Scuba Diving Malta - A Guide to Diving Malta, Gozo and Comino

Scuba Diving Malta - A Guide to Diving Malta, Gozo and Comino

Laying strategically in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta and its island sisters, Comino and Gozo are the underwater playgrounds which every scuba diver can ever dream of experiencing.

All three islands offer superb diving, with reefs, caves and wrecks. Each island possessing its own charm and uniqueness, scuba diving on the three islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino are 3 unique experiences to make diving among the most fascinating in the region.

With clear blue Mediterranean sea which is ideal for all forms of diving and the islands compact geographic size makes the many dive sites easily accessible.
Whatever time of the year, MALTA with its long summers and short winters with sea temperatures rarely drop below 13 degrees makes Malta scuba diving an all year round favorite scuba destination.

Scuba diving Malta with its lack of tides and currents, coastlines rich with diverse marine life, exceptional underwater visibility, an outstanding topography including cliff faces, caves, shelves, sandy and rocky sea beds and warm, crystal clear waters. You are guaranteed to experience great scuba adventures for you and your family.

Scuba diving Malta is safe and easy. If you are looking for a great diving destination which is safe for you as much as it is for your family then look no further than the Maltese Islands.

Whatever your level of experience you may have, you will find top quality dive sites in Malta which in the company of experienced and trustworthy dive guides you can safely experience diving reefs, drop offs, caves and wrecks which are lying at different depth levels and are all easily accessible by shore or by boat.

The great thing about scuba diving Malta is that whether you are a novice or a demanding diver you can be sure that diving in Malta will greatly enhance your diving portfolio.

If you are an experienced diver you have an array of sites to choose from. You may want to experience the shallow depths at Ghar Lapsi to the underwater tunnel at lantern point which will take you down to a depth of 50 m.

With a variety of wrecks which are scattered around the Island, when you scuba Malta, you are spoilt for choice to the number of artificial reef habitats. Here you can look out for groupers, amberjack, squid, flying fish, stingrays, red mullet, parrot fish and even the occasional moray eel which combined make these wrecks a truly awesome scuba diving adventures.

Do you have a passion for underwater photography? With its clear clarity of its deep waters, corals, reefs and diverse marine life, the Maltese Islands are an underwater heaven for underwater photography. With extraordinary colors particularly shades of red and orange can be captured without the use of flash even down to depths of 12 m.

If you want to learn more about the Maltese Islands check out our guides to diving in Malta at http://www.scuba-snorkeling-adventures.com/diving-malta.html.
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Kris Mifsud- A keen enthusiast, with a life long passion for all types of water sports.

Editor and publisher of http://Scuba-Snorkeling-Adventures.com - a comprehensive Scuba and Snorkeling guide to techniques, equipment and reviews.

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By Kris Mifsud

Red Sea Diving in Taba

Red Sea Diving in Taba

Taba, also known as "the gateway to the Sinai", is situated next to the Egyptian/Israeli border. This picturesque stretch of the Red Sea coast offers some of the best scuba diving the Red Sea has to offer. Taba is a stone's throw from the renowned Israeli diving resort of Eilat. Taba has gone on to surpass its distinguished predecessor, and now flourishes as one of the top Red Sea diving destinations. It is a great location for scuba diving holidays.

This stretch of the Red Sea has been awarded Marine Park status, and not undeservedly, for this area has some stunning sea life to offer. Taba's year-round temperate climates and sheltered location in the Gulf of Aqaba makes it the perfect winter retreat for the beginner diver and the more experienced alike.

This stretch of the Red Sea offers some very rare Marine life, and some of the best Red Sea diving in an untarnished environment. Seahorses can sometimes be found here - a species becoming rarer and rarer in the rest of the Red Sea. The frog fish is a frequent find. Schools of lionfish are also often observed, with barracudas, octopi, pufferfish, turtles and dolphins frequently spotted too. Add all this together, and you will see why Taba is now one of the top Red Sea diving destinations for scuba holidays.

Some of Taba's most famous diving sites are:

Pharaoh's Island

A lagoon with four separate dive sites, which is rich in reef life.

The Aquarium

This dive site comprises a drift dive, which drops off to a shallow coral bed. A wide variety of marine life can be observed here.

Maxwell's Reef

This dive site is a seamount starting at 12m, which drops away to approximately 60m. There are some fantastic table corals and large population of anthias, with red toothed triggerfish and bat fish frequent finds.

For Non-Divers

Taba Heights, only a short car journey away, boasts an impressive US championship level golf course, and the marina and village are well worth a visit. There are plenty of beach activities for the children, such as snorkelling, glass bottomed boat rides, canoeing and banana boats, not to mention windsurfing and sailing. Taba Heights also features some wonderful parks and gardens in which to take a stroll, not forgetting of course the Ras Abu Galum and Nabq nature reserves, where gazelles, herons, foxes, Nubian ibexes and ospreys can all be spotted.

A little further afield awaits St Catherine's Monastery, and its large collection of illuminated manuscripts, second only to that of the Vatican. Pharaoh's Island Fort, Salah El Din Citadel, is also well worth a visit. The Fort was built as a safe house for pilgrims as they made their journey to and from the monastery. Visit the captivating Coloured Canyon and marvel at the surreal Canyon walls with their dramatic rock formations and fantastic colours. Mount Sinai, also known as the Mountain of Moses, makes an unforgettable day out. Take a trek up to 3000 Steps of Repentance to truly appreciate the name's meaning and enjoy spectacular views of the sunset or sunrise.

Taba's location makes it the perfect base the trips further afield. Jerusalem, the Pyramids of Giza and Petra's Treasury are all well within striking distance. Visit Taba and you will soon see why this idyllic little town has holidaymakers and divers alike returning year after year.

The great news is that if you book online for Diving Trips and PADI Courses you can guarantee your place and make some huge savings!

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By Lindsay Coope

Top International Scuba Diving Destinations

Top International Scuba Diving Destinations

Scuba Diving stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, is one of the most popular under-water diving sports. Scuba diving may be performed for several reasons both personal and professional. There are different kinds of Scuba diving such as cave diving, wreck diving, ice diving, deep diving, underwater photography and more. Take a look at few of the spectacular dive destinations:

Australia The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system, stretching for 2,600 km along the Queensland coast. The Great Barrier Reef comprises of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. It is the only living object on earth that can be seen from the outer space. The warm and clear waters of the Great Barrier Reef make it a very popular destination for tourists, especially the dive enthusiasts. The underwater collection includes 400 different types of corals, coral sponges, rays, dolphins, over 1500 species of fish, around 200 types of birds, as well as sea turtles, giant clams, humpback whales, few endangered species such as the Dugong and large Green Sea Turtle.

Mexico: Diving in Mexico is one of the most popular sports and it is available all along the Mexican coasts. Cozumel, which is located 12 miles from the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, is famous for its spectacular reefs that stretch along its coast. Cozumel reveals a splendid underwater world with cliffs, canyons and underwater vegetation with fish that flock the underwater paradise for food. You may also get a chance to swim across the schools of angelfish and other sea life. Apart from the Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and La Paz are also the popular dive destinations of Mexico.

Indonesia: Indonesia is the heart of the world's greatest marine activities and it promises exotic underwater adventure to all the dive enthusiasts. With 17,000 islands and 80,000 km of coastline, you can find 3,000 fish species, 600 types of corals. Bali, Bunaken Marine Park, Sunda Straits, Pulau Weh, West Papua or Irian Jaya are few of the great dive destinations of Indonesia.

Egypt: Egypt is one of the most exciting places for scuba diving. The Red Sea, and the Ras Mohammed National Park in offers diving for all skill levels. The entire area of the Red Sea is covered with more than 1,000 species of fish, 200 species of corals and another 1,000 other species. Egypt is a all year round scuba dive destination specially for the Europeans who want to escape the winters. The best time to visit Egypt for scuba diving is from November to February where the temperature in Egypt ranges from 19°C to 29°C.

Thailand, Maldives, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Belize, Utila, Cayman Islands, Mozambique, Netherlands Antilles and Fiji are also the most popular destinations for the scuba diving activities.

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By Pallavi A

Red Sea Diving - PADI Open Water Diver Course

Red Sea Diving - PADI Open Water Diver Course

The PADI Open Water Diver course teaches you all the basics of scuba diving. You will be taught all about your diving kit, and how to correctly assemble it, along with all of the basic dos and don'ts of scuba diving. On successful completion of the PADI Open Water Diver course, you will be given an open water diver card featuring your dive your own unique number: the key to your exciting new world of scuba diving. With this under your belt you can hire equipment and continue with your red sea diving holiday and needn't sit a single test more if you don't want to. Most divers find themselves hooked by this stage, however.

The PADI Open Water Diver course has the duration of between three and five days. You will learn all of the necessary skills to enable you to plan and dive up to a maximum of 18 meters. It may seem all a bit daunting at first, but it's surprising how quickly you learn, and soon you'll be gearing up like a pro.

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of two parts: knowledge and practical. You will need a PADI Open Water Diver crew pack, which is available for approximately £75 (and includes the certification fee otherwise payable of roughly £30). Your crew pack contains your PADI manual, which tells you all you need to know about scuba diving and the equipment. You will also receive a diving logbook to record all of your dives, together with a dives table, which you will use when planning your dives.

You might choose to undertake the knowledge section of your PADI course locally or online prior to flying out to your red sea diving holiday. It's perfectly acceptable to do this, but ideally it's better when students carry out the knowledge and practical aspects of the course concurrently. After all, you wouldn't usually take the driving theory test without ever having sat behind a steering wheel.

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of five confined water dives, followed by four open water dives. This is where the fun really starts. Some of the practical skills you will learn are:

· buoyancy control
· scuba mask clearing and removal
· kit removal and refit
· scuba regulator free flow
· controlled emergency swimming ascents
· diving compass use
· failed BCD inflator
· tired diver tow
· alternate air source use

You must be aged at least 10 years to take the PADI Open Water Diver course. There is no upper age limit. The fitness tests requires you to be able to swim 300 m with flippers and snorkel or 200 m without and tread water to 10 minutes. You will also be asked to complete a medical questionnaire prior to diving, and should ensure that you are covered scuba diving under the terms of your travel insurance as some policies exclude the sport.

The great news is that if you book online for Diving Trips and PADI Courses you can guarantee your place and make some huge savings!

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By Lindsay Coope

Scuba Diving In Sharm El Sheikh - The Gateway To The Red Sea

Scuba Diving In Sharm El Sheikh - The Gateway To The Red Sea

Sharm El Sheikh is located at the very tip of the Sinai Peninsula, and given its ease of access to the Red Sea has grown over the past twenty years into one of the worlds best and most popular scuba diving locations. Large amounts of scuba divers travel here each year to sample the delights that the Red Sea has to offer.

It offers a good variety of diving, from shore dives, to reef dives all the way through to one of the most developed liveaboard industries to be found anywhere. Each year, thousands of divers flock to Sharm El Sheikh to sample what is truly fantastic diving is exceptional conditions.

The main reason for the success of Sharm El Sheikh, as a diving destination is the Red Sea, which is one of the worlds richest marine environments. With over 400 recorded species of coral and over several hundred species of fish, coupled with warm waters and exceptional visibility, the Red Sea has everything that a diver will be looking for. On top of this, Sharm El Sheikh, due to its position on the south of the Sinai Peninsula, has easy access to some of the worlds greatest dive sites, including sites such as Ras Mohammed Marine Park, and the famous Thistlegorm wreck. The diving itself around Sharm El Sheikh tends to be focussed on a few big dive locations, including the Straits of Tiran and Ras Mohammed Marine Park. Both areas, rich in plant and marine life, tend to have something to satisfy even the most experienced of divers.

The Straits of Tiran lie 7 kilometres north east of Sharm El Sheikh, and is actually a series of four major reefs which form the top of an underwater bridge, and which support large amounts of hard and soft corals. The Straights of Tiran also offers divers an excellent opportunity to spot some of the large pelagic marine life that inhabit the area. The four reefs, Jacksons Reef, Woodhouse Reef, Thomas Reef and Gordon Reef all offer excellent dive sites, and it is certainly worth taking the time out to explore the Straights of Tiran in detail over the course of a few days.

The Ras Mohammed National Park is located on the very tip of the Sinai Peninsula, and its nutrient rich waters from the Gulf of Aquaba consistently bring large levels of marine life into the area. Steep coral encrusted walls, sloping down to depths of over 1000 metres tend to dictate the nature of the diving in Ras Mohommed, however there are a number of beautiful shallow reefs which are also worth spending time at. There are a number of good dive sites in the Ras Mohammed area, including Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, Eel Garden, Anenome City, Jackfish Alley and Shark Observatory, all of which are covered in greater detail in our dive sites directory.

Of all the dive sites accessed through Sharm El Sheikh, undoubtedly the most popular is the Thistlegorm Wreck, a World War II supply ship which sank in 1941. The wreck itself still contains two large Rolls Royce armoured cars, along with crates of Lee Enfield rifles. Within the holds of the Thistlegorm wreck, you can also see the Morris cars, Bedford Trucks, and the BSA military motorbikes, as well as other supplies such as wellington boots and ammunition.

It is possible still to dive through parts of the Thistlegorm wreck, giving divers access to the wheel house, the chart room, and the bathroom salon and the various holds that contained so much of what was sunk. The Thistlegorm is usually a two dive day, with the first dive following the outer circuit of the wreck, observing areas such the Locomotive (which was blown clear of the wreck), and the propeller towards the rear. Nowadays, a large variety of marine life has made it's home at the Thistlegorm Wreck, and you are likely to see large shoals of Batfish alongside good numbers of Barracuda here. Even a couple of Crocodile fish seem to have made their home on the decks of the Thistlegorm!

Overall, Sharm El Sheikh presents scuba divers both novice and advanced with a multitude of interesting dives. For people looking to learn to dive, Sharm El Sheikh has a particularly strong offering, with numerous established, and professionally run operations. Each year, large numbers of people, especially Europeans, come to Sharm to learn to dive, and to enjoy the various other attractions that the area has to offer. In particular, it is worth while taking the time to visit the St Katherines monastry and climb Mount Sinai, both of which are a short drive away.

Mark Burns is a Director of Where On Earth, a free travel information resource for backpackers, tourists and scuba divers alike.

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By Mark J Burns

Diving and Snorkeling at the Red Sea

Diving and Snorkeling at the Red Sea

Anyone looking for a scuba diving adventure can find new and fulfilling experiences by plunging into the depths of the saltwater inlet that is the Red Sea. Apart from the underwater attractions that await recreational divers, the rich biblical heritage of the site also forges an historical appeal to the dive spot.

How the Desert meets the Ocean

Scuba divers looking for something new and refreshing can bask in the natural seascape of the Red Sea. Known for its living reefs that form underwater landscapes such as plateaus, caves, gardens and lagoons, a dive in its recreational depths will provide a truly unique diving adventure, particularly in the southern portion of this renowned body of water.

Home to a Great Diversity of Marine Life

The Red Sea is home to over a thousand fish species with about a hundred of them thriving exclusively in its saline waters. The Red Sea likewise boasts of a long line of coral reefs that can be found even on the shallow shelves and extending to over a thousand miles in combined length. This likely explains the diverse ecosystem flourishing at the depths. Consequently, a scuba diver will surely find refreshing discoveries in its unique environment that is profiled with extreme salinity and humid temperatures. Thus, ideas for underwater photography will never run short in this side of the world's abundant marine habitat.

Snorkeling to Your Heart's Content

The Red Sea is endowed with warm water environment that offers good visibility all year round. So if you want to take a break from diving and just explore the hustle and bustle of marine life in the shallow depths, the Red Sea offers great prospects for a snorkeling adventure.

Snorkeling is a fun endeavor that allows divers coming from different certification backgrounds and even non-divers, to enjoy the underwater setting for longer periods of time without exerting too much effort. In fact, you can actually feed sharks and turtles with bread at the palm of your hand in Red Sea's warm waters. Won't that be a fun way to relax from an extensive dive? All you need is a dry topped purge snorkel [http://www.scubasuppliers.com/site/1408308/product/SN50] from Ist, a pair of paddle fins and a mask and now you've got a dependable gear for your snorkeling adventure.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your scuba gear and get on an Egyptian liveaboard to discover a number of enriching ways to fulfill your diving vacation in this popular diving destination.

Felix Tero produces web content for Scuba Suppliers, Inc. Get the scuba equipment that's right for you at [http://www.scubasuppliers.com]

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By Felix Tero