Kurt Kucera

Scuba Diver, Car Enthusiast, Outdoorsman

The Best Scuba Diving Spots for Kids

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Scuba diving with your children can be a thrilling adventure and a wonderful family bonding experience. Together you’ll explore vast underwater worlds and make memories that can last a lifetime, but you have to consider your kid’s physical limitations.

With that in mind, these locations are all highly accessible and offer plenty of undersea adventure regardless of diving level.

Bonaire

Bonaire, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, is the perfect locale for a family diving trip. It features a host of shore-diving options, which makes entering the water easy for children. Kids will love scouting for sea turtles and be amazed at the size of the massive tarpon that lives off the coast. Additionally, the seas are calm, and the current isn’t strong, so parents can relax and focus on enjoying the adventure.

Belize

Belize is home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world, making it a world-renowned scuba diving spot. There’s a host of sea creatures to search for, including the exotic rock beauty angelfish and stingrays. Another location with calm seas, the lack of current here makes diving a breeze, even for children who aren’t the strongest swimmers. Belizean diving is so great, it’s even recommended by Margo Peyton, the president of Kids Sea Camp and Family Dive Adventures.

Bermuda

Famous for its long stretches of pink-sand beaches, Bermuda is another wonderful dive spot for kids. The water here is crystal clear, so parents can always keep a watchful eye on their children, and visibility won’t hinder wildlife exploration. Parents will also love the fact that the water is relatively shallow near the coastline, only around 30 feet, so their newly-minted scuba divers won’t be able to get themselves in trouble by diving too deep.

Florida Keys

For families looking to vacation in the U.S., the Florida Keys make a great scuba diving destination. The Keys are home to America’s only coral reef, and the maximum 50-foot depth of the most popular dive spots make it a great spot to dive with kids.

Scuba diving can be an amazing experience for the whole family. You just need to take some time to pick the appropriate location.

Where to Dive in the Philippines 2021

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Good times have come for those who missed sea life in the Philippines after restricting outdoor activities to contain the Covid-19 spread.

The Department of Tourism allowed the opening of these diving spots for limited guests.

 

Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte gets popularity from the diving sites along Sogod Bay. It contains over 25 unspoiled sites with pristine reefs and healthy corals. Visitors also see frogfish, octopi, sea turtles, pygmy seahorses, and gigantic white sharks at particular times of the year.

 

Tubbataha Reef, Palawan

Tubbataha, a popular dive spot, was established in 1988 as Marine Park. Unesco made it a heritage site in 1993 because it hosts impressive biodiversity. In addition to diving, visitors can see 600 fish and 360 coral specials. They also come across 13 species of dolphins and whales. Note that authorities allow all domestic tourists to enter El Nido for leisure. Tourists of all ages without comorbidities and underlying conditions can enter. Minors should visit in the company of their parents or guardians.

 

Dauin, Negros Oriental

Dauin is a small municipality that is 30 minutes away from Dumaguete city has 18 different dive areas. Anyone who likes searching for life in the silt will find exhilarating five diving sites. An artificial dive site name “the Ginama” is one interesting spot. It is the middle of old car tires and now hosts a lot of marine life. Divers also find many marine attractions off the Dauin Coast. They include barracudas, crabs, cuttlefish, reel fish, and sea turtles.

 

Siquijor Island

This small island is a diving paradise with more than 10 diving sites around the isle’s waters. In addition, Siquijor has two marine sanctuaries, spots for much diving, and walls to dive in. A sunken Island reaching down to 40 meters is an excellent spot for experienced divers, although the different dive areas suit even the beginners. Each sanctuary has its set of marine life, including barracuda, turtles, cuttlefish, and reel fish.

 

Moalboal, Cebu

Moalboal in Southern Cebu holds an attractive array of marine life, including fish. It is a place for beginner and veteran divers to swim with frogfish, sardines, sea turtles, and white tip sharks, among many other species. Sardines spawn in the cool waters gathering off the coast at a place where divers can easily spot them.

 

Boljoon and Alcoy, Cebu

Boljoon and Alcoy municipalities provide a good quiet spot for macro divers. The expansive reefs along the islands house various rare life like the Lembeh Sea dragon and green sea turtles. These Cebu towns are open for travelers searching for a getaway.

 

Malapascua, Cebu

The blue waters of Malapascua Island are a popular diving spot. It is a place with many dive sites for beginners and seasoned. The visitors swim with thresher sharks at Monad Shoal and explore various underwater caves in the surrounding. They may also go for the popular resident white tip sharks of the Gado Island.

Diving in Croatia

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For all of those who have never tried scuba diving before, but always wanted to, Croatia is the place to go. With dozens of crystal clear springs, there are fish so colorful they don’t seem real. Sealife in this country is plentiful and you will be amazed at what lives in the water just beneath your feet. Diving in Croatia can be done by all levels of divers with one of the best spots being Trogir’s Castle on the island of Krk.

Top Reasons to Scuba Dive in Croatia

The Water is Pristine and Clear

Croatia’s waters are famously blue. Its lakes and rivers glisten and so do its seas. There are lots of fish and coral reefs in Croatia. And the best part? The fish don’t seem to mind visitors.

Various Islands to Visit

Visitors can explore the beautiful islands of Krk and Hvar, which are two of the most notable. Meanwhile, other islands can be found on the Croatian coast such as Culinary Island and Cres. These islands are a great way to begin your scuba diving experience.

Relatively Cheap Diving Courses

While the prices of courses may fluctuate, Croatia is not too expensive when it comes to scuba diving courses for beginners. In fact, there are numerous ways to find the money you need to pay for your classes and gear.

Warm Sea Temperatures

If you want to dive in a warm climate, then Croatia is the place for you. The sea temperature ranges from the high 60s to the low 70s in Fahrenheit, perfect for new divers and veterans alike.

Unique River Diving

Not only can you dive in pretty lakes and seas, but Croatia also has many rivers for divers to explore. The most popular river dive site is the River Plitvice, which is a series of lakes that flow into one another. Unlike many places where there is a strong current, the Plitvice’s water is slow-moving.

Exceptional Underwater Scenery

The scenery beneath the surface of the water has to be seen to be believed. The visibility here is great which means that you can explore the depths of the sea with both a camera and your eyes. The underwater scenery in Croatia can be said to be among the most beautiful in the world.

Safe Diving Environment

Croatia has one of the lowest drowning rates in Europe, so it is a safe place to learn how to dive. With good training, you are less likely to be hurt by accidents on the water or while diving.

The Best Diving Spots In Thailand

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The best diving spots in Thailand can be hard to pick out for first-time visitors, which makes local guides your best resource. Thailand is rich in marine life and home to over more than three hundred named spots. With so much coastline and so many different areas to dive in, there is a dive spot for divers of every skill level.

These are the best diving spots in Thailand.

Hin Muang

Dive spots in the Andaman Sea are among the favorites for local guides and the type of dive spots worth traveling around the world for. Beautiful corals, rare marine life, and several species of sharks and other large fish that you only see when deep diving are all within easy diving range.

Koh Kradan Wreck

Wrecks make incredible dive sites and the Koh Kradan Wreck is definitely one of the better spots. The Japanese destroyer is entirely covered by corals, sea fans, and other underwater growth where marine life is bountiful throughout the entire year.

Hin Nok

The beauty of diving in Thailand is that the environment in each dive site is so unique that you can dive for days and see something different every time. Hin Nok features a large plateau and gullies that you can spend days exploring. Sea turtles are commonly found in this area and the elusive and strange Ghost Pipefish.

Shark Point

Named for the sharks that frequent this dive spot, leopard sharks are able to be seen here year-round. Other interesting species that can be seen here include the cute cuttlefish and seahorses. The gullies here protect divers from the strong currents making this a great dive for newer divers.

Koh Dok Mai

Koh Dok Mai is a great cave dive and night dive spot, but it is a spot for strong divers and swimmers. The cave you dive into leads to a cavern that is filled with sea snakes, leopard sharks, and eels.

While there are plenty of dive options in Thailand it is best to pick the spot that matches your dive abilities and offers you a unique experience among the many different types of dives that are offered.