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United Kingdom Atlantic (European coastal)The Persier 50.16.96, 03,58.03
330 ft (30m) 5,382 tons torpedoed in 1945 by U-1017. This wreck is broken but parts sit up to 10m proud of the shale seabed at 31M.
The hull has collapsed but u=you can enter the engine room and the holds. Lots to see including the three boilers, 8ft anchor, prop shaft tunnel and other 'ship-shaped' bits (the three guns & prop have been salvaged). Lots of life again, pollack and sea fans especially.
You can dive this wreck from the dive boat Sunfish. You can contact Mike of Sunfish Charters on 07968-262421 or email
click here to email or visit
website Never been on Sunfish before, then check out our Testimonial page on
website more info about Persier including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United Kingdom Atlantic (European coastal)HMS Scylla
(23m) 400ft Frigate sunk as an artificial reef. A Frigate, whole and upright on the bottom!! This wreck is a wreck-divers paradise. A great dive whether you want to just swim around the outside, explore all four deck levels, or do a wreck penetration course.
Marine life is taking a good hold and varies considerably at different times of the year. Expect pout, pollack, wrasse, congers and even trigger fish
You can dive this wreck from the dive boat Sunfish. You can contact Mike of Sunfish Charters on 07968-262421 or email
click here to email or visit
website Never been on Sunfish before, then check out our Testimonial page on
website more info about HMS Scylla including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United Kingdom Atlantic (European coastal)James Egan Layne is (22m to scour) 417ft 10,000 tonnes liberty ship torpedoed by U1195 in 1945. Sitting upright in a sandy bottom, with no superstructure remaining and the stern broken off resting a short distance to the south. You can do an easy penetration all the way through, or swim down either side, then at the break swim to the stern.
You can enter No1 and 2 holds and swim into No3. The upper deck and the engine room have gone. Two lifeboats can be found 20M from the stern.
This is the South Coast's classic wreck dive with so much to see of either the ship itself, the cargo or the life (red & grey mullet, a huge residential shoal of horse mackerel near the bow, bass, pollack, wrasse, congers, pout, pipefish, John Dory, whiting, ling, crabs, lobsters.
I even saw my first Sunfish on this wreck!).
Easy to find - there's usually other boats hooked into it. Or head for the buoy and you'll find it, or use the satnav 50.19.47 04.14.61
You can dive this wreck from the dive boat Sunfish. You can contact Mike of Sunfish Charters on 07968-262421 or email
click here to email or visit
website Never been on Sunfish before, then check out our Testimonial page on
website more info about James Egan Layne including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Israel Mediterranean SeaOne of the best dive sites found on the Northern coast of Israel. An Italian WWII Sub. sunk by the British Navy lies upright at about 32 meters.
more info about R.Smg. Scire' Haifa Bay including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Costa Rica PacificOne of the best land based dives in Costa Rica is at the Catalina Islands between the months of November and May. That is the best time to have an opportunity to see giant Pacific manta rays. These are not just ordinary manta rays but Manta birostris . This species of manta ray can have a wingspan of up to 24 feet (about 7 meters) and weigh up to nearly 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg). These enormous animals feed primarily on the microscopic plants and animals found in the plankton that is so plentiful at Catalina Islands.
They glide by you in no particularly hurry allowing you to get a good view and take prized photographs. The distinctive patterns on their bodies provide a personal signature for each manta. Some are nearly all black, while others sport white chevrons on their backs. The patterns and sometimes scars make the mantas easy to recognize.
The manta’s mouths are bracketed by two flexible cephalic lobes that look almost like horns when rolled up. During feeding, these lobes unfurl in a downward direction like two arms and appear to sweep plankton toward the mouth. When not feeding the lobes roll back up or are held in a relaxed gesture beneath the mouth with the tips nearly touching. Mantas do have teeth. To be more precise, they have rows of tiny pinhead-sized teeth along the lower jaw. The teeth are probably no rougher than the sandpaper hide of the manta are useless as a defensive tool. During mating the male grasps one of the female’s wingtips in his mouth as he swims under her for a brief belly-to-belly 90 second interlude in which the eggs are fertilized. It probable that the teeth help hold the female in position much like sharks do during mating.
During the manta ray season at Catalina Islands the water is cooler than normal and you should wear a full 3MM wet suit or maybe even a 5MM if you chill easily. If the water is not cold enough for a 3MM then it is probably not cold enough to see schooling, giant manta rays. You should make reservations in advance for Catalina Islands as you don’t want to miss this opportunity to swim with the giant manta rays.
Bill Beard
website more info about Gulf Of Papagayo including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Indonesia Timor SeaTo quote a dive guide's words: "This site is the ancestor for pelagics!"
This is a seamount in the middle of a narrow strait. First time I dived here it was a hand to hand grasp on the baren rock to get across the top of the seamount at around 12-14meters. Once you get over the northern side of the seamount it is a drop off with a ledge around 25-35 meters. During good season; april to november, the visibility is incredible; 25meters +. At first you see shadows - big shadows. And it materialized... huge dog-toothed tunas, each as big as a cow! These can number in the 30s or more. The corals are mostly short and mixed with soft corals, very colorful, but with all the pelagics around you forget it existed. Just to sum it up, big-guys I've seen here: Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, cheveron barracudas, big-eyed trevally, giant trevally, giant grouper, black-tipped, silver tip, white tip sharks, thresher shark (this one was huge!), and ofcourse the ever-present dogged-toothed tunas. Side note: I read in a guide book about the giant grouper here, 2 meters and not a cm smaller. yah, right. Right? But guess what? I did see it. no kidding, big as an VW bug! even them grey reef sharks kindof stay away from it. However it was on its way somewhere though, didnt stay around too long.
However this site isn't for the faint of hearts. You'd first of all need a very good guide who can determine the best time to dive here, as you may wait up to 1/2 hr or more here just to wait for the current to slow down. Even while waiting you might think you're in the middle of a white-water rafting trip in a river rapid! besides that you can even see wake on the anchor line! Once it settles down (not completely, because you want to arrive in the ledge at min current) you go down the line hand-on-hand to the top of the mount and grasp the baren rock to move forward. But once you're on the ledge it's calm enough, even to move around. This site isn't like other sites where you constantly move about, more like staying put on the norther ledge which is about 30 meters long, between 20-38 meters. Watch your air-carefully as you may go deep here and you'd definitely needed the safety stop here. Obviously this site ain't for beginners. I'd suggest min experience of 100 dives or more. Another thing: having a glove helps...
Another reminder, this site is also not for those who don't listen to their guides; or for those who thinks they know everything, no matter how many dives you had. With this sort of attitude you definitely could get into trouble here. You basically dive during tide-interval, and they varies. When the tide changes, you have to get out of there, and I don't care how much air you got left. If you think you don't get your dive worth (air/time wise), suck it up on the boat! Once the current gets moving, even boats can't move forward here! (I have seen; not just once but many times, boats moving backwards here. An experience skipper would go very close to the island [kepa island] where the current subsides or move in opposite direction) not to mention a diver!!!
Alor area dive sites are excellent by any standard. Straight walls full of corals down to 50meters plus with vis up to 30M or more. But once you've been here and seen the pelagics, thats it. Its like narcotics, you just want to come here again and again. One trip me and my mates were diving here for 4 dive days I think, gues how many time we dived here? 6 times!
For those of you who like to dive here can get in touch with me: blueplanetbali@indo.ne.id. With 4 trips and about 40 dives + in this area, I can say that I know quite a bit about this area...
more info about Kal's Dream, Alor islands including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Ireland AtlanticFungi the dolphin was there in 2005 when I went.
The local dive centre said he wasn't really interested in divers and you would be lucky to get a dive with him.
There's a lot of competition with the local fungi watching boats during the day anyway
But you can be reasonably sure of snorkelling with him if you get up early enough. Don't bother paying for a guided snorkel, just go to the bay next to the lifeboat station as early as you can. If he's there, you might get lucky
more info here
website more info about Fungi the Dingle Dolphin, Ireland including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Costa Rica PacificGreat site with lot's of surprises. Manta's; giant schools of Rays (Mobula; Pacific Stingray, Eagle etc.); Schooling Jack's. If you're lucky you've got the dive of your life! Dive with "Summer Salt".
more info about Catalina Islands including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Papua New Guinea PacificThe best gorgonian fans ever seen!!!
more info about Susan's reef including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Indonesia Bali SeaMy Favourite site. Saw 25 hammerhead here on aug '04. Dog-toothed tunas are also quite a common sight. Excellent soft corals and mesmerizing colors mixed with huge boomies- as big as a house. Not the easiest place to get to in Bali but well worth it. Go with an experience guide. Very important. Minimal experience for this dive is 50 dives. Current is common but not wild. Safe when close to the reef. White tips are almost guaranteed. Have questions regarding this site can ask me at
click here to email , personally I have dived this reef over 250 times.
more info about Gili Selang including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Italy Tyrrhenian SeaI like much this wreck and I made many dives here like a guide. History: a german ship that in its first trip to Africa was sinked by the english U- boat Safari. A torpedo hit the prow. Now the wreck is like in navigation.
website more info about KT 12 Orosei, Sardinia including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Croatia Adriatic SeaFrancesca di Rimini is a wreck from the second world war. It was used as an amunition transporter and sunk through to torpedo shots.
It lays between 39 to 54 mtr.
more info about Francesca di Rimini including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United KingdomLooking for great Pike shots?
Pike may be able to avoid most anglers, but they will usually allow divers to approach and study them, beating a hasty retreat only at the last moment. They are nevertheless frustratingly difficult to capture on film. As an underwater photographer, I have spent much time trying to get the pike shot - you know, the one that is a definitive expression of the popular image. Unfortunately I have not, to my own satisfaction, so far succeeded.
Kevin Cullimore, probably the country’s top freshwater u/w photographer, had long urged me to try my luck at Gildenburgh Water. He recommends a 28mm lens to capture medium to large pike on film - and plenty of patience
more info here
website more info about Gildenburgh Water including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Greece Ionian Seawebsite more info about Agia Efimia Kefalonia including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Ghana Atlantic (South)All new dive locations. There are schools of whales and other things to discover. Charlys Extreme Diving is not only offering diving but also relaxing on the beach having a great party at our beach house. Information about our new website will be presented soon.
Be one of the first to discover the beauty of the Golf of Guinea.
more info about Gulf of Guinea including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Malta Mediterranean SeaDwejra has about 4 dive sites and a multitude of possibile dives. You can start from the inland sea and swim out through a tunnel, start from the Blue hole and then swim out. You can also opt for a boat dive to Crocodile rock where depths of 40m are easily reached. The swim out of the tunnel has some spectacular photographic opportunities, and it was this site that encouraged me to take up underwater photography. There is also the Coral Garden, with some lovely colours. There is also a large cave to the right of the inland sea, but this should be undertaken as a boat dive as there is a long swim.
Its one of the few place in the Maltese archipelago where one can see large groupers.
One of the main attractions of this area is the colour of the sea. The blue here is like nowhere else in Malta or Gozo.
This area is very popular with tourists all year round.
I hope more people visit the islands to see our extensive heritage, the oldest erect building in the world is in Malta, and our clear blue waters with many wrecks and sites to visit.
Look for Malta and diving on the internet, and you will find some interesting pictures of what is available in Malta.
See Also
website more info about Dwejra Gozo including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Cape Verde Atlantic (South)The best spots in Cape Verde with Sal & Aventuras.
website more info about Sal & Aventuras including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Antarctica Antarctic (Southern Ocean)Breathless takes on a new meaning with this truly once in a lifetime expedition -after my last voyage in 2003, I decide to arrange for a special photographic trip, sort of an Antarctica Unplugged – the best of our last frontier in one trip. Short of chartering our own ocean going vessel, we are going to command our own inflatable on all excursions – this way we can explore at our own pace and most importantly we aim to max out photographic opportunities. Only 10 people in my group. Imagine thousands of King penguins, Rockhopper, Magellanic, Chin straps, Gentoo King, Adelie and Macaroni penguins all in one trip. Of course there will be the Elephant seals, Leopard seals, Crab eaters, Weddels and most often we will cruise along side humpback whales. Though we will not be on scuba, we be looking out for opportunities to snorkel with the seals and to do some over and under images of ice bergs.
more info about Antarctica including maps, reviews, and ratings...
United States PacificMonterey California.
Perfect diving for everybody. The water is a bit cold so 2 layers of 7mm or a dry-suit is needed. The viz can range between non or 50 ...
There are plenty of sites for all level of divers, Breakwater is perfect for first-timers and night dives. Monastary beach is more for the experienced divers, watch the beach entry because it can be quite tricky.
Diveshops, daytrips (boat) are available.
The dives are full of sea-lions, lingcod, cabezon, kelp .. etc etc
For some examples:
website more info about Monterey, California including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Philippines South China SeaThis one of the beautiful dive sites of Puerto Galera: more than 20 different very interesting diving sites can be rapidly reached for both drift, shallows, drop-off and open-water dives, always on colourful coral reef gardens, which easily lend themselves to macro photography. Frog fishes, sea horses, ghost pipefishes, nudibranchs as well as white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, barracudas, large-sized trevallies (carangidae), sea-eagles etc. can easily be encountered.
website more info about Canyon Puerto Galera including maps, reviews, and ratings...