Often the unexpected places turn out to be my absolute favorite. In July I headed to Newfoundland, Canada to dive WWII wrecks with Ocean Quest Adventures. There was also snorkeling with humpback whales, kayaking and a cod was kissed. You can read the whole story in X-Ray Magazine.
I have spent the past five years making a yearly pilgrimage to Roatan, Honduras for the Roatan Underwater Photo Fest and there’s something special about returning to a place over and over again. I wrote about it in this month’s UK Diver. You can download this issue for free and find lots of other great stories in it as well.
Roatan
Returning to Roatan in UK Diver, underwater photo techniques at Moziak Underwater Housings, Truk Lagoon on Youtube, Raja Ampat in Australian Dive Log.
Read MoreBikini Atoll - The Nucelar Fleet
Bikini Atoll was a place I had dreamed about for years. Having visited and lived in the Marshall Islands and a love for wreck diving, it inevitably crossed my mind continuously over the years. There used to be a land operation that I almost went to the first time I visited Kwaj, but we decided it was too expensive (I was a grad student budget)…it was $1200 for the week. Needless to say, I’ve regretted not spending that money for years.
Since the land operation shut down, only a few boats have been occasionally making the trips. But this summer Master Liveaboards started running regular trips from Ebeye or Majuro to Bikini. Obviously, I had to go, and I was lucky enough to do an assignment for DivePhotoGuide.
I’ll admit, reducing the trip into the word limit for DPG was more than a little difficult. I feel like I could have written pages upon pages. The history of the Nuclear Fleet and how these ships ended up at the bottom of the ocean takes entire books to explain. As does the plight of the Bikini people and how the tests changed their lives and their atoll forever (not for the better). And then there is the actual diving. The wrecks are deep, they are remote, and help is far, far away. But descending on the Saratoga for the first time felt like I was visiting a place I never quite thought I’d get to.
There’s a lot more I want to write about the trip and I hope to for some other outlets. But for now, check out the DPG story. It was most certainly a trip of a lifetime and an amazing adventure for me.