resort diving

This is the forty fifth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is Pulau Weh, Indonesia.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Scuba Diving Pulau Weh Indonesia

Background – Pulau Weh (Weh Island) is situated in the Andaman Sea about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the northwestern tip of the big Indonesian island of Sumatra.  This warm tropical island of white sand beaches and rain forest is volcanic in origin with a population of around 25,000.  The largest town is the fairly nondescript Sabang and the economy is driven by agriculture (cloves, coconuts), low level fisheries and increasingly eco-tourism.  The mangroves and shallow reefs sustained substantial damage from earthquakes and the tsunami in 2004 and previous fishing practices, but today under a wildlife protection program on a major portion of the land and the surrounding sea there has been significant recovery and a widespread attitude of conservation is in place.  A fairly relaxed version of Sharia law is in effect and there are small numbers of Christians and Buddhists.

Underwater World – While not as spectacular as some of the more famous Indonesian diving areas like Raja Ampat, Pulau Weh has a very rich and beautiful coral reef with good diversity of fish life.  It is off the beaten path permitting a perhaps more relaxing and laid back environment of uncrowded diving.  The over 20 dive sites offer a volcanically flavored terrain of walls, coral, boulders and black sandy areas.  There are several wrecks, a famous canyon and an underwater volcano with hot water flowing out into the surrounding sea.  The seascape features huge sea fans, table coral and barrel sponges with a variety of anemones, urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers and macro photography targets like anemone crabs, cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, slipper lobsters, nudibranchs, octopus, cuttlefish, moray and ribbon eels, frogfish, stonefish, pipefish and sea horses.  Reef fish include boxfish, butterfly fish, sweetlips, waspfish, batfish, blue spotted stingrays, coral bream, fusiliers, pufferfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, goat fish, snappers, groupers, schools of barracuda and jacks, Moorish idols, bannerfish, peacock flounders, spadefish, bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, whitetip, blacktip and grey reef sharks, leopard and whale sharks, eagle and manta rays, dolphins and infrequently, orcas.  Megamouth shark corpses have washed up, so there is some hope of seeing one if you are extremely lucky.

Seasons and Conditions – It’s warm with great diving year round in Pulau Weh.  Water temperatures follow suit and stay in a tight range of 29-30°C (84-86°F). It rains a fair bit every month with less likelihood of heavy showers from October to April and decreased winds during that period.  Visibility extends in some circumstances to 40 meters (130 feet).  Some sites are calm and suitable for absolute beginners and others can have pretty stiff current for adrenaline-rush drift diving.  The diving operations are spread to the major beach areas and offer the range of equipment rental, services, guiding and coursework.

Sampling of the Best Pulau Weh Indonesia Dive Sites

The Canyon: two canyons separating two rocky outcrops from 10-30 meters (35-100 feet), nearby a gorgonian covered wall extends to 60 meters (200 feet), cave at 29 meters (97 feet), huge schools of small reef fish, big schools of barracuda, Napoleon wrasses, at 40-45 meters ( 130-145 feet)  potential for sharks, eagle and manta rays, experienced level

Sophie Rickmers Wreck: 55 meters (185 feet) maximum depth, 134 meter (435 foot) ship scuttled by her crew in 1940 in a sheltered bay, wheelhouse at 37 meters (125 feet), decks at 45 meters (145 feet), groupers, moray eels, black-spot angelfish, advanced and technical level

Batee Meuduroe: 35 meters (115 feet) average depth, rich corals, sloping reef, lots of schooling fish, pelagics and sharks, experienced level

West Seulako: two large overhangs at 12-15 meters (40-50 feet), fairly deep penetration possible, outside a gentle slope of volcanic rocks and coral heads, soft corals, gorgonians, frogfish, cuttlefish, ribbon eels, crabs, shrimp, octopus, batfish, black snappers, sweetlips, blacktip reef sharks, trevallies, beginner to experienced level

Rubiah Sea Garden: 30 meters (100 feet) maximum depth, rocky slope from 10 meters (35 feet) with large hard corals, soft corals and a big variety of reef fish, sandy bottom at 30 meters (100 feet), several species of moray eel, garden eels, hawksbill turtles, flatworms, nudibranchs, bubble anemones, good dive to do shallow, good night dive, all levels

Underwater Hot Springs: 5-15 meters (15-50 feet), hot water bubbles creating cracks and vents mostly around 6 meters (18 feet), sulphuric aroma, hot fresh water is mixed with sea water, not a lot of life, but an interesting phenomenon to swim around in, can combine the dive with nearby coral sites or the Tugboat Wreck (Sabang Wreck), beginner level

Tugboat Wreck (Sabang Wreck): 14 meters (46 feet) average depth, rich encrusting corals and macro life, attractive reef nearby, beginner level

Batee Tokong: 25 meters (83 feet) maximum depth, rocks breaking the surface, sloping wall with lots of sea fans, descending to a plateau, wall from 12-18 meters (40-60 feet), Napoleon wrasses, groupers, white and blacktip reef sharks, schooling trevally and barracuda, rays, several species of moray eel, rich macro life in the nooks and crannies, strong currents possible, experienced level

Pante Peunateung (Rice Field Terrace): drop off from 30 meters (100 feet) extending to 70 meters (235 feet), huge sea fans, big schools of pelagics including tuna and mackerel, eagle and manta rays, barracuda, jacks, blacktip, whitetip and grey reef sharks, possible orcas, shallow area from 20 meters (68 feet) in look for Napoleon wrasses, several species of moray eel, octopus, lobster and other macro critters, significant current downward is possible, advanced level

Pulau Weh Photos

With the interesting underwater terrain, wrecks, giant sea fans, coral, macro life, rays, sharks, turtles, colorful reef fish, and fascinating scenic landscapes , there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Pulau Weh Hotels, Resorts, Transportation and Dive Shops

Pulau Weh is accessible by air and by sea.  There are 3 flights weekly from Medan to Sabang on Pulau Weh.  Fast ferries taking one hour and regular ones taking two and a half hours travel back and forth from Banda Aceh twice daily.  There are regularly scheduled direct flights to Banda Aceh from Medan, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.  From Singapore it requires an intermediate stop.

On Pulau Weh there is shared transport in cars and minibuses with fixed prices per vehicle, per journey.  Motorbikes and becaks are available for a bargained price.  It is also possible to rent motorbikes and bicycles.

There are at least 7 dive shops operating on Pulau Weh on Gapang, Iboih and Lhong Angen Beaches providing a full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding and boat dive cruises.  Several of them are associated with resorts.  Resort pricing is very reasonable starting at $9 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.  Accommodation at this link includes Banda Aceh hotels, as well.

• Pulau Weh Hotels

Pulau Weh Things to Do (aside from scuba diving)

In the Muslim tradition, there is no partying that includes alcohol.  Some stores sell it for consumption back in your room, however.  There are restaurants with local specialties and some western oriented ones.  Mountain biking and bicycle tours are a popular option.  Snorkeling and island hopping to a couple of the small islands nearby can be arranged with a local fishing boat skipper or through your dive shop.  You won’t want to miss Waterfall Air Terjun Pria Laot or the sunset at Kilometer Nol.  Actually, though, relaxing on the beach is the number two activity after scuba diving.  Across the water at Banda Aceh options are more plentiful with nature tours and Sumatran culture and lifestyle the attractions.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

I hope you found this post on Pulau Weh scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

This is the forty fourth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is Milford Sound, New Zealand.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Scuba Diving Milford Sound

Background – Milford Sound is situated in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island running 15 kilometers (9.375 miles) inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point.  The most famous tourist destination in New Zealand, it is in Fiordland National Park and Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve and has also been designated a World Heritage Site.  Like all fiords it was formed through glaciation and has sheer rock faces on both sides rising to 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) with two permanent major waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls.  It is the wettest place in the country and on occasion gets 250 mm (10 inches) of rain in a 24 hour period, with 6,412 mm (252 inches) annually.  550,000 to 1 million visitors come each year for water sports and exploration of the natural scene which includes seals, sea lions, bottlenose dolphins in the south end of their range, humpback and southern right whales, and Fiordland penguins which nest on the shoreline.

Underwater Scene – With so much rainfall there is a tremendous amount of runoff with tea-colored tannin from the vegetation and soil that leaves a cloudy cold layer of fresh water on the surface of the Sound which ranges from 2-6 meters (6-20 feet) thick.  This blocks out the sun to the extent that algal growth is restricted and allows deep water or light avoiding species to flourish in much shallower depths.  Black coral, often seen at depths greater than 100 meters (350 feet) thrives in as shallow as 10 meters (35 feet) in Milford Sound.  Red coral (actually a hydrocoral), another deep water species, can be seen in only 15 meters (50 feet) of depth.  Other deep water species on display in shallower water are sandpaper fish and spiny sea dragons.

Approximately 160 species of fish live in Milford Sound to take advantage of this unique environment.  Macro photographers can delight in a huge range of colorful targets including saucer sponges, tube anemones, octopus, crayfish, tubeworms,  tunicates, sea stars, crinoids, brittle stars, nudibranchs and sea pens, to name but a few.  Other fascinating creatures include electric rays, spiny dogfish, wrasses, jock stewarts, blue cod, tarakihi, splendid perch, blue-dot triplefins, copper mokis, stingrays, seven gilled sharks, and the aforementioned seals, sea lions, cetaceans and penguins.  There is also a lot of a smaller variety of kelp.  The northern portion of the fiord covering 690 acres, as demonstrated on the map below, comprises the Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve.

The steep walls along the edge of the fiord continue below the surface reaching depths to 200 meters (650 feet).  Most dives are in the 10-20 meter (35-65 foot) range and do not need to extend below 40 meters (130 feet).  The dive shops usually dive at around 12 different sites.

Seasons and Conditions – The diving season in Milford Sound is from October through May.  Air temperatures vary slightly during that season from 10-15°C (50-60°F).  Water temperatures typically are 8°C (45°F) on the cooler fresh water surface band and 12-14°C (54-57°F) at depth.  This is cold enough for a 7 mm wetsuit or a drysuit and hood and gloves.  About one half of all days have some rain.  Visibility at depth ranges from 8-30 meters (25-100 feet), but is usually from 10-12 meters (35-40 feet).   There are dive sites suitable for all levels. Descend Dive Milford Sound is the top dive shop and offers training from Open Water Diver through Divemaster and a number of specialties.  This would be an excellent location to do a drysuit specialty.  Most people do not stay at Milford Sound and will be required to climb to 945 meters (3,100 feet) on Milford highway heading back to their hotels in Te Anau or Queenstown.  Please keep that in mind in planning a surface interval before ascent.

For descriptions and reviews of the full range of gear suitable for cold water, please click here:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

Milford Sound Photos

With the interesting underwater terrain, kelp, black coral, macro life, rays, sharks, colorful reef fish, sea lions, penguins and cetaceans, and fascinating scenic landscapes of mountains and waterfalls, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Milford Sound Hotels, Resorts, Transportation and Dive Shops

Domestic airlines have regular service to Queenstown.  From there the scenic drive to Te Anau takes 2 hours and all the way to Milford is 4 hours. Car rental is common and there are also Intercity and private bus services.  A domestic flight to Te Anau takes 40 minutes.

The most professional dive shop providing services at Milford Sound is Descend Dive Milford Sound.  They offer the full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding and boat dive cruises.  Booking in advance through their website is advised.

Accommodation is extremely limited once you reach Milford Sound.  However hundreds of resorts, hotels, and hostels are available in Queenstown and Te Anau from $16 to $1,944 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Milford Sound Accommodation

Milford Sound Things to Do (aside from scuba diving)

The scenic drive from Queenstown through Te Anau to Milford is an attraction in itself.  After arrival it is all about site seeing and the different ways to accomplish it.  Kayaking and hiking are popular.  There is an underwater observatory. Helicopter tours and a variety of Milford Sound boat tours are available to take in the steep walls, mountain peaks, waterfalls and interesting animal life like seals, whales, dolphins, penguins and kea parrots.  Take a look at the video below for an audio-visual taste of the options.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

I hope you found this post on Milford Sound scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

This is the forty third in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is San Diego, California, USA.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

San Diego Scuba Diving

Background – Situated just across the border from Mexico on the Pacific coastline, San Diego is known for its mild Mediterranean-like temperatures and arid climate.  This cosmopolitan city has a population of around 1.4 million citizens with 16% of Asian origin and more than 30% Hispanic and growing.  English is the national language, but with the large population of Spanish speaking citizens and non-citizens, Spanish is widely spoken.  It has an interesting historical and cultural background and varied terrain of hills, mountains and canyons with many areas left in a fairly wild state.  The thriving economy is based around defense, with military bases nearby, tourism, international trade and research/manufacturing.

Undersea World – With its mild climate and year round warm temperatures San Diego is very inviting not only for its vast array of onshore delights, but also for the fascinating offshore opportunities for divers of all levels.  Water temperatures are not extremely cold and there is a great variety of undersea terrain and diving environments from shallow protected coves, to canyons and deep shipwrecks.

San Diego-La Jolla has a 10 mile (16 km) long and 3 mile (4.8 km) wide underwater park extending to depths of 900 feet (270 meters).  La Jolla Cove  has no fishing or boating and has benefit of two major reef building drives in 1975 and 1979 when they dropped loads of quarry rocks in 70 feet (21 meters) of water creating great habitat for wildlife and divers to enjoy.  Just out from La Jolla Cove is an eco-reserve where fishing and boating are not permitted.  Other attractions are the Scripp’s and La Jolla Canyons and the giant kelp off Point Loma.  Boat diving will take you to sites further off the La Jolla coast and down to the Coronado Islands for more diverse and intriguing environments and creatures.

This region has a great range of life that characterizes it from macro critters to colorful and unusual fish and invertebrates to larger fare including rays, sharks and mammals.  The seascape includes a variety of plants and giant kelp, with sponges, gorgonians, and encrusting corals providing cover for macro life including crabs, spiny lobster, colorful starfish, salp chains, abalone, shrimps, urchins, gobies, scorpion fish, moray eels and Garibaldi fish.  Other wildlife highlights are halibut, skates, sand bass, sheepheads, barracuda, market squid schools, several species of stingray, flounder, sharks like soupfin, seven gill, horn, leopard, angel, guitar and blue (on occasion), with playful sea lions and harbor seals at many sights.

San Diego is where a lot of the technology of scuba diving was developed and today it offers state of the art education, equipment and dive services in the form of the many dive shops available.  There are sites suitable for absolute newbies and advanced technical divers to train out of the San Diego/La Jolla diving hub.

Seasons and Conditions – Diving is possible year round with air temperature highs averaging 75°F in summer and 65°F in winter.  Water temperatures have a range of 59-72°F (15-22°C) on the surface and 50-56°F (10-13°C)  at depth. A 7mm wetsuit or a drysuit with hood and gloves is recommended for most of the year.  Surface chop is greater during the winter months with the best visibility from July to January.  There is diving suitable for all levels.

For descriptions and reviews of the full range of gear suitable for cold water, please click here:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

A Selection of the Best San Diego Scuba Diving Sites

La Jolla Shores: to 130 feet (40 meters) shore entry, canyon begins at 45 feet (13 meters), hard corals, sea grass and kelp, many holes in the clay walls, lots of invertebrates, nudibranchs, pipefish, blennies, octopus, crabs,  jellyfish, salp chains, market squid, and bait balls, bat rays, angel, leopard and horn sharks in sandy flats on the canyon edge, all levels

La Jolla Cove: shore entry, rocky reefs starting at 10-20 feet (3-6 meters), part of the La Jolla Park Ecological Reserve, nutrient rich water supporting kelp forests, kelp bass, sheepsheads, senoritas, sargo, opal eyes, Garibaldi fish, several species of schooling fish, various crabs, lobster, bat rays, seven gill and horn sharks, and harbor seals, all levels

Marine Room and Canyon: shore entry between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores, canyon starts at 25 feet (8 meters), with walls to 100 feet (30 meters), sand dollars in the sandy shallows, calico bass, Garibaldi fish, senoritas, blacksmiths, schools of bat rays, giant black sea bass, all levels

Wreck Alley – Several wrecks, all scuttled to create artificial reefs, and a fallen tower which have resulted in a rich habitat including white and strawberry anemones, moray eels, baitfish, lingcod, blacksmiths and macro critters, requires boat to access

• Yukon: to 100 feet (30 meters), can reach at 75 feet (23 meters), 366 foot (112 meter) Canadian destroyer lying on port side, entry/exit holes cut for safe access, gun turrets intact, surge and current possible, experienced level
• Ruby E: 85 feet (25 meters) maximum depth, can be reached at 60 feet (18 meters), 165 foot (49 meter) Coast Guard Cutter sunk in 1989, sitting upright, open bridge and wheelhouse, deep penetration more hazardous inside the deteriorating structure, lots of encrusting and invertebrate growth, strawberry anemones, nudibranchs, greenlings, blacksmiths, gobies, surf perch, scorpionfish, beginner to experienced level
• El Rey: 75 feet (22 meters) maximum depth, Kelco kelp cutter, smaller boat, sunk in 1987, degraded, lots of invertebrate life, all levels
• NOSC Tower (Naval Ocean Systems Tower): 35-65 feet (10-19 meters), built in 1959, knocked down by El Nino storm in 1988, originally 40 x 40 feet (12 x 12 meters), 100 feet (30 meters) tall, all levels

Point Loma: to 100 feet (30 meters), boat access, big boulders, walls, overhangs, kelp forests, along 6 miles (9.6 km) of coastline, can be divided into many dive sites, full exposure to ocean currents and colder water bring many nutrients, wide range of life, colorful gorgonians, sponges and  tunicates, treefish, bass, kelpfish, Garibaldi fish, nudibranchs, lobster, moray eels, all levels

Coronado Islands: day trip boat diving, 15 miles (24 km) from San Diego, 6 miles (9.5 km) from the Mexican shoreline, 3 areas – North Island, Middle Group and the South Island, most sites have open ocean currents, purple hydrocorals, kelp forests, rocky reefs, caverns, a new shipwreck, lobsters, huge moray eels, giant sea bass, rockfish, horned sharks, sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals, due to currents, experienced level

San Diego Photos

With the interesting underwater terrain, giant kelp, macro life, wrecks, rays, variety of sharks, colorful reef fish, sea lions and harbor seals, and fascinating city life, scenic landscapes and historical onshore targets, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

San Diego Hotels, Resorts, Transportation and Dive Shops

San Diego International Airport handles international and domestic flights from every direction.  A wide range of land transportation available includes car rental, taxis, town cars, limos, shuttles, trolleys, buses, waterfront shuttles, pedicabs and trains for trips to other California cities and regions.

There are at least 30 full service dive shops in San Diego, the bulk in La Jolla or nearby. They offer the full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding, day trips and cruises year round.

Hundreds of resorts, hotels, and hostels are available in San Diego from $25 to $767 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• San Diego Hotels Resorts

San Diego Things to Do (aside from scuba diving)

The San Diego area is exceptionally rich in fun activities to check out.  Here is a short list of attractions, places to go and things to do:  beaches, seaside activities, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town, various historic sites reflecting the Spanish and Mexican influence, Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego State Historic Park, site seeing tours and cruises, sport fishing, whale watching, aquariums, Sea World, USS Midway tours, rock climbing, hill climbing and trekking, pro sports events, shopping, night life and beer tasting.  This is actually a pretty pitiful list when compared with the huge range of possibilities.  Take a look at the video below for an audio-visual taste of the options.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

I hope you found this post on San Diego scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

This is the forty second in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is the Canary Islands.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards / Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Costa Rica Scuba Diving

Background – Bordered on the north by Nicaragua, the south by Panama, the east by the Caribbean and the west by the Pacific is the Presidential Constitutional Republic of Costa Rica.  The population of around 5 million is renowned for having a universally high educational level with most speaking English in addition to Spanish, the national language.  Having a relatively small area of 51,000 square kilometers (19,700 square miles) there is extreme biodiversity with the greatest density of species of any region in the world.  There are numerous rivers, forests, tall mountains and 14 volcanoes, some of which have been active in the last 75 years, not to mention occasional earthquakes.   When the Spaniards started arriving in the 16^th century the population of indigenous people was very sparse.  Today Amerindians make up less than 3%.  About 84% are people of European or mixed European and Amerindian heritage.  About 1% can claim Afro-Caribbean heritage.  Since declaring independence from the Mexican Empire in 1847, Costa Rica, unlike the other countries in the region, has had a stable, prosperous and progressive society.  After their civil war was settled in 1949 they became a democracy and have been so ever since. Coffee was a very important part of the economy for much of their history, but today the drivers are finance, corporate services, pharmaceuticals and eco-tourism.  There is also a Free Trade Zone which encourages foreign investment through tax incentives.

Undersea World – Costa Rica is one of the few places where you only need to travel a short distance to have access to the Pacific and Caribbean.  For diving purposes the country can be divided into 5 areas:

• Guanacaste (North Pacific Coast)
• Central Pacific Coast
• Drake Bay (South Pacific Coast)
• Cocos Island
• Caribbean

Guanacaste (North Pacific Coast)

• Bat Island: off the coast of Santa Rosa National Park, a marine preserve, highlights include bull sharks up to 6 at a time, and hammerhead sharks
• Gulf of Papagayo: more than 20 sites, 10 to 20 minutes from shore, many pinnacles, schools of eagle and cow-nosed rays, whitetip reef sharks, horse-eye jacks, grunts, snappers, pufferfish
• Catalina Islands: 20 small islands, stingrays, giant manta, devil, mobula and bat rays, turtles and morays

Central Pacific Coast

• Tortuga Islands: usually reached on day trips, several shipwrecks, lots of inhabitants like parrotfish, moray eels, angelfish, scorpion fish, stingrays
• Herradura: dives within 10 minutes of shore, highlight is giant mantas coming to this cleaning station
• Manuel Antonio: caves and caverns, rocky volcanic terrain, angelfish, eels, lobsters, octopus, puffers, seahorses, sharks, turtles

Drake Bay (South Pacific Coast)

• Osa Peninsula and Caño Island Biological Reserve: protected area, great biodiversity, healthy coral reef, archways, rocky outcrops, swim-throughs, , excellent visibility, big schools of grunts, snapper, barracuda, angelfish, sergeant majors, whitetip reef sharks and rays, dolphins, pilot and humpback whales, nearby pinnacle (Devil’s Rock) attracts giant mantas and mobula rays

Cocos Island

• Cocos Island: liveaboard takes 36 hours to get there, world class, sometimes called “Little Galapagos”, tremendous biodiversity and 27 endemic fish species, volcanic pinnacles, ocean currents and upwelling brings lots of nutrients and pelagics, including tiger, bull, hammerhead and whale sharks, manta rays, resident whitetip reef sharks, strong current, for advanced level divers

Caribbean

• Caribbean: less developed as a diving destination, shallow coral reef running to Panama, soft corals, schools of small fish, dolphins, turtles, more volatile weather conditions than on the Pacific side

To check out Costa Rica liveaboard diving opportunities, please click here:

• Costa Rica Liveaboards

For my review on Cocos Island Liveaboards, please click here:

• Best Belize Dive Trips & Cocos Island Diving

Seasons and Conditions – It is warm year round with the coolest time in February and March with average highs then of 25ºC (77ºF).  Water temperature is variable getting as low as 21°C (70°F) at depth from December through March and ranging from 24-29ºC (75-84ºF) the rest of the year.  For most divers 3 mm of neoprene will be enough protection.  Perhaps some will want 5 mm at the coolest temperatures which is the best period for whales and manta rays.  The rainy season is a long one running from June to November.  It is warmer at that time and the rain does not interfere too much with diving.  Visibility can go from 6-30 meters (20-100 feet), based on the season.  During the plankton blooms in the winter months the water is less clear.  Currents can be strong around Cocos and some of the other islands on occasion.  Inexperienced divers should not try diving at Cocos.  Most of the other sites close to shore that are not too deep and don’t require significant penetration are suitable for all levels.

Costa Rica Photos

With the interesting underwater terrain, macro life, wrecks, huge rays, sharks, schools of colorful reef fish and big pelagics, dolphins and whales, and beautiful forests, landscapes and historical onshore targets, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Costa Rica Hotels, Resorts, Transportation and Dive Shops

There are 4 international airports, 18 “major” domestic airports and 47 airports total with paved runways.  Doesn’t that seem like a lot for such a small country?  The road and transport system is extensive, though in some disrepair, with many options including public buses, ferries, vans, shuttles, rental cars, motorikes and scooters, taxis, uber and horseback.

There are a number of full service dive shops close to all the major sites (save Cocos).  A number of the hotels will have them, as well.  The full range of services are available including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding and cruises year round.

There are hundreds of resorts, hotels, guest houses and condos available in Costa Rica from $1(today) to $800 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Costa Rica Resorts

Costa Rica Things to Do (aside from scuba diving)

Costa Rica is well known as a premier eco-tour destination and vacation paradise with a stable government.  The seaside is a great attraction, but the rain forests, mountains, volcanos, rivers, lakes and extreme biodiversity is probably even more famous.  On top of that is the rich cultural history on display.  Here is a list of activities and sites:  national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, jungles, mangroves, rare animals, birding, waterfalls, hot springs, volcanoes, rafting, canyoning, kayaking, surfing, paddle boarding, fishing, birding, hiking, golf, yoga, mountain biking, horseback riding, spelunking, city life, shopping, historic buildings and sites, coffee tours, restaurants, food, music and nightlife, tours of all kinds, museums, galleries. It’s a very rich cultural and natural scene with countless activities.  Please check out the video below for a glimpse.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

I hope you found this post on Costa Rica scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

This is the forty second in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is the Canary Islands.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards / Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Canary Islands Scuba Diving

Background – Set only 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Morocco, an Autonomous Community of Spain, the Canary Islands consist of 7 main islands and a number of smaller ones and islets.  They are of volcanic origin with a semi-arid climate and varied landscapes of mountains and primary forests in some locations and sparse, barren and desert like terrain in others.  The total area is 7,493 square kilometers (2,893 square miles) and has a length of 550 kilometers (344 miles).  During the time of European colonization starting in the 14^th century they served as a stopover for galleons in transit.  Today there is a thriving economy based on tourism, construction and cultivation of tobacco, bananas, and a number of other fruits and vegetables.  Tourism makes up 32% of GDP with 16,000,000 visitors annually.  People come for the pleasant warm climate, intriguing landscapes, natural environment, seaside atmosphere and bustling, modern city life, if desired, or quaint peaceful villages, if that suits the fancy.  The population of 2.2 million includes 82.5% that are Spanish born and the rest made up of people originally from Morocco, Italy, Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.  Spanish is the language spoken by all with English also widely in use.

Undersea World – With its geographical position the Canaries are the recipient of trade winds, cold oceanic currents, Canary current and the warm Gulf Stream which provide a mild climate and lots of nutrients coming from more tropical areas.  While there is not much coral growth, there are some spots with anemones, soft coral and black coral.  Notwithstanding, there is very rich sea life with 550 fish species and 1,000 invertebrates.  They have a varied seascape to live on created by volcanic activity that has caves, ledges, lava flows and boulders that have provided a lot of places for macro life and fish to thrive around, among them parrotfish, boxfish, drummers, moray eels, garden eels, crabs, sea urchins, nudibranchs, octopus, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, trumpetfish, damselfish, pufferfish, glass-eyes, goatfish, triggerfish,  and seahorses.  What is most attractive to divers is the multitude of large animals inhabiting the waters around the Canaries.  These include groupers, jacks, marlin, tuna, mobulas, common and marbled stingrays, eagle and manta rays, blacktip, whitetip, nurse, guitar, angel, hammerhead, mako, bull, silky and whale sharks, 400 resident pilot whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, false killer whales, orcas, dolphins, and 5 species of turtle (green, hawksbill, leatherback Kemps Ridley, and loggerhead).  The fauna and seascapes vary from island to island.  Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura have 50 shipwrecks in the vicinity.  El Hiero and Lanzarote have a more dense and diverse array of life.  The dive sites of Tenerife are sheltered from the winds by the El Teide volcano and have Atlantic fauna.  The mammals and pelagics are there year round with the mantas most prevalent in September.  There are also 3 MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) in the Canaries where no fishing, mining or boating is allowed.  These are El Cabron off Gran Canaria, Mar de las Calmas off El Hierro, and La Graciosa off Lanzarote.

To check out liveaboard diving opportunities, click here: liveaboard diving.

Here are reviews of the other Macronesia scuba diving areas:

• Best Vacations Scuba Diving Azores
• Best Scuba Diving Cape Verde Islands
• Best Madeira Islands Portugal Vacations Scuba Diving

Seasons and Conditions – Air temperatures are mild with average highs in January of 16°C (60°F) and 23°C (74°F) in August.  Correspondingly water temperatures in January are 19°C (66°F) and 23°C (74°F) in August.  This is cool enough to consider wearing a 5-7 mm wetsuit or drysuit with a hood and gloves.  It is a pretty dry climate with more rain from October to April when up to 9 days a month have rain of no more than 43.2 mm (1.7 inches) total per month.  Visibility is typically 30 meters (100 feet) or more.  Currents are generally mild.  There are at last count 118 dive shops on the Canaries providing a full range of services, equipment rental, dive courses and guiding.

For my review of the categories of equipment suitable for colder conditions, please check out this post:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

A Sampling of the Best Scuba Diving Sites of the Canary Islands

Los Chuchos, Tenerife: aka Stingray Village, 20 meters (68 feet), cliffs, tunnels, caverns and caves, eagle rays, common and round stingrays, and angel sharks gather to this feeding area, barracuda, jacks and tuna, garden eels and flounders in sandy areas, all levels

Arona, Gran Canaria: 36 meters (120 feet) maximum depth, can be reached at 24 meters (80 feet), 100 meter (328 foot) merchant ship sunk after a fire in the engine room in 1972, lying on its side, well established habitat for rich fauna today, schools of barracuda and pelagics, advanced level

La Catedral, Gran Canaria: 33 meters (110 feet) maximum depth,  volcanic formations with lava tubes, arches, crevices and a big cave, shore entry from Playa Chica, soft corals, sponges, tube worms, anemones, groupers, angel sharks, barracuda, moray eels, garden eels, visibility to 20 meters (68 feet), advanced level

Museo Atlantico, Lanzarote: 15 meters (50 feet), 35 sculptures by Jason de Caires Taylor (diving instructor/conservationist/photographer), placed on the seabed accumulating encrustations, creating a surreal seascape, all levels

El Cabrón, Gran Canaria: Marine Protected Area (MPA) with more than 10 dive sites, shore entry possible, rocky shelf at 9 meters (30 feet) and a platform at 23 meters (75 feet) with a sandy bottom, rich biodiversity, great macro life, angel sharks, sting rays, many fish varieties, all levels

El Bajon del Rio, Fuerteventura: 18 meters (60 feet) maximum depth, volcanic mushroom shaped formations, rich marine life, zebra and black bream, barracudas, jacks, angel sharks, ornate wrasses, triggerfish, glass-eyes, parrotfish, scorpionfish, stingrays, all levels

El Bajon, El Hierro: 9 meters (29 feet) to the top of a pinnacle which heads down to great depths from there, big schools of tuna and jacks, parrotfish, trumpetfish, manta rays, turtles, strong current possible, advanced level

La Restinga, El Hierro: site in the Marine Protected Area (MPA), active volcano there (last eruption 2011), turtles, tuna and dolphins are common, whale sharks possible, all levels

La Carrera, Fuerteventura: 16 meters (52 feet), crevices, caves, gully in rocky formations with sandy sections, eagle rays, angel sharks, lobster, groupers, jacks and moray eels, all levels

Blue Hole (Agujero Azul), Lanzarote: 33 meters (108 feet), from 22-28 meters (72-91 feet) is a swim through into “the blue,” hole created by an unusual bubble in a lava formation, bubbles also emerge from the sandy bottom, experienced level

Bajada del Realejo, Tenerife: 40 meters (130 feet), moray eels, pelagics, hammerheads, advanced level

Canary Islands Photos

With the macro life, wrecks, rays, sharks, schools of colorful reef fish and big pelagics, dolphins, whales, extremely clear water, diverse underwater terrain, and beautiful and historical onshore targets, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Canary Islands Resorts, Transportation and Dive Shops

There eight airports on the 7 main islands with 4 of them handling international flights. For between island travel there are flights, and fast and slow ferries.  The islands all have taxi and bus service.  The buses have varying levels of frequency and routes depending on where you are located.  Cars, motorcycles and scooters are available to rent.

All the islands have full service dive shops.  A number of the hotels will have them, as well.  I have read that there are 118 shops available providing full services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding and cruises year round.

There are hundreds of resorts, hotels, guest houses and condos available on the Canaries from $13 to $1,366 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange booking.  To navigate to different locations within the Canaries on the website, enter one of the city names from the map above or the one on the accommodation website into the search box at the top left of their page.

• Canary Islands Hotels

Canary Islands Things to Do (aside from scuba diving)

The Canary Islands have a unique history and culture and fantastic volcanic terrain with a varying natural environment from island to island.  There are many fascinating things to do when you are not diving. Here are some possibilities of things to see and do: black and yellow sand beaches, water sports, volcanoes, caves, forests, landscapes, nature tours, water parks, aquariums, historic buildings and churches, museums and galleries of all kinds, local restaurants and cuisine, gardens, shopping, city and village tours, music and nightlife. It is a very rich cultural scene with countless activities.  Please check out the video below for a glimpse.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

I hope you found this post on Canary Islands scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<