Dive Community Mourns the Passing of Jack Lavanchy
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – 28 January 2016 – Jack Lavanchy, cofounder and President Emeritus of PADI Europe, passed away 27 January at age 87. One of the forerunners and pioneers of the European dive community, with Jürg Beeli, Lavanchy … Continue reading →
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World’s Best Destinations for Diving with Big Animals
Jon Cornforth
Atlantic spotted dolphins are one of the many big animals beloved by divers in the Bahamas
Why do the Top 100 Readers Choice Awards, now in their 23rd year, still matter to divers? Because these are your picks, based on thousands of votes from the most experienced dive travelers on the planet. Why do they matter to us? Because every month you hear from our editors on what we think matters in the world of dive travel. For the January/February issue of Scuba Diving we get to listen to you, and we’re taking notes.
Here, we proudly present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Best Big Animal Encounters category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.
Bill Fisher
Bahamas
Best Big Animal Encounters in the Caribbean and Atlantic
Everyone likes a sure thing. Thus the Bahamas continues to rate so highly for big animals. Unlike ultra-remote locales requiring liveaboards and overnight motors before day one begins, here, hammerheads or Caribbean reef sharks mug for your lens just as soon as you unpack and assemble gear. Plus, the variety of species calling these islands home or waypoint is incredible. The hammerheads of Bimini. Oceanic whitetips of Cat Island. Tigers off Grand Bahama. And the place that helped the nation become synonymous for sharks: Nassau. Hopscotch between a few spots and you’ll quickly amass a portfolio of species — plus learn the behavior not only of the sharks but of the goliath grouper that serve as shark-feed second acts. One more perk: Although not as reliably seen, wild Atlantic spotted dolphins regularly cruise Bimini and the Little Bahama Bank, creating an ideal opportunity for those who’ve been wowed by the main attraction but want the show to continue. — Brooke Morton
Caribbean and Atlantic
Scott Johnson
North Carolina
Best Big Animal Encounters in North America
They’re big, and they’re slow. Sand tigers, the predominant shark species off North Carolina, lack a swim bladder but manage near-perfect neutral buoyancy thanks to an ability to gulp air at the surface. It explains why they’re among the least hurried big animals, good news for photographers or any diver who simply wants to prolong face time with these snaggletoothed scavengers. — Brooke Morton
North America
Doug Perrine
Galapagos
Best Big Animal Encounters in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
You could go to Galapagos just to see table-size black-blotched rays, quizzical sea lions, tornadoes of barracuda and jacks, turtles and manta rays galore. But really, you’re deluding your- self if you go for any other reason than sharks — clouds of hammerheads and whitetips, solitary tigers and packs of burly Galapagos. — David Espinosa
Pacific and Indian Oceans
How We Got the Numbers Thousands of Scuba Diving subscribers and online users rated their experiences at dive destinations in a variety of categories on a scale from one to five. Final scores are an average of the numerical scores awarded. A minimum number of responses was required for a destination to be included in these ratings.
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VIDEO: Divers Rescue Entangled Manta Ray
Manta Rescue
It’s amazing what divers can do to save marine life — and what life-changing experiences come with it! This video was shot by Thomaz Monteiro and Flavia Passaglia during a dive trip in Bat Islands, Costa Rica. This manta ray was entangled by a fishing net and approached the divers. Brian Thompson is shown gently cutting the manta free from the net, allowing the creature to “live with no pain.”
All rights reserved / Todos os direitos reservados. oceanovideosub@gmail.com
Join PADI Staff at the 2016 LIDS Member Forum
If you are planning to visit the London International Dive Show at ExCel London, PADI invites you to the 2016 Member Forum taking place on Saturday 13th February, from 15:30 – 17:30, in South Gallery 3. Come and get the … Continue reading →
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