WorldDiving.info

Text and photos by Pete Nawrocky

Imagine making a dive in clear water with no tides, currents or waves. Structure’s that are left over from the time the lake was a working quarry are specifically there for your enjoyment. Photographing fish that are bright colored and somewhat approachable will challenge the photographers abilities. After the dive you can enjoy a barbecue with your family. Located in Bethlehem Pa. Dutch Springs is a 47 acre lake that gives a diver the opportunity to discover the joys of fresh water diving. Most people think of Dutch Springs as a place for dive training and not much more. After spending time in the water it’s obvious this lake has so much more to offer, and the history of Dutch springs is a story in itself.

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Text and Photos by Steven Anderson

Fantasies come true when diving off the island of Roatan. The dreams of endless walls, moments from shore and clear blue water make this an underwater wonderland. Coral gardens of every type and gorgonians, seafans, sponge and soft corals are all part of this reef system which stretch the distance of the Bay Islands. The reef system is considered the second largest barrier reef in the world. Divers will find walls just a couple hundred yards off the shore that are home to huge barrel sponges, some large enough to fit an adult. Roatan is 30 miles off the northern coast of Honduras and 4 miles in width. The length of the island is 30 miles long. The terrain of the island is winding hills and jungle that are a beautiful shade of green. Other islands in the Bay Island chain include Guanaja and Utilla and these islands all share the same reef system. There are some 60 little cays that sit scattered throughout the island chain. Roatan is believed to have been discovered by Christopher Columbus and is the largest of the three settlements in this tropical island chain.

We chose Fantasy Island Beach Resort for our accommodations, located on the south side of the island. The resort covers 21 acres. This is a private island accessible through a security check point and entry bridge. Fantasy Island is by far the closest to a resort by American standards. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Nick Palandra, who is in charge of bookings and runs the U.S. office. Nick met us and organized all transportation and luggage transfer. All of our luggage was easily retrieved after its arrival at the resort.

Amalia Vidal, is the General Manager for the resort. Amalia manages the resort with a hands-on approach and speaks to each guest upon arrival as they check in. The resort is a two story wood frame structure. The main building consists of the lobby and bar on the lower level and restaurant on the upper level. The guest rooms are situated on both sides of the main lobby, and they too are two story structures. All rooms are very spacious and clean and have either a balcony or patio. Each room is equipped with Satellite TV, phone, small refrigerator and ceiling fan. The air conditioning worked very well and there was always hot water and lots of water pressure for showering. Meals are served 3 times daily, and they are served buffet style with a wide assortment of choices. We found the food to be really good and unlike some of the other resorts we have visited.

The diving operation is a divers dream with 6 dive boats venturing out 3 times daily, 9:00am, 11:00am, and 2:30pm and in the evening there is one boat which takes divers out for a night dive. The resort has a photo shop on the premises and a dive shop. Instructors are available for training courses. Diving may also be done from a Gazebo at the waters edge, where lines are placed to lead divers to a shipwreck and airplane wreck just off the hotel. It’s also a perfect spot for night diving.

The dive shop does put full tanks out for all who wish to try this added attraction. This particular dive is perfect for a checkout dive and boasts of a shipwreck and airplane wreck. Overseeing the dive operation is veteran diver, Robert Melendez, who took very good care of us and all the divers visiting the resort. The resort is also equipped with a doctor and with one of two decompression chambers on the island for diving emergencies.

Our first morning, breakfast was served at 7:00am. After breakfast, all arriving divers were requested to attend an orientation for the dive operation’s introduction to the week of non-stop diving. A briefing on what the dive operation has to offer and expectations of each visiting diver. Directions for claiming a locker, rinsing equipment and boat departures were all discussed in the orientation. After the orientation, we were off for our dive gear and the fantastic week of diving.

While in Roatan we logged 17 dives. Our goal was to dive 3 times daily. Our first day of diving was much like we anticipated it would be…fantastic! All of the wall diving is done a couple hundred yards form shore. Dives were always started on a shallow reef where there was a mooring and if a mooring was not available we would start the dive by drifting and finishing the dive at the mooring once another visiting dive boat was finished. Divers will see by the use of a mooring how preserved and beautiful the reefs are. Coral gardens, which covered large areas with sandy patches in-between, would lead to the walls with just a few fin kicks. Swimming along the walls was just effortless and amazing. The fish life, other than the deepwater tropical fish such as Blackcap Basslets, Royal Grammas, and Creole Wrasse, was not the same as the fish life on the reefs.

There were a few exceptions during the week such as Juvenile Spotted Drums, French Angelfish, and Queen Angelfish on the wall, but most of the beautiful fish were found on the reef. Large lobsters and crabs were found on every dive, positioned in the holes and cracks in the wall. Sponges of every type were seen. Basket and Barrel Sponges hung from the side of the wall. There were Seafans, Gorgonians, and Black Coral attached to the walls and enjoying the flow of clear and clean water. We saw several Moray Eels that were residents along the wall and they were very photogenic and were always very curious.

All of the diving was great with the best being the well known dive site, Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place is the site where a split was created during prehistoric volcanic activity. This movement created an elbow shaped split in the wall, and now is a maze which measures some 12 feet wide and in most places 100 feet deep. The walls of the split are covered with Azure Vase Sponges, Orange Elephant Ear Sponges, and Rope Sponges. There are huge bushes of Black Coral and deep water Gorgonians that make their home on the walls outside and inside of the split. This dive is definitely a must and is part of the dive program with Fantasy Island Resort. Visibility was never less than 80 feet and there were a couple of sites where the visibility was 100 feet. The water temperature was always in the 80s and the air temperature was near 90 degrees on the surface during the day.

Towards the end of the week, we ventured out for a shark dive, which we booked through the Fantasy Island Resort Dive Shop. The company we used was called Waihuka Shark Diving. Their Zodiac for 12 divers was small, but the dive was large and action packed to 70 feet on a reef called Cara Cara, (which means “face to face”). The water temperature there was about 10 degrees cooler where these cold blooded animals live. I lost count of the Reef Sharks, ranging in all sizes, and all of them female. There were several large grouper and jacks which joined in the feeding frenzy as well. This dive is definitely a must when visiting the island of Roatan.

The last full day, we were able to dive in the morning the two scheduled dives. That afternoon, we spent enjoying a Canopy Tour, which was arranged by Fantasy Island Resort tour desk. We traveled through the jungle, connected to a 5/8 inch steel cable and harness high above the trees and bush on 13 different zip lines. The longest was 1,200 feet. This was quite a lot of fun and took the depression of no more diving away.

Fantasy Island Resort has a lot to offer at the surface as well. There are two beautiful beaches with beach volleyball and kayaks. A swimming pool, basketball, lighted tennis courts, and a Natural Zoo that would be fun for the whole family. Roaming around are playful monkeys, peacocks, iguanas and agoutis. There are even quiet hammocks in the shade for reading or napping. The tour desk also has many excursions to offer from Dolphins and shopping, to bar hopping tours.

The week was fun and a great diving experience was had. We were treated well by all resort and dive shop staff. We’d recommend Roatan and Fantasy Island Resort to families, non-divers, and divers alike. We’re already planning a return trip!

Onboard with Provo Turtle Divers

by David Miner

Seven thousand foot walls with deep blue, crystal clear water and magnificent corals, sponges, and marine life awaken a kindred ocean spirit in all divers who beckon to take the plunge. The Turks and Caicos Islands are tucked away on the border of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, just north of Puerto Rico and southeast of the Bahamas. White limestone peaks project from the water creating odd-shaped islands, which cater to our terra-firma designed bodies, but also creating magical, deep walls just offshore to satisfy our need to submerge below the waves and dive some of the best walls anywhere in the world. The Turks and Caicos Islands are a wall diver’s dream come true.

If you’ve never done a wall dive, then dropping into the water and swimming out over a wall, especially one that drops to 7,000 feet deep, is an exhilarating experience. The water is so blue in the Turks and Caicos that the deeper you look down the wall, the blacker the water gets. In some places, the walls are so vertical that it looks like you’d drop straight to 7,000 feet if you dumped all the air in your BC. In other places, the walls stair step slowly with ledges, overhangs, and outcroppings making for interesting exploration.

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 Some of the world’s best, high voltage scuba diving

by Bill Beard

 

Cocos Island in the East Pacific is the largest uninhabited island in the world, it’s remote, wild and an excellent diving location. Cocos is located 300+ miles south-southwest of Costa Rica, accessible only by boat. The area is dived only by liveaboards and there are no places to stay on the island. You will likely see hordes of hammerhead sharks and dense populations of pelagic and reef fish, turtles, many types of eels, starfish and even a rare frogfish. You will see hundreds of marble rays, white tip sharks and lobster. Here, on Cocos, the fish population has been allowed to grow in harmony with the natural balance of the food chain, which is why such a great diversity and quantity of sea life is prevalent. It’s probably the best place in the world to go diving with sharks. Absolutely no problem with crowds of other divers and all the lliveaboards are excellent.

 

 

Dive Sites

Alcyone
At a depth of 150ft (46m), this roundish mound of barren rock looms up from the sandy bottom, creating an eerie feeling. The highest point is at a depth of 80ft (25m). It is home to the largest and most seen hammerhead shark schools in Cocos.

Dirty Rock
Every kind of marine species affiliated with the Cocos area seems to be attracted to this rock.

Submerged Rock
Underwater, this rock plunges down both sharply and gradually. It is broken up with large ledges, some with sandy bottoms, and an outer pinnacle. The colorful, prolific fish life gives relief to the harsh contours of the reef. Sometimes the fish gather in such numbers that they momentarily blot out the sun.

Sharkfin Rock
During a dive, it is quite possible to go around the entire rock. The island side harbors whitetip sharks and marble rays, at times, lying on the sand. The jack schools tends to congregate on the outer side, where there is often some current.

Dos Amigos Grande
Cocos offers many thrilling dives but this is the most spectacular underwater vista. As you near the end of the wall, an enormous deep archway will appear. The sun pours through from above, and schooling fish, suspended in the entrance, are shrouded in limestone. Inside this subaquatic cathedral the walls seem to come alive. Light dances off every surface and the mass of fish and sharks tease and tantalize the eye as well as the camera lens.

Small Dos Amigos
This, the other of the two islands, is similar in appearance above water to its brother, but not below. Here some large snappers are so huge that they make the whitetip sharks look insignificant.

Manuelita Outside (West)
Lurking among the boulders of this dive are moray eels, lobsters, turtles, and a variety of vividly colored fish, such as blue-stiped snappers, trumpetfish, squirrelfish and hawkfish. Whitetip and hammerhead sharks circle around above and below.

Manuelita Inside (East side)
This site offers a tremendous variety of fish: jacks, rainbow runners, milkfish, grunts, goatfish, snappers, parrot, butterfly, puffer, box fish and turtles to name a few.

Manta Ray Corner
There is a rock off this point where the constant choppy sea sends up clouds of spray on impact. Here, beneath the surge and churning sea, is a dive that offers a chance of manta ray encounters.

Marble Ray Point
So far, this is one of two places on Cocos Island where marble rays rest motionless on the bottom in a group. If approached correctly, they will allow a diver to get quite close. This is an ideal spot to study their behavior and take some pictures.

Chatham Bay
During the day, butterfly and damsel fish are a few of the fish that can be seen roaming the reef for food. This would certainly be a good snorkeling and night dive spot.

More Information: Cocos Island lies in an Intertropical Convergence Zone. This zone is where the weather patterns of the two hemispheres converge near the equator. Here North and Southeast trade winds meet with the north and south equatorial currents. The warm north and south equatorial currents run in a westerly direction, which helps create a humid climate. While between the two, the counter equatorial current runs in the opposite direction. Ascending nutrient rich waters with these currents as they converge.

This high rainforest-clad island, with diverse currents and weather patterns, is rarely seen without some kind of cloud cover and receives 18-24ft (6-8m) of rain annually.

The dry season is from January-April, and the wet season is June-December. Torrential rain and beautiful sunny skies can be expected throughout the year.

Water temperatures are variable, but basically run between 74-87°F (23-30°C). Temperatures can vary dramatically with depth. Nearer the surface the water is warmer and deeper down it gets colder quickly. Air Temperatures range rarely fall below 75°F (20-33°C). It is hard to imagine good underwater visibility associated with an area of such high rainfall but, in fact, it has little effect.

 

 

 For more information and reservations call 877 853-0538 or e-mail costarica@diveres.com Be sure to talk to our agents about some land tours in Costa Rica either before or after your Cocos Island trip. We pick up and drop off at the boat in Puntarenas.

 

To read more about Cocos Islands. Go To: http://www.billbeardcostarica.com/php/Cocos/index.php

by David Miner

Dry Tortugas: A Unique Diving Experience
Onboard the Ultimate Getaway for some truly ultimate diving!

What does a 100-foot live-aboard boat, big reefs, cavernous swim-throughs, big schools of fish, lots of corals and sponges, and awesome critters have in common…Dry Tortugas diving. Diving in the Dry Tortugas is much different than diving anywhere else in the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, the Florida Keys, or even areas of the Caribbean.

The Dry Tortugas are located approximately 70 miles west of Key West, Florida and are made up of a cluster of seven coral reefs. These reefs along with surrounding shoals and waters make up Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is known for its marine life and bird life and is home to one of the oldest and largest 19th century American coastal forts, named Fort Jefferson.

 

 

Team Divingindepth.com went aboard the Ultimate Getaway for a three-day and three-night diving adventure. There are only a few diving operators that take trips to the Tortugas due to its distance. The Ultimate Getaway out of Ft. Myers, Florida was our choice. The Ultimate Getaway is 100-foot converted crew-boat that sleeps 20. The crew prepares all of your meals, fills your tanks with air or nitrox after every dive, and takes care of your every need. You can’t go wrong with this outfit as their laid-back crew and unlimited dive sites fill your days with a lot of fun and excitement. You can expect to dive anywhere from 5 to 7 times a day, so you better make sure you have a dive computer for this live-aboard (they have them for rent if you don’t). The meals are great and the snacks in between dives are just what you need to keep diving. There are four complete heads (bathrooms), five hot water showers, two bunkhouses with a total of 20 bunks, a TV and DVD player, 120 VAC outlets to charge your camera batteries or run your laptop, and the boat is air conditioned to keep you cool and comfortable. A big diving platform and two large ladders make getting back on the boat easy, even if it’s a little rough. Whether you’re interested in underwater photography, spearfishing, or just want to go sight seeing, the Ultimate Getaway has you covered. Trips are typically planned over a three-day and three-night itinerary making it a great way to escape for a long weekend for some fantastic diving.

 

We departed the dock at 7 PM Thursday evening for the 10-12 hour trip to the Tortugas. It’s a great way to sleep…underway to a great diving location, knowing that when you woke in the morning, you’d be onsite for the first dive of the trip. The hum of the engines and the slow rocking of the boat make for a great night sleep…not to mention that you’re on vacation so you can just relax!

 

Friday morning we awoke to Captain Rick announcing over the PA system our arrival to the first dive site, the Avanti wreck. Everyone scampered out of their bunks and made their way to dive deck anticipating the dive and dives to come. The plan was for two dives BEFORE breakfast, with snacks in between to hold us over. The day was starting out right!

 

With half-awake look on our faces, everyone suited up while the crew explained the dive site. The Avanti wreck (also known as the French wreck) is in a shallow 10 to 20 feet of water but is spread out over fairly large area allowing everyone to spread out and enjoy. This is considered the shakedown dive to get everyone warmed up and for the crew to evaluate all divers before heading to the deeper and bigger sites. The wreck is shallow and an easy dive, but there is a lot to see. Large schools of chubs, yellow tail snapper, and grunts cover the area. Huge brain corals, sea fans, and other soft and hard corals grow throughout. We spent an hour scouring the area making sure we didn’t miss anything. It was great way to start the day and the trip. We knew the diving would only get better from here.

All aboard, Captain Rick steered the boat towards the next dive site while we all polished off some snacks and the crew filled our tanks for the next dive. Within 30 minutes, we were moored to our next dive site named Oops and were ready for some more diving. Oops gets its name from Captain accidentally finding the site while trying to go to another. It was a great find and perfect addition to the dive site list.

Oops is a pinnacle (very large mounds and spires of coral jetting from the sandy bottom) starting at 40 feet and dropping to 65 feet deep. Almost all of the dives we did were on these pinnacle coral reefs, which are truly amazing and what makes the Dry Tortugas so unique from the other reefs and dive sites in and around Florida and parts of the Caribbean. The mooring lines are typically anchored on top of the reef. Upon swimming out in almost any direction from the mooring, the reef drops away to the sandy ocean bottom creating wall-like structure, huge overhangs, ledges, cavernous swim-throughs into and out of the pinnacles, and awesome structure providing homes to hundreds of species of fish, corals, sponges, and larger critters. Oops had it all with sittings of king mackerel, a nurse shark, large corals and sponges, and schooling fish. With more great pinnacle dives to come, this was only our warm up.

 

With breakfast consumed, two dives under our belt, and the clock reading only 10:00 AM, we new this live-aboard was all about diving…just to our liking.

 

The trip we joined for our adventure was geared towards the underwater photographer or videographer or for those who just wanted to sightsee. There was no spearfishing allowed because we were diving in the park’s sanctuary boundaries, where everything is protected. It was great to see larger grouper, snapper, and hogfish cruising about…something that is seen much less outside the sanctuary. For Ultimate Getaway’s spearfishing trips, the dives are all conducted outside the sanctuary and Captain Rick has some great spots.

 

We made four more dives on Friday on other great pinnacles. Dive sites like 1AXXX, Awesome, and 2BPINN are some of the greatest spots in the Dry Tortugas to dive. Big overhangs, ledges, walls, and swim-throughs create the spectacular topography with visibility of 50 to 80 feet, and with the plentiful and beautiful reef life that covers the amazing structure, you don’t want the dives to end. With each tank we were stretching our bottom times to the max trying to get as many extra minutes as possible to explore and not miss a thing. Each dive was averaging 45 to 60 minutes with depths ranging from 45 to 85 feet. By diving nitrox and a dive computer, we were able to take advantage of every available minute of our dive. By the end of the day we had completed six dives and had been underwater for about five hours… a truly great day!

 

With dinner in our bellies and after a great dessert, everyone enjoyed the evening by relaxing on deck with a beer or glass of wine or watched a movie in the salon. The sun set over this truly beautiful area closing out our first great day of the trip, and before long everyone had retired to his or her bunks to get some much-needed sleep.

 

On Saturday morning we awoke to another Captain’s call stating that we were dockside at Fort Jefferson. With a couple hours to check out the Fort, we stepped on terra firma for at look into the past. Fort Jefferson construction began in 1846 and continued for 30 years, but the Fort was never completed. During the Civil War, the fort was used to house Union prisoners and was abandoned by the army in 1874. Fort Jefferson was named a national monument in 1935. The Fort encircles the entire island and is impressive in its size and scale, considering it was built so long ago on an island 70 miles for the nearest shoreline. The Fort is under renovation today in hopes to preserve this piece of history and is a must-see on any trip to the Dry Tortugas. It’s a beautiful area with some spectacular views from the top of the Fort walls. Don’t forget your camera on this one.

 

Saturday’s dives didn’t begin until around 10 AM, so we figured another day of six dives was probably out of the question, although, a night dive was planned still making it possible.

 

Our first dive site was OZ. OZ is appropriately named because it was a truly amazing dive site and was one of the top two dives of the trip. OZ was another pinnacle dive, but on a larger scale than what we’d seen so far. Giant coral mounds, incredible and extremely fun cavernous swim-throughs, Goliath grouper, spotted moray, tropical fish of every shape, color, and size, and visibility of 60+ feet held our attention for another 60-minute dive. Make sure you ask for this dive on your trip.

 

Our diving continued throughout the day with 45 to 60 minute dives and 45 to 60 minute surface intervals keeping us on track to get another six dives in for the day, especially since a night dive was planned. Dive sites like Bat Cave, Alice, and Ultimate Pinnacle were on the days order.

 

Bat Cave was another “OZ” dive and also landed in the top-two dives. It was hard to decide which one was better. More awesome swim-throughs, a nurse shark, anemones, and beautiful corals and sponges kept our heads below water racking up more and more bottom time.

 

Alice was a drift dive. There was little current so groups went in several different directions, but we all ended up back on the boat safely. Alice is a very unique dive as the bottom is basically a carpet of corals that goes on and on. It’s pretty flat in most places but offers many holes and nooks for critters of all kinds. Alice is dive like no other on the trip.

 

Ultimate Pinnacle was just that, ultimate, and was the deepest dive we did in the Tortugas. The top of the reef was at 65 feet and dropped to 90 feet. Our bottom was much shorter due to the depth and amount of residual nitrogen already in our bodies, but that didn’t stop us from having a great dive and seeing the reef. Permit, goliath grouper, king mackerel, jack crevalle, and a very large and beautiful spotted drum were just some of the many fish making this reef their home. A massive school of rainbow runners encircled us on two separate occasions making for a truly memorable experience. They whirled around us like a tornado and then swam off as if they were greeting us on their reef, saying Hi, and then moving on.

 

By dinner we had five dives under our belts and were moored back at OZ for the night dive. This would be the last dive in the Tortugas, as when we surfaced, Captain Rick would be steering the boat towards home, although there were still two dives planned in the morning on our way back.

 

The night dive on OZ was very cool. The reef looked a lot different at night, but a good different, as it offered a view of the reef only via our lights. Staying more on top of the reef, it was easy to spot the many lobster popping from their holes. In just a small area, there were around six lobsters of various sizes, one being rather large.

With the Tortugas part of the diving over, there was one last night to enjoy. The boat got underway for a six-hour journey towards home and our morning dive sites, the shipwreck of the Baja California and a military tower. Each of these dives is planned for the final morning of the trip and is a great way to finish out a dive packed weekend. From there, it was another 5 to 6 hours back to the dock, where we arrived around 5 PM, Sunday afternoon. Three full days, 14 great dives in a beautiful area, a great crew, good food, and most of all, a lot fun, sum up this trip.

 

If you’re interested in diving a very unique and exciting area and enjoy live-aboard diving, then the Dry Tortugas and the Ultimate Getaway are a must. For more information about the Ultimate Getaway, go to www.ultimategetaway.net, or call them at 1-866-474-2069, or email them at rick@ultimategetaway.net.

For more information about the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson go to:
http://www.drytortugasinfo.com/
http://www.nps.gov/drto/