Dive Site: Los Erizos Wrecks (The Harbour Wrecks)

Location: Puerto del Carmen

Description: Wrecks

Length: 20 & 45 metres (65 & 150 feet)

Depth: 12 – 40 metres (40 – 130 feet)

Visibility: 15 – 20 metres (50 – 65 feet)

The site can be accessed from the shore, we did it from a rib. The top of the first wreck is at 12 metres and the bottom is at around 22 metres. A steel vessel with all the usual Canary Island fish in the area including rays, angel sharks, cuttlefish, barracuda, amber jacks and all of the wrasse family. Drop off the ledge to around 30 metres to two more wrecks that appear to be about flat now. Much wreckage. There are more wrecks in the immediate area.

Visibility: 15 – 40 metres (50 – 130 feet)

Located on the islands’ northwest point, the channel between Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan is probably the single most popular dive site on Nusa Penida and is regarded by many as the best. Its recognition comes because it is partially protected from the current and because the water is clear and the coral is rich. The topography here is very nice with some very attractive coral formations, big gorgonians and soft coral bushes. The fish life is excellent with both small and large species present in large numbers. Emperor and regal angelfish are common and triggerfish of many types and bright clownfish cruise the reef.

Snapper of several varieties, especially midnight snapper, are seen schooling here in phenomenal numbers and there are a great number of sweetlips. The larger reef residents include giant grouper, large parrotfish, moray eels, white tip sharks, giant trevally, big eyed jacks, barracuda and in deeper areas a chance encounter with the fabled ocean sunfish. The current often heads northeast but can sometimes be difficult to read. The easiest way is to drop into the middle of the dive site, starting on the reef at 6 metres then following the slope downwards to 10-15 metres. You can either head north or south, depending on conditions. The water can be very cold here.

Location: Catalina Island

Description: Kelp forest

Depth: 10 metres (30 feet)

Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)

Marine life consists of leopard and horn shark, Californian lobsters, black-eyed gobies, senorita wrasse, Garibaldi. One need to be careful for sharks who might make a surprise appearance from in and around the kelps which are in abundance.

Dive Site: Blue Shark Dive

Location: 15 miles from Avalon Harbour

Description: Shark dive

Depth: 0 – 10 metres (0 – 30 feet)

Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)

This dive gives a chance to divers to get closest to blue sharks and mako sharks. A cage is dropped down in to the sea and divers get to stay in the cage and they can have a sighting of what they have been waiting for.

Location: Plymouth

Description: Reef

Depth: 14 metres max (46 feet)

Visibility: 4 – 20 metres (13 – 65 feet)

Tinker’s shoal is a reef south of Plymouth Breakwater. The seabed is fairly rocky with large kelp growths, making it the home to lots of sealife. This is a great place to put newly qualified divers down on their own, being relatively safe and having plenty to see. There is a lot of treasure here in terms of objects that must have been cast out of the ships that have past through these waters to Plymouth over the years.

Dive Site: South Bay

Location: South Coast, Klein Bonaire

Description: Reef dive from a boat

Depth: 5 – 40 metres (15 – 130 feet)

Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)

This is a dive with lots of fish and coral. In the shallows there is a lot of staghorn coral and gorgonians and at the drop off there are also elephant ear sponges and anemones. We went along the reef at 15 – 20 metres and then came back at 5 – 10 metres. A wonderful place for photography.

Also can be found are French angelfish – which are particularly photogenic, boxfish, grunts, damselfish, filefish, anemones with shrimps, barracuda, parrotfish, jacks and groupers.

Dive Site: The Forest

Location: Southeast Coast, Klein Bonaire

Description: Reef dive from a boat

Depth: 5 – 40 metres (15 – 130 feet)

Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)

A very interesting dive. The coral on this dive is huge with massive purple stovepipes, gorgonian fans and plumes. The drop off begins at 12m and when you get deeper there is a lot of black coral and sponges. There are a lot of fish with snappers, jacks, French angelfish, queen angelfish (which are gorgeous), pufferfish and grunts. There are also Christmas tree and Indian tubeworms.

Dive Site: Thousand Steps

Location: North Bonaire

Description: Reef dive from a boat

Depth: 5 – 40 metres (15 – 130 feet)

Visibility: 30 metres (100 feet)

This dive is called 1000 Steps because if divers do it from the shore, they have to go down a lot of steps, which apparently feel like 1000.

This is a gentle slope with lots of gorgonians, brain corals, red crabs and sea plumes. There are lots of cornetfish. There are also giant blue parrotfish, surgeonfish, snappers and turtle in the open water. Also can be seen are rays and whale sharks here.

Dive Site: Tower

Location: Sharm El Sheikh

Description: Wall / drift

Depth: 5 – 30 metres (16 – 100 feet)

Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)

A drift dive and descent down a three-sided wall – hence ‘tower’. A shore or boat dive with a manta ray! Ideal for beginners who want a challenge.

Location: Straits of Tiran

Description: Offshore reef

Depth: 0 – 50 metres (0 – 165 feet)

Visibility: 25 – 35 metres (80 – 115 feet)

It is possible to dive the whole of this reef if a diver’s air consumption is good and the currents are kind. Can be a challenging dive as there are currents and counter-currents here with it being sandwich between Gordon and Woodhouse Reefs. At 35 m there is a canyon but that’s another story for tekkies. When the current picks up just let it take you because the counter-current will hit and slow you from 2 or 3 knots to a dead stop. Fin hard and you will get through it for an exhilarating dive. Keep close to the reef and shallow for the last part of the dive around the back and surface for you pick up.