circusoflife
Contributor
Not sure if there is a pre-existing thread...but here goes...
Interested to hear which dive sites (Not general location) have been the most memorable for you in terms of that "sense of adventure" and why. Maybe they aren't the most beautiful, unique, favorite, etc...but for whatever reason....they stand out in this way. Some of these I would do again, some once is enough.
It will differ based on your own set of past experiences (Less experience --> more fear/going into the unknown) and place in time & space I reckon / frame of mind.
Here are some that come to mind:
1) Chacmool Cenote (Temple of Doom) - Tulum, Mexico
Only dove as a cavern, not a cave - not sure how deep this goes. But the entrance to this requires one to lug their gear through a little bit of jungle, then there is this big hole surrounded by forest -- see photos. You jump in then descend into near darkness, then you swim around and get to experience going above and below a thermocline as well before going up the ladder.
cenote chac mool cavern diving playa del carmen, riviera maya
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/gerb/185493887/
¡Bolsa Bonita!: Temple of Doom
2) Blue Corner, Palau
Deflating your BC, hooking into the reef, and then reinflating it into a very strong current and seeing the fish and sharks swim by....yeah! And the Eagle Ray. schools of barracuda, etc..when surfacing...sensory overload.
3) Koh Ha Islands - near Ko Lanta, Thailand
After a several hour (2-3?) boat ride, these forbidding looking rocks just appear out of nowhere it seems. This was the longest boat ride I ever took for an individual dive site in a -- day trip -- at the time (And maybe still is) - and the site of them as we approached was definitely of the "sense of real adventure" variety. I might have even thought King Kong lived amongst these rocks. Underwater is very nice...but the first sight of the islands left a stronger impression with me.
http://www.lantainfo.com/images/ko_ha/ko_ha_big_photo.jpg
4) Balicasag Island - near Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Philippines
Semi-strong currents amidst incredible soft coral beauty, color contrast, and "fall colors" made this a memorable dive.
Truly another "world" I felt this could have been the equivalent of a New England / Napa Valley fall color drive.
5) Apo Island, Philippines
Amazing soft coral and colors everywhere...as far as the eye could see in some places. Another "world." Ran low on air too...and had to borrow Nitrox from one of the divemasters.
[video=youtube;wwVYSpujw4Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwVYSpujw4Q&feature=related[/video]
6) Peleliu Express, Palau
A very fast drift dive, with tons of scenery gradually sloping downward....
Interested to hear which dive sites (Not general location) have been the most memorable for you in terms of that "sense of adventure" and why. Maybe they aren't the most beautiful, unique, favorite, etc...but for whatever reason....they stand out in this way. Some of these I would do again, some once is enough.
It will differ based on your own set of past experiences (Less experience --> more fear/going into the unknown) and place in time & space I reckon / frame of mind.
Here are some that come to mind:
1) Chacmool Cenote (Temple of Doom) - Tulum, Mexico
Only dove as a cavern, not a cave - not sure how deep this goes. But the entrance to this requires one to lug their gear through a little bit of jungle, then there is this big hole surrounded by forest -- see photos. You jump in then descend into near darkness, then you swim around and get to experience going above and below a thermocline as well before going up the ladder.
cenote chac mool cavern diving playa del carmen, riviera maya
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/gerb/185493887/
¡Bolsa Bonita!: Temple of Doom
2) Blue Corner, Palau
Deflating your BC, hooking into the reef, and then reinflating it into a very strong current and seeing the fish and sharks swim by....yeah! And the Eagle Ray. schools of barracuda, etc..when surfacing...sensory overload.
3) Koh Ha Islands - near Ko Lanta, Thailand
After a several hour (2-3?) boat ride, these forbidding looking rocks just appear out of nowhere it seems. This was the longest boat ride I ever took for an individual dive site in a -- day trip -- at the time (And maybe still is) - and the site of them as we approached was definitely of the "sense of real adventure" variety. I might have even thought King Kong lived amongst these rocks. Underwater is very nice...but the first sight of the islands left a stronger impression with me.
http://www.lantainfo.com/images/ko_ha/ko_ha_big_photo.jpg
4) Balicasag Island - near Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Philippines
Semi-strong currents amidst incredible soft coral beauty, color contrast, and "fall colors" made this a memorable dive.
Truly another "world" I felt this could have been the equivalent of a New England / Napa Valley fall color drive.
5) Apo Island, Philippines
Amazing soft coral and colors everywhere...as far as the eye could see in some places. Another "world." Ran low on air too...and had to borrow Nitrox from one of the divemasters.
[video=youtube;wwVYSpujw4Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwVYSpujw4Q&feature=related[/video]
6) Peleliu Express, Palau
A very fast drift dive, with tons of scenery gradually sloping downward....
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