Destinations

Indonesia's Raja Ampat: A Papuan Odyssey

Whale Shark, Teluk Namatote, West Papua, Indonesia
Whale Shark, Teluk Namatote, West Papua, Indonesia. Photo by Pierre Constant

The Raja Ampat Islands, located in Indonesia’s West Papua province, nestled between the Pacific Ocean, the Halmahera Sea and Seram Island, are at the crossroads of tremendous biodiversity and coral diversity—home to 75 percent of the world’s reef species. Pierre Constant returned to the region and shares his tales of diving and cultural experiences there.

Southern Egyptian Red Sea: Safari to the Deep South & Remote Islands

Soft corals, Rocky Island, Red Sea, Egypt. Photo by Scott Bennett
Soft corals, Rocky Island, Red Sea, Egypt. Photo by Scott Bennett

“WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG?” I repeatedly asked myself during a recent trip to the Red Sea. One of the globe’s most iconic dive destinations, its spectacular coral gardens, prolific fish life and legendary visibility is beloved by divers the world over. Yet, despite nearly 30 years of diving experience, I somehow had not gotten around to it—definitely on my radar, but inexplicably regulated to the “someday” file.

Mexico's Cozumel

Coney grouper, Cozumel, Mexico. Photo by Brandi Mueller
Coney grouper, Cozumel, Mexico. Photo by Brandi Mueller

As our boat headed to the dive site, it was hard to imagine the previous year. With the island of Cozumel to my back, the 180-degree-view of water in front of me was filled with dive boats. While sometimes in the past I would be annoyed to see so many other divers, it was a relief to see all the boats, and it gave me a bit of hope for the future of the dive industry as the pandemic (hopefully) comes to an end.

Denmark's Øresund & Isefjord

Anemone, Øresund, Denmark. Photo by Morten Bjørn Larsen
Anemone on Anemone Wreck, Øresund, Denmark. Photo by Morten Bjørn Larsen

Diving in Denmark, how does it really measure up? Since Morten Bjørn Larsen lives in Copenhagen, he talks about his favorite dives in and around the island of Zealand, where the capital city is located. Several wrecks in Øresund and a bridge in Isefjord top the list.

Denmark: M/F Ærøsund

Ærøsund wreck. Photo by Lars Stenholt Kirkegaard
Diver on Ærøsund on the day it was sunk. Photo by Lars Stenholt Kirkegaard

M/F Ærøsund is a former ferry that served the islands in the South Funen archipelago. It was scuttled in 2014 in a sheltered bay just 550m off Funen’s southern coastline where it now rests at a depth of only 19m. It is easily visible from the surface.

Denmark: Diving & Dining

Beer and bridge, Little Belt, Denmark. Photo Peter Symes
Danish Carlsberg beer and the Old Little Belt Bridge where porpoises were spotted playing in the bay, Middelfart, Denmark. Photo Peter Symes

From the capital city of Copenhagen, across the Great Belt to Funen and the Little Belt to Jutland, travelling through the green fields of the Danish countryside, Scott Bennett describes his diving and dining adventure through Denmark, stopping along the way for a five-course meal at one of the 25 Micheline star restaurants found across the country.

My Most Unusual & Unexpected Dive: Contributors Picks

Photo by Martin Voeller
Mola mola caught in fishermen’s nets, Chiba, Japan. Photo by Martin Voeller

We asked our contrib­utors what their most unusual or unexpected dive was and they sent us photos and tales of unique experiences under the waves, some involving interactions with intriguing species, others purely chance encounters or surprising discoveries.