers will be categorized based on their capabilities. For instance, divers at level A have to dive with a minimum of one person.  However, the IAHD have specially designed their courses to minimise any gap in their certification courses and the levels will be similar to any of the diving unions.  Not only is it possible to train a diver with a disability to dive in the open-water, but it is also possible for them to go on and take scuba diving up as a career; become an instructor and work your way up to Course Director.

As you can see, these are just some of the advantages for people diving with a disability, but the real secret of scuba diving, is that all can benefit from this activity.

Tranquil Sunset - Liveaboard Diving

A liveboard trip, (also called a Dive Safari) offers divers accommodation and diving combined and means that the divers never need to return to shore until the liveaboard holiday is finished. For many decades, liveaboard holidays had been the choice for hardened divers who were searching for challenges in the most remote of areas. However, in recent years liveaboard dive boats have started to cater to divers who are interested in the tranquility of the coral reefs and whom never have to deal with the hassle of going back to shore every day, or interruptions caused by busy dive sites.

For most dive enthusiasts, their ultimate holiday experience would be a diving safari. This type of diving holiday removes all need for extensive plans, or difficulties associated with getting you and your dive equipment on and off the dive boat at the end of a hard days diving. This does a lot to enhance your diving experience, because at the end the dives you can return to the boat, enjoy a meal and then relax at sea. It is one of the most sublimely peaceful ways to dive and a perfect way to relax, away from all the stresses of modern life.

There are different types of liveabord, ranging from the basic, to the very epitome of luxury. More often than not, the larger boats will be much more luxurious when compared to the smaller vessels, but the latter are ideal for intimate groups. As you can imagine, a luxury liveaboard is generally a larger boat and therefore, it will have more space and this also means more deck space and larger cabins. This makes them ideal for divers who want to spend their liveaboard holiday with a large group of friends.

You can visit a different reef, wall dive or wreck dive every day, because the boats generally travel from one area to another right after the last dive, or at least to a mooring closeby the next chosen dive site. With an early start, this means you are more often than not, the only liveaboard dive boat at the dive site for your first dive of the morning. The chance to dive an undisturbed dive site, really makes for a dive to be remembered!

Liveaboard holidays are heaven for the most dedicated and experienced scuba divers, but it could be a challenge for those who are just starting out. Some of the attributes which makes this type of diving appealing to dedicated divers include the capacity to dive the more beautiful, further away diving spots; more adventure; a chance to make new friends; flexibility; more daily diving; travel for less time and it negates the hassle of carrying your gear around.

Similar to most things in life, some negative aspects will be associated with this type of diving, such as the fact that divers have to stay in confined areas; more likely to be affected with sea sickness from the pitching and rolling of the boat; minimal scenery; no shopping opportunity; limited food selection and absolutely nowhere to go.

It might be worth keeping in mind that if you are experiencing scuba diving for the first time, this might not be the ideal way to start. That said, all-in-all, I believe the thrills coupled with the relaxing nature of a liveaboard holiday will over-shadow any negative attributes and will shine through to give divers a truly wonderful and memorable experience. I loved every one of my liveaboard holidays and I look forwards to the next one!

Stingrays at the Sand Bar

Have you ever experienced a diving holiday in the Caymans? If not, then you are missing out! The Caymans consist of smaller islands namely Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The dive spots here are many and varied and can offer, for example, strong currents, steep walls and shallow reefs.

The Caymans have a well-developed scuba diving industry, so this area appeals to divers from all over the world. But, the impact that a large amount of divers could have on the underwater environment has been reduced because of the excellent conservation efforts in this area. You can find eighteen marine parks with a 3-tier system in the Cayman Islands.

A visit to the coast surrounding the islands will give you an opportunity to see shipwrecks which can be traced back to over four hundred years ago. There are about one hundred and twenty ships remaining today, which is a vital part of the diving islands nautical heritage, as it supports the marine life and they offer colourful diving spots around the islands. You should definitely take the time to explore the shipwrecks, as you can get to see a range of vessels, such as small trading and colonial vessels, freights, Spanish galleons, brigands and four-master schooners.

Diving holidays in the Caymans will allow you to explore an impressive variety of marine life. Some of the beautiful creatures that you will find include Barracudas, Manta Rays, Grey, Nurse and Hammerhead sharks and Nassau Groupers. But, the most popular encounters for divers would be Stingrays that you will find at Stingray City.

The Grand Cayman has a much larger coastline with more diving spots, but diving and scuba diving can be enjoyed at any of the islands you choose to visit. There are many dive operators on the islands so finding a dive center to explore your chosen spots is not a difficult thing to do. You can find many exceptional dive spots throughout the Caymans. For instance, Bloody Bay can be found on the island of Little Cayman and is well-known as perhaps the best area for wall dives in the entire Caribbean. Throughout the summertime, many manta rays gather in this location and accompany regulars like the nurse sharks, barracuda and turtles.

When you’re planning your diving holidays in the Caymans, ensure that you research the best time to visit. The climate is generally tropical and warm, plus the summer lasts from May to October. November to April is the cooler winter months. The water on the islands provides excellent visibility, which helps to make the diving spots the preferred destination for many diving holidays. The Cayman Islands is a paradise both above and below the water, it is a place you will not tire of quickly and the possibility of seeing the exceptional marine life makes it a place not to miss!

Rottnest island in Australia

It is not uncommon for people to ask where is Rottnest Island located because truth be told, despite its natural beauty, it is not one of the most known tourist destinations of Australia. Unlike other destinations like Hervey Bay, Lady Eliot Island, and Fraser Island that are known by many foreign tourists, Rottnest Island is the more obscure destination, known to the locals, but not so much by the outside world. It is the not so trodden path. But where in the world is Rottnest Island?

Rottnest Island is off the coast of Perth, about 19 kilometers away. The 19 square kilometers island is accessible by ferry from Hillary’s Boat Harbour, Fremantle or Perth City. It can also be accessed by plane from Jandakot airport.

What Makes Rottnest Island a Great Holiday Destination?

Rottnest Island is the perfect holiday destination because of its diversity. It has the best beaches with turquoise blue waters home to vibrant cacophony of marine species. The island also has unique animal life and home to the quokka, a small kangaroo-like marsupial.

Activities on Rottnest Island

Diving: Rottnest Island is one of the best places in the world to go diving. The waters that surround the island are full of vibrant tropical fish, over 135 of them waiting to thrill divers as they take the plunge. There are also 20 species of coral to be found. Not only is the waters of Rottnest Island filled with wonderful fishes and corals but it is also a vibrant graveyard of sunken ships, more than 13 of them. The water around Rottnest Island is 6 degrees warmer than the waters on the mainland, which also makes it a great dive site.

Surfing: Rottnest Island is a good place for water activities, surfing included. The rolling waves of the island make it a good place to learn how to surf. Not only is it a good place to learn surfing but it is also a place where professional surfers go to for a good ride.

Bike: Rottnest Island is so small that anybody can tour it by bike. Actually, there is no other way to get around the island, but by bike, or on foot, because there are virtually no cars on the island. There are a few tour buses but four wheeled vehicles are not common on the island.

Walk: There are many guided walking tours around the island that will take tourists around the wonderful sights. There is so much to see on the island and walking is one of the best ways to see them all.

Fly: One of the best ways to see Rottnest Island is to view it from the skies. There are chartered flights that can take you on a flying tour over the island and see it from an eagle’s view.

Dolphin and Whale Watching: On migratory season there are humpback whales that visit Rottnest Island, as well as friendly dolphins. Dolphin and whale watching is not just recreational but is also educational. There is also the possibility to see sea lions.

Rottnest Island is a great little island, tucked away for those with more of an adventurous spirit for little-known tourist destinations. So, why not take a holiday to a completely different part of Australia and forever be able to answer the question – Where is Rottnest Island?

Diving in Australia

Following are some of the best dive sites I would recommend:

Most divers refer to Cairns, Queensland as the unofficial capital when it comes to diving trips in this country. The Great Barrier Reef can be found here and you will not find another diving spot quite like this one. It is a site that memories are truly built from. The atmosphere in this area is really easy-going and you will instantly feel comfortable meeting and swapping dive stories with others.

The Great Barrier Reef offers you such a wonderful diversity in dives and all will thrill. The dive sites offer mainly smooth seas, beautiful reefs, spectacular marine life, deep drop-offs, tunnels and caves and to top it all off, there are the beaches, or the boat decks to soak up the rays and chill. The only danger is that you might not want your diving days to end!

Hard Coral

Airlie Beach is another site that you have to check out on your holiday in Australia. Diving on this beach can be done from an area known as the Stepping Stones, where you will get to see some of the marvellous marine life this site has to offer. After visiting this location you might be sorely tempted to take some more time to really explore and enjoy this vast area.

Yet another spot for holiday diving in Australia is Ayr, which is located in Queensland, and is known for offering divers the best experiences. If for some reason you need to add some excitement to your trip, then this spot will help you do just that. One of the interesting features at this spot is the underwater ship wreck. You can also find fish such as trevally, barracudas and kingfish in this area.

Diving holidays in Australia will give you the opportunity to see unique and different marine life. The locations mentioned are just some of the diving spots that you will find in this fabulous destination, but there are many others.

Soft Coral

La Orotava - Scuba Diving Holidays Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands and the most populated. It has a land area of 785 square miles. However, it is not just the vastness of the land that brings people to Tenerife, but also its surrounding ocean. The water that surrounds Tenerife holds another wonder that compliments the fabulous beauty of the island. If there are breathtaking landscapes that adorn the island of Tenerife, there are also seascapes that decorate its ocean. It is these captivating seascapes that entice a large number of tourists to go on scuba diving holidays in Tenerife. About 5 million tourists visit Tenerife every year and many of the tourists that visit go scuba diving.

Where to Go Scuba Diving in Tenerife?

Depending on the weather, there are about 30 different dive sites that can be enjoyed in and around the island. Scuba diving holidays in Tenerife can also be enjoyed by scuba divers of all levels, because there are dive sites that are suitable for all divers.

Following is a selection of some of the best dive sites where you can scuba dive:

Abades Playa: Beginner divers can try diving in Tenerife’s Abades Playa. The reef ranges from 1-8 meters so it is a brilliant dive for new scuba divers; where divers can see the beauty of the underwater life in shallow water. Between 10-20 meters you can also find interesting rock formations. It is a good place to see green turtles, seahorses, barracudas, moray eels, octopus, cuttlefish, parrot fish and the many other colorful fish that typically adorn a reef. In the sea grass, a diver can spot many of the varieties of junior fish. If you look closely in this area, you can also spot nudibranches.

Boca Cangrejo: This dive site is for the more experienced diver, because entry into this dive can prove to be very difficult when the sea is rough. It also has strong currents that inexperienced divers may be unprepared for; however, some protection can be gained by staying close to the walls. Despite these challenges, the 24 to 41 meter, deep dive site, is still worth a try. It has a large number of moray eels that you can see as well as stingrays, angel sharks, garden eels, sardines, and the occasional pelagic fish.

Radazul: This dive has a depth of 25-60 meters; a drop-off can take you to 100 meters. The depth of your scuba dive, depends on your level of experience and the type of diving you are taking part in. The PADI Advanced Open Water course will certify you to a maximum of 30meters, however, a technical diving certification, like PADI Tech Diving or a TDI Tech Diving course will certify you to go beyond 30meters. Although the water is deep, this dive site is considered an easy deep dive. It has a lot of trumpet fish, amber jacks, stingrays, barracuda, and tunas.

Wreck el Pejin in Tabaiba: The ship was sunk in 2006 and looks in really good shape. This is a wreck dive for advanced divers, but it is an easy dive. Here you can see a lot of sardines, garden eels, barracudas and sponges. It’s a really nice scuba dive of approximately 18-32 meters; couple that with the good visibility and you really have a quality dive.

Above is a small selection of some of the marvelous and diverse dive sites that you can visit during your scuba diving holidays. To go scuba diving in Tenerife’, or perhaps add to your skill-set by taking a tech diving course, it couldn’t be easier. First research your dive sites and then look for a dive center that suits your diving needs. There are many dive centers on this wonderful diving island, so you really can plan your dive and dive your plan! Enjoy!!

Diving Holidays in Thailand

One for the bucket list is definitely scuba diving. But, why Thailand you might ask? Because Thailand has some of the best scuba diving sites in the world due to the diversity of the marine life and the range of dive sites you can dive, which incidentally are, in the main, suitable for beginner and advanced divers.

Thai diving sites that will rock your world:

Hin Daeng & Hin Muang
This dive site takes a bit of travelling too, but it can be done in a day, depending on where you depart from. These are beautiful dive sites, where manta rays are not an uncommon sighting. There are large shoals of reef fish, gorgeous corals, gorgonias and anemones, to mention only but a few, but as you can imagine, it’s important to maintain your buoyancy to protect this fragile ecosystem.

Koh Kraden Wreck
Another great place to test out your buoyancy is on the Koh Kraden Wreck, which can be reached from Phuket. This Japanese destroyer ship has become a home to a huge variety of fish, and moray eels. If you look closely, you can also find seahorses behind the ropes.

Hin Nok
Hin Nok consists of a plateau and pinnacles with lots of gullies. Around here you can find moray eels, moorish idols, butterfly fish, barracudas and anglefish and you can also find the odd turtle swimming around. Ghost Pipefish are very interesting looking fish, but are also incredibly difficult to find, but they can be found in here, so keep looking!

Koh Ma
Koh Ma is a shallower dive, but you won’t be unhappy with the dive due to this, as the site offers so much more. You can find some unusual fish here, like the shrimpfish that swims upside down.

Scuba diving holidays in Thailand can be anything that you want them to be. Whether you dive for wrecks, for depth, for big fish or just to soak up the natural beauty of the coral reefs; there really is something for everyone. The variety of the underwater life means that every dive site, even the local sites can send you the most awesome experiences – for example, Chumphon in Koh Tao, Thailand during the Whale Shark season. There are also the leopard sharks, which are great to see.

Thailand in itself is an experience not to be forgotten. Combine the stunning beaches and tropical surroundings with diving and you really will have a memory to cherish, as Thailand is as beautiful below the waterline, as it is above it. Go once and remember forever!

Sunset in Thailand

Phuket is a tropical diving island in the south-west of Thailand. It’s an exquisite diving island with beautiful beaches and idyllic surroundings. The scuba diving in this area really puts it up there with some of the best diving in the world.

Reasons Why You Should Try Scuba Diving in Phuket

Teeming with marine life The waters of Phuket is swimming with marine life – literally! You can see various species of fish and corals as it has some of the most diverse marine life in the world. If you’re lucky, you may be able to see manta rays and even some species of sharks.

Crystal Clear Blue Waters The crystal clear blue water of Phuket offers good visibility. This makes diving easier and more enjoyable, as you can easily see the colorful fish and the various multi-colored corals.

Warm Water Phuket, being located in the tropics is blessed with warm waters. Although the temperature sometimes varies depending on the time of the year, it remains relatively warm all year round.

When to go Scuba Diving in Phuket

The best time of the year to go diving in Phuket is from November to May, when it’s still rain free and the water is calm. Clear visibility starts, underwater, from November and eventually reaches up to 40 meters. May to October is the rainy season in Phuket and the sea swells during these months, this makes diving more difficult, especially for longer dive trips.

Where to go Scuba Diving in Phuket

Anemone Reef: The reef got its name from the many anemones that cling to every inch of the reef. Aside from the anemones there are also wide varieties of tropical fish to be seen. Sometimes a leopard shark can also be seen cruising by. The reef itself is very unique, as it’s a 30 meter limestone pinnacle that rose from the seabed.

Phuket West Coast: This dive site is best suited for novice divers who are just learning to dive. It’s just 5 to 6 meters deep. Despite its shallow depth the dive site still has a lot to offer divers. Corals, colorful reef fish and harmless white tip reef sharks can be seen here.

Shark Point Dive Site: This is named due to the many leopard sharks that are found here. Leopard sharks are not the only fish to be found here, there are also other tropical fish and soft corals.

Phuket is a beautiful island above and below the water line. As far as diving holidays go, this is more like a diving paradise and definitely not a destination that you will tire of quickly.

Stained Glass Angel - My Diving Angel

Following my arrival at the dive center, I was led away and told that my group that week was to be a group of HSA divers. This was to be my first time disability diving and although I was to be on board, it was mainly as a supervisor and less of a guide. How do you make someone with a physical disability feel disabled? Make it really hard for them to be able to get on and off a boat with a wheelchair, or even move around on the boat. As a representative of the dive center, it was fairly embarrassing from my side to be put on a tiny boat with 8 people in wheelchairs, needless to say not all could actually sit in their wheelchairs and some had to sit on the floor. I spent most of the morning apologising. The dive center should have given us a bigger boat, but this was 11 years ago now and things were different then and I seriously don’t think anyone had even considered wheel chair access.

I helped as best I could and once we got everyone on the boat, off we went to a local, but pretty dive site. The divers on the boat mainly consisted of young men, all between the ages of 18-25 and all were paralysed from the waist down largely due to motorbike accidents and one from a climbing accident. There was only one lady diver, she was tetraplegic. This meant she was paralysed from the 3rd vertebrae down. This was the result of a car accident. She could talk and that was it. She had no sensation in the rest of her body. As she could only ‘talk’ and this is one thing that you can’t do under water, it had taken a year for the HSA Instructor to convince her to do her open water course; but finally he had.

Before her HSA Instructor prepared her for the dive, (in which she was to perform the mask removal skill and the equivalent of the fin pivot), he took me aside and asked if I could help out by supervising the dive underwater, and be on call if he needed my help. Not fully understanding the fundamental nature of this task, I agreed. Next came the long list of reactions that I had to watch out for if she paniced, or if her body reacted negatively to the experience. To be honest I was so numb with fear, I don’t think I heard much of the list, never mind remembered it. All I really remember is the HSA Instructor telling me to watch for his signal if he needed me. I also had a clear idea of what panic looked like, so at least I would see that if nothing else.

Once she was prepared, I descended first. The water was warm and we were close to the reef,so close that the water was crystal clear and everything glittered from the reflection of the sun rays above. The light bouncing off the reef and the boat gave the surroundings an ethereal quality. There was silence, apart from the regulation of my breathing that in turn regulated my buoyancy. I floated, still, surrounded by speechless beauty. Above, I watched the two descend until they were level with me and we remained in no more than 5-6 meters of water; I stayed approximately 5 meters away. I didn’t want to be too close, just in case I put this incredibly courageous woman off.

I didn’t know what to expect, but after the long list of things that could go wrong, I was definitely expecting the worst. I truly couldn’t have been more gob-smacked by her dive. Once they were down, the HSA Instructor adjusted her buoyancy using her BCD and there she remained, in an upright position, controlling her own buoyancy, using her own breath. She did the equivalent of a fin pivot and held her buoyancy much better than most of my able-bodied guests. But what totally blew me away was what came next.

It was time for the mask removal.

I prepared myself again, for the worst. I watched the Instructor confirm the skill with her and then proceeded to remove her mask. She remained without her mask for a short time, before the Instructor began to replace it and…I wept. Until that point, I didn’t think it was possible to cry under water. It was a truly moving moment, one that I have carried with me for the rest of my life. Without her mask she controlled her buoyancy beautifully and looked serene. Her hair flowed around her face, the sun reflecting all around her; she looked like an angel and no one except me and her Instructor would have known that she was disabled. She had such perfect control over her buoyancy, she never moved from her spot, half a meter above the reef; even without her mask on. On land she was unable to move her body and under water she was in total control of it.

Mask removal is one of the hardest and most uncomfortable skills a student learning how to scuba dive has to do, and water in a new diver’s mask is the quickest route to panic them. The odds were stacked so highly against my diving angel, diving with a disability and it didn’t faze her at all. I was astounded by her courage, so much so it moved me to tears. This became the story that I would tell to all my able-bodied students in the future, if she could do it, they had absolutely NO excuse!

Ocean Sunset in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka was called, by the famous writer Arthur Clarke, the island jewel of the Indian Ocean, fittingly so because it does not only have great beaches but also it also has a great underwater view. There are several great dive sites where you can go diving in Sri Lanka. If you have not yet tried scuba diving, Sri Lanka is the best place to start. It is guaranteed that you will fall in love with the sport.

Places to go Scuba Diving in Sri Lanka

One of the places where you can go scuba diving in Sri Lanka is Hikkaduwa. It is in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka and about 17 kilometers north-west of Galle. These are some of the best dive sites in Hikkaduwa:

The Conch Wreck: The wreck of the oil tanker, ‘Conch’, that sank in 1903, is about 10 miles from the shore of Hikkaduwa. It has a depth of 20 meters and fairly good visibility. Divers can see a good number and variety of fish like wrasse, banner fish, Moorish and damselfish.

Kiralagala:This dive site is not for everybody because only divers with their PADI Advanced Open Water Certification can dive this site, or you can dive with a qualified scuba instructor. The dive site is about 40 meters deep. You can see a lot of beautifully colored corals, as well as butterfly fish, basslets, and angelfish.

Deep Rock: This dive site is just 22 meters deep. Deep Rock dive site is approximately 20 minutes away from Hikkaduwa and it has excellent visibilty. You can see a lot of soft corals, moray eels, and feather stars here.

Off Coral Gardens: This dive site in Hikkaduwa is just 10 minutes off the shore and is only 13 meters deep. It has an excellent collection of moray eels, pufferfish, porcupinefish, and sea slugs. There are also a good number of caves and valleys that you can explore.

Another place where you can go scuba diving in Sri Lanka is Unawatuna. It is located in the province of Galle is famous for its beaches and corals.

Here are some of the best dive sites in Unawatuna:

SS Rangoon Scenic: This dive site is 20 minutes away from the shore and is 32 meters deep. The dive site is home to the wreck of a British steamer that sank 100 years ago. The wreck has become a home to a lot of fish species and like butterfly fish, angelfish and morays.

Great Basses: It is just 2 meters to 15 meters deep and is about an hour away from the shore. This dive site does not have one ship wreck, but several! It also has a lot of limestone caves that you can explore. Reef fish and beautiful pelagic fish can be seen as you cruise around on your dive. You may even catch a glimpse of the odd white-tip reef shark. Due to the currents in this site, be aware that only experienced scuba divers are recommended to dive here.

Aside from these two areas, there are also dive sites situatted at Kalpitiya, Negombo, Trincomalee, and Baticaloa. If you want to take a diving holiday in Sri Lanka, I would definitely recommend researching the various scuba diving areas and then contact one of the many dive centers there and arrange your dive trip. There is so much to see and this and your surroundings, make it a beautifully exotic place in the world for all types of diving and also for a great vacation destination.