Resort Diving

Updated April 25, 2022

This is the one hundred and sixty-fifth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Goa, India. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving 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.

Have you been diving in Goa before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving Goa India

Background

Goa is a small Indian state on the southwestern coast with a population of around 1.5 million.  Colonized by the Portuguese for 450 years from the 1600s until 1961, the cultural influence is quite evident though diminishing.

The economy is driven by fast-growing tourism with greater than 5 million Indian and foreign tourists annually.  Historically the foreigners were predominated by Brits and Russians of limited means, hippies, and pilgrims visiting Hindu and Catholic shrines, but that is starting to change with demand for upscale facilities and services coming online.  Tourist activities focus mainly on watersports, and nightlife, including casinos.  Other important economic factors are mining, a limited number of SEZs focusing on middle-range manufacturing, and a declining agricultural sector.  This has all resulted in Goans having the highest per capita GDP in India.

Most can speak Konkani, Hindi, English, and Marathi, with a very small declining population able to speak Portuguese.

For detailed demographic, cultural, historical, and geographic information, check Wikipedia-Goa.

Undersea World

The diving in Goa concentrates on Grande Island and Sao Jorge Island near Vasco de Gama.  The sites are mostly shallow and calm with minimal current, good for training and all levels of diver.  There are sandy bays, coral fields, and wrecks to explore like Suzy’s Wreck off Grande Island.

The reef, unfortunately, is far from pristine but does support a variety of hard and soft corals, gorgonians, and sea whips.  It is made up for by the range of tropicals to see like flame-tail snappers, sweetlips, Malabar groupers, bannerfish, sweepers, sergeant majors, angelfish, blue-lined hinds, fusiliers, scats, and red-tailed butterflyfish.  Macro critters and invertebrates include sea cucumbers, lobsters, shrimps, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, lionfish, cuttlefish, and morays to go with turtles, stingrays, barracuda, the occasional bamboo shark or nurse shark, and humpback dolphins seen almost daily.

115 kilometers (72 miles) down the coastline from Palolem Beach in Goa is the temple town of Murudeshwar.  From there 15 kilometers (9 miles) off the coast is uninhabited Netrani Island aka Pigeon Island.  The reef is in much better condition than at Grande Island, the visibility is better in the range of 15-30 meters (50-100 feet), and there are sites worth visiting to 40 meters (130 feet) in depth.  The marine life is similar except for a number of more spectacular animals available like turtles, great barracuda, Napoleon wrasses, cobia, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, stingrays, and cobia.  Netrani has also been blessed with appearances by giant mantas, orcas, and Bryde’s and pilot whales.   The Goa dive shops make the drive to Murudeshwar and boat out from them.

Seasons and Conditions

Diving is possible from October to May around Goa due to heavy rains from June through September.

• Air temperature average daily highs range from 29-33°C (84-91°F) with April and May the hottest months.
• The water temperature annual range is 27-30°C (81-86°F).
• The rainy season is from June through September with little to no rain at all from January through March.
• Currents are usually mild with stronger currents possible on some sites
• Visibility in season runs from 3-12 meters (10-40 feet) on the sites near Goa.  Around Netrari Island it is better at 15-30 meters (50-100 feet)
• The sites around Goa range from 8-24 meters (25-80 feet) in depth and are suitable for all levels of diver.  With poor visibility, care needs to be taken with training and beginner divers.  There are around 30 dive centers diving around Goa that provide training and boat tours.  Some can organize day trips to other areas including Netrani Island where deeper dive sites are available.

Regional Liveaboard Diving

There are no liveaboard yachts diving in the Goa region.  There are a number, however, that cruise the Maldives for scuba diving.  Here is a review and links to a few of the best boats:

• Best Liveaboard Diving Maldives

Most Popular – MV Adora – Check the Price

Staff Choice – MV Emperor Leo – Check the Price

Great Value – MV Amba – Check the Price

Top-Rated – MV Carpe Vita – Check the Price

Small Group – MY Sheena – Check the Price

Photographers’ Favorite – Maldives Aggressor II

Here are reviews of a couple of relatively nearby Indian Ocean dive sites:

• Scuba Diving the Andaman Islands
• Best Sri Lanka Diving

Updated August 5, 2022

This is the one hundred and twelfth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Eilat, Israel. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving 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.

Have you been diving in Eilat before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving Eilat Israel

Background

With a population of 85,000 Eilat is the southernmost city of Israel occupying 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) of coastline on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba).  Sandwiched between Egypt and Jordan, the Negev Desert separates it from the rest of the country.  It is a 4-hour drive from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

Originally Eilat served as an important port for supplies from Asia but developed additionally as a major tourist destination in the 1970s for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Israel’s relations with its neighbors have not left Eilat unscathed with terrorist attacks on an Eilat bakery and 3 deaths in 2007 and several attacks on Highway 12 on vehicles in 2011.  As a result, in 2103 Israel built the Israel-Egypt Barrier made of steel with cameras, radar, and motion sensors at the southern border.  It has been peaceful since that time.

For more details on the culture, history, and demographics of Eilat, please go here:  Wikipedia – Eilat

Undersea World

The relatively short coastline in Eilat has a beautiful fringing reef with shallow shelves.  Almost all the sites can be reached without a boat.  After swimming for only a few minutes down the undersea slope you can descend to depths of 21 meters (70 feet) or greater.

This is a part of the Red Sea, so the reef is rich and in this case pristine with a range of hard and soft corals, gorgonians, sponges, anemones, tunicates, and other encrusting invertebrates.

More than 15 sites including several wrecks can boast a variety of macro critters like lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, frogfish, crocodile fish, nudibranchs, shrimps, crustaceans, octopus, sea snakes, and many more.  Other marine life highlights are cornetfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, pufferfish, triggerfish, moray eels, and a host of smaller reef tropicals, sometimes clouds of them, along with turtles, barracuda, blue-spotted ribbontail stingrays, eagle rays, dolphins, and whale sharks during the summer months.

It’s true that the spectacular volume of big sharks, manta rays, and cetaceans is richer out in the main body of the Red Sea, but nonetheless, there is plenty to see here conveniently located close to shore.

Seasons and Conditions

Diving is possible all year in Eilat. The high season for tourism is in July and August when it becomes quite crowded.

• Air temperature daily average highs reach 40°C (104°F) in July and August and fall to 21°C (70°F) in January.
• Water temperature hits lows in winter of 19°C (66°F) and highs in summer of 29°C (84°F).  A 7mm wetsuit or a drysuit with a hood and gloves may be needed when the water is at its coolest.
• It is dry all year but bone dry from June through September.
• Currents are generally mild but can become a little stronger at times on some sites.
• Visibility is usually excellent in the 40-meter (130-foot) range.

There are sites suitable for all levels of diver. A number of dive shops, some in hotels, offer a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.  However, most of the diving is done from shore without a boat being needed.

Liveaboard Diving

There is no liveaboard yacht directly cruising the Eilat area.  However, there are many doing dive safaris in the Red Sea.  Here is my review of them and some links to vessels:

• Best Red Sea Liveaboards – Reviewed and Compared

MY Excellence, Red Sea Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MS Royal Evolution, Red Sea Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

MY Emperor Elite, Red Sea Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Selected Eilat Dive Sites

Satil Wreck: 24 meters (80 feet), located at Village Beach, near the Coral Beach 80 meters (260 feet) from shore, shore entry, 45-meter (148-foot) missile boat scuttled in 1994 to become an artificial reef, surrounded by seagrass and coral formations, well encrusted with soft corals, penetration possible in several spots, rich marine life with Arabian and Emperor Angelfish, lionfish, crabs, moray eels, octopus, pipefish, fusiliers, filefish, sweepers, grouper, and barracuda, usually only mild southerly current makes the swim easy, suitable for all levels of diver

Paradise: 30 meters (100 feet) maximum depth, shore entry at the Coral Beach, next to the Village Beach, the site is beside the Satil Wreck, seagrass in the shallows, on descent the corals are more profuse on a bed of valleys, further descent leads to a flatter section, lots of reef fish around the coral heads, schools of sea goldies and chromis, anemones and clownfish, shrimps, crabs, moray eels, octopus, fusiliers, and emperor angelfish, suitable for experienced level divers

Yetush Wreck: 33 meters (110 feet) maximum depth, shore entry from The Coral Beach next to the Isrotel Yam Suf Hotel, 15-meter (50-foot) long Hawk class gunboat scuttled to become an artificial reef in 1987, well encrusted with corals and sponges, home to nudibranchs, starfish, moray eels, schools of sea goldies, pufferfish, and lionfish, sitting in a bed of corals, garden eels on the sandy slope, suitable for experienced divers

Japanese Gardens: 24-30 meters (80-100 feet) maximum depth, boat access from the Manta Diving Center, rich coral heads and a wall, lots of hard and soft corals, rich in reef tropicals, eels, macro life, and giant clams, watch out for passing pelagics, good for more than one dive, mild current, excellent visibility, suitable for experienced level divers

University: 14-18 meters (46-60 feet), near Lighthouse Beach south of the Underwater Observatory, shore entry, site of several marine experiments, junk electric cables, nets, and various apparatuses have created an interesting habitat for a variety of marine life to observe, rich corals, frogfish, fire urchins, blue-spotted ribbontail stingrays, a variety of reef fish, fusiliers, sea turtles, passing tuna, and the occasional whale shark in summer, suitable for all levels of diver

Neptune Tables: 24 meters (80 feet), on the South Beach next to the Princess Hotel, shore entry, dense coral formations at 5 meters (16 feet) leading to a sandy slope with coral formations to 21 meters (70 feet), continuing deeper there are lots of plate and table corals spread around, marine life includes garden eels, nudibranchs, starfish, blue-spotted ribbontail stingrays, and turtles, suitable for all levels of diver

Things to Do in Eilat (aside from scuba diving)

Besides diving, a great variety of beachside activities are a major attraction, like snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding.  At night the bars and restaurants come to life. The following video introduces some other top tourist attractions and gives you a feel for the layout in Eilat.

Eilat Transportation, Hotels, and Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – Ramon International Airport located 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of the city opened in 2019 and handles all domestic and international flights.  Taxi and shuttle bus service to town is available.
• Bus – Intercity buses operate out of the Central Bus Station.  City buses within Eilat run from 7 am to 9 pm.
• Taxis cruise the streets and are metered.
• On Foot – Walking is a reasonable option in the central city.  You’ll want to get a ride from there out to the dive sites.

For more complete details on tourist information, please go here:  Wikivoyage – Eilat

Hotels and Diving

Lodging options in Eilat start at $24 and run to over $1,700 per night.  There are a lot of dive shops in operation, some located in or associated with hotels.  On offer is a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging.  You can easily find the location on the map provided on this site.  Their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Eilat Lodging

Photography in Eilat

With the pristine coral reefs, a variety of fish, macro critters, stingrays, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

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 give scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

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

Updated April 24, 2022

This is the one hundred and eighty-sixth in a series of reviews of the best diving destinations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Gansbaai, South Africa. In addition to this series on diving destinations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving 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.

Have you ever been diving in Gansbaai before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Shark Cage Diving Gansbaai South Africa

Background

Gansbaai (Bay of Geese, in English) is in South Africa’s Western Cape Province 165 kilometers (103 miles) to the southeast of Cape Town on the southern shoreline.

Home to the Khoi people when westerners first arrived in the late 18^th century, the settlers followed the Khoi method of nomadic herding and farming initially.  Over time fishing and whaling developed as the main economic factors in the small settlement.

Today the population of over 12,000 is ethnically somewhat diverse with 53% speaking Afrikaans, 40% Xhosa, and 3% English as first languages.  English is taught in schools and widely used.

In 1995 great white shark cage diving started in Gansbaai and it is now often referred to as the “Great White Capital of the World”.  In addition, the southern right whale, huge colonies of African penguins and fur seals, and several species of dolphins are major tourist attractions.  Whaling is now outlawed but fishing is still an economic driver, as well as tourism.

Visitors love the variety of habitats on the Danger Point Peninsula for birds and mammals including six antelope species, with indigenous forests, hills, mountain peaks, and small rivers to explore in addition to the marine environment.

For further demographic, historic, and cultural information, please check Wikipedia-Gansbaai.

Undersea World

Dyer Island just 8 kilometers (5 miles) offshore from Gansbaai to the southeast, is the home to 5,000 African penguins.  Just a few hundred meters to the south of there, 60,000 fur seals use Geyser Rock as their base.  The channel between the two is known as shark alley for the great whites that frequent the area year-round but are especially numerous between April and September looking for a meal of those two species.  Considered the most reliable location in the world to see great whites, numerous charters are busy taking snorkelers and divers to that area to observe them from surface cages attached to the boat or from the deck.  The area is chummed and usually, the great whites appear within minutes.  Individuals are lured right up to the cage with baited lines such that they literally bump into it on occasion in an attempt to snag the bait.  The operators are known for their eco-awareness and the training and preparation they provide for participants.

Cape gannets and Cape cormorants are also residents of Dyer Island and southern right whales are common in the area from June to December.

Currently one of the operators also runs a mako and blue shark open water safari.  Their 11-meter catamaran makes a 2-hour journey 50-70 kilometers (31-44 miles) out into the open sea from the Dyer Island area.  The water is chummed and divers accompany a guide into 5-10 meters (16-33 feet) of water and watch for the cruising oceanic makos and blue sharks.  Frequently penguins, dolphins, fur seals, and whales are seen on the journey out as an added attraction.  The operator insists on an open water diver certification to participate.

Seasons and Conditions

Shark cage diving is possible year-round in Gansbaai.  The best time is from April through September when feeding patterns more consistently bring them to the Shark Alley site.

• Air temperature average daily highs range from 18°C (64°F) from June through September to 23°C (73°F) in January and February.
• The water temperature runs from 14-16°C (57-60°F) from April through September to highs from October to March of 18-20°C (64-68°F).  Outfitters will make sure you have adequate thermal protection.
• Rainfall is low all year and it rarely is a factor influencing diving.
• Currents are generally mild to non-existent in the Shark Alley site.
• Visibility is typically 5-10 meters (16-33 feet).

Cage diving is done at the surface and is offered to divers and non-divers.  Dives on the mako and blue shark runs are guided dives in 5-10 meters (16-33 feet) of open water.  It is open to divers with a minimum of an open water certification.

For information on cold water scuba gear, please check my post:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

Indian Ocean Liveaboards

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Gansbaai.  However, there are quite a few that cruise the relatively nearby Madagascar and Seychelles dive sites.  Please click here for my reviews:

• Best Diving Vacations – Madagascar Liveaboards
• Seychelles Best Scuba Diving Holidays

SY Sea Bird, Seychelles Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price & Details

MV Galatea, Madagascar Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price & Details

For my reviews of some other top Southwest Indian Ocean diving destinations, please check these posts:

• Shark Diving in Mossel Bay South Africa
• Scuba Diving Cape Town South Africa
• South Africa Scuba Diving Port Elizabeth
• Protea Banks Diving South Africa
• Aliwal Shoal Scuba Diving South Africa
• Diving Sodwana Bay South Africa
• Best Diving Mozambique Reviewed
• Scuba Diving Mombasa Kenya
• Zanzibar Scuba Diving Review
• Scuba Diving Mauritius Review
• Scuba Diving Reunion Island

Gansbaai Lodging, Transportation, and Dive Shops

Transportation

• The closest major airport is Cape Town International which is the second-largest in the country with connections to some international destinations and to most domestic airports.  From there taxi, mini-bus, and bus services are available to deliver you directly to Gansbaai.  Car rental at the airport is probably the most convenient option.  Check with your hotel for the most current transit advice.  The drive from Cape Town typically takes two hours.
• In Gansbaai, taxi, shuttle, and transport services are available for transportation around the immediate region.

For further details on transportation and tourist information, please check Wikitravel-Gansbaai.

Lodging and Dive Shops

There are a dozen or more charters in operation in Gansbaai offering great white shark cage diving experiences and at least one doing the offshore mako and blue shark safaris.  All the necessary equipment is available through them.  The numerous lodging options in Gansbaai run from $27-$326 per night.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange the booking for accommodations.  You can easily find the location on the map provided on this site.  Their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Gansbaai Lodging

Things to do in Gansbaai (aside from scuba diving)

The outdoor sights and activities are the main draw for Gansbaai but there is a cultural, food, and entertainment scene that also offers some interesting options.  Here is a shortlist of some of the highlights to look into:

Walker Bay Nature Reserve, Mountain Biking, Flower Valley Trust, De Uijlenes Tractor Rides, Guided Horse Trails, Guided Botanical Trails, Danger Point Lighthouse, Strandveld Museum, 4×4 Trails, Frauskraal Beach, Stanfords Bay, African Penguin and Bird Sanctuary, Dyer Island Cruises (Big 5 – Fur Seals, Great White Sharks, African Penguins, Dolphins, Southern Right Whales), Klipgat Caves, Platbos Forest Trails, Kleinbaai Tidal Pool, Seafood (Fish, Crayfish, Abilone), Baardies Food Wine Art, Grootbos (Restaurant), Benguela (Restaurant), BBlonds Restaurant, Blue Goose Restaurant, Ciro’s Restaurant, Golf, Owl’s Pub, Nightlife & Music.

Here are a couple of short videos that provide a small taste of what you can find in Gansbaai.

Photography in Gansbaai

With the interesting wildlife, landscapes, and other scenic natural and historical sites, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

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 quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Gansbaai shark cage diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Updated April 16, 2022

This is the one hundred and fifty-fifth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on the Whitsunday Islands, Australia.  In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving 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.

Have you been diving on the Whitsundays before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving the Whitsundays

Background

The Whitsundays are made up of 74 islands in the central section of the Great Barrier Reef ranging from opposite Bowen in the north to MacKay in the south, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Brisbane.

Captain Cook was the first European to arrive in 1770 to this home of the indigenous Ngaro and Gia peoples.

From early day logging, the islands have developed into a major tourist destination with 700,000 visitors annually.

Hamilton Island is the main commercial center with a population of 1,350 out of a total of 1,570 on all the islands.

The main islands are Whitsunday, Hamilton, Hook, Hayman, South Molle, Long, Lindeman, and Daydream Islands, all with resorts and camping possible on 3 of them.

Yachting, watersports, and other outdoor activities are the major draw.

Undersea World

The dive sites around the Whitsundays are inside the outer reef not too close to the Continental Shelf and the currents there.  Nonetheless, except for not many pelagics, the famous Great Barrier Reef biodiversity is still in effect.

A beautiful array of hard and soft corals, gorgonians, sponges, tunicates, and other invertebrates encrust an interesting topography of walls, ledges, pinnacles, canyons, swim-throughs, and coral bommies that provides a nice habitat for macro critters like crabs, flatworms, nudibranchs, eels, and scorpionfish.

Megafauna highlights include Napoleon wrasses, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, guitarfish, wobbegongs, green turtles, jacks, barracuda, stingrays, bottlenose dolphins, a great variety of reef tropicals, and seasonal visits from humpback whales from June through November, Minke whales from June through August, and manta rays from May through September.  In addition, there is a possibility of seeing dugongs in some of the shallow grass beds.

Seasons and Conditions

Diving is possible all year on the Whitsunday Islands.

• Air temperature average daily highs reach 31°C (88°F) from November through January and dip to 23°C (73°F) in July.
• The rainy season is from January through March.  Rains generally come in the late afternoon.  From June through October is the dry season.
• The water temperature ranges from 24-29°C (75-84°F) but is usually around 25°C (77°F) throughout the year.  Most divers will be happy in a 3-5mm wetsuit most of the time.
• Currents are usually mild on the dive sites around the islands.
• The visibility runs from 8-30 meters (25-100 feet).  In the rainy season, it can be toward the bottom of the range.
• There are sites suitable for all levels of diver from beginner to advanced levels.  Numerous dive shops are in operation that can provide a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.  A number of outfits also conduct short liveaboards around the islands.

Liveaboard Diving

There are a number of liveaboard yachts cruising the Great Barrier Reef to sites further north.  Ocean Quest and Coral Sea Dreaming go to the Outer Reef to sites relatively close to Cairns including Flynn, Milln, Thetford, and Pellowe Reefs.  The MV Scubapro I travels a bit further north to sites fairly close to Port Douglas including Norman, Saxon, and Hastings Reefs.  The MV Spirit of Freedom and MV Spoilsport go to the most distant sites like Cod Hole, the Ribbon Reefs, and the Coral Sea.

Ocean Quest, Great Barrier Reef (Outer Reef) Liveaboard – Check the Price

MV Scubapro I, Great Barrier Reef (Outer Reef) Liveaboard – Check the Price

Coral Sea Dreaming, Great Barrier Reef (Outer Reef) Liveaboard – Check the Price

MV Spirit of Freedom, Great Barrier Reef (Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs, Coral Sea) Liveaboard – Check the Price

Spoilsport, Great Barrier Reef (Coral Sea, Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs) Liveaboard – Check the Price

There are several liveaboard yachts cruising to other areas in Australia including Rowley Shoals, Neptune Island, and Ningaloo Reef.  Here are my reviews of Australian diving and some of the liveaboards diving other Australian sites:

• Best Diving Australia Liveaboards
• Scuba Diving Western Australia Ningaloo Reef Liveaboard
• Townsville Australia Diving
• Scuba Diving Port Douglas Australia
• Scuba Diving Cairns Australia
• Gold Coast Scuba Diving Australia
• Brisbane Australia Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving in Melbourne Australia
• Best Scuba Diving Sydney Australia
• Best Scuba Diving Perth Australia
• Scuba Diving Tasmania

MV Odyssey, Rowley Shoals Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

Princess II, Neptune Island Shark Cage Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price

Shore Thing, Ningaloo Reef Liveaboard – Check the Price

 

Selected Whitsunday Islands Dive Sites

Blue Pearl Bay (Northwest Hayman Island): 3-18 meters (10-60 feet), rich coral gardens  with sea whips and big gorgonian fans, a topography of crevices, walls, and swim-throughs, lots of reef tropicals, a highlight is Napoleon wrasses, suitable for all levels of diver

Dolphin Point (Hayman Island): 18 meters (60 feet), large boulder shaped porite corals and coral bommies on sloping terrain, look for resident whitetip reef and hammerhead sharks, tuna, barracuda, and mackerel are also possible, suitable for all levels of diver

Manta Ray Bay (Hook Island): 3-25 meters (10-82 feet), rich hard and soft corals around pinnacles with a sand bottom, a terrain of valleys, caverns, and swim-throughs, reef tropicals include damselfish, angelfish, coral trout, parrotfish, and batfish, manta rays are possible from May through September, suitable for all levels of diver

Mackerel Bay (East Hook Island): 12 meters (40 feet), wall with a canyon, ledges, a big cavern with several entrance passages and light penetrating through cracks in the ceiling, strong winds are possible on the east side of Hook Island that can preclude diving, look for blue-spotted stingrays, coral trout, sweetlips, turtles, and shovelnose rays, suitable for experienced levels of diver

The Pinnacles (Hook Island): 20 meters (68 feet), many large coral bommies nearly reaching the surface, lots of hard corals of many species, usual access is from the western beach, look for Napoleon wrasses, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, and manta rays from May through September, suitable for all levels of diver

Luncheon Bay (Northwest Corner of Hook Island): 15 meters (50 feet), coral bommies with a variety of hard corals on top of the reef with steep walls and gullies in between bommies encrusted with whip corals, sea fans, soft corals, and black coral, lots of reef tropicals like sweetlips, damselfish, butterflyfish, and emperor angels, other highlights are anemones and their clownfish, nudibranchs, moray eels, groupers, trevallies, batfish, barramundi cod, whitetip reef sharks, and sea turtles, possible manta rays in season, suitable for all levels of diver

Things to Do in the Whitsunday Islands (aside from scuba diving)

The Whitsunday Islands and the immediate area on the mainland is all about the outdoors.  There are a vast number of exciting activities and sights for the whole family.  Here are some to consider:  Cedar Creek Falls, Wildlife Park at Hamilton Island, Airlie Beach Canoeing, Whale Watching, Visit Bowen, Coral Beach, Whitehaven Beach, Fishing Charter, Tennis, Conway National Park, Stand-up Paddleboarding, Reef Sleep Pontoon Cruise, Mountain Bike in Molle Islands National Park, Long Island Rainforest, Nara Inlet (Aboriginal Art), Langford Island, Seafood, Jet Boat Ride, Sailing, Dent Island Golf, Coalface Experience Museum, Shopping, Segway Tour, Butterfly Bay (Hook Island), Sea Kayaking, Jetskiing, Helicopter Tour, Coral Cove, Boathaven Beach, Crocodile Safari, Trek a Lowland Rainforest, Cedar Creek Falls, Airlie Beach Saturday Market, Cane Toad Races, Seaplane Trip, Eat a Bowen Mango.

This video is a nice glimpse of what the Whitsundays have to offer.

Whitsundays Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – Two airports service the Whitsunday area, Proserpine on the mainland and Hamilton Island, the main commercial area on the islands.  Frequent flights are available from around Australia.  There are shuttle buses available at Proserpine Airport for the 30 minute trip to Airlie Beach or Shute Harbor.
• Ferries await incoming flights for trips from Proserpine to the islands and from Hamilton Island to other destinations in the Whitsundays.  Pricing is fairly expensive.
• Transit between islands can be made by ferry, yacht, boat, air taxi, helicopter, and seaplane.
• Bus transit is available from Airlie Beach to Shute Harbor.  Many of the bigger islands also have public bus services.  A number of hotels, the airport, and some restaurants and shops provide free transit service on Hamilton Island.

For more specific details related to the transportation options and other tourist information, go to Wikivoyage-Whitsunday Islands.

Hotels and Diving

In the Whitsundays area, there are at least 85 lodging options ranging from $15-$1,493 per night and a number of dive shops in operation.  They offer a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours.  Some short liveaboards can also be organized with local operations.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging.  You can easily find the location on the map provided on their site.  The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Whitsundays Lodging

Photography on the Whitsunday Islands

With the colorful coral reefs, a variety of fish, rays, sharks, dolphins, and intriguing onshore targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

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 give scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

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

Updated August 5, 2022

This is the thirtieth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is Panama City, Florida.

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.

Have you ever been diving in Panama City before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Panama City Florida Scuba Diving

Background

Panama City is set inside St. Andrews Bay in the middle of the Florida panhandle, just across the bay from the famous Spring break party site, Panama City Beach, with its sugar-white sand.  They have a combined year-round population of around 50,000, with 185,000 in the entirety of Bay County.  There are two military bases and shipbuilding is the major manufacturing industry, with hundreds of thousands of tourists annually playing a major economic role.

Undersea World

Like Pensacola on the northwest of the panhandle, Panama City has dozens of shipwrecks and hundreds of artificial reefs nearby.

Bay County and area sportsmen have created a habitat for a near-miraculous amount of sea life.  At times the schooling bait and game fish are so thick that visibility is affected.

There is rich encrusting life of hard and soft corals, hydroids, gorgonians, sponges, and tunicates with tropicals like butterflyfish, angelfish, and damselfish.  The many nooks and crannies give excellent cover to macro critters like octopus, crabs, lobster, and mollusks.

Big resident groupers are a major attraction in addition to barracuda, blackfin tuna, several species of turtle, nurse sharks, wahoo, mahi-mahi, pompano, amberjacks, eagle rays, large pods of dolphins, and the occasional manta or whale shark.

The county has supplemented naturally occurring wrecks with dozens they have scuttled along with bridges, and all manner of other materials to create reefs.

There are shallow opportunities for beginners and others at greater depth with penetration possibilities suitable for advanced and technical divers.

Here is a fairly exhaustive list, put together by the Bay County government, with locations of the hundreds of various dive sites, including wrecks, bridge rubble, construction equipment, reef balls, pyramids, limestone modules, culverts, and others:

• Bay County Reefs

Seasons and Conditions

Panama City is warm year-round with average highs from June to August of 100°F (38°C) and 82°F (28°C) in February.  Correspondingly, water temps run from 82-86°F (28-30°C) in July and 61-68°F (16-20°C) in February.

It rains every month with July-August getting 13 days/month and April-May 5 days/month.  Hurricane Eloise caused significant damage to Bay County in 1975 and Mexico Beach, 25 miles (40 km) down the beach, got wiped out last October by Hurricane Michael.  I guess the law of averages would indicate it will be a while before there is another major hurricane in Bay County.

A 5 mm wetsuit and hood would be the choice of many in winter and 3 mm or less for summer insulation.

Visibility is variable based on location, weather, and season, but generally, inshore sites have 25-50 feet (9-15 meters) of visibility, and sites farther out, from 50-100 feet (15-30 meters).

For my review of relatively nearby Pensacola diving, please check out this popular article:

• Best Scuba Diving Sites Pensacola Wrecks

Selected Panama City Dive Sites

Simpson Tug: 18 feet (6 meters), 93-foot (28-meter) tug built in 1879, capsized when pulling a fishing boat free in 1929, at East Pass, scattered with the boiler, bulkhead, and smokestack, which breaks the surface at low tide, turtles, stingrays, baitfish, squid, stone crabs, best at low tide, all levels

Black Bart: 80 feet (24 meters), christened Vulcano del Gulfo, 185-foot (55-meter) oil rig supply vessel, sunk for reefing in 1993, holds at 80 feet (24 meters), deck at 60 feet (18 meters), superstructure at 40 feet (12 meters), wheelhouse, galley and head penetrable, galley appliances there, goliath grouper, beginner to experienced

USS Chippewa: 100 feet (30 meters), 205-foot (60-meter) navy tug launched in 1942, sunk in 1990 as a training platform, sitting upright, lots of structure in place, experienced level

USS Strength: 80 feet (24 meters), 185-foot (54-meter) admiral class minesweeper, damaged by kamikaze and midget sub in WWII, sunk and resunk for training, finally sunk for reefing in 1987, rested on its side until hurricane righted her in 1995, hull in two pieces, deck at 60 feet (18 meters), schools of fish, goliath grouper, all levels

Red Sea: 75 feet (22 meters), 130-foot (32-meter) tug sunk for a reef in 2009, the newest such ship used for an artificial reef in the area, beginner and experienced level

USS Accokeek: 100 feet (30 meters), 143-foot (42-meter) fleet tug, built in 1944, sunk, refloated and sunk again, in salvage and ordnance training, reefed in 2000, experienced level

FAMI (Twin) Tugs: 100 feet (30 meters), 11 miles from St. Andrews Bay Pass, 85 and 95 foot (25 and 28 meter) tugs, reefed in 2003 nose to nose, a storm moved one on top of the other, large eagle rays, goliath groupers, experienced level

SS Tarpon: 95 feet (28 meters), 130-foot (32-meter) steamer built in 1887, sunk in 1937, considered an archaeological preserve with no touch regulations, some original bottles still there, experienced level

Hathaway Bridge Spans: built in 1929, 14 spans sunk for reefs in 1985 in different areas and depths

Dupont Bridge Spans: Panama City to Tyndall AFB bridge built in 1927 and 1929, 3 spans sunk in 2008, each span is 180 feet (54 meters) long and 35 feet (10 meters) high

Grey Ghost: 110 feet (33 meters), 105-foot (31-meter) tug, 22 miles (35 km) offshore, sunk in reef program in 1978 next to a natural reef, very rich combo reef today, experienced level

Empire Mica: 115 feet (34 meters), 479-foot (144-meter) British tanker built in 1941, torpedoed by a u-boat in 1942, 20 miles (32 km) south of Panama City, past Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe, used for torpedo practice later creating large debris field, part of bow section rises up 60 feet (18 meters) above the bottom, 2 boilers, propeller shaft, and rudder still there, amberjacks, grouper, barracuda, rays, sharks, experienced level

Panama City Florida Transportation, Diving, and Accommodations

Getting There

Bay County has the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport served by Southwest, Delta, United, and American Airlines.

Diving

There are at least a dozen shops operating in the Panama City area that can provide instruction, guiding, charters, and rentals.

Housing

A full range of hotels is available in the various cities of the metropolitan area and on the beach starting at around $80 per night.  This website can introduce you to many dozens of them and arrange a booking:

• Panama City Florida Hotels

Panama City Beach Activities (aside from scuba diving)

The beach, beachside activities, restaurants, and nightlife are of course the main draw.  In addition, there are a great many tourist attractions around Panama City including fishing, airboat tours of inland waterways, ocean boat tours, some to find dolphins, a pirate cruise, Gulf World Aquarium, Zoo World (zoo and botanical garden), Man in the Sea Museum, Coconut Creek amusement park, Conservation Park, St. Andrews State Park, several water parks, various other parks, and beach tours.

Panama City Beach Photos

With the wrecks and hundreds of dive sites, macro life, beautiful, diverse reef life, lots of fish, and scenic shore-side environment, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

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 quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

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