Shallow coral heads are on both sides of the M’il Channel opening as we slow down to locate our mooring ball. The incoming tide brings clean, blue water into the lagoon, creating opportunities for encounters with one of Yap’s main attractions just a few feet below the surface.
Most fans of big animal action are familiar with the legendary Galápagos, Cocos, and Socorro dive destinations. All are remote and remarkable. Far fewer people know of — let alone have dived — another open-ocean oasis in the eastern tropical Pacific region: Isla Malpelo.
Dive photojournalists often go to the same places but rarely at the same time. In 2006, however, Alex Mustard participated in an imaging event called Digital Madness, and I was there to cover it for a magazine. That was our only time diving together on Grand Cayman.
It is difficult to step out from the shadow cast by a famous family member long in the spotlight and to stake one’s own claim and create a different identity. I was reminded of this while reflecting on my relationship with diving in South Africa.
When you get off the boat on Sabang Beach, near Puerto Galera on Mindoro Island in the Philippines, a sign that reads “Welcome to Sabang, Your Gateway to the Center of the Center of Marine Biodiversity” greets you. That phrase defines the diving in the region, as you will not find more fish species anywhere else on Earth.
Mangroves matter. They are unique, complex habitats that guard shorelines. They connect the land to the sea, house a diverse range of animal and plant life, and reduce the impacts […]
The island country of Fiji is part of Melanesia in the heart of the South Pacific Ocean. Volcanic activity more than 150 million years ago formed this archipelagic nation of 333 islands, about 106 of which are inhabited.
It’s 5 p.m., officially boarding time, and the floodgates have opened. Eager, impatient divers synchronously emerge from their cars and begin to haul carts full of gear down the dock. We’re right there with them, jostling to get a prime spot for our tanks.
From recent travels I sensed that a lot of liveaboards are now deployed worldwide. I was curious to know the exact numbers, and an online search showed that there are 69 in the Red Sea, 64 in Raja Ampat, and even the Galápagos Islands have 10 dive liveaboards now.
About 7,641 islands in the western Pacific Ocean comprise the archipelagic state of the Philippines. The country’s waters are integral to the Coral Triangle and feature some of the world’s most incredible biodiversity and eclectic dive attractions.
