Growing up as a kid, it’s almost a rite of passage to have at least a small fascination with dinosaurs. You learn about the long-necked brachiosaurus, the strong triceratops, the speedy velociraptors and the terrifying T-rex. We watch movies. We have toys. There’s a fascination with these long extinct creatures that overtakes us as children. Understandably then, when I was …
Unprepared – First Time Guiding a Dive
We’d just come out of the water, ready for a break before the next dive when he said to me “how many times have you been diving at Siaba Basar?”. An odd question coming from the trip director aboard the liveaboard during my DMT course, but one that became clear when he’d told me I’d be leading the next dive …
Batu Bolong – The Jewel of Komodo
It’s the jewel of the ocean in Komodo National Park. Most people come here knowing they want to dive it, and I can’t imagine the site would ever disappoint. It is, of course, Batu Bolong. With just a small section showing it’s location above sea level – a “hollow rock” giving it it’s name – Batu Bolong sits along the …
Discovering a Manta
I discovered a manta! Well, sort of. Assisting on an open water course recently, we plunged into the depths at a dive site known as Mauan, in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. It’s got a reputation as having a few mantas around, and although we’re slowly heading out of the season now, we were in for a treat. Within five minutes …
Do I even want to be a Divemaster?
More than six months of idleness, if that’s what you’d like to call it. I may have cycled across a country, thoroughly explored another, attended weddings and other parties, and spent several days diving in Thailand… But really, I haven’t had to “work” for over half a year. And then I arrived in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. I’ve signed myself up …