Latest news with #scubadiving
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Travel + Leisure
6 days ago
- General
- Travel + Leisure
This Island Was Named the Most Beautiful in the World—and It Has Waterfalls, Volcanoes, and Tranquil Coves
There is nothing quite like a beach vacation—there's long swims in the water, reading in the shade, and watching the colors of the sunset reflect off the water. But for those chasing the best of the best, one dreamy coastline rose above them all. Online travel agency recently conducted a study to figure out which beach destinations are the best on the planet. To determine its rankings, it considered hundreds of millions of data points from its platform, including customer reviews, sales popularity, and each place's unique features. After reviewing all the data, it named Bali, Indonesia, the No. 1 island destination on the planet. Bali is actually made up of a few islands (out of thousands in Indonesia), but it is arguably one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the country, with its vibrant, local culture and gorgeous temples. During a trip here, visitors can also see and experience things like majestic waterfalls, volcanoes, calm coves, and rice terraces. There's also something in Bali for every kind of beach lover. Surfers like to flock to Uluwatu, Canggu, and Kuta to shred the tropical waves. The local surf culture is known for being relaxed and friendly, with surf camps like Goddess Retreats open to beginners who are hoping to just enjoy the waves and learn something new. Meanwhile, scuba divers often head to the north of the island to swim among manta rays, reef sharks, and turtles. Bali's most famous dive site, the USAT Liberty Shipwreck, is famous for its soft coral, angelfish, garden eels, and other underwater creatures. Whether you want to spend your holiday watching the waves crash off dramatic cliffs or snorkeling with colorful fish, Bali has the beach for you. Sustainability Tip To protect the stunning coastlines and vital coral reefs, visitors are reminded to dispose of their trash properly, avoid plastic whenever possible, and use reef-safe sunscreen. Other destinations that made the list include Phuket, Thailand; Malé, Maldives; Sanya, China; and Singapore. For the full list, visit
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Travel + Leisure
21-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
I've Gone on 134 Dives and This Is My Favorite Snorkeling Spot in the Caribbean
As a long-time scuba diver, I typically seek out the best scuba sites when I travel to the Caribbean. But in one destination, I didn't have to strap on an air tank to experience the wonders of the local marine life. In the Exumas—the sub-archipelago of The Bahamas comprising over 300 cays southeast of Nassau—I visited a magnificent site brimming with tropical fish. Known as 'Thunderball Grotto,' this secluded, dramatic cave of jagged limestone, illuminated by sun rays peering down through natural holes in the ceiling, looks like a movie set. (And in fact, it was: the 'thunderball' in its name comes from its appearance in the 1965 James Bond film starring Sean Connery, and it had made a few Hollywood cameos since.) Lying between Staniel Cay and Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto is accessible by charter boat or by any of the all-day boat cruises that stop at all the popular Exumas spots. These include other 'must-sees' like Pig Beach (literally a beach filled with pigs, as the name suggests) and the nurse shark sanctuary in Compass Cay. Once anchored, it can take some effort to get into the grotto depending on the current and tides, since you have to swim and snorkel your way from the boat to the cave's entrance. But once you're inside the natural enclosure, the efforts will be visibly worth it. The amazing blue waters at the Thunderball Grotto. When I emerged from the waters, I saw its cavernous, almost cathedral-like interior. The rugged limestone walls reached to a ceiling with natural skylights, from which aerial roots of ficus trees hung like decorative drapery. It's a majestic sight. But the real magic was under the glassy, blue-hued waters that are so clear and transparent it offers mind-boggling visibility for snorkeling. The central pool has clusters of coral and sponges, attracting dozens of types of tropical fish. Snorkeling here is like swimming in a naturally-formed aquarium, where you'll see the black and white stripes of banded butterfly fish, silver bar jacks, yellowtail snappers, multi-colored parrotfish, and yellow-tinted, striped sergeant majors, among many of the other fish found in the Bahamas. The occasional scuba diver may dive deeper to see more of the underwater rock formations, but it's not necessary. The spectacle that is Thunderball Grotto is already near the surface of the water.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- ABC News
Diver, fisherman air more claims of Perth Diving Academy leaving people at sea
New allegations have surfaced about a Perth dive company which is under investigation for leaving two scuba divers behind in the ocean. Ian Kensington and Ryan Chaudhry were on a diving expedition off Hillarys with Perth Diving Academy in March, when their chartered boat returned to shore without them. The brothers said they thought they were going to die and were in the water for almost an hour before being rescued by a ferry that was returning from Rottnest Island. The ABC can now reveal two more incidents where people diving with Perth Diving Academy were rescued by passing boats. Perth woman, Anthea, who does not want her surname used, has recalled how she and her dive buddy were picked up by two passing fishermen after drifting away from their dive group eight years ago. Anthea was taking part in a scuba diving course with the company in February 2017, also off the coast of Hillarys. She said she was buddied up with a German woman who was panicking about the large swell and was refusing to submerge. Anthea said their dive instructor had already gone underwater with the other divers. "I was trying to convince her that we just need to catch up, basically, with the others and she just did not want to go down at all," Anthea told ABC Radio Perth. "I said, that's OK, let's just go back to the boat. I grabbed her and we turned around and, I was like, 'we can't swim that, that is so far'." The pair had drifted away from the boat, which Anthea said looked like a "speck on the horizon". "She was so scared. I ended up rolling her onto her back, took her weight belt off her and just blew her BCD (buoyancy control device). Anthea estimated they were in the water for about half an hour before she waved down a passing boat with two fishermen on board, who picked them up and returned them to the dive boat. Anthea said when the fishermen asked the dive crew if they were missing two divers, everyone just laughed. "Everyone was pretty much back on board. I saw the diver instructor and they just cheered and clapped for us. And it was just sort of like laughed off. "Everyone was just about to have lunch. There was no real panic. "I don't know if we weren't gone long enough … but definitely felt like they didn't even realise until the fishermen came up." Anthea said she did not make a formal complaint. In another incident two fishermen said they picked up a scuba diver who had been drifting in the sea near Rottnest Island about 10 years ago. Noel Ferguson recounted how he saw something in the distance, and as they got closer realised it was a person in the water, waving at them and very distressed. "I just reached down and grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her up on deck. It was a French woman," Mr Ferguson said. "She started crying. She was just out of energy. She was done. And yeah, we were just sort of saying, what's going on? "She said that the current was too strong for her down there and she got pulled away from the safety rope down there. "She drifted away and couldn't hold on. And then she popped up and just drifted further and further away from the boat." He said they then returned the woman to a Perth Diving Academy boat. "When we rocked up there, I said … have you lost something? And we like pointed at her and he's like, 'oh f**k'. Mr Ferguson said he expected a higher level of concern. "There was no seriousness about it," he said The man fishing with Mr Ferguson that day has corroborated his version of events. The ABC asked Perth Diving Academy Hillarys specific questions about the two incidents. In a written statement, company director Troy Lane said diver safety was its highest priority. "We are proud of our long-standing commitment to best practice in recreational diving, community education, and marine conservation," he said. "With regard to the historical incidents raised, our internal review has not identified any verified records matching the descriptions provided, nor do they align with our operational procedures. "As such, we are unable to comment further on the specific allegations. "We remain focused on fostering a culture of continuous safety, professionalism, and respect within the diving community." The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is still investigating the incident involving Mr Kensington and Mr Chaudhry.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- News.com.au
Chinese tourist drowns in Thailand after trying to retrieve trapped GoPro
A Chinese tourist has been filmed in her final moments before drowning while trying to retrieve a camera she dropped on a diving trip in Indonesia. Zhang Xiaohan, 30, went scuba diving to admire the corals and marine life off the remote Kabakan Island in East Kalimantan on May 2. However, the woman's GoPro camera she was using slipped from her hands as she was ascending almost eight metres through the waters. The Chinese woman was said to have defied her tour guide's warnings and plunged back into the sea to collect the gadget. She battled and tried to drag herself up the depths but was washed away by fast-flowing currents. Indonesian tour guide Willy said the group waited for several minutes for Zhang to resurface before they reported her missing at 9am local time, as reported by Asia Pacific Press. Rescue teams, the local marine search agency Basarnas and soldiers were dispatched to comb the sea around Kakaban Island. After repeated diving attempts, the holidaymaker's body was found 88 metres below the surface, near the popular Kelapa Dua diving route, at 2:55pm on Saturday, May 3. Tragically, Zhang had posted a video a few days earlier showing a fellow diver struggling through the rip tides. She wrote: 'Strong current, but I'm faster.' Endrow Sasmita, operations chief of the local Basarnas, said search teams recovered Zhang's body in an area mush deeper than where she had gone missing. He said: 'A team of divers from the joint SAR unit was deployed and managed to locate the victim at a depth of 87 meters, but initial attempts to retrieve her were unsuccessful due to the extreme depth. 'The search location was challenging. Fortunately, unified support from all parties helped us find her.' Zhang's body was taken to the Abdul Rivai General Hospital in Berau for a post-mortem examination. Indonesia's beaches, though stunning, pose several dangers including strong rip currents, rogue waves, and unpredictable tides that can make swimming perilous, especially for inexperienced swimmers. In August last year, university professor Dr James Hou Fu Liu, 62, from New Zealand drowned while snorkelling off a beach in Indonesia. While in September 2024, Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, was dragged away by the strong currents around Pulau Reong island off the coast of the country's Southwest Maluku Regency. She was believed to have been eaten by sharks before the remains of her body surfaced.
