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Your first liveaboard

The limits of your living space for the duration of your holiday Liveaboard virgin, or just never quite got to grips with the lifestyle? RICHARD ASPINALL works through some of the essential dos and don’ts for getting the best from your experience afloat
more...

Where divers travel

Which are your favourite dive travel destinations at the moment? Where have divers recently visited, and where are they planning to travel next? Tasked with pinpointing the dive holidays currently in vogue, the recent Dive Show at the NEC was the perfect place to canvas the thoughts of divers. Avoiding the travel stands and busy aisles, John Liddiard worked his way from table to table in the Food Court. At least that way he could keep the busy divers in one place long enough for an interview more...

The deepest lake in the World

The beautiful ice formations are what makes diving in Lake Baikal during the winter so rewarding In the heart of Siberia, concealed by rising mountains, the Earth’s interior has slowly rifted apart, creating the world’s deepest reservoir. It is so big that it contains about 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. In winter the lake is frozen into silence, an icy wind sweeping over its surface. It’s time for Eline Feenstra to go diving. Photography by Rene Lipmann more...

Turning further to the East

Manta ray in Bali, a destination that seems to be in fashion Where are we going in 2010, and how are we getting there? Steve Weinman asks the diving specialist tour operators who are hoping to take your bookings more...

Perfect 10

I swam into the gloom and saw this enormous fish resting like a farrowing sow on the sand A touch of magic - that's what we all want when we go diving.
We forced John Bantin to whittle his massive initial 'shortlist' of international dive-sites with the M-factor down to this impressive handful. What would your choice be? more...

Striding out in hard times

With the financial portents for 2009 far from rosy, what are the prospects for the travelling diver? Are great deals going to be two-a-penny in a market bereft of holiday-makers, or has the declining pound sunk any chance of that trip to those dream destinations? David S Dixon looks at the prospects more...

Between the scallops

Working divers in the Channel Islands spend much of their time down among the shellfish - John Liddiard boards their boats to experience the rich variety of wreck and reef diving off Guernsey and Sark more...

Cape of GOOD HOPE

You know you're off the beaten track when the dive-centre owner says: 'Oh yes, I had some English people here before - about two years ago, I think.' Jacquie Cozens reports from the Cape Verde islands. Pictures by Neal Clayton more...

Need a little TCI?

With so many islands from which to choose in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, holiday selection can be tricky. John Bantin offers a solution - he's a recent convert to the attractions of the Turks & Caicos Islands more...

Wartime on ice

This holiday isn't for everyone, but for those who take their wreck-diving seriously and don't mind it being a bit nippy, Louise Trewavas reckons a trip to Norway, venturing up within the Arctic Circle, will provide an unforgettable experience more...

Cancun revelations

He flew to one of America's favourite tourist resorts without great expectations, but John Liddiard is forced to revise his opinions of Cancun once he gets beyond the Hotel Zone more...

Colours of the rainbow

After his report from Fiji in June on what must be the most remarkable shark-feed around, John Bantin turns his attention to these Pacific islands' outstanding "static" life. His quarry might be static, but the water in which it lives is anything but more...

NIGHT VISION

Dives after dark - divers either love them or can get by quite happily without them. What do divers get out of it? We asked 14 DIVER contributors to tell us about their most memorable nocturnal adventure... more...
Your Hot Holiday Tip
Get published and win a free Diver digital sub! Click here to participate.


Win a Luxfer pony cylinder
Don't forget to cast your vote in DIVER Magazine's latest Big Question for the chance to win a Luxfer emergency pony cylinder worth £106.
This month we are asking: Have digital apps improved your diving experience? Answer yes or no, and feel free to comment.

Seeking Africa’s heart

A male raggedtooth shark at Raggie Cave, Aliwal Shoal Six species of shark to meet, and encounters with black rhinos too – GAVIN PARSONS travels to South Africa for a lesson in diversity
 more...

Below the kill zone

Ben finds out what it’s like to pose with a Nile crocodile No one ever said it would be easy, but a very nervous Ben Fogle has dived with crocodiles and now, it seems, you can do it too! As INGRID KVALE reports, however, things did get snappy at times more...

Kenya, just head south

Buccaneer Diving's dive-boat on it's way to a site in the Mombasa Marine Park Some tropical destinations can offer samey diving, so GAVIN PARSONS looked for one with variety and found Mombasa in southern Kenya as a possible candidate. It’s a far cry from the troubled north… more...

Pemba: out of Africa

Reef at Manta Point It’s a bit of a hike to get there, and it can be on the basic side, but for Scott Bennett the Tanzanian island of Pemba was worth the effort
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Here's looking at you!

A friendly potato bass plays with Neville at Sisters It's the gentler side of Mozambique diving that gets John Liddiard in its spell - forget the rugged surf launches and strong currents, but would the famous mantas and whale sharks put in an appearance? more...

Georgia on my mind

An inquisitive fur seal Its marine life hadn’t been surveyed since the 1920s, and even then not by divers. Marine biologist Claire Goodwin braves sub-zero temperatures, scalding gloves, seals and giant sea-spiders to join a unique scientific survey of ultra-remote South Georgia more...

Winter wonderland

Tidal forces that move the ice 2m vertically every six hours create amazing ice formations Just above the Arctic Circle on the rugged shore of the White Sea is a small Russian settlement called Nilmaguba. Bizarre creatures ranging from sea angels and Gorgon’s heads to white whales can be found where an icy roof creates another world, says first-timer Eline Feenstra. Photography by René Lipmann more...

Towards the South Pole

Antarctica - craved by the many, dived by the few. Eline Feenstra recently became one of the lucky ones who have sampled raw diving at World's End, where whales breach in the distance, leopard seals chase penguins, and the water is dark, icy and full of the unknown. Photography by Rene Lipmann
 more...

A dip into the white continent

How best to spend the kids' inheritance? Fork out to go diving in Antarctica, of course! prominent marine biologist Keith Hiscock was quick to sign up more...

Northern delights

Beneath the Northern Lights lies Kaafjord, as historically important as any Norwegian fjord could be. Leigh Bishop and fellow-photographer Linn Røkenes explain more more...

In Cork & Kinsale with the Addicts

Kinsale – Just about every building in the town centre is a pub, except for those that just look like a pub, and they may well have been pubs in the past The weather looks grim as JOHN LIDDIARD makes his way to southern Ireland for a week exploring WW1 wrecks he hasn’t dived before, but he is in for some pleasant surprises more...

Quick on the trigger

A lucky moment for the camera JOHN BANTIN visits the mid-Atlantic Azores to see what it has to offer beyond the blue sharks of Pico on which DIVER reported in February – and faces a challenge from a tantalising quarry more...

Tapas diving in Gran Canaria

Goalpost mast on the Arona wreck near Las Palmas On a four-centre tour of Gran Canaria, John Liddiard gets a real flavour of the tasty mix of diving on offer at this year-round destination more...

Lone wolf & sole lemon

Limao, the bright yellow grouper. Don't knock the rock - the volcanic Atlantic island of Madeira boats an assortment of interesting underwater celebrities, says Steve Weinman more...

Falklands life in the Jasons

Jen ascends a kelp Marine biologist Claire Goodwin heads south to the unexplored Jason Islands in the Falklands, for thrills, chills, undiscovered marine life - and an awful lot of mutton more...

Gobsmacked by the mackerels

Turtles are common in the Mackerel Islands – this loggerhead was encountered at the Rankin Road site Australia boasts a number of world-class dive locations and another can now be added to that list, says NIGEL MARSH – the incredible Mackerel Islands more...

Wall to wall sharks at Fish Rock

The toothy smile of a grey nurse shark Located off Australia's east coast is a small rocky outcrop called Fish Rock. Nigel Marsh knows it well, but for 20 years it was a source of frustration for him. Then things changed... more...

S is for south Australia

A diver passes as a couple of giant cuttlefish get to know one another. Shipwrecks, sinkholes, seals, sharks, sea dragons and "sneaky sex" - superb! Marie Davis goes on tour in South Australia more...

Join the jetty set

Sweetlips and old wives under Busselton jetty It's the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere and marine life adores it. Jane Wilkinson explores the enchanted underwater world of Australia's Busselton Jetty more...

Rare glimpse of a vanishing world

A cinema-grade lens dome provides Pawel Achtel with minimal distortion and optimal sharpness for the big screen. PAUL WALDEN joins JUSTIN GILLIGAN and a man with an enormous film camera to document one of the last remaining bastions of true wilderness - Raine Island and the Great Detached Reefs of Northern Australia more...

Superheroes in Dominica

Appeared in DIVER June 2013

 It’s good to go on a quest, and LISA COLLINS had decided that the walking batfish would be her unholy grail in the Caribbean island of Dominica.
But finding one wouldn’t be a walkover more...

Ain’t life Grand?

Resident silversides in the Devil’s Grotto A regular visitor to Grand Cayman, ALEX MUSTARD shares some tales from a recent visit to this classic scuba destination, bathed by the balmy waters of the Caribbean Sea more...

Grenada wreck guide

looking into the wheelhouse of the Shakem. Grenada has to be a top choice for wreck-divers seeking a Caribbean holiday. Now, over and above the call of duty, JOHN LIDDIARD has managed to dive and review most of its metallic offerings – 15 in all – in a week. Here’s his report more...

Peak condition

Two spotted moray eels on the reef Our Caribbean island choice this year is St Lucia which, according to LISA COLLINS, is having some success in looking after its underwater world
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Double D & the G-spot – to Thunderdome!

Grey reef shark Liveaboard-diving is hard to come by in the Turks & Caicos Islands, so DAN BURTON seizes the chance to visit some intriguingly named but under-explored dive-sites more...

Are you being served?

Part of the barracuda wall off Maratua If you’re shopping around for interesting marine-life experiences, the Makassar Strait off Borneo should be on your list. It’s not the easiest place to reach, but you can be assured of variety in store, says STEVE WEINMAN more...

Heavy traffic

One of the rays at Manta Run Here’s another Far Eastern location you may not have heard of before, but if you want turtles and manta rays in their hundreds, impressive macro-diving and even thresher sharks, consider hard-to-reach Maratua as a base, suggests JOHN LIDDIARD more...

Turtle escort far from home

We hear names like Tubbataha whispered, before the rave reviews start to trickle in.
John Bantin boards an outstanding liveaboard in the Philippines to learn more more...

The Far East diving hot-spots

The Far East looms ever-larger in diving lore because it ticks so many wish-list boxes, but how do you choose where to go – and where exactly are some of these much-vaunted locations? JOHN BANTIN provides a divers’ guide, and picks out some hotter-than-hotspots (*) more...

Critters of the week in Lembeh

pygmy seahorse JOHN LIDDIARD gets camera-happy on his first visit to the famous Lembeh Strait in Indonesia – but with such a dazzling array of subjects on tap, how do you focus in on your favourites? more...

Around the world Christmas

If you're one of those divers who never strays far from home and family during the festive season, do you ever wonder how your buddies might be spending theirs? Colin Mac Andrias finds out. more...

Get yourself some takeaway buddies

Wish you always had the same buddy, someone who cares about you and shares your interests? Wish your partner didn't complain whenever you wanted to go diving? Sign up your family, says JOHN BANTIN more...

Fidget Bones' diary

Long-haul flying can be stressful for divers, as Anne Butler finds, but it's all in a good cause more...

Fly-dive for pennies

Kicking off our holiday special issue, chavs do it, families do it, even people with two homes do it, let's do it, let's fly low-cost! Gavin Parsons find out where budget airlines can take a diver more...

Packing for travel

By way of introduction to this month's selection of 2007 holiday ideas, and with swingeing restrictions on airline baggage allowances ever in mind, John Liddiard shows us how to pack for a dive trip while staying within a 20kg limit reports more...

Koh Tao confidential

Divers on the wreck of the ex-Thai Navy vessel HTMS Sattakut Want to dive in the Far East but on a tight budget? Hoping to combine your holiday with competitively priced training? Choose your dive-centre well, and you could be on a winner in Koh Tao, says LISA COLLINS more...

Matching the wish-list

Green turtle Partial to a drop of Indian Ocean? The Seychelles are too often overlooked in the rush to the Maldives, says CHRIS MASON-PARKER more...

Atoll Explorer- It wasn’t rough!

More than just a liveaboard JOHN BANTIN discovers the ‘third way’ to dive the Maldives, in the company of a crowd that has been round the block and decided to take a bit of a breather more...

Feel inspired again at Angsana Ihuru in the Maldives!

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

 It’s during the cooler months of Autumn when we need to go in search of a little sunshine. Angsana Ihuru is that tropical, sunshine-filled island. Recently renovated, this is a boutique resort with a huge variety of experiences to inspire and excite guests, providing distractions needed once you’ve finished that book and thoroughly unwound from the pressures of normal life. more...

Hungover in the Maldives

Silver sweetlips sheltering from the current Exciting things go on in the Maldives’ fast-flowing atoll channels, but head for an overhang out of the current and you’ll be in excellent company, says JOHN BANTIN
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In the Lions' Den

Appeared in DIVER May 2013

 European visitors have still to catch up with the thrills offered by diving the Sea of Cortez. That’s surprising, say DAVID & DEBI HENSHAW, because sea-lions, whale sharks, manta rays and others mark this part of Mexico out as a world-class destination more...

Diver’s dream

Marine-life encounters can never be guaranteed, but July/August in Isla Mujeres usually finds the whale sharks out in force It was always whale shark images that captured MARTIN STRMISKA’s attention in diving magazines. Dreaming of intensive encounters with the biggest fish of the seas he travelled widely, but his dream came true only after many years of diving. Yours can too – in Mexico more...

ALTITUDE WITH ATTITUDE

Just what the world needs - another freediving record! But this is one with a difference, as world champion freediver Carlos Coste invites scuba diver Dan Burton to help him conquer one of the deepest - and highest - lagoons in the Andes Mountains more...

Hydro-massage in SAN BENEDICTO

The waters lapping the island of San Benedicto are the kingdom of the great oceanic manta rays. It is here that these creatures approach divers and do their utmost to initiate some gentle interaction with them. more...

Aquarium of the world

Mexico's Sea of Cortez is a popular destination during the European winter but, as Tim Ecott discovers, summertime diving can be combined with a camping safari on the island of Espiritu Santo more...

Simple pleasures of liveaboard life

the Jaya; The daughters of LISA COLLINS showed every sign of being the last people who would take to life on a rather basic ‘pirate’ ship in the Flores Sea. But the simple life can be seductive more...

A day in the life...

…of Red Sea safari dive guide MICHAEL ONKERS, who has been observing the behaviour of his guests in their waking hours more...

Liveaboard turnrounds

Liveaboard trips don't always get off to the best of starts. Sometimes the participants don't even feel like going.
But all that changes when the great diving kicks in, as a selection of our correspondents can confirm more...

What makes a liveaboard a world-beater?

Insist on the correct combination of factors and your floating holiday will be a pleasure - get it wrong and it could be a pain.
John bantin looks at winning dive-boats, and what to look out for when booking. more...

The world-beating liveaboards.

John bantin looks at winning dive-boats more...

Lošinj streak

A cave further along the wall from the Cathedral at Premuda leads to a dead end. Far right: Sponge-lined tunnel down through the overhanging lip of the Secca Margarina canyon, Susak Ninja crabs, big winds and thermoclines, caves, walls and the Tihany wreck – last September saw JOHN LIDDIARD sampling the diving off northern Croatia more...

Ionian fish ID ‘All Greek To Me'

Rocky islets bleached by the sun In common with many divers, NIGEL WADE reckons his fish-identification skills could be better. Packed off to mainland Greece to improve them, he hardly expected to be overwhelmed with biodiversity, but it always helps to get a good briefing more...

Strait run

Face to face with a pilot whale hanging just below the surface. Often these animals would turn belly-up, for better stereoscopic vision Recent summers have yielded rich results for STEVE WARREN and his filming team, as they get used to spending time with pilot and killer whales, tuna, dolphins, loggerhead turtles, sunfish and other big marine animals. The location, you may be surprised to hear, is not that far away – it’s Gibraltar more...

Where big-wreck divers feel at home

One of the many trucks on the lorry deck of the Zenobia Until the promised ‘marine zones’ materialise Cyprus diving will continue to revolve around the Zenobia – but it’s one hell of a wreck to revolve around, says JOHN BANTIN more...

Zen and the art of diving

Swimming along the outer corridor of the accommodation block The Zenobia wreck is synonymous with diving in Cyprus, and offers challenges for divers at most qualification levels. After enjoying a six-pack tour of the wreck, will a 15 litre tank still be enough to satisfy ELAINE WHITEFORD in future? more...

Tales of the Arabian Sites - Oman

Honeycomb moray eel at Blacktip Reef Beth & Shaun Tierney had a clear mental image of topside Oman in their minds – but would the diving reflect all that Middle Eastern promise? more...

Fujairah on the brighter side

If you had heard that the United Arab Emirates weren't much cop for diving, don't decide until you have tried the little-known east-facing one, says Steve Weinman. May the vis be with you... more...

A Visit to the Stubborn Islands

Islands of this sort shouldn't be there, the country is not known for its diving opportunities, yet as Erik Bjurstrom discovers, five cays off Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf are home to a teeming, breeding marine life more...

Back in Beirut

It doesn't leap to mind when you think holiday, but things have changed since Terry Waite and John McCarthy experienced extended stays here, says Paula Fancini. If you fancy a change, some challenging wreck-diving and valet-parking at the dive centre, put Lebanon's capital on your hit-list more...

Ships of the Desert

The quality of leisure diving in the UAE has received mixed reports. But with plenty of wrecks in prospect, John Liddiard went to Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah to check the state of these states, then on to the Musandam in neighbouring Oman more...

Gathering of the Sand Tigers

A North Carolina sand tiger shark surrounded by baitfish Diving a World War Two wreck and its inhabitants changed MIKE GERKEN’s life. The professional underwater photo-journalist, filmmaker and dive-boat captain explains how it came about more...

Nice wreck if you can get it!

A rather shy Goliath grouper JOHN BANTIN drops into quiet Palm Beach in Florida for some wreck-diving, but nothing’s ever easy more...

Scarface rising

The humpback whales are known for their displays at the surface, including breeching – this is Scarface Early spring brings a sea full of icebergs; summer finds thousands of whales migrating along the Newfoundland coast. ELINE FEENSTRA and photographer RENE LIPMANN are on what is billed as ‘the ultimate adventure quest’ – snorkelling with humpbacks and diving on some of the world’s best wrecks more...

Ding dong bell

Here’s a holiday idea from MIKE WARD that every coldwater wreck enthusiast should consider – Bell Island in Newfoundland.
These shipwrecks are a bit special
more...

In a land of giants

Sunflower stars (Asterias helianthoides) living in cramped conditions in BC Sue Daly travelled to British Columbia dreaming of encountering marine creatures big beyond her wildest dreams - but found some smaller pleasures along the way
more...

Coldwater giants

Wolf-eel – who says they’re ugly? The area of northern Norway made famous by the Maelstrom tidal race is home to colossal fish including wolf-eels and giant halibut. JAMIE WATTS has three days in which to locate them more...

Land of Fire & Ice

Massive tectonic forces create ruptures in the Earth crust. Filled with clear glacial water, they provide a spectacular place to dive! It’s a two-and-a-half-hour flight from the UK, but visiting Iceland is an elemental experience, and diving beneath it all the more so, says ELINE FEENSTRA. Photography by René Lipmann more...

Golden river run

Rays of sunshine find their way through the tangle of branches and leaves – the main river near the island A section of Austria’s River Traun offers unusual opportunities for divers, says Martin Strmiska, including ultra-clear vistas, exciting entries and drifts, and big fish more...

Soviet Atlantis

More green than red – Lenin ponders his new underwater existence In the old Soviet Union people were used to being watched by Big Brother. Divers in the Black Sea today are keeping up that tradition, but they enjoy it.
ALEXANDER KURAKIN pays a visit to Leaders’ Alley in the Ukraine. Photography by ANDREY NEKRASOV more...

I may be shallow but I'm happy

The armed bullhead, a bottom-dweller well-equipped to find food in the mud It's easy for divers to get fixated by depth, but Jonas Andersson is kicking back and enjoying the rich life found in the shallower seas of the UK and continental Europe more...

Diversity in Dumaguete

Appeared in DIVER May 2013

 giant pipefish roam the seagrass in pairs If you’re going to spend a holiday taking marine-life photographs, you might as well go where the subjects are abundant, diverse and weird enough to fascinate. JOHN BANTIN heads for the Philippines and goes all macro more...

Triangular treasures

Batfish on a wreck intentionally sunk for the benefit of divers JOHN BANTIN heads for the island of Mindoro, where an Atlantis resort provides a gateway to diving that seems almost casually world-class more...

Bismarck’s coral kingdom

Chevron barracuda and trevally are found on nearly every reef It’s how we imagine coral reefs to have been back in the day, before humans took a hand – NIGEL WADE think’s he’s gone to diving heaven when he hits New Britain in Papua New Guinea, and catches a liveaboard to parts where few others go more...

A wild & lonely place

Scalloped hammerheads Malpelo, way off the Pacific coast of Panama, is hard to get to and hard to dive – and life doesn’t get much easier when you’re back on the boat, says JOHN BANTIN, who is still reelin’ and rockin’. The sights, however, are spectacular more...

A twist in the tail

Thresher shark in the early morning at Monad Shoal. Think of thresher sharks and you may think of Malapascua. With good reason, says STEVE WEINMAN, but this Philippines hotspot is no one-trick island. Lead photo by Emery Oxford more...

What instructors do on their holidays

One of the shallower wrecks dived – the Aida What instructors do on their holidays
One of HMS Repulse's 4in gun turrets
540 nautical miles, 11 nationalities, five wrecks, four types of shark, 28° water, three square meals a day. A full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s hot and we’re wearing sunglasses! CATH BATES presents six days in the life of a gaggle of Sharm diving instructors, taking a busman’s holiday in search of some serious technical diving! more...

Characters of the Blue Planet & Red Sea

They’re the ones you remember from trips – the life & soul of the party on the boat, the co-operative dugong, the over-keen turtle or the in-demand Napoleon wrasse. JOHN BANTIN looks back on his latest trip more...

Into the labyrinth

Roots Camp in Abu Sauatir This may be a leap into the dark, but here’s a Red Sea travel idea with a difference – a serious cavern-diving holiday where beginners are more than welcome. DAN BURTON goes along for the ride more...

El Gouna

A surprisingly ill-prepared Andy Blackford arrives at the Red Sea resort town to find that they already have everything covered. more...

The end of the road - the Coloured Seas trip Pt 3

The huge military monument overlooking Sevastapol Continuing his motorcycle tour, JOHN KEAN hits an obstacle in the form of Russian bureaucracy, causes consternation in a filling station, dives a virgin lake found on Google Earth and experiences the Black Sea’s own Thistlegorm more...

Breakwater Fort by kayak

Kayaks are ideal for exploring those places between shore and boat-diving distance that divers neglect - extended-range shore diving, if you will. John Liddiard paddles out from Fort Bovisand more...

Portland with a cutting edge

A forecast of fine summer weather is like a beckoning hand, calling John Liddiard to spend a week diving the wrecks of Dorset more...

The crack of life

All life - well, a whole bunch of colourful British marine life - can be found on one shore dive in Cornwall. John Liddiard turns his attention to a very popular crevice more...

The Bill

Based in the South-east, don't want the hassle of organising a big UK dive trip, or simply don't have the time? Gavin Parsons believes he has the solution more...

Man trap

It has some great wrecks, and scenic diving good enough to seduce even John Liddiard away from the metal, at least for a while. And there's always the possibility of a basking shark encounter for those who feel like sampling the Manx experience more...