Diving
A Week Aboard Emperor Serenity: Diving the Central Atolls of the Maldives
A week on Emperor Serenity in February 2026, running the Best of Maldives route through the Central Atolls. The boat felt new after the 2024 renovation, and the crew made the week easy. A few things I hoped for never showed up.
Two Weeks on Discovery I in the Red Sea
Two weeks on Discovery I, running Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone. Good diving and a crew that worked hard. The cabin stayed hot, the linen was rough, and it was the wrong season for the pelagics a lot of people came for.
Two Weeks in South Africa: Shark Diving, Kelp Forests, and Cape Town
Two weeks based in Cape Town, mostly in kelp. Seals came in close, sharks showed up, and Gansbaai was the cage-dive day.
A Spotted Gully Shark off Simon's Town
Off Simon's Town, South Africa, I saw a spotted gully shark. Not a species I had been looking for. It is the one I went home and read about.
Snorkeling with Common Dolphins in the Azores
A boat ride in the Azores, a pod of common dolphins, and a drop in with snorkels. They stayed with us long enough that it felt like they had decided to.
Triggerfish Attacks Diver in the Azores
I filmed a triggerfish biting my dive buddy on the nose off Pico Island. He was fine. The fish was defending its patch of reef.
A Long Weekend on Gili Trawangan: Diving and Free Diving with Turtles
A long weekend off from studying in Indonesia, on Gili Trawangan. Most of it was in the water with green and hawksbill turtles. The island is slow, the reefs are shallow, and there is a hatchery working on the next generation.
Fan Coral at Ras Um Sid
Ras Um Sid, near Sharm El-Sheikh, is the dive I remember for fan coral. Big gorgonians, a lot of fish, and a reef that is easy to stay on for a long time.
Night Dive on the Monte Carlo Hotel Reef
Same reef as the day dives, after dark. Octopus, lobster, moray eels, and plankton that lit up when I switched the torch off.
Blue-Spotted Stingrays on the Monte Carlo Hotel Reef
A dive on the Monte Carlo Hotel's private reef in Sharm El-Sheikh. Blue-spotted stingrays on the sand were the animals I stayed with.
Ras Mohammed: Still Beautiful, and Showing Wear
Ras Mohammed is still one of the better reefs I have dived in the Red Sea. It is also showing coral bleaching and damage from too many clumsy fins. The park is protected. That does not mean it is fine.
A Boat Day to Tiran Island
From the Monte Carlo Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh, a boat ride out to Tiran Island. Military remnants on shore, reefs around it, and fewer people than I expected this close to a busy coast.
A Week on São Miguel: Diving, Driving, and Seafood
A week on São Miguel in the Azores. Mixed visibility underwater, a rental car for Sete Cidades and Furnas, and seafood that was the easy part of the trip.
Diving at Fish Rock Cave: My Favorite Dive Site in Australia
Fish Rock Cave, off South West Rocks, is still my favorite dive. A 125-metre cave through the rock, grey nurse sharks outside, wobbegongs on the floor. Australia is far. I want to go back anyway.
Manta Point, Ten Years Later
I went back to Manta Point in Bali ten years after the first dive, this time with a camera. The mantas were still there. So was a lot more plastic.