Resort Diving

Updated August 6, 2022

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 on 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.

Have you ever been diving on the Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands

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 pleasantly 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 is 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 their geographical position, the Canaries are the recipient of trade winds, cold oceanic currents, Canary currents, 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 a 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.

In addition, there are dozens of wrecks from many eras to explore.

Liveaboard Diving

None of the popular liveaboard yachts offer services to the Canary Islands.   For liveaboard diving opportunities to the Red Sea and other great diving locations, please click here:

• Liveaboard Diving Options

Here are reviews of other Macronesia and West African scuba diving areas:

• Scuba Diving the Azores
• Best Scuba Diving Cape Verde Islands
• Scuba Diving Madeira Islands Portugal
• Best Diving in Dakar Senegal

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 rainfall 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 Canary Islands Dive Sites

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 in 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, stingrays, 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, a 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 Transportation, Dive Shops, and Lodging

Transportation

There are 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 a 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.

Dive Shops

All the islands have full-service dive shops.  A number of 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.

Lodging

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 a 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 quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

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.  I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Seahorse – Khao Lak, Thailand (Courtesy of TripAdvisor)

Updated October 10, 2022

This is the one hundred and thirty-ninth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Khao Lak, Thailand. 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 Khao Lak 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 Khao Lak Thailand

Background

Khao Lak, which means Lak Mountain in Thai, is a 20-kilometer (12.5-mile) strip of coastal villages and resorts in Phang Nga Province 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) north of Phuket.

The beautiful beaches have a backdrop of forested mountains reaching a peak of 1,050 meters (3,440 feet) in Lam Ru National Park.

The 2004 tsunami wreaked havoc killing 4,000 (over 10,000 unofficially) with beach properties, resorts, and vegetation destroyed to distances more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) inland.  In spite of the tragedy, Khao Lak has rebounded well and today the relatively uncrowded (when compared to Phuket) beaches, parks, and mountains, and accommodations in a broad range from Spartan to luxurious, provide an excellent lower key, relaxing vacation destination that has left a good portion of the original Thai culture and social framework in place.

Undersea World

White sandy beaches and rocky formations characterize the seas around Khao Lak.

What people come for are three great wrecks all within 60-90 minutes from shore and at recreational diving depths with excellent marine life.  The massive schools of fish are truly astounding with major players being yellowtail barracudas, yellow snappers, and fusiliers, along with batfish and interesting macro critters like nudibranchs, frogfish, scorpionfish, and lionfish in the nooks and crannies.  Hawksbill and green turtles are often present and Manta Rays seasonally from January through March.

Most operators offer day trips to the Similan Islands 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) or 2-3 hours by speedboat to the west.  This world-class site consists of 11 major islands and a number of islets that are protected and make up the Similans National Park.  Open seasonally from May to mid-October, a spectacular subsea topography of boulders, pinnacles, and canyons provides habitat for an extremely rich coral reef with hard and soft corals, gorgonians, barrel sponges, macro, and other marine life similar to that of the wrecks with greater variety and the possibility of reef sharks, leopard sharks, whale sharks, and pelagics to go along with the mantas and turtles.

Seasons and Conditions

Diving is possible all year in the Khao Lak area.  Please note that the Similans National Park is closed from May to mid-October due to rough seas.

• Air temperature is always warm with average daily highs from 31-35°C (88-95°F) with the warmest time in February and March and the coolest in August and September.
• The range for water temperature is 27-30°C (80-86°F) with the warmest in June and the coolest in January.
• Currents are often mild but there are sites where they can get strong, especially in the Similan Islands.
• The rainy season is from April through November when it rains 15-24 days a month roughly corresponding to the southwest monsoon. The dry season from November to March corresponds with the northeast monsoon.
• Visibility is variable based on the site, season, and plankton bloom.  The best visibility is during the dry season.  For most sites, the range is from 10-30 meters (35-100 feet).  There are some locations where it may get as poor as 5 meters (16 feet) at times, especially when there is rain or wind.  The plankton bloom in January through March will also cause a decrease in visibility but has the benefit of drawing whale sharks and manta rays at that time.
• There are sites suitable for all levels of divers from beginner to advanced levels.  25 or more dive shops are available that can provide a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises including those taking 2+ hours to get to the Similans.

Thailand Liveaboard Diving

A number of liveaboard yachts travel to the Similans, the Mergui Archipelago, and more southerly destinations in the Andaman Sea.  Here are several liveaboard reviews and links to some great yachts for booking and details:

• Best Scuba Diving Phuket Thailand Liveaboards
• Best Scuba Diving Thailand (Similans) Liveaboards
• Best Scuba Diving Burma Liveaboards

MV Deep Andaman Queen, Similans, and Andaman Sea Liveaboards – Check the Price & Details

MV Pawara, Similans, and Andaman Sea Liveaboards – Check the Price & Details

The Phinisi, Similans, and Andaman Sea Liveaboards – Check the Price & Details

Merdeka 3, Southern Andaman Sea Liveaboards – Check the Price & Details

For my reviews on other great diving locations in Thailand and Cambodia, please check out these posts:

• Chumphon Scuba Diving Thailand
• Scuba Diving Koh Chang Thailand
• Best Scuba Diving Pattaya Thailand
• Best Koh Tao Thailand Diving
• Best Scuba Diving Cambodia

Selected Khao Lak & Similan Dive Sites

Khao Lak Sites

• Bunsoong Wreck: 14-20 meters (46-66 feet), 19 kilometers (12 miles) from Tap Lamu pier, 60-meter (197-foot) tin ore processor that sank in 1984, the tsunami of 2004 broke it into 5 pieces, penetration is not allowed, rich marine life including swarms of yellowtail barracuda and yellow snappers, lots of porcupine puffers, batfish, blue-lined snappers, bluefin jacks, pompano, several species of moray eel, scorpionfish, lionfish, mantis shrimp, gobies and partnering shrimps, and stingrays in the sandy areas, bluefin trevallies, current is usually mild, suitable for all levels of diver
• MV Sea Chart I Wreck: 25-40 meters (82-130 feet), 60-90 minutes away by speedboat, 84-meter (276-foot) bulk carrier with a load of ironwood and teak which sank in bad weather in 2009, resting on her starboard side, quite a bit of soft coral and encrusting life which will get richer through the years, home to lots of marine life including massive schools of fish like rainbow runners and yellow snappers, batfish, lionfish, ghost pipefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, and great barracuda, penetration is possible into the wheelhouse, the propeller and part of the cargo is spread around on the seabed, suitable for experienced level, nitrox, and technical divers
• Premchai Wreck:  10-22 meters (35-72 feet), 40 minutes from the Tap Lamu pier off Thai Muang Beach, tin dredger that sank with a cracked hull in 2001, resting upside down and mostly intact, well encrusted with hard corals, clams, and some soft corals, honeycomb and banded moray eels, scorpionfish, and lionfish in the nooks and crannies, huge schools of fusiliers, yellowtail barracudas, and snappers, smaller schools of batfish, suitable for all levels of diver

Similan Islands Sites

• North Point: 10-35 meters (35-115 feet), a shallow reef with staghorn corals next to the channel close to the island, lots of boulders on the deep sand bottom with swim-throughs and channels at around 20 meters (66 feet), highlight marine life includes bluefin and giant trevallies, unicornfish, macro critters like pipefish, nudibranchs, and purple fire gobies, on the sandy bottom there are frequent sightings of whitetip reef sharks, blue-spotted stingrays, and leopard sharks, currents can be moderate to strong, suitable for experienced level divers
• Donald Duck Bay: 5-20 meters (16-66 feet), named for a rock that is shaped like a duck’s beak, rocky area extending from the island with patch reefs of soft and hard corals and sea fans, sandy bottom at 20 meters (66 feet) with patches of coral, lots of macro life like clownfish in their anemones, nudibranchs, morays, lobsters, shrimps, crabs, squid, and reef tropicals including butterflyfish and triggerfish, turtles are common, mild current, good for night dives, suitable for all levels of diver
• Beacon Reef: 5-35 meters (16-115 feet), a fringe reef with a steep drop-off, multiple hard corals including brain, pore, staghorn, and bottlebrush coral, the Atlantis X wreck is in the center of the reef providing more interesting habitat, marine life includes pufferfish, angelfish, morays, triggerfish, and schools of snappers, fusiliers, emperor fish, and bluefin jacks, mild to moderate current possible, suitable for all levels of diver depending on depth attempted
• Elephant Head: 5-40 meters (16-130 feet), 3 big boulders breaking the surface like an elephant’s head, piles of boulders with passageways, swim-throughs, and channels, sandy bottom at the maximum depth, morays, various shrimps, octopus, and morays in the nooks and crannies, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks outside the boulders, other highlights are schools of snappers, butterflyfish, and sweetlips, blennies, and gobies, medium to strong current possible, suitable for experienced level divers
• West of Eden: 12-35 meters (40-115 feet), a sloping bottom of rubble with large boulders encrusted with soft corals, sea fans, crinoids, and anemones, marine life otherwise is rich including turtles, bluefin jacks, angelfish, sea kraits, big schools of yellow snappers, look for macro critters like frogfish and pipefish in the nooks and between corals, current is moderate, suitable for all levels of diver depending on the depth

Things to Do in Khao Lak (aside from scuba diving)

Khao Lak has loads of beautiful scenery and activities and is a moderately developed international tourist area.  Here is sort of eclectic mix of attractions to consider:  Turtle Festival, International Tsunami Museum, Cooking Classes, Kapong Hot Springs, Biking Tour, Lam Ru Falls, Golf, Thai Food, Ban Niang Night Market, Surfing, Bars & Nightlife, Thai Muang National Park, Tong Chong Fah Falls, Beach Hopping, Kayak in Phang Nga Bay, Khao Sok National Park, Fresh Market.  For more ideas check Wikitravel-Khao Lak.

The two videos below offer you a small taste.  The first has a nice feel for the scenic beauty and the second runs quickly through quite a few of the highlight spots for a tourist to hit.

Khao Lak Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – The easiest way to get to Khao Lak is to take a domestic flight from Bangkok to Phuket and then make your way by road to Khao Lak from there.  Many hotels can arrange transit for you.  If that isn’t available, the second choice is a 2-hour taxi ride which is reasonably priced considering the distance.  Buses are available for the trip but are not convenient to use from the airport.
• Bus – There are many long-distance bus services available in Bangkok to get you to Phuket and on to Khao Lak.  The trip to Phuket takes 12 hours or more.  Pricing is much cheaper than for the flight.
• Around Khao Lak – Bicycles and motorbikes are both for rent for around the same daily rate.  Motorbikes do not come with insurance.  If there is an accident you will likely pay for damages to the vehicle and the local person regardless of who is at fault.  Songthaews (small 4-wheel pick-ups) are available during daylight hours and are cheap.  Otherwise, there are taxis that try to use a sort of cartel-inspired influence over songthaews to monopolize transportation when they can.

For additional details on transportation and tourist matters, go to Wikitravel-Khao Lak.

Hotels and Diving

In Khao Lak, there are around 200 lodging options running from $5 to $450 per night.  More than 25 dive shops are in operation, some located within or associated with hotels.  They offer 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 their site.  The rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Khao Lak Lodging

Photography in Khao Lak

With the colorful coral reefs, a variety of reef tropicals, macro critters, manta rays, whale sharks, wrecks, 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 Khao Lak scuba diving exciting 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 10, 2022

This is the sixty-sixth in a series of reviews of the best diving destinations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Mombasa, Kenya.

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 Kenya 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 Mombasa, Kenya

Background

Mombasa is the oldest city in Kenya, founded in 900 A.D., and the second largest, with a metropolitan area population of 3 million.  The core of the city is on an island, but it spills over onto the mainland.

As it is today, historically it was important as a trading center connecting with Somalia, the Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent.  The plan is for Mombasa to become a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) where the production and packaging of garments, footwear, and tea are not taxed.  It is a major regional port, has an oil refinery and cement plant, and is the point where the undersea telecom cables come onshore and connect to the Great Lakes call centers that are a growing source of income for the country.  Kenyatta made a major outreach to eastern Asia when he was in office and the Japanese funded much of the expansion of the port.  In spite of these high notes and an increasing GDP, there is still a 44% youth unemployment rate.

The primary ethnic groups are the Swahili and Mijikenda with the Akamba, Taita Bantus, and two groups from the west, the Luo and Luhya, making up significant percentages.  Mombasa is also a cosmopolitan city with people from around the world, as well.

Swahili is spoken by almost all with most speaking some English, too.  Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism are all practiced.  The mixture of cultural influences is evidenced in the rich musical scene which is a big feature of Mombasa life.

Undersea World

Kenya is very engaged in wildlife protection with 33 wildlife reserves including 5 marine national parks running along the coastline.

The reefs are in near pristine condition with a good diversity of fish and invertebrate life.  Larger attractions include seasonal manta rays and whale sharks, along with green turtles, leopard and whitetip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasses, grouper, barracuda, and dolphins.  Some highlights among the reef fish and macro critters are huge mixed schools of blue-line and yellow snappers, several species of sweetlips, blue-spotted stingrays, moray eels, pufferfish, surgeonfish, trumpet and cornetfish, sergeant majors, garden eels, regal and emperor angelfish, soldierfish, crocodile fish, scorpionfish, pipefish, octopus, mantis shrimp, and many others.

Most of the sites are on fringing reefs with drop-offs, but there is a good variety with rocky areas, ledges, pinnacles, and caves, some deeper locations, and several intriguing wrecks.

Seasons and Conditions

As you would expect, it is warm all year in Kenya.  Daily average high temperatures are in a range of 29-34°C (84-93°F).

Water temperatures go from 25.5-29°C (78- 84°F).  Most divers won’t need more than 3 mm of thermal protection in the coolest time.

It rains year-round but in April and May it tends to be heaviest and then again in October and November it increases from the norm.  The driest months are from January through March.

Visibility is usually 15-30 meters (50-100 feet), however, the sea can get rougher from April to mid-September and visibility may go down substantially in July and August.

The season for whale sharks and manta rays is November through February and for humpback whales, it is July through October.

Many of the sites have the potential for strong currents, but there are sites suitable for all levels.

At least 16 dive shops are in operation in the Mombasa area that can provide training, equipment rental, guiding, and boat tours.

Liveaboard Diving

None of the major liveaboard yachts travel to Kenya.  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

MV Galatea, Madagascar Liveaboard Diving – Check the Price

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

• Shark Cage Diving Gansbaai South Africa
• 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
• Zanzibar Scuba Diving Review
• Scuba Diving Mauritius Review
• Scuba Diving Reunion Island

Selected Mombasa Kenya Dive Sites

MV Dania Wreck: 12-32 meters (40-105 feet) Danish cargo vessel scuttled to become an artificial reef in 2002, resting upright, bridge, upper deck and hull all easily penetrated, sponges, blennies, glassfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, moray eels, batfish, octopus, shrimp, lobster, barracuda, all levels (check out the video below)

Lobster Bank: 20 meters (68 feet), near the MV Dania, lots of lobsters, all levels

The Pinnacles: 23-40 meters (78-136 feet), pinnacles top out at 23 meters (78 feet), flatworms, nudibranchs, Napoleon wrasses, whitetip reef sharks, barracuda, jacks, rainbow runners, huge grouper, manta rays in season, strong current possible, experienced level

Shark Point: 12-25 meters (40-83 feet), slope with ledges to a sand flat, congregated whitetip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasses, turtles, giant and leopard moray eels, scorpionfish, huge groupers, all levels

Stingray City: 8-22 meters (25-73 feet), south of Shark Point, sandy area with blue-spotted stingrays, possible turtles, all levels

MFV Funguo: 22 meters (73 feet) average depth, tuna trawler scuttled in 2002 to become an artificial reef, blue line snappers, nudibranchs, frogfish, grouper, barracuda, batfish, jacks, garden eels, scorpionfish, kingfish, stingrays, experienced level (check out the video at the top)

The Wall: 35 meters (116 feet) maximum depth, south of the Mombasa Marine Park, wall rich with sponges and corals, lots of reef fish, pelagics, anchor at 25 meters (83 feet), strong current possible, experienced level

Birthday Reef: 25-50 meters (83-170 feet), south of the Mombasa Marine Park, rich soft and hard corals, gorgonians, sponges, sea whips, reef tropicals including anthias and damselfish, wrasses, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, porcupine puffers, schools of batfish, snapper, fusiliers, and jacks, big groupers, barracuda, tuna, whitetip reef sharks, strong current possible, experienced level

Angie’s Place: 11 meters (38 feet) maximum depth, on the inner reef, lots of macro critters like seahorses, octopus, scorpionfish, good for night dives, all levels

Globe Star Wreck: 8 meters (25 feet), a cargo ship that ran aground in the 1970s, a lot has been salvaged, engine block and propeller remain, well encrusted with corals and sponges, moray eels, lionfish, scorpionfish, all levels

Mombasa Photos

With the pristine coral reefs and shipwrecks, colorful anemones, sponges, and encrusting invertebrates, blue-spotted stingrays, lobster, scorpionfish, frogfish, and other macro critters,  and schools of mixed yellow and blue line snapper, pelagics, turtles, manta rays and dolphins, and the world-famous land-based wildlife and historical and cultural sites, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Mombasa Transportation, Dive Shops, and Lodging

Transportation

Mombasa is served by Moi International Airport with frequent connections to domestic, African, Middle Eastern, and European destinations.

There is a modern 5-hour rail service to Nairobi from the Mombasa Terminus 18 kilometers (11.25 miles) outside of town.

Taxi service is expensive and at times hard to locate.

Tuktuks (3 wheeled vehicles) and matutus (minibusses) are more available and cheaper.

The main port handles cargo and international cruise ships.

To go to the south coast from Mombasa Island there are no bridges, so a short ferry trip is a way to handle it.

Cars can be rented or hired with a driver.

Motorbikes are also popular rental transportation.

Dive Shops & Lodging

There are more than 16 dive shops, a number of which are affiliated with resorts, that operate in the Mombasa area.  They are in operation year-round and offer a full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding, and boat dive cruises.

At least 305 accommodations of every level are available from $7 to $2,414 per night.  The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange a booking.  You can easily find the locations on the map provided on this site.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Mombasa Resorts

Things to do in Mombasa (aside from scuba diving)

The history and cultural vibrancy of Mombasa provide many places to explore and things to do.  Here are some of them:  Fort Jesus, Old Town, Haller Park, go-karting, Mamba Village Center (crocodiles), dhow ride to Wasini Island, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Nguuni Nature Sanctuary, Jahazi Coffee House, Swahili food, Pirates Beach, various ethnic restaurants, clubbing and live music, Bombolulu Workshop, Kongowea Market, Marikiti Market, Maasai Market, ferry ride, Kenyan coffee, toad trip to Kilifi or Malindi, tuk-tuk ride and/or drink a cocktail at Forty Thieves Beach Bar.  Check the video below for a look.

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 Kenya 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 in Kenya.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Updated May 13, 2023

This is the one hundred and sixth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations worldwide.  In this post, the focus is on Greece. 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 ever been diving in Greece 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.

Best Scuba in Diving Greece

Background

Situated on the southernmost tip of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece has the 11^th longest coastline in the world with more than 1,200 islands, 227 of which are inhabited.  80% of the country is mountainous with valleys, olive orchards in the south, forests in the north, and many idyllic beaches that it is so famous for.

The birthplace of democracy and the historic center of culture and knowledge today has a developed economy fueled by the service sector with 33 million tourists annually.

At least half the people can speak English with a substantial number speaking French, Italian, and German.  In the tourist industry, most can speak English.

For more demographic, historical, and cultural information on Greece, please go here:  Wikipedia – Greece

Undersea World

The waters around the 1,200 Greek Islands (some make that number much higher) are full of artifacts from the long and rich history of the culture.  Up until 2006, the Greek government was quivering in fear that scuba divers would pillage sites, and maybe rightfully so, so recreational scuba diving was banned.  The EU evidently took a look at the developing tourist attraction that is scuba diving and the Greek government started to allow it, with a no-touch regulation for antiquities.  Now 23 years later there are at least 96 dive shops in operation in Greece reflecting the strong demand for diving that the EU foresaw.

Besides the intriguing archaeological relics, there is a remarkable undersea terrain of caves, caverns, and walls covered in a fairly rich Mediterranean reef of hard and soft coral, anemones, sponges, and plants.

Marine life attractions include glassfish, flying fish, grouper, bream, octopus, tube worms, lionfish, scorpionfish, moray eels, perch, and a variety of others including barracuda, monk seals, eagle rays, tuna, sharks, and loggerhead turtles.

There are also heaps of ancient and historical shipwrecks, to boot.   Many dives are from shore or only a short boat ride away.

Seasons and Conditions

It’s possible to dive all year in Greece with the summer generally considered the best time for it.

Average air temperatures reach highs of 29°C (84°F) in July and August and low averages of 10°C (52°F) in January and February.

The water temperature ranges from 16-23°C (60-74°F) from winter to summer.  There will be some variation in the temperatures based on the specific location.  A 7mm wetsuit or drysuit with hood and gloves is appropriate when it is coldest and perhaps a 5mm wetsuit will do when the water is at its warmest.

Current is minimal and visibility is usually pretty good running from 6-50 meters (20-165 feet).

The summer is much drier, particularly from July through September.

Most of the diving is not deep and there are sites suitable for all levels.  Shore access is often possible.

96 or more dive shops offer a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.

This information does not apply to the Greek Island of Crete, which is discussed in another review you can access at a link down below in the list.

For information about cold water gear, please check out my review:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

Mediterranean Liveaboard Diving

There are no major liveaboard yachts for scuba diving cruising Greece but there are 12 offering adventure cruises with snorkeling. There are, as well, some adventure and scuba diving trips to other European sites:

Running on Waves, Greece Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price

Sadri Usta, Montenegro Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price

MV Futura, Croatia Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price

Norseman, Tuscan Archipelago Scuba Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price

Fethiye Diving Expeditions, Turkey Scuba Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price

For my reviews of other Mediterranean and Adriatic diving, please check out these posts:

• Best Scuba Diving Holidays Cyprus
• Montenegro Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving Croatia
• Best Scuba Diving Malta
• Best Scuba Diving on Crete
• Best Mediterranean Vacations Tuscan Archipelago Liveaboard

Selected Greek Dive Sites

Akra Kanistro (Kassandra Peninsula): 40 meters (130 feet) maximum depth, rock formations with caverns and caves, rich marine life including corals and sponges, conger and moral eels, lobster, grouper, and on occasion tuna, experienced level

Andros Wreck (Loutraki port, Peloponnese): 22 meters (73 feet), Greek passenger ship sunk by German bombers in 1941, sandy bottom, easy penetration, visibility can be bad at times, all levels

Erika Cave (Porto Koufo Bay, Sithonia Peninsula): 12-35 meters (40-116 feet), a cave with a shallow entrance going deeper on penetration, cave residents include octopus, lobster, moray eels, and big grouper, all levels depending on how deep the penetration

Kalogria Reef (Sithonia Peninsula) 28 meters (93 feet) maximum depth, a small reef with rich marine life including shrimps, lobster, anemones, and grouper, all levels

Kellyfos Island (between Kassandra Peninsula and Sithonia Peninsula): several dive sites, rich corals, good macro life including moray and conger eels, scorpionfish, octopus, seahorses, and starfish, different levels depending on the site

Chios Island (in the Aegean Sea 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Turkey: several dives that include walls and caverns, rich coral reefs, a variety of marine life,  as several shallow wrecks, all levels depending on the site

Anna II Wreck (southeastern Mykonos Island): 25 meters (82 feet): 62-meter (203-foot) cargo ship sunk in 1995, mostly intact, easily accessible, lots of sponges and marine life, experienced level

Queen Olga Wreck (Lakki port, Leros Island): 32 meters (108 feet), WWII destroyer sunk by German fighter planes in 1943, the Captain and 72 crew members were killed, holes in the funnels from the attack can be seen, no penetration possible, visibility can be poor, experienced level

Perseus Submarine Wreck (Cephalonia, Ionian Islands): 52 meters (170 feet) maximum depth, sunk by an Italian landmine while on the surface in 1941, 60 crew members killed, only 1 survivor, periscope bases at 38 meters (126 feet), well preserved, bow, torpedoes, propellers, compasses, and controls are intact, advanced and technical levels

Kyra Eleni Wreck (southern Patroklos Island): 17-32 meters (58-105 feet), 99-meter (330-foot) freighter sunk in bad weather in 1978, cut in half, no crew lost, rich marine life with lots of fish on the interior, limited penetration, sandy bottom, visibility is usually good, all levels

 

Things to Do in Greece (aside from scuba diving)

Greece is one of Europe’s top travel destinations with its stunning landscapes, ancient ruins, and other historic sites, along with beautiful beaches, unique and tasty cuisine, and rich culture.  There is a myriad of interesting places to visit.  This video introduces a few to consider.

Greek Transportation, Hotels, and Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – Elefthérios Venizélos International Airport in Athens is the busiest of 15 international airports in the country.  Other airports with a lot of traffic are in Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Chania, and Rhodes.  There is also extensive domestic air service, as well
• Ferries – Ferry service to and around the many islands is part of a broad network.  Availability depends on the season.
• Buses – Intercity buses are popular and there is a major nationwide network of routes.
• Taxis are numerous in major cities.  Drivers are known to be rude and often refuse service if they don’t like the destination.
• Cars are a convenient means of transport in Greece.  Rental agencies are present around the country with more in the major cities.

For more thorough details of tourist information, please go here:  Wikitravel – Greece

Hotels and Diving

There are thousands of hotel and lodging options of all levels in Greece starting at around $11 per night.  At last count, there are 96 dive shops around the country.  Some of them are situated in or affiliated with hotels and offer a range of services including equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange the booking.  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.

• Greek Hotels, Resorts

Photography in Greece

With the beautiful reefs, a variety of fish, wrecks, macro critters, 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 provide scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Greek 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 25, 2022

This is the ninety-seventh in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Palau, Micronesia. 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 ever been diving in Palau before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What liveaboard or dive shop did you use?  What are the best dive spots and the conditions there like 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 Palau Micronesia

Background

Situated 856 kilometers (535 miles) east of the Philippines, Palau is an archipelago of 340 islands that are the westernmost chain in the Caroline Islands of Micronesia.

Of volcanic and coral limestone origins, Palau was originally settled by people from Indonesia and the Philippines 2-3 millennia BCE.  The Spanish first took note of the place in 1522 and were the first to exert any outside control.  The British came in the 18^th century followed by the Spanish again in the 19^th.  Palau was considered a part of the Philippines until Japan took control in WWI.  When the Japanese occupation came to a bloody ending in 1944, the US effectively gained control which continued until independence in 1978.  Today Palau’s status is Presidential Republic in free association with the US.

The population of 21,000 is a mixture of Melanesian and Austronesian heritage, with a large number of Filipinos, other Asians, and a few Americans and Europeans.  The economy is fueled by tourism, subsistence farming, fishing, and foreign aid.  Palauan and a couple of other local languages are the official languages in their regions, along with English. 

Undersea World

With more than 1,300 species of fish and 800 species of sponges and corals, Palau is recognized as one of the most biodiverse locations in the world.  It has pristine, healthy reefs, a great volume and variety of macro critters, huge schools of fish, and loads of sharks, rays, turtles, and pelagics, on shallow serene coral gardens to high energy drift dives along steep walls, and everything in between. You can add in some intriguing historic wrecks and the famous Jellyfish Lake on top of that.  There is something for every level of diver.

A list of highlights includes macro critters like the octopus, flatworms, nudibranchs, oysters, sea kraits, scorpionfish, frogfish, moray eels, and cleaner shrimp, to name but a few.  There are heaps of reef tropicals and schooling fish like bannerfish, surgeonfish, sweetlips, and snappers, clown triggerfish, trumpet and cornetfish, soldierfish, and larger marine life such as Maori wrasse, massive schools of barracuda and jacks, green and hawksbill turtles, eagle and manta rays, whitetip, blacktip, and grey reef sharks, leopard sharks, whale sharks, and dolphins.  I had to restrain myself to keep the list so short.

Seasons and Conditions

Diving is possible all year in Palau.

• Air temperature stays in a nice warm daily range of 24-31°C (76-88°F) all year.
• Water temperature consistently stays from 29-30°C (84-86°F) most of the year dipping to as low as 26°C (79°F) in February and March.  A 3 mm wetsuit is probably the most thermal protection needed for most.
• It rains 16-22 days per month, but it doesn’t often interfere with diving for long.  Rains and winds are stronger from July to September.  Typhoons are not usually a factor, with some rare exceptions.  Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 caused some property damage but no major injuries or fatalities in spite of the fact that no one evacuated.
• Surface conditions tend to be a little rougher due to winds and rain from July to September.
• Currents in many locations are moderate to strong, making for exciting drift diving.
• Visibility normally has a range of 15-40 meters (50-130 feet).  The July to September wind/rain season influences it toward the bottom of the range.
• Whale sharks and mantas are most likely to appear from January to April.  Hawksbill and green turtles are also often seen and around in greater numbers from April to July.
• With the possible moderate to strong current, many of the sites are more suitable for intermediate to advanced level divers.  There are sites suitable for beginners, as well, though.  At least 17 dive shops are in operation on the islands and can offer a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.  Currently, eight major liveaboard yachts also cruise Palau.

Palau Liveaboard Diving

Here is my review of Palau liveaboards and links to several of the top-rated Palau liveaboard yachts:

• Liveaboard Diving Palau Micronesia

Rock Island Aggressor, Palau Liveaboard – Check the Price

SY Palau Siren, Palau Liveaboard – Check the Price

Solitude I, Palau Liveaboard – Check the Price

Selected Palau Dive Sites

Blue Corner – Palau’s most famous site, coral reef from 12-18 meters (40-60 feet) that drops steeply off, frequently there is a tremendous current that encourages many to use a reef hook to maintain position on the reef in order to watch the masses of marine life cruise by in the nutrient-rich flow like whitetip and grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, bluefin jacks, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, blackfin barracudas, and eagle rays, the shallower coral section of the reef also has rich marine life with lionfish, leaf fish, reef tropicals, and green and hawksbill turtles, current can be quite strong, experienced level

Blue Holes – located next to Blue Corner on the west side, four openings in the reef leading to a huge cavern which descends to 35 meters (120 feet), the walls are rich in encrusting corals and sponges, wrasses and other reef fish, light filters in through the holes, there is a sort of window exit to the outside wall with grey reef sharks and possible eagle rays, a strong current is possible, especially outside the window on the wall, experienced level

German Channel – created over 100 years ago to provide a shipping lane between the port and mines, currents passing through the channel can be rich in nutrients attracting a variety of marine life including grey and whitetip reef sharks, triggerfish, black snapper, jacks, Spanish mackerel, turtles, feather-tailed rays, and manta rays which come to a cleaning station on the sandy bottom at 20 meters (68 feet), experienced levels

Ulong Channel – a great flood-tide drift site, rich corals at the entrance to the channel, whitetip and grey reef sharks, big eye trevally, tuna, hammerheads, and manta rays possible outside and inside the channel there to feed on the many fish that have drifted in, huge lettuce corals, experienced level

Peleliu Wall – deep wall covered with soft corals, sea fans, sea whips, and black coral, canyon, crevices, and caverns with rich macro life, redtooth triggerfish, snapper, grouper, whitetip, and grey reef sharks, possible big pelagics, silvertip sharks, and pygmy killer whales, experienced level

Chandelier Cave – an underwater cavern with five chambers each with a breathable air pocket, silt bottom is at 15 meters (50 feet), full of stalactites and stalagmites, only light from the entrance necessitating a torch, experienced level

Iro Wreck – 140-meter (462-foot) Japanese fleet oil tanker, sunk in 1944, bow at 20 meters (68 feet), stern at 36 meters (120 feet), sitting upright, well encrusted with coral and other invertebrates, lots of fish, and macro life, schooling jacks, barracuda, and batfish, visibility is variable, experienced level

Alice’s Coral Garden – easy dive for beginners, little to no current, gentle slope, lots of reef fish and coral, whitetip reef sharks, crocodile fish, green and hawksbill turtles, all levels

Jellyfish Lake – lake site that is filled with 20 million teacup-sized golden jellyfish which through lack of predators have lost the ability to sting in what is left of their tentacles, with lots of sunlight they have developed a system using photosynthesis to thrive, a snorkeling site worth experiencing

Palau Photos

With the pristine coral reefs, wrecks, extreme biodiversity including manta and eagle rays, turtles, a variety of sharks, dolphins, whales, macro critters, reef tropicals, and interesting onshore scenery, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Palau Transportation, Lodging, and Dive Shops

Transportation

• Air – Palau has one airport, Airai, on Babeldaob.  Regular connections are available to Seoul, Macau, Manila, Taipei, and Guam.  Additionally, some charters can be obtained to Yap, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
• Sea – Liveaboards usually depart from Koror.  Occasionally cruise ships stop at Palau.  Private and government-run boats provide transit between the islands of Palau.
• Land – Taxis and rental cars are available on Koror.  The taxis are not metered.  Roads are not great and the speed limit is 40 km/h (25 mph).

For a few more details on transportation logistics, please click here:  Wikitravel – Palau

Lodging and Dive Shops

There are 23 or more hotels and resorts ready to serve on Palau.  At least 17 dive shops are also in operation, many associated with lodging.  They offer full services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding, and boat dive cruises.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange the booking.  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.

• Palau Hotels

Things to Do in Pulau (aside from scuba diving)

Attractions:  sailing, kayaking, exploring Koror’s crafts, shopping, restaurants, and bars, Ngarachamayong Cultural Center, Palau Aquarium, Peleliu Island, Jellyfish Lake, swim with dolphins, Badrulchau Monoliths, Belau National Museum, hike Babeldaob (the big island).

This video gives a feel for the natural beauty.

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 Palau 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<<