Diving in the Galapagos: a first-timer guide
The Galapagos Islands are a dream, a promise, an overwhelming expectation. The Galapagos Islands deliver. But don’t believe it …
The quest for the perfect drysuit
3 years and a half. This is the time it took me to finally acquire my very first drysuit. Here is the story of my successful/unsuccessful trials of my early years of drysuit diving and my tips to choose yours. Every time I jumped in the water wearing a new one it was full of learning toward one goal: feeling good underwater whatever extreme cold …
2 weeks in the Visayas: my ultimate itinerary for scuba divers
I thought I was going back to South East Asia by going for 2 weeks in the Philippines. But the Archipelago, located on the edge of the coral triangle, has a unique feel. I couldn’t help thinking I was in a baffling mix of Indonesia and Mexico. Colonised by the Spanish for more than 300 years from 1591 with the arrival of Magellan to 1898 when …
Diving Malapascua : playing hide and seek with the thresher shark
Going to the Philippines without indulging myself with some relaxing time on a paradise island? No, of course, that was not possible! But instead of going to overcrowded Bocaray, I decided to end my island hopping tour in the Visayas by Malapascua, the tiny island on the northeast tip of Cebu Island. Only 2km long by 1 km wide, the island of Malapascua is …
Muck diving paradise in Dauin, Philippines
Negros was the 3rd step of my island hopping tour in the Visayas in the Philippines, just before going diving in Malapascua. Surprisingly, I found out on the ferry between Tagbilaran in Bohol and Dumaguete in Negros that most travellers were stopping on Siquijor, the ‘island of the witches’, and not visiting Negros. Let me assure you that even if you are not a scuba …
Nemo 33: diving in the first deepest pool in the world
Have you ever thought you can also dive in a pool? Boring? It depends on the place! Nemo 33, near Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, is definitely an exciting place worth checking for when you can’t travel to warm tropical waters. At first, scuba diving in a swimming pool was not really on the top of my list of places I wanted to …
Blue hole mania: marketing or must-dive spots? A report from Belize
When I started scuba diving, I quickly heard about “The Blue Hole”. My first reaction “Ooh I have to go diving there!”. After some research, I realised there was more than one. So why the Great Blue Hole is so famous? From a tourism marketing point of view, this is an excellent brand but does it keep its promises? What can you expect to …
Diving in Costa Brava: a road trip from Barcelona to Cadaquès
If you like road trips with great food, fascinating architecture and history, here is an adventure for you: you can go scuba diving near Barcelona along Costa Brava while picking delicious food on the way. From Barcelona to Cadaquès, near the French border, you can diving in Costa Brava in 4 main areas while visiting 3 interesting towns. Evenly distributed on a total 140 …
Dive into history: underwater Pompeii in Pozzuoli, Italy
Since my archaeological surprises in Turkey, I should say I developed a keen interested in finding new destinations with archaeological diving experiences. While doing some research, I quickly spotted Alexandria in Egypt and Pozzuoli in Italy. While Alexandria requires specific authorizations, just before moving to Scotland, I decided, in less than a week, thanks to a reward ticket with my miles, to go to Naples …