Bucket List Diving

[KeithG]

Antarctica. Especially in the ultra-clear water near the end of winter.

my bucket list is more of a "what" as opposed to a "where". I have been to many places and have not yet seen everything. So I am happy going back again and again.

I want to see more squid. They are always on the list when we go to Bonaire. Bulldozer shrimp in Belize. Pipehorses in T&C., ...

P.S. There are no fish in antarctica. Nothing much to see other than krill and the odd penguin.

 

[gkrane]

Antarctica. Especially in the ultra-clear water near the end of winter.

Brrr. Not me.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Still want to see Coconut Octopus, Whale sharks and the cuttlefish aggregation site... oh and Leaffy Seadragons.. I seen lots of Weedy seadragons and even Pygmy seadragons but no Leaffies

 

[Johanan]

Galapagos. Rest of my list consists of themes rather than of destinations.
I'm sober enough not to list Antarctica ice diving, but icebergs in Greenland or elsewhere would be nice.
Whale sharks and mantas.
Any beautiful, spacious caves with good visibility and abundance of speleothemes.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I see many comments about California (Southern) kelp forests and sea lions. Southern California outer islands really does have some great diving.
I don't get out much. Besides Northern And Southern California I've only been to Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii for anything warm. I have a very long bucket list, probably longer than anyone here. Many of my buddies are always going to Coz or Bonaire or Curacao or some other exotic localle, they have the time and logistics. It sucks for me because I have to hear about how great all these places are and how I really should go. It sucks for me because I have the money but no time and logistics are bad plus a non diving wife that gets seasick, so far away liveaboards are out. It will be a while before we will be able to get away.
It's also been so long since I've flown internationally, I know a lot has changed and I suppose I will be in for a learning curve on the new travel rules.

But one thing that always comes up when I dive with my buddies here after they come back from one of their trips, and that is they always say they prefer the local diving in California over any other place they've been overall, except for the cold water. That makes me think, we all want what we 'ain't got but once you get it will it be what you thought?

Hawaii to me was OK but after about 5 dives I was kind of bored to be honest. Here I can't get enough. Even If I dove every single day in Norcal I still wouldn't get bored, the ocean here won't let you get bored.
I love to hunt and I'm a big seafood foody, I like to prepare all sorts of delicious seafood dishes from all the game I get, and so that's a big part of why Norcal has such a huge appeal to me. I'm willing to put up with bad vis, cold water, and rough seas for abalone and delicious lingcod.

 

[drrich2]

Eric:

I can only speak for myself. The closer a region is to where I live, and particularly if it's part of 'my' country, the more prone I am to identify with it, for it to feel affiliated, like 'home.' Perhaps not entirely unlike some people feeling kinship with local sports teams, at colleges they never attended, with athletes they never met? And there's the familiarity aspect. On the cynical side, there's the potential for 'sour grapes' views of distant, expensive places when you've got regional diving close at hand.

Richard.

 

[gkrane]

I see many comments about California (Southern) kelp forests and sea lions. Southern California outer islands really does have some great diving.
I don't get out much. Besides Northern And Southern California I've only been to Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii for anything warm. I have a very long bucket list, probably longer than anyone here. Many of my buddies are always going to Coz or Bonaire or Curacao or some other exotic localle, they have the time and logistics. It sucks for me because I have to hear about how great all these places are and how I really should go. It sucks for me because I have the money but no time and logistics are bad plus a non diving wife that gets seasick, so far away liveaboards are out. It will be a while before we will be able to get away.
It's also been so long since I've flown internationally, I know a lot has changed and I suppose I will be in for a learning curve on the new travel rules.





But one thing that always comes up when I dive with my buddies here after they come back from one of their trips, and that is they always say they prefer the local diving in California over any other place they've been overall, except for the cold water. That makes me think, we all want what we 'ain't got but once you get it will it be what you thought?

Hawaii to me was OK but after about 5 dives I was kind of bored to be honest. Here I can't get enough. Even If I dove every single day in Norcal I still wouldn't get bored, the ocean here won't let you get bored.
I love to hunt and I'm a big seafood foody, I like to prepare all sorts of delicious seafood dishes from all the game I get, and so that's a big part of why Norcal has such a huge appeal to me. I'm willing to put up with bad vis, cold water, and rough seas for abalone and delicious lingcod.

I have done quite a bit of San Diego diving and prefer the Caribbean destinations to So Cal by a very large margin. I almost have to sike myself up for cold water diving nowadays even if it is from a boat. Cold water shore diving is most likely not going to happen anymore unless one of my dive buddies plans a spearfishing trip.

 

[drbill]

Been to many of the places others have listed. Loved them all but Palau was the very best. Was there last spring and will be teaching two two-week courses in marine ecology there next April and May. Loved the diving in Philippines due to the diversity of critters to film. Prefer South Pacific and Asia over Caribbean due to greater biodiversity, but have dived Utila, Belize, Bonaire and Aruba. Tahiti was fantastic for sharks (Guadalupe even better, at least for GWS). Fiji for soft corals. Red Sea was very good as well for lots of interesting critters.

Bucket list involves hitting the two continents I have yet to dive: South America and Antarctica. Possibilities include Galapagos (obviously), Brazil (Fernando de Noronha or Abrolhas), Chilean kelp forests. I'd prefer diving the hot springs in Antarctica as I'm a wetsuit diver and "warm" water wussie. I've dived water temps in the 40s so I could tolerate that... not so sure about 28 F!

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Been to many of the places others have listed. Loved them all but Palau was the very best. Was there last spring and will be teaching two two-week courses in marine ecology there next April and May. Loved the diving in Philippines due to the diversity of critters to film. Prefer South Pacific and Asia over Caribbean due to greater biodiversity, but have dived Utila, Belize, Bonaire and Aruba. Tahiti was fantastic for sharks (Guadalupe even better, at least for GWS). Fiji for soft corals. Red Sea was very good as well for lots of interesting critters.

Bucket list involves hitting the two continents I have yet to dive: South America and Antarctica. Possibilities include Galapagos (obviously), Brazil (Fernando de Noronha or Abrolhas), Chilean kelp forests. I'd prefer diving the hot springs in Antarctica as I'm a wetsuit diver and "warm" water wussie. I've dived water temps in the 40s so I could tolerate that... not so sure about 28 F!

Awesome! So how does Philippines compare to Fiji for overall diving and photography? Price wise for us folks on the East Coast Philippines is a whole lot cheaper to get to and dive but would we be missing anything huge by not going to Fiji?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Eric:

I can only speak for myself. The closer a region is to where I live, and particularly if it's part of 'my' country, the more prone I am to identify with it, for it to feel affiliated, like 'home.' Perhaps not entirely unlike some people feeling kinship with local sports teams, at colleges they never attended, with athletes they never met? And there's the familiarity aspect. On the cynical side, there's the potential for 'sour grapes' views of distant, expensive places when you've got regional diving close at hand.

Richard.

I'm sure with me there's some of all the above.

I'll tell you what, If I didn't have any local diving I probably would be one of the ones that got certified for a trip, maybe did a few trips then dropped out a few years later because of family commitments/no time/to much hassle to travel to dive/too busy/the money thing, etc.
But since I do have local diving I'm the type that looks further and closer for things that keep it interesting. I've learned to make the most out of what I have and it doesn't take much to keep me amazed. I know divers that have hundreds of dives at the same spots and never tire of it. Max Bottomtime is a great example of that. He and Merry dive Old Marineland more than anyone in the world and they absolutely love it. They always find something new.

I think keeping the interest in diving has less to do with location and more to do with perceptive ability and learning to enjoy every drop out of any dive you do. I know people who have dived all over the world and are still bored. They're always looking for the big thrills and think that they need to see it all to budge their emotions. Perhaps they are setting themselves up for some disappointment. I think the joy of diving comes from within. If a person can tap into and capture that magical feeling like when they first put their face underwater and hold onto that, the location becomes less of an issue.
Armed with this attitude it also makes all the great places so much greater.


As far as my bucket list, I would start with the South Pacific. I don't know exactly where yet but when I finally do get away that's where I'll go. But true to my style it'll probably be somewhere isolated and completely DIY. I'll piece together a trip from scratch and look for places to dive way off the beaten path. I'll find small islands and give locals a few bucks to take me out to places they may know of, like they used to back in the 70's before all the operators and big hotels. I like wild and remote.