TOP 10 DIVES IN THE WORLD:
Yongala, Australia
The SS Yongala sank in 1911, leading to one of the most amazing wreck dives in the world. The wreck lay undiscovered half a century, gathering sea life. Divers have spotted sea snakes, turtles and grouper among the countless sea life at this wreck.
Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
This is without a doubt the most famous dive site in Palau. There are vertical walls that drop to a ledge at 15m then away from there, making this dive quite unique. Divers are expected to see whitetip and grey reef sharks along with barracuda, rays, tuna, snappers, wrasse and bass.
**Because of depths and strong currents this dive might not be suitable for all divers.
Barracuda Point, Sipadan Island
This is one of the most treasured sites Sipadan Island. At the depths of 10m there may be currents, but this brings in lots of fish, schools of bannerfish and redtooth triggerfish. Grey reef sharks are also frequently seen along with turtles and herds of bumphead parrotfish.
Thistlegorm, Egyptian Red Sea
Thistlegorm is possibly the most dived wreck in the world and the most popular dive in the Egyptian Red Sea. This wreck is a underwater museum. The ship is an iconic WWII battleship with Bren gun carriers, armored cars, and countless other memorabilia.
Shark and Yolanda Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
This is one of the most popular in the area. Located off the very southern tip of Sinai Peninsula. The ship Yolanda sunk during a storm, leaving a wreck that has been since swept away. On the dive you can see the cargo of the ship including remains of the captain’s BMW and are likely to see barracuda eels swimming within the sunken toilets and basins.
Navy Pier, Western Australia
Rated one of Australia’s top dives, Navy Pier offers an amazing array of sea life. Diving under the pier is an experience any diver in Exmouth should experience. The sea life ranges from Wobbegong sharks, lion fish, barracuda, to moray eels. Diving the Navy Pier provides the ultimate diving experience.
Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
This dive is one of if not the best for getting close and personal with rays. With no teeth these plankton eating rays are harmless to divers. Divers are given underwater flashlights and told to point upward, attracting hordes of plankton, attracting rays.
Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Richelieu Rock is rated one of the top sites for diving with whale sharks. Richelieu Rock also boasts great diversity. The limestone rocks are covered with anemones, sea fans, sponges and soft corals. From moray eels, manta rays, nurse sharks, and barracuda there is no shortage of things to see.
Elphinstone Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
At it’s shallowest point it is only 1m deep, but drops off steeply. Because of a strong current this dive offers varied sea life. Divers often see sharks, the northern plateau is home to schooling hammerheads. Divers have also reported sightings of Oceanic White Tip sharks.
Big Brother, Egyptian Red Sea
Big Brother is the bigger of the two islands in the central of the Red Sea. The coral and fish life is quite impressive. The fish life ranges from the tiniest fish to the greatest sharks in the deeper portions. Big Brother also boasts a wreck on its north side. Covered with soft coral looks like some bizarre topiary.
Posted in Scuba Diving October 16, 2009
When I first stumbled upon the title I was honestly a little bit confused ” Armchair Explorers Venture to Depths of Oceans” how so I wondered. Intrigued, I clicked and read on to find out that Google Earth 5.0 now allows users to see the oceans. Among it’s many cool capabilities you can easily find shipwrecks, track sea life such as sharks, or just skim the ocean floor. Google Earth also allows you to check wind speeds and temperature of the air and water all around the world. You can also check out how much humans are affecting certain areas. After checking it out for myself Google Earth is honestly pretty awesome and for free I would recommend it to anyone.
For more information about these new Google Earth capabilities check out the Travel Advocate.
Posted in Ocean October 15, 2009
Sharks are a very controversial topic. Many people either fear them with little to no reason while others have no fear of them what-so-ever. The true feeling of sharks should be a happy medium, knowing that they are strong creatures that can be unpredictable. In 2008 the ISAF investigated 118 alleged human/shark incidents. Out of these 118, 59 were unprovoked attacks. This means that half of the attacks were provoked. Provoked attacks are anything from a diver trying to touch a shark to attacks on spear fishers. People need to realize that sharks are not predictable, tame animals, they are wild animals.
Sharks have a horrible reputation for being aggressive, mean animals, but in all honesty sharks are mostly shy. There are specific types of sharks that are specifically known for being aggressive such as great whites, bull sharks, tiger sharks, oceanic white tips, and mako sharks. Others, like the hammerhead are feared simply because of their size. Most sharks don’t like to be approached and will shy away from confrontation. Shark attacks have been gradually reducing each year, last year there were 71 unprovoked attacks. The gradual decrease could be due to the reduction of shark population. Two major reasons the shark population has declined are international fishing of their fins and by catch, when sharks are caught on accident. Fining is the illegal and cruel act of catching sharks strictly for their fins.
Bull Shark
From 1970-2005 shark populations have gone down drastically, in some species up to a 90% decline. The decline in shark population could cause major disruption in the oceanic ecosystem. When a major top predator disappears it allows other predators beneath it to become over-run and overeat their own prey, causing the whole ecosystem to be in chaos. Sharks are in danger of going extinct, but will anyone be there to help them? People aren’t willing to step up and help because they believe sharks are dangerous man-eaters. Without the help of many, sharks are going to disappear and they won’t be coming back.
Posted in sharks Tagged: population decline, shark attacks, sharks October 9, 2009
Hey I’m Kate and I am a sophomore in high school. This is my first post and I’m not so sure how to go about doing this. My blog is about something I’m really fascinated with, scuba diving and marine life. I started scuba diving when I was twelve on a cruise in the Caribbean. My brother had started diving a couple years earlier and I was eager to follow in his foot steps. Moving from New Jersey to Florida, to the ocean as my mother says spurred my interest in the sea. Ever since a young age I’ve done everything I can having to do with water; visiting the beach frequently, snorkeling on vacations, and now, currently working at Mote Marine, a local aquarium. Diving and marine life is a real passion for me and I would someday like to go into the field of marine biology. I hope to educate others on the topics of marine life, marine pollution, scuba diving and any other interesting thing pertaining to the sea I find. I hope others enjoy my blog and follow it with frequent comments and questions.
![scuba1[1]](http://kated10oda.edublogs.org/files/2009/09/scuba11-250x300.jpg "scuba1[1]")
Posted in Uncategorized September 29, 2009
