"I love scuba diving. I have always wanted to dive the [Great] Barrier Reef," Prince William said on Saturday while touring the areas of Australia affected by February's Cyclone Yasi.
"I will have to come back - maybe we'll have a honeymoon in Cairns [Australia]?"
Whether or not the couple does spend their honeymoon in Australia, Prince William did promise the crowd that he would be back to visit the country with Kate Middleton, who was absent during this visit.
DIVE boat owner Phillip Hobbs knows better than most that thousands of livelihoods depend on the Queensland tourism industry bouncing back - and fast.
"There has been some damage to the coral of the inner reef," the veteran Cairns-based operator admitted.
"It is murky and green in the water, but it is nothing we have not seen before. It will clear up."
Mr Hobbs, operator of Tusa Dive and luxury dive boat Spirit of Freedom, has an expedition of 20 divers headed to the Coral Sea today amid reports of increased fish activity following Cyclone Yasi.
Big fish including tuna, mackerel, swordfish, marlin and sharks are known to become particularly active after a cyclone - a rare underwater spectacle for divers.
But the images of destruction back on land which received wide coverage interstate and overseas, compounded by a heavy wet season, has reef trip directors working closely with overseas agents to avert mass cancellations.
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"This is not the first cyclone to go over the Great Barrier Reef and it won't be the last," Mr Hobbs said.
"Luckily most of us are unscathed and we need to get that message out."
Last week Queensland tourism operators began a campaign to hedge against major losses in the wake of devastating floods in central and southeast Queensland.
Despite experiencing some of the best dive conditions in 20 years, dive operators are specifically having to push through world news headlines to refute reports that the Great Barrier Reef has been destroyed.
Divers are raving about the visibility and weather conditions on the Great Barrier Reef, with at least one industry stalwart describing it as the best he’s seen in 30 years.
As these photographs from Mike Ball Expeditions show, it is a far cry from the flood ravaged image being reported overseas, with some newspapers claiming the Great Barrier Reef has been destroyed.
Mike Ball Diving Expeditions operator Mike Ball said the global coverage of the Queensland floods was having a negative effect on the Far North’s diving industry, despite the floods being at least 1000km away from Cairns.
Mr Ball said some tourists were under the impression there was a plume of muddy water extending from Brisbane up to Cooktown.
"The news is going out worldwide and it’s sort of compelling, the public gets the idea that Queensland’s under water,’’ Mr Ball said.
But on the Reef, the visibility, in particular, was extraordinary for this time of year. "Occasionally you can see the length of a football field or more,’’ Mr Ball said.
Talking Scuba host Bob Shoemaker speaks with Mike Bernard, owner of Mobile Divers LLC, about his mobile dive shop, divers d/lyte sport drink, upcoming dive trips, and rebreathers.
It's not often you see a scuba diving story in the Wall Street Journal, but here's a cool piece about an oil rig's second life as a hotel for scuba divers.
A onetime oil-drilling rig stands in crystal-clear waters dotted with tiny islands and their lush green hills. But most impressive is what's underwater—an amazing array of coral reefs swarming with hundreds of species of multicolored tropical fish, sea turtles and other aquatic life. The rig has been converted to a hotel for snorkelers and especially for scuba divers.
"The abundance of marine life is the best I've ever seen," with schools of big fish and without pollution or rubbish, said Craig Brown, a British electrical engineer and scuba diver vacationing on the rig for the second time in five weeks. Other divers agreed. (Mr. Brown's job, based in Dubai, involves surveying the seabed for potential oil deposits.)
The rig sits in the Celebes Sea, the part of the Pacific Ocean ringed by the island of Borneo, Indonesia and the Philippines. Getting here involves a flight to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia; another flight to Tawau, on the east coast of the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah; an hour's drive and an overnight in the tiny port city of Semporna; then an hour's boat ride to the oil rig, now called Seaventures Dive Resort.
WOW! How's this for a honeymoon suite with a view?
When it comes to honeymoon destinations, most newlyweds have set aside a nice little bundle for their ultimate getaway.
But a unique suite in the Maldives - while offering unbeatable views of the local marine life - is likely to eat up the entire average wedding budget, let alone the honeymoon accommodation costs.
Conrad hotels are offering a breathtaking suite at their Maldives Rangali Islands resort, which has to be seen to be believed.
Our hottest scuba diving t-shirt was donned by our buddy (and US Marine) Jonattan over the weekend, as he headed to Catalina Island for his open water certification dives with Malibu Divers.
Here are just a few photos from his first ever scuba adventure...
Eleven Florida divers recently became the first "Wreck Trekker" dive enthusiasts to complete nine wreck dives as part of the Florida Keys Wreck Trek Passport Program.
The dive challenge, developed by tourism officials and area dive operators, showcases the world-class diving destination's string of sunken vessels and artificial reefs, and awards participants for completing a series of wreck dives featured in a passport-style dive logbook.
Rocky Welch, manager of a diving and adventure sports outfitting company, helped organize the Florida dive group from areas around Tampa, Clearwater and his hometown of Pinellas Park.
Theirs was a unique itinerary, planned with Tavernier-based Florida Keys Dive Center and designed to include all nine wreck dives within one vacation.
However, participants in the Florida Keys Wreck Trek Passport Program also can make multiple trips to complete the dives in their passport logbook. The program continues through Jan. 1, 2012.
USA Today leads us into an upcoming National Geographic feature on the wonders and weird science provided inside the Bahamas' blue holes.
What lies below the Bahamas in the Caribbean? A veiled world of fossils, blind creatures and scientific riddles.
In next month's issue of National Geographic magazine, an international team of cave divers led by anthropologist Kenny Broad of the University of Miami reveals the mysteries hidden from vacationers' view.
The two-month expedition, paid for by the National Geographic Society, was merely a small slice of time in a years-long effort to uncover the secrets of this realm, which has been plumbed by researchers for at least three decades.
Only a few miles inland from the Bahamas' sparkling coral reefs, the islands' limestone boasts dozens of submerged caves, "blue holes," some of them hidden in what look like island swimming holes linked to the ocean.
But swimming holes they are not. The inland caves on five islands sport freshwater caps covering heavier saltwater layers, sometimes filled with clouds of poisonous hydrogen sulfide released by salt-eating microbes, acting to preserve whatever falls within. Others contain whirlpools powered by the tides.
"Cave diving is really about knowing your limits," Broad says. "But it provides one of the most amazing experiences in life, and the scientific opportunities are tremendous."
Competition, worldwide economic instability, and a series of natural and man-made disasters have contributed to a Cayman Islands dive industry that has found itself struggling to stay afloat.
It’s tough to stay on top.
Or to stay underneath - in the case of Cayman’s diving industry.
According to many who have been around the diving scene here on the Islands for decades, the game has changed. And Cayman hasn’t always been able to keep up.
“Our competitors in the Caribbean and worldwide have learned their lesson from our success and are going quite well,” said Ron Kipp, who owned Bob Soto’s Diving operation from 1980 to 2005.
Competition from other dive sites is just one of the many challenges facing the Cayman Islands dive tourism product as it moves into the second decade of the 21st Century. Many of these factors are outside the industry or even the country’s control.
Talking Scuba host Bob Shoemaker shares his amazing and humorous stories of a recent dive trip to Bonaire with a slightly more-intoxicated-than-usual Jim Norton.
Check out the latest episode from the guys over at Talking Scuba, where Bob Shoemaker and Jim Norton unite once again to talk about their recent dive trips and featuring and interview with Eilene Beard from Scuba Shack, whose charter boat WetDreams is now being used primarily to investigate the movement of the oil heading inland towards Pensacola, Florida.
In the latest episode from Talking Scuba, Cam Mactavish shares with host Bob Shoemaker exciting stories, dive experiences, and fantastic footage from his trip to Fiji.
If you love topical scuba diving, this is the episode for you.
Talking Scuba host Bob Shoemaker speaks with president and founder of SingleDivers.com, Kamala Shadduck, about her company’s website and the various trips she offers to buddy-less scuba divers.
The popular dive destination of Honduras is in the midst of a military coup, as soldiers ousted the democratically elected president of the Central American country this weekend.
The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation from governments in Latin America and the world — including the U.S. — and [Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez vowed to overthrow the country's apparent new leader.
President Manuel Zelaya was awakened Sunday by gunfire and detained while still in his pajamas, hours before a constitutional referendum many saw as an attempt by him to stay in power beyond the one-term limit. An air force plane flew him into forced exile in Costa Rica as armored military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of the Honduran capital and soldiers seized the national palace. "I want to return to my country," Zelaya said in Costa Rica. "I am president of Honduras."
The US State Department has since issued a bulletin concerning travel to and from Honduras.
Due to the current unstable political and security situation in Honduras, the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa recommends that American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras until further notice.
The Embassy advises American citizens residing in and visiting Honduras to remain in their homes or hotels for June 28, 2009, unless their travel is of a life or death nature, or a regularly-scheduled departure from Honduras, and to restrict travel to necessary trips only on June 29, 2009. There have been media reports of a possible curfew, but no such curfew has been announced. If such a curfew is announced by officials, the Embassy strongly recommends American citizens abide by it.
The U.S. Embassy has advised its staff to remain in their residences for June 28, 2009, and to restrict travel to necessary trips only on June 29, 2009.
As of 1700 local (1900 EST), there are reports of a demonstration at the Presidential palace, and streets in the vicinity of many government offices are blocked by police or military. In general, the streets of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are quiet. Reports from the rest of the country indicate that calm is prevailing.
Honduras’ borders remain open, and the airports remain open for regularly scheduled flights. Continental Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines continue to operate flights as usual, though this is subject to change; TACA has cancelled its flights for June 28. Those traveling with Continental Airlines may wish to call (504) 220-0999 (Tegucigalpa), (504) 557-4141 (San Pedro Sula), or 1-800-231-0856 (United States). Those traveling with American Airlines may wish to call (504) 216-4800 (Honduras) or 1-800-433-7300 (United States). Those traveling with Delta Airlines may wish to call 1-800-791-9000 (United States and Central America) or (504) 550-1616 (San Pedro Sula).
The Embassy again strongly recommends that U.S. citizens avoid large gatherings and do not try to pass roadblocks if they encounter them. U.S. citizens should monitor the situation via media sources, including TV and radio when possible, and via the internet.
The small island nation of Palau has made headlines as of late, after agreeing to absorb a group of Uighurs — Turkic Muslims from China's far western Xinjiang region — as part of the Obama administration's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Palau can probably stop worrying that the expected arrival of 13 Guantanamo detainees might scare off tourists.
The diving is just too spectacular.
Visitors to the remote Pacific nation famous for its tropical waters, dramatic coral and rich marine life said Thursday that they've discovered the best diving of their lives here and that nothing — even a group once branded as possible terrorists — could keep them away.
"It doesn't affect my decision at all," said Bruce Paggeot, 43, an American currently living in Singapore. "I'm sure the last thing (the Guantanamo detainees) want to do is cause problems."
According to some industry sources, it just might be.
"We believe the time has come for India to become a major force in the world of scuba diving. It has the potential of becoming a billion dollar industry over the next five years," said Rohaan Sulaiman, President Bangalore Dive Club, which will be launched on June 14.
Worldwide, the scuba diving industry, including the hospitality factor was estimated to be USD 47 billion, said Madhava Reddy, Founder Director of Planet Scuba India, a scuba diving inland centre, with a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) five star diving centre.
"Today the contribution of scuba diving may be miniscule, but in five years, with the plans under implementation, this adventure will be a significant contributor to sea-based tourism," he said. Information received also suggest that some prominent names were evincing keen interest in developing it.
Lack of resources and infrastructure could have been the reasons why the sport had not picked up ealier in India despite having a vast coastline, huge population and an economy that was growing, Reddy said.
India which had less less than five dive centres five years ago today boasts of 22 dive centres. "The number is expected to go upto 50 in three to five years" Reddy said.
If Turkey isn't on your dive destination list... why not?
Known for its cultural and historical heritage, Turkey is also full of prime diving spots, with the Antalya, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Mersin and Muğla coasts topping divers’ lists, according to the Anatolia news agency.
Sunken ships and underwater caves are highlights for divers in Turkey. Those at every experience level can explore the submerged vessel Paris, which lies on the seabed 33 meters off the Kemer Marina.
Antalya’s popular beaches of Lara and Konyaaltı offer convenient diving from land. The Gök Cave in Finike is among the deepest caves that can be dived in Asia and contains large halls and stalactites.
Ayvalık, the purported location of the fabled city of Atlantis, also presents unique diving opportunities, including the opportunity to see red corals. Güneş Island, Yuvarlak Island and the Kerbela Rocks are among the area’s important diving centers.
Sounds like a good possibility.
