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Pakistan Arabian SeaAstolla (Haft Talar) Island
Overview
Despite the name given to the island by the locals (Haft Talar-meaning 'seven rocks'), the island appears to form a single block roughly 3 miles in length and one mile in width with an estimated height of two hundred feet at its highest point. An isolated rocky area has broken away from the main block towards the south end. Given that the island is not sheltered from the open sea, it is subject to strong wave attack during the southwest monsoons, when wave height exceeds 3.5 meters. The coastline therefore suffers from severe erosion and most of the littoral material is lost to the sea.
Geographical coordinates: 25°07'N, 63°52'E.
Altitude: (average and/or max. & min.) 0-200 m
Area: (in hectares) c. 5,000
A small solar operated beacon has been constructed on the top of one of the island's cliffs for the safety of passing vessels.
General location:
The island is situated in the northern Arabian Sea, approximately 25 kilometers off the mainland coast, 40 kilometers East-Southeast of Pasni Harbor, in Blochistan province. It comes under the Pasni subdivision of Gawader district.
The island supports some rare and vulnerable species of animals such as endanger species Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and quite possibly critically endanger species Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbracata)
The site is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the area. There is a considerable convergence of plant and animal species that inhabit the island and the surrounding waters.
The area is of special value as the nesting ground of Green turtles and possibly the Hawksbill turtle. As well as, the site is of special value for at least one endemic animal species, Echis carinatus astoli, and viper
Ecological features:
The natural vegetation is composed of zeromorphic type able to survive the arid climate. It does not only suffer from extreme drought but also from wind carrying saline particles. Salt sprays coupled with sand particles clog the respiratory mechanism of plants, affecting growth. Prosopis juliflora is the most significant widespread species distributed in the island. Indigofera oblongifolia and Hycium depressum are also prevalent forming large bushes. Other types of vegetation found include Sueda fruticosa, Aerua persica.
Noteworthy fauna:
The island is reported to support a large number of breeding seabirds including Larus hemprichii and several species of terns. Avifauna includes: Ardeola cinerea, Egretta gularis, Pluvialis squatarola, Numenius arquata, Limosa limosa, Calidris minutus, Larus argentatus, Larus genei, Cursorius coromandelius, Galerida cristata, Oenanthe deserti, and Prinia spp.
Sightings of cetaceans such as dolphins and to a lesser extent, whales have also been reported. In fact, in December 1994, a large whale (possibly sperm whale) carcass washed up on the shores of Ganz, Balochistan. Recent evidence indicates that significant, previously undocumented populations of up to 20 species of whale and dolphin occur within the Pakistani Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Studies in neighboring Oman, combined with newly available data on illegal Soviet and Japanese whaling off Pakistan in the 1960s, verbal reports of sightings by fishermen, and records of beach-cast specimens, suggest large numbers of many species of whale and dolphin spend part of the year in Pakistani waters. It can be surmised that these cetaceans, which are primarily dependent on the highly productive Southern Arabian upwelling system, use parts of the Pakistani EEZ for both calving and feeding.
more info about Astola Coral Reef including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Pakistan Arabian SeaPlease see Astola NW as how to get to Astola.
This is a small rock jutting out vertically about 1.4km south of the main Astola island-GPS co-ord 25° 6'24.86"N, 63°51'9.00"E.
Lots of Groupers, Snappers and coral. Its a nice dive to circumnavigets the rock. Also lobsters
more info about Astola-Anda Rock including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Palestine Territory, occupied Arabian SeaPlease see Astola-NW for details as how to get there.
The West tip of Astola has very fast currents-the visibility is over 15 m but lots of coral and fish.
more info about Astola-west including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Pakistan Arabian SeaPlease also see Astola-NW for details as how to get there.
Along the south west face are Caves. One can snorkel to them. visibility is not good due to surge.
Astola Island is pristine and uninhabited. We have to try and make it into a marine reserve.
more info about Astola-SW-Cave including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Pakistan Arabian SeaAstola island is an adventure dive. It is located about 25 km south of the Balochistan Coast and is 40 km south east of Pasni. it is the largest island of Pakistan but is uninhabited except for feral cats.
To get to Astola, drive all the way from Karachi to Pasni on the Mekran Coastal Highway-about 8hrs , then hire a small fishing boat which will get you to Astola. the boat will take about 5 hrs to get there. We camped there for 3 nights and had brought our own aircompressor. The boat stayed with us for 4 days and cost about Rs 20,000=$350.
The north west cove near a Hindu temple has a lot of sea urchins and sea slugs. depth from 6m to 20m.Visibility is 10m +.
See also dives on the west, south,Anda rock around Astola
more info about Astola-NW including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Turks and Caicos islands Caribbean SeaAmazing Dive Site. The wall is superb, yet any dive site in the turks and caicos is absolutely magnificent. Always go with "Provo Turtle Divers". They are friendly, helpful, and take small personal tours.
more info about Aquarium- Grace Bay including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Bahamas Caribbean SeaAbaco Dive Adventures -- Tim Higgs, NAUI Instructor and Commercial Diver.
I ran into Tim shortly after moving to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas in late August 2006. Due to the pressures of getting myself acclimated and "in the groove" with my work, I did not dive for some time. When I began to dive with Tim, I discovered one of the most knowledgeable and friendly Dive operators I have encountered in over 30 years of diving and instruction. I am also a Naui instructor, and while my Bahamaian work permit does not allow me to teach, I can strongly recommend Tim to anyone who wants any level of instruction.
We dove December 22, 2006 on both The Tunnel, a shallow, 15 to 20 foot reef and a bit later that morning on The Edge, a 65 foot reef dive. WOW! The shallow dive was one that was teeming with life. Yellow Tail Snapper, small Grouper, French Grunt, medium sized Parrot fish, Blue Chromis, several varieties of Damsel fish, several variety of Wrasse, Lobster (which the Bahamians usually call Crawfish), and Conch. It was a great, gentle dive with many swim-thrus and a memorial plaque set for a young man killed in a motorcycle crash, whose favorite dive was this site. This is an excellent place to take a first dive and see a great diversity of small and medium sea life, get used to the water after not diving for a while and just relax and get your groove. Slight current present along with some surge, it is shallow and we dove at the beginning of and exiting tide.
The Edge was a much different story. We planned to dive with a half gallon plastic juice jug filled with pieces of a Wahoo carcass that Tim had caught days earlier. The fish was chopped small and then filled with water making a sort of chum. The bighead of the Wahoo was tossed overboard to begin attracting fish as we prepared to dive. I was first in the water and settled down on the sand between coral heads at 20 feet to wait for the others. The Wahoo head was in a difficult place for the Yellow tail and small Nassau grouper (5 to 10 pounds) to reach, so I picked it up, and tossed it out in the open. As it settled toward the bottom a 70 pound plus Black Grouper came from nowhere, scooped it up and swallowed it. By then some other divers were down and quickly a 4 1/2 Gray Reef Shark showed up to cruise around. When we were all assembled, Tim led us over the edge and we settled in a nice sandy area at 60 feet where he unscrewed the bottle lid and began to squirt out some small pieces of fish. Soon, the Grouper were nosing our hands, I was able to handle and stroke the sides of one big guy who was about 40 pounds and that Shark kept crusing around us. He came within 2 feet of me, calmly swimming and watching. We kept the feeding under control and while the Groupers got a bit worked up, the Shark never got too crazy. This 50 minute dive was just delightful.
You also might consider diving the Blue Holes with Tim. These deep, inland holes are fascinating for their geographical and geological formations. I have only dove The Far Side, but it was spectacular. I no longer like extremely deep dives (getting older -- ha!) but we went 140 feet of the 230 feet possible in this hole. Lots of fossils in the walls. Just be skilled enough to do decompression diving and let Tim or someone with the experience lead you.
I recommend Tim and his operation anytime. And if you need a dive buddy while out here, drop me a note. I am always ready.
click here to email Stephen
more info about Abaco -- The Edge & The Tunnel including maps, reviews, and ratings...
South AfricaOne of the most relaxed and wonderfull places to dive in South Africa
more info about Aliwal Shoal including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Brazil Atlantic (South)Situated in the Região dos Lagos, the city is famous among the scuba divers and those who love the sea. White sand beaches and crystal clear waters are an invitation to relax.
Arraial is strategically located near to Cabo Frio and the sophistication of Búzios. All this intense night life is close to the charming comfortable pousadas of Arraial.
Distance (approximately): 180km from Rio de Janeiro. 15min from Cabo Frio and 30min from Búzios.
How to arrive:
Bus: regular lines leave the Terminal Rodoviário Novo Rio (bus station)
Car: use the Via Lagos highway until Cabo Frio, then take the proper exit to Arraial do Cabo.
More than 40 dive points scattered around the small bay formed by the continent and the Cabo Frio Island. The map above indicates just a few of these points.
Depths can vary from 12m to more than 50m in some spots.
During the dives you will be able to observe turtles, moray eels, large schools of fish, sea horses, rays, octopus and much more.
For the experienced diver we offer the chance to explore underwater caves, historical shipwrecks and submersed canyons.
The rocky bottom is covered by rigid and soft corals, sponges of many different shapes and colors.
Making the submarine scenario very special.
Dive Center:
Dive Point Atividades Subaquaticas
click here to email website If you fly into Rio de Janeiro and have a little time, it definitely pays to visit this dive shop before planning your diving in Brazil.
The friendly staff will gladly help you book your trip and can tell you about other great dive destinations in Brazil as well.
more info about Arraial do Cabo including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Italy Mediterranean SeaPool Diving offer the best cave diving in the Mediterranean Sea at very low prices. We are open all year around and we have 1 large steel boat (17mts) and 2 dinghies. We provide a transfer service and we also help our customers to choose the most suitable accommodation according to their needs. For more info: 0039 079 979229; mailbox@pooldiving.com;
website more info about Alghero and its dive sites including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Guam Philippine SeaThis wreck is along the breakwater 4 miles from the USO and is a great wreck training dive from shore or boat.
It's an old barge sunk in the 1960's when the breakwater was buiilt and is covered in coral growth,
On shore there is parking and an obvious entry. Follow the cables underwater to 50 feet then swim out.
The wheelhouse is on the stern and there are plenty of open entry points. As with all wrecks, watch the silt and never take your reg out in an air pocket.
more info about American Tanker, Apra harbor including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Italy Tyrrhenian SeaWe dived with Diving Nettuno
website and stayed on their campsite. The view from our window was stupendous! It's a small site and, like many in Italy, has its own beach. There's nothing regimented, no marked pitches, and the owner (Mauro) zips around on his scooter like a demented Marx brother! At peak holiday times it gets crowded but you all squeeze in. Everyone's friendly.
more info here
website more info about Amalfi Coast including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Venezuela Caribbean SeaArchipielago Los Roques is a National Park protected since ~ 1972. The biodiversity there is amaizing and the clarity of the water is equal or better compared with the most known places around the world. You have all the facilities to practice scuba diving, snorkelling and specially to make the underwater photography the most interesting challenge. A perfect place for wide-angle and macro UW photography and also for who are interested in fish photography.
I highly recommend this site for all kind of diving activities, the people is very friendly and almost everybody can speak in english. You have PADI and SSI diving centers and a lot of little hotel (2 stars) just to rest after the diving activities. Is a national Park and the facilities are not resort-like (5 stars).
If you want to check the kind of picture that you can get there, try to acquire the Book :"PECES del Archipielago Los Roques" in Spanish and written by Humberto Ramirez Nahim (UW Photographer) and Fernando Cervigon. Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional.
Best Regards & enjoy your next visit
Cristian
more info about Archipielago Los Roques including maps, reviews, and ratings...
GreeceIt is a fantastic dive site. Some they call it Abyss (dive site name), some they call it the Narkosis Theater and some they call it Horse Head. Only one thing I can tell It is really amazing. Only when you dive there you can understand what I mean.
more info about Abyss Kythnos including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Greece Ionian Seawebsite more info about Agia Efimia Kefalonia including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Saudi Arabia Red SeaThis is one of main dive locations in jeddah located in shores. It has nice facilities, instructors and administration. Fishing in not allowed in this beach to preserve the wild life thats why you can see many types of lifes including the huge ones.
The beach is a good place fotr non-Saudi citizen (it is ment for non saudi) originally. but the only way for a saudi to get in is to be a diver or having a diving course.
more info about Al-Nakheel Beach [Jeddah City] 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...
Antarctica Antarctic (Southern Ocean) Any expedition to the Antarctic is expensive. Dive equipment is more
expensive. There isn't any 'Club Med Antarctica' where you could stay.
There is always the possibility that your vacation excursion could get you
socked in to Antarctica for six months or more. Why would you want to dive in
waters where hyperthermia or getting trapped under ice is such a high risk? Big
and unsusual critters, that’s why!
An Antarctica voyage should be a carefully planned and coordinated adventure,
precisely scheduled to take advantage of the short 'austral summer'
season to visit the frozen continent. Amos Nachoum organizes a 20 nights voyage
that is a dream come true for photographers needing the extra time to capture
the elusive 'one great shot'.
Surrounded by the Southern Ocean, defined as the water between latitudes of
40-64 degrees south, uninterrupted wind circulates vigorously developing into
the notorious 'roaring forties' and 'furious fifties' .This
interaction between wind and sea currents creates a region of intense turbulence
and as a consequence, the Southern Ocean is richly productive ecologically. An
abundance of plankton supports the world's largest concentration of marine
wildlife. Millions of sea birds, penguins, seals and whales appear in glorious
abundance with the coming of the Southern Hemisphere's spring season. Most forms
of Antarctic life clings to the edges of the continent, where beaches and cliffs
offer snow free nesting grounds for birds and pupping locations for seals. It is
our intent on this voyage, to see and photograph most, if not all of the
available species
See website
more info about Antarctic Expedition diving including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Jordan Red Sea
- FIRST BAY: Situated next
to the Marine Science Station, this a shallow fringing reef with very prolific
coral and fish life, the reef starts at 2m/6’ and extends down to 30-40m and
beyond. There is a small area of upwelling that attracts shoaling fish. Sea
bass, shoals of fusiliers, schools of squid and octopus are common making this
an excellent site for photographers. This is a more advanced dive
site.
- BLACK ROCK:
This site provides very easy access and is ideal for
snorkelers and anyone who is new to the area, as a coral garden starts just
below the surface and extends outwards for approximately 30m when it drops away
steeply. The reef is prolific with a wide range of fish and is regularly visited
by turtles.
- GORGONE ONE:
This is a relatively shallow site, generally (10m) though
is named after a large gorgonian fan coral which is at 16mtrs. This site has
splendid examples of massive coral formations, including a 'lettuce coral' the
size of a small house. There are lots of rock pinnacles smothered in fish life,
with a large range of both hard and soft corals covered in Lionfish which gather in huge numbers to hunt for fry. This site is a photographer’s paradise and an
ideal site for second dives.
- EEL CANYON:
This site is aptly named and provides a dramatic dive with
lots of variation in invert life, it has the advantage of lots of large coral
outcrops that offer a variation in depth and contour.
- BLUE CORAL:
Fingers of coral extending at right angles to the coast.
Covered with a profusion of fish and coral life. You also will not have to look
very hard to discover the abundance of small, gray morays. This site also has
the rare fluorescent anemones, but be warned they look muddy brown if
photographed with a strobe.
- SAUDI BORDER:
(The Drop Off) This site is so called because it is just
that, you could swim into Saudi Arabia from here, but don't try it! The top of
the reef starts at 5m/15’ with patch reef and the reef top itself extends
approx. 30-40m/100-120’ seaward at a depth of 10-20m. At this point a wall of
living coral drops down to 50m and beyond. There are small caverns at 30m and
large plate corals abound. At around 40m a large Grouper is to be found hiding
behind a rock pinnacle. Along the reef edge it is common to see turtles. The
sand is home to some large rays and deep water shoaling fish, such as Jack and
Tuna can be seen.
- POWER STATION:
Here the reef drops from the surface to 5M/15’ then
slopes to 12M/36’ before dropping vertically to 200M/320’ in a sheer wall.
Swimming along the edge of the wall offers spectacular views and large pelagic
species make this their hunting ground. Soft corals abound as nutrient rich
waters gently flow along the wall. This dive requires good buoyancy control and
offers some spectacular coral outcrops with huge numbers of fish. The dive can
be completed in shallow water between 12 and 5 M, where an abundance of varied
hard corals each with its attendant species, keep divers entertained.
- PARADISE:
A gentle slope with patch corals leads to a pinnacle and cave
at the edge of a wall in 30M/100’. Working back up to the south we encounter
soft coral gardens at 10-15M/30-45’. Stingrays and eagle rays are common in
this area.
- OLIVERS CANYON:
Swim out to 12M/36’ where the reef starts with a gully
dropping down to 30M. The top of the reef is covered in table corals, where
Scorpion, Stone and Crocodile fish abound.
Don’t Miss…
The ancient city of Petra about two hours North of Aqaba.
more info about Aquaba reefs including maps, reviews, and ratings...
Hong Kong South China SeaI spent some time there back in '99 and contacted the local BSAC club on the island (South China Dive Club) they meet at the boat club in Aberdeen (south part of the island). They're a friendly lot and were very welcoming to me as a visitor, even loaning/renting some equipment. You can check out their website at
website Alternatively there's a club in Kowloon, but I don't know any details for them.
The diving there is similar to diving in this country, but warmer and of course different marine life etc. Viz can be good or bad, again similar to UK. WAter temperature when I was there (July/August) was 28-30 degrees, so I managed quite well with swimming trunks and a T-shirt. You may consider a wetsuit though as depths below 15m can reduce noticeably in temperature.
Rob
more info about Aberdeen including maps, reviews, and ratings...