The Caribbean, Palau, Fiji and the Philippines

Now that the world has opened once again for divers, we're hearing from a lot of members who have been on the road and getting wet. From time to time, we summarize a few significant reports to alert you to good diving opportunities you might not otherwise think about, as well as problems you might encounter or places to avoid. Here are a few highlights to consider as you plan your next trip.

A Good Place for Shore Diving

Do you want tropical shore diving only? Some divers spend a week on Bonaire (a neighbor of Aruba and Curacao) and never consider the shore diving sites, which are filled with reef fish and healthy coral. But shore diving is quite simple on Bonaire, says Michael H. Howes (Burli

ngton, ON).

"You rent a truck (from Hertz through your hotel, or in some cases, it's included if you stay at Buddy's or perhaps other resorts). You get as many filled tanks as you like and drive around the island. Each dive site is named on a rock at the road/lane entrance. I found it unusual to be our own guides, but it wasn't an issue with a compass. Go against the current to start and return with the current. Go north and go south. Pretty easy. Getting in and out over the rocks at Andreas was a challenge. We drove the salt flats up to the northern park. It looks like Arizona." Bonaire's a safe island, but don't leave anything locked in your vehicle; it may be gone when you return. (buddydive.com)

And, of course, there are endless fine resorts such as Bonaire's Harbour Village, where a recent incident reminded me of a Florida Keys tragedy in the '90s when a diver was in the water during a lightning storm. A bolt hit his tank, killing him instantly. So, we were pleased when Clarkston Parker (Kingsport, TN) reported that while diving at Harbour Village Beach Club, in Kralendijk, "We were headed out for the 2:00 p.m. dive. A lightning strike fairly close resulted in our captain immediately terminating the dive and returning to port - a decision our group supported, particularly during the spectacular lightning storm that occurred shortly after."

Everyone hates to miss a dive, but a night dive with ostracods (seed shrimp) made up for it. "We all extinguished our dive lights, and the light show was absolutely amazing. It was as if we were in our own galaxy with strobing stars. Any opportunity to experience this phenomenon should not be missed!" (www.harbourvillage.com)

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Wreaks Havoc

While there's a lot of interesting undersea life throughout the Caribbean, Grand Cayman's coral is unfortunately suffering. Don Buswell-Charkow (Anna Maria, FL) has been diving there since 1994 and with Giles of Wall to Wall Diving since 2010, so you know he loves that good operation.

However, he says of his August trip: "The state of the coral is sad. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has wreaked havoc. In the past, the coral was so abundant that you almost don't notice it; like hiking in a forest and you don't 'see' the trees. Now, the coral is dead and brown. Most of the former bright neon colors are gone. There are islands of healthy coral, but it is hard not to be saddened. Not as many fish as in the past but still plenty to look at. We saw a few nurse sharks and a reef shark." So far, the outer islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, are avoiding the disease. (www.walltowalldiving.com)

Enjoying Liveaboard Life

Off in Palau, the Rock Island Aggressor liveaboard is getting high marks from our readers. Laurel Fulton (Denver, CO), aboard in August says, "We came for the bumphead parrotfish spawning and were rewarded with hundreds of amorous bumpheads on the first dive. We also saw the aggregation of camouflage groupers - hundreds of big groupers on certain dive sites. There were large schools of black and midnight snapper, barracudas, and jacks, and we saw sharks and turtles. The coral was healthy and vibrant, fish life thriving . . . The staff was exemplary in every way.

"Three DMs in the water on every dive. The skiff picks you up wherever you happen to pop up. Unique setup with skiff on a hydraulic lift on the back of the boat. Walk in from the dive deck, and leave all your gear on the skiff. Cabins and bathrooms quite large, chef amazing." Aggressor is offering a real deal for some remaining 2022 trips: $1667/person. (www.aggressor.com)

Based in Fiji, the Nai'a has been plying the waters for 30 years and is the go-to liveaboard for Undercurrent readers. Rene Cote (Richmond, VA) made his first trip aboard in August and says, "I began smiling during the brief when Bel went over how the Nai'a runs the dive operations . . . 'We don't have a time limit or depth limit on dives . . . you are certified divers . . . come up when you need to come up. You don't have to follow the guide' . . . WOW!"

He continues, "When an entire crew makes their way into the dining area playing acoustic guitars and singing in harmony, it's not your ordinary live-aboard My cabin was spacious, with lots of drawers, and a closet for hanging clothes Four day dives and four night dives Some dive sites had spectacu-lar soft and hard corals, with some spots nicknamed 'fish soup' due to the sheer number of small yellow, red, and purple anthias reef fish There were occa-sional shark sightings, a few turtles, and some nice schools of barracuda and trevallies ..."

Warren Sprung (Houston, TX) aboard in February, adds, "My wife and I both have bad backs The crew treated us like a cross between family and eggshells They would not even let us carry our fins to the Zodiacs Wonderful, charming people " (www.naia.com.fj) Subscribers can read our last full review from February 2015 by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2k7up2yv.

It seems like forever that the Aqua Cat liveaboard has been serious divers' favorite way to cruise The Bahamas Belynda Warner (Grapevine, TX) chose a May itinerary that took her to Georgetown, San Salvador, Cat Island, and others, ending in Nassau While the sites were interesting, she says, "It only produced the usual suspects in the fish department and very few sharks The boat was spacious and comfortable, and our triple cabin was roomy The crew assisted with gear and patiently, gracefully responded when asked for help at inopportune times ..."

In July, Mary K Wicksten took a different itinerary and said, "Lots of healthy coral heads but no staghorn coral except in 'coral farms ' Sharks seemed scarce except at staged feeding Green turtles, big schools of snappers, silversides, grunts, and crevalle Many dives are fairly shal-low, so there are few glimpses of pelagic fishes (only one eagle ray) But lots of opportunities to photograph schools, reef fish, nudibranchs and tiny creatures with interesting effects shoot-ing through cracks or up through fissures I got the singles cabin - cramped, upper bunk hard to reach and difficult to leave, no handhold, recessed ladder, little headroom over lower bunk (allstarliveaboards.com/aqua-cat-liveaboard-diving) Subscribers can read our last full review from August 2016 by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/bp8a2bkd

When Plans Go Awry

When you need to make a decision quickly, turn to Undercurrent That's what Paul Kecskemety, (Scottsdale, AZ) did in August when just two weeks before their departure for a trip out of Grand Cayman on the Cayman Aggressor, the Aggressor canceled, and with airlines tickets in hand and a planned vacation ahead, what to do?

"We researched land-based diving through Undercurrent reports and settled on Indigo Divers. We weren't disappointed. Different reef types and wall dives; eagle rays, sharks, lettuce nudibranchs, scorpion fish, and lots of Caribbean tropicals. Indigo Divers' owners, Chris and Kate, are friendly, knowledgeable, and customer-oriented, and their attention to detail and safety will ensure you have great dives . . . . Kate picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. All-in-all, a prize." (www.indigodivers.com)

Now here's an annoying problem for traveling divers I've never thought about, but Ronald Bailey (Roanoke, VA) had, so he asked for two rooms together at the La Ceiba Hotel in Cozumel, no higher than the third floor. But he was assigned the 7th and 12th. Then the elevator stopped working! He had to schlep his camera gear up and down for several days to the higher floors! Luckily, he's in good health. Some divers might have never left their rooms.

Regardless, he says, "Diving with Babieca Dive Center paid off, with good guides and the boat had only eight divers, and with twin engines, it zipped to the dive sites quickly. Maybe the fastest boat there."

Moral of the story: There aren't many high-rise dive hotels around, but if you're headed for one, insist on a lower floor. (www.elcidbabiecadivecenter.com) (www.elcid.com/el-cid-la-ceiba-resort-cozumel)

To the folks at Turneffe Flats, take note: One of our subscribers, whom we'll keep anonymous, visited recently and rightfully noted that the resort caters primarily to fishermen but has a good dive program, rarely with more than four divers.

He says, "The resort is quite comfortable and strongly emphasizes sustainability. The boats are modern and well-equipped. Everything is valet - with truly excellent service. On some days, my snorkeling wife saw more than I did."

We're leaving him unnamed because he's returning soon and reports, "The divemaster disturbs the marine organisms to give guests a better view or photograph. I firmly believe in 'leave no trace' and would rather miss a photo than disturb marine life." (www.tflats.com)

For Biodiversity, to the Indo Pacific.

These days, for the world's best diving, one has to get remote, as Phil Johnston) Nautika Dive Resort, on Alor Island, Indonesia, in August.

"The reefs were as rich and healthy as those in Komodo and Raja Ampat, with excellent hard and soft corals and on the wall dives, vividly colorful sponges and encrustations. Most reefs had dense populations of small reef fish, such as anthias, with high levels of biodiversity. Most Indonesian reef fish species at almost every site . . . Kalabahi Bay provided excellent muck diving: rare nudibranchs, cockatoo wasp fishes, porcelain crabs, frogfish, seahorses, pipe fish, and multiple species of octopus. Large fish, sharks, and pelagics are uncommon. I did see schools of bonito, mackerel, an occasional giant trevally, and 4-5 small grey reef and black tip sharks, but only on one reef outside the strait . . .

"The staff was uniformly excellent, and the two divemasters, Kadek and Egy, were wonderful critter spotters . . . The resort is quite a new building; it isn't luxurious but comfortable. The food was uniformly good, if anything, too much! The dive operations were very well run." (www.nautikadivealor.com)

And Cozumel, a final parting: For older divers, who remember Cozumel in the '80s, when the population was 25,000, the boats were painfully slow, and it still seemed like a fishing community, it is no longer. Today, with more than 100,000 people, it's got the problems of mainland Mexico . . . On September 2, military personnel located 13 bricks of cocaine washed up on the beach. Days later, a local walking Playa San Martín stumbled upon nine more blocks . . . On September 4, two decapitated bodies were discovered in a San Miguel neighborhood in the back of a dump truck . . . On September 22, a search of three homes turned up drugs, weapons, and tactical gear . . . On September 27, the brother of a drug dealer was shot to death in front of a school . . . All these incidents were reported in the Riviera Maya News. Some locals are engaged in a violent drug war, not unlike elsewhere in Mexico. Tourists aren't targeted ,but keep to the beaches, hotels, and the tourist center of town. Stay safe and enjoy your diving.

- Ben Davison