Seasport Divers
Seasport Divers
Aloha! E komo mai. Welcome to the one-stop vacation website where you can plan all your fun while on your Hawaii scuba diving vacation.
We truly are a full service dive shop specializing in local Kauai s…
Teach First Aid/CPR
Seasport Divers
Seasport Divers
Aloha! E komo mai. Welcome to the one-stop vacation website where you can plan all your fun while on your Hawaii scuba diving vacation.
We truly are a full service dive shop specializing in local Kauai s…
An Atmosphere of Adventure in the Philippines
With over 7,000 islands, it’s no surprise that quite a few areas in the Philippines have spectacular diving. Among them is Dauin and the surrounding area. Atmosphere Resorts sits right in the middle of the action.
The post An Atmosphere of Adventure in the Philippines appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.
An Atmosphere of Adventure in the Philippines Read More »
Sea Watch: Electric Rays
The electric ray is one of those creatures that might have simultaneously fascinated and frightened you as a child. Lurking unseen on the seafloor, it has the power to send a jolt of painful electricity rippling through your body. The mechanism that provides this power is unique, emanating from kidney-shaped organs made of striated muscle located on either side of the ray’s head. These modified muscles contain columns of electrocytes — jelly-filled electric plates, kind of like rows of batteries — that electric rays use to generate their charge.
Noam Kortler
The Pacific electric ray is found off the coast of California.
NHPA/Photoshot/Superstock
The Atlantic’s beautiful common torpedo ray belies its pedestrian name.
There are many varieties of the electric ray. In the United States, one common type is the Pacific electric ray, found off the California coast. These rays are part of the Torpedinidae family, commonly called torpedoes — which is where we got the name for the weapon — that includes 22 species around the world. The Pacific electric ray can grow fairly large, about 4 feet long, and generates about 45 volts of electricity, which it uses for self-defense and to stun its prey.
The Pacific electric ray’s cousin on the East Coast is called the Atlantic torpedo, and it’s even larger, growing up to 6 feet long and nearly 200 pounds. These behemoth blasters pack the largest punch of any electric ray, producing up to 220 volts of electricity.
The Atlantic torpedoes can be found in coastal waters on both sides of the Atlantic, though they prefer cooler water so are more often seen in locations such as New England and the Mediterranean Sea.
There’s a second family of electric rays called Narcinidae; the main difference between the two is how they give birth, not how they deliver their electrical payload. The name Narcinidae — and its common name, numbfish — comes from the ancient Greeks, who used the rays as a form of anesthesia because of the localized numbing sensation that their shock left behind.
Numbfish are found all over the world; they are not only smaller than the torpedoes — only about 2 feet at the largest — but they also deliver a lesser jolt, ranging from 10 to 35 volts.
The habitat of one type of numbfish — the bullseye electric ray — overlaps with the Pacific electric ray, but you’re more likely to spot the bullseye in the Sea of Cortez than Southern California. It’s easy to spot if you do come across one, thanks to the noticeable eyespot marking it has at the center of its body.
Sea Watch: Electric Rays Read More »
100 Best Scuba Diving Sites, Operators, Destinations and More
Top 100 Readers Choice Awards: Gold List
At the beginning of every year, Scuba Diving magazine sends a survey to our print and digital subscribers to find out where they love to scuba dive — among many other questions. The Top 100 Gold list is the compilation of reader votes for the best dive sites, dive operators, liveaboards, big-animal encounters and more, regardless of location. We are proud to present the list that you — our readers — brought to life!
Shutterstock.com
Best Wall Dives
#1 Palancar Deep, Cozumel, Mexico
#2 Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
#3 Molokini Crater Back Wall, Maui, Hawaii
#4 Blue Corner, Palau
#5 Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef, Belize
#6 Big Tunnels, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#7 Mary’s Place, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#8 Amphitheater, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
#9 Cane Bay Wall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Shutterstock
Best Dive Sites
#10 Cathedrals, Lanai, Hawaii
#11 Devil’s Grotto, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#12 Something Special, Bonaire
#13 Cenote Dos Ojos, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
#14 Eagle Ray Pass, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#15 Darwin’s Arch, Galapagos
#16 Cod Hole, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
#17 Great White Wall, Fiji
#18 Farnsworth Bank, Catalina Island, California
Shutterstock
Best Wreck Diving
#19 Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida
#20 Kittiwake, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#21 Fujikawa Maru, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
#22 El Aguila, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#23 Oriskany, Pensacola, Florida
#24 Corsair, Oahu, Hawaii
#25 U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina
#26 Thistlegorm, Red Sea, Egypt
#27 Liberty, Bali, Indonesia
Shutterstock
Best Shore Dives
#28 CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#29 Alice in Wonderland, Bonaire
#30 Buddy’s Reef, Bonaire
#31 Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Florida
#32 Avalon Underwater Park, Catalina Island, California
#33 La Jolla Cove, San Diego, California
#34 Mala Wharf, Maui, Hawaii
#35 Sharks Cove, Oahu, Hawaii
#36 Lighthouse Point Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Shutterstock
Most Unusual Dive Sites
#37 Great Blue Hole, Belize
#38 Devil’s Throat, Cozumel, Mexico
#39 Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida
#40 1,000 Steps, Bonaire
#41 Jellyfish Lake, Palau
#42 Cenote Chac Mool, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
#43 Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri
#44 Pelagic Magic, Kona, Hawaii
#45 Washing Machine, Exuma, Bahamas
Shutterstock
Best Night Dives
#46 Manta Ray Night Dive, Kona, Hawaii
#47 Davis Reef, Key Largo, Florida
#48 Bari Reef, Bonaire
#49 Bailey’s Key, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#50 Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#51 Frederiksted Pier, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
#52 Shark Ray Alley, Ambergris Caye, Belize
#53 Fluorescent Night Dive, Koh Tao, Thailand
#54 Coral Spawning Dives, East End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Shutterstock
Best Big Animal Encounters
#55 Whale Sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
#56 Manatees, Crystal River, Florida
#57 Sand Tiger Sharks, North Carolina
#58 Caribbean Reef Sharks, Shark Arena, New Providence, Bahamas
#59 Spinner Dolphins and Humpback Whales, Maui, Hawaii
#60 California Sea Lions, Santa Cruz Island, California
#61 Hammerhead Sharks, Galapagos
#62 Frogfish, Bari Reef, Bonaire
#63 Whitetip Reef and Blacktip Reef Sharks, Beqa, Fiji
#64 Pacific Manta Rays, Ulong Channel, Palau
Shutterstock
Best Beaches
#65 Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#66 Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
#67 Tulum, Mexico
#68 Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
#69 Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
#70 The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
#71 West Bay Beach, Roatan, Bay Islands
#72 Destin, Florida
#73 Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia
Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet
Best Liveaboards
#74 Galapagos Aggressor III
#75 Aqua Cat, Bahamas
#76 Cayman Aggressor IV
#77 Arenui, Indonesia
#78 Belize Aggressor III
#79 Spoilsport, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
#80 Odyssey Adventures/Truk Odyssey, Micronesia
#81 Turks and Caicos Aggressor II
#82 Maldives Aggressor
David Benz
Best Dive Operators
#83 Buddy Dive Bonaire
#84 Reef Divers, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
#85 [Jack’s Diving Locker], Kona, Hawaii
#86 Stuart Cove’s, New Providence, Bahamas
#87 Ocean Divers, Key Largo, Florida
#88 Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#89 Sam’s Tours Palau
#90 Amigos Del Mar, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
#91 Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico
Sunset House
Best Dive Resorts
#92 Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#93 Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#94 Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico
#95 CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#96 Little Cayman Beach Resort, Cayman Islands
#97 Turneffe Island Resort, Belize
#98 Deep Blue Resort, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras
#99 Beqa Lagoon Resort, Fiji
#100 Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
100 Best Scuba Diving Sites, Operators, Destinations and More Read More »