underwater photography Archives - ETB Travel Photography

Four Days in Munda

Solomon Islands

After four weeks of island hopping in the South Pacific, I met my friends, Julie and Dustin, in the Solomon Islands. Because I had planned so much of my first four weeks in American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, I relied heavily on Julie and Dustin for planning in the Solomons. As a result, I knew very little about the country which gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.

The sovereign state includes six major islands and over 900 smaller ones. During our visit to the Solomon Islands, we began in its capital, Honiara, and traveled west through the Central Province to the Western Province with the Taka dive boat. Ultimately, we ended our journey in Munda.

EXPLORE

SCUBA Diving in the Solomon Islands

In Guadalcanal

After island hopping around the South Pacific for a month, I finally joined my friends, Julie and Dustin, in the Solomons. We originally met while snorkeling with the humpbacks eight years ago, and every few years we end up in another part of the world together, usually on a dive boat live aboard. After a few days in Honiara, we boarded the Taka along with 12 other guests.

Our pick up took place at 6pm at the Coral Sea Resort, though was slightly delayed due to the rainy weather. Lupa had us sign waivers in the pavilion while Adam coordinated both the transport of our bags in the tender to our boat, as well as the transport of the passengers. When the rain decreased to a sprinkle, the crew zipped back and forth in the tender, taking about four of us at a time to our home for the next week.

GO DIVING

Top Dive Sites in San Andres, Colombia

Top Dive Sites in San Andrés

I wasn’t sure what to expect for diving in Colombia. After reviewing Trip Advisor, the location of dive shops, and their websites, I contacted Banda Dive Shop in San Andrés. They confirmed that they offered two-tank morning dives with a surface interval on the boat which included water in a bag and a small snack. In addition, all equipment was provided. The boat included a small canopy, captain, and 1-2 bi-lingual divemasters for 8-12 people. The price, at around $65 per day, was far less than most diving locations around the world.

I arrived at the dive shop at 8 to fill out the paper work before the scheduled 8:15 departure time which morphed into 8:45. The paperwork was the most informal I had ever seen which basically included a waiver and a blank for my certification number. Illnesses and the number of dives were of no importance in Colombia. Continue reading “Top Dive Sites in San Andres, Colombia” →

Super SCUBA Diving in the Philippines!

Getting to the Philippines

What a great trip to the Philippines! Originally, I told my friend I didn’t want to go, but she asked me once more after her travel partner was badly injured in a car accident. I succumbed, but wasn’t terribly excited about it mostly because we were going all the way to the Philippines and not going to the most beautiful island in the world, Palawan, and also because I have been on a travel spree and was ready to be home to enjoy the summer in Denver.

My trip to the airport didn’t help my attitude. I missed the 8:12am train to the airport by seconds. I literally pushed the button for the door to open, and the train departed the station. So I patiently waited for the next train coming in 15 minutes except after 30 minutes it hadn’t arrived. Finally, an announcement over the loud speaker stated it would not be coming and shuttle buses would service the airport. Continue reading “Super SCUBA Diving in the Philippines!” →

SCUBA in Westpunt, Curaçao

SCUBA Diving

Another day…another day on the boat diving! Two tanks with yet another dive master and a trainee. The trainee was one of our divemasters the first day and not from the area. She had only arrived two weeks ago. I still wouldn’t say our divemasters were good, but we had some enjoyable dives at Mushroom Forest and Lagun. The highlights were probably the eels again. We found two next to each other which is somewhat rare, plus we spotted another one free swimming. Continue reading “SCUBA in Westpunt, Curaçao” →

SCUBA Diving and Sightseeing in Curaçao

SCUBA diving

We were back at GO West by 8am gathering our gear and loading it on the boat. We ended up with DIN tanks which is a set up we don’t dive. I found our divemaster, Miguel, who was much more helpful. He fixed the tanks, though one kept leaking so he had to replace it. I didn’t know there were two types of tanks on board, not counting air and Nitrox. Fortunately, we had the kind we needed yesterday as both of us only checked the tank we were diving first. Continue reading “SCUBA Diving and Sightseeing in Curaçao” →

SCUBA Diving in Cozumel

How to Dive Cozumel

Stay at the Fiesta Americana

Well the food, diving, and company never disappoint in Cozumel. And this time neither did the accommodations. The Fiesta Americana has been closed for the last year and a half for renovation and recently re-opened. The beach area was improved with a choice of restaurants…burgers at one spot and seafood at another. The pool and bar area featured hanging seats. Ping pong and pool tables offered some short-term fun at the small coffee bar. The rooms are airy and decorated in modern decor with nice bathrooms. We were all pleasantly surprised. Continue reading “SCUBA Diving in Cozumel” →

Visiting Male, Maldives

It would have been ashame to wake up before the sunrise and never snap a photo…I finally did…check!

Miyaru Kandu

Today marked our final day of diving. We only had two dives scheduled today as we had to comply with the 24 hour waiting period before we could fly. Our first dive was at Miyaru Kandu, another channel. Again we were looking for big stuff. I suppose those who really get excited over sharks and the like were disappointed as there was not much to see, so again we swam across the channel to the reef instead of dropping down to watch sharks circle. Continue reading “Visiting Male, Maldives” →

Sharks and Rays Swarmed in Epic Night Dive in the Maldives

Dive Sites in the Maldives

Kuda Rah Thila in South Ari Atoll

We took our usual ten minute journey to our morning dive site, this time, Kuda Rah Thila in South Ari Atoll. The boats rarely travel at night, thus our morning dive is generally positioned near the afternoon site we dove the previous day. This Thila had other small pinnacles next to it, so it made for nice wide swim throughs and was quite different from our continuous reef circling. Continue reading “Sharks and Rays Swarmed in Epic Night Dive in the Maldives” →

Searching for Whale Sharks in the Maldives

Dive Sites in the Maldives

Dhiga Thila

This morning we dove Dhiga Thila. It was a beautiful wall of soft corals, but before we explored the wall, we rested on the bottom and waited for sharks to come in. After a short time with no luck, we ascended to 60 feet or so and followed the reef along our left shoulder. Occasionally the sun shined down on the overhangs offering cool views. Continue reading “Searching for Whale Sharks in the Maldives” →