Diving Out of the Mainstream

A few years ago, while sitting on the deck of a live-aboard in the Banda Sea, a fellow diver from Singapore told me that the one place he really wanted to dive was Grand Cayman. It took me a minute to understand why someone living in such close proximity to the most prolific and exotic diving in the world wanted to dive the Caribbean. Well, from his perspective, Grand Cayman simply HAD to have the best diving imaginable, because all the US dive mags wrote about it over and over again.

Because small, out-of-the-way places don’t usually have advertising dollars, they’re not always reflected in the glossy dive mags, but fortunately divers are an intrepid lot and set up operations in some of the most exotic water spots on the planet I’m always on the hunt for these underwater destinations. The trips listed below certainly match that description, but they’re to places we’ve never been, so they’re not recommendations. If you have been there, though, please share your experience with the rest of us.

Dive with the Penguins in the Polar Regions of Antarctica

“Dive around naturally sculpted icebergs, encounter rich marine life from soft corals and fish to marine mammals, and experience the remarkable underwater sounds of the frozen continent.” This trip departs from Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, with prices starting at $4890 per diver. Drysuit required; however, there is a sauna aboard. Contact Quark Expeditions, http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/index.shtml or call 800-356-5699.

Dive New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands Marine Reserve

“New Zealand Dive Experiences is privileged to be able to offer this exclusive, once only and ‘once in a lifetime’ 10 day dive and underwater photography expedition to this remarkable marine reserve some 1000 miles N.E. of mainland New Zealand which is rated as one of the few truly pristine marine environments remaining anywhere on earth with an equally unique eco-system and marine life not found anywhere else in the world.”

Dive Experiences says it has approval from New Zealand’s Department of Marine Conservation, which administers the marine reserve, for a one-time-only trip for 46 u/w photographers to explore its spectacular marine life. Check out the trip at or e-mail info@nzdivexperiences.com.

Dive The Ancient Underwater Cities of the Egyptian Pharaohs

Dive Cleopatra’s empire, the ancient city of Alexandria: palaces, ships, and over 7000 Pharaonic and Greco-Roman archeological pieces (statues, columns, and other relics) preserved in color and shape since 300 BC.

If the underwater promo shots of diving the stone statues are straightforward, they might be sufficient to lure me into this part of the world. Think they offer a night dive here? Contact: http://www.alexandra-dive.com/main.htm