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Old 02-06-2014, 00:07   #16
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Pelagic,

Did you get a chance to dive the Cod Hole? Virtually every cruiser heading north towards Asia seems to stop in at Lizard but few bother with the Cod Hole at Cormorant Pass only a max of 5 nm away.

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Yes have dove Cod Hole.... Luckily had crew mates who knew it well as they had worked with Mike Ball and other liveaboard outfit
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Old 02-06-2014, 00:20   #17
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Some reefs are lower and don't provide as much protection as the higher ones. A wide reef flat also helps. Would not say you are a sitting duck in the middle of the ocean. Bit sloppy at top of the tide sometimes. Certainly more of an issue in a mono. Never really been an issue with the cats and charter boats i have been on.
In a toy sized mono I felt just like a sitting duck at Bait Reef at high tide . Particularly at spring tide.

Don't hold me to it, as it is nearly a decade since I was there last, but from memory the charts we were using for the reef in that particular area still had notations like "reported" and "last chartered 18xx". Good to know they have improved in recent years .
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Old 02-06-2014, 03:42   #18
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pirate Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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In a toy sized mono I felt just like a sitting duck at Bait Reef at high tide .
I missed Pelagic's point on specifics. The sites I mentioned above are NOT places cruisers can anchor on. These are far offshore in deep water. My bad. But cruisers traveling east coast, US waters can anchor within 200' yards of both Discovery Diving in Beaufort, NORTH C or Olympus Diving in Morehead City, dinghy over, and take a dive charter.

I mention it again as everyone has heard of the Graveyard of the Atlantic, but not everyone realizes how accessible it is or how warm the water is or how great the vis. The most famous wreck is a German sub, the U352, but most other wrecks have much more to see.
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Old 02-06-2014, 04:06   #19
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

Unique dive site(s) in an unlikely location: Flower Garden Banks and Stetson Bank 100+ miles offshore from the Texas coast. Their unique location means you get consistently clear water (unusual for the near coastal GOM), loads of typical tropical reef fish, and big pelagics like Whale Sharks too. Awesome.

Given their distance offshore not visited by many cruising boats, mostly by liveaboard dive boats. Regardless of how you get there, choose your weather window carefully because the GOM is a notoriously nasty body of water and the mooring bouys are in open water.

Even have their own web site. Complete with waypoints for mooring bouys: http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/welcome.html
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Old 02-06-2014, 04:19   #20
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

Sipadan (Borneo)
Galapagos
Fakarava (Tuamotus, fr. Polynesia)
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Old 18-08-2014, 15:37   #21
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

Anyone (Seaworthy Lass? downunder?) care to venture a guesstimate of the width of the channel leading up to (and then the 'waterfalls' entrance to) Hardy Reef Lagoon?

We're in the area now and keen to spend a night or two (weather permitting of course) at Hardy after thoroughly enjoying both Fitzroy Reef and Lady Musgrave, but we're always conscious of our 'fat' beam at 7.7M...
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Old 18-08-2014, 15:48   #22
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

Cocos, hands down the best. I did 30 hours on a rebreather there over 10 days and we only saw one man made object on the bottom. The white tips were everywhere and we saw tigers or rays on every dive. There were bait balls and hammerheads galore. I counted over 100 hammers in one photo. Its hard to get there, but worth every dime.
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Old 18-08-2014, 21:08   #23
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Anyone (Seaworthy Lass? downunder?) care to venture a guesstimate of the width of the channel leading up to (and then the 'waterfalls' entrance to) Hardy Reef Lagoon?

We're in the area now and keen to spend a night or two (weather permitting of course) at Hardy after thoroughly enjoying both Fitzroy Reef and Lady Musgrave, but we're always conscious of our 'fat' beam at 7.7M...
Can't remember exactly but mu memory suggests Lady Musgrave was a tighter squeeze.

Chase up one of the skippers of the big cats that do day cruises in the area.

cheers
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Old 18-08-2014, 21:11   #24
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Cocos, hands down the best. I did 30 hours on a rebreather there over 10 days and we only saw one man made object on the bottom. The white tips were everywhere and we saw tigers or rays on every dive. There were bait balls and hammerheads galore. I counted over 100 hammers in one photo. Its hard to get there, but worth every dime.
From press I have seen Cocos has to be one of the best sites in the world.

It is my view that I would take my own vessel to spend some time there if ever I get to that coast of USA.

Are you aware if there are any issues with private vessels getting permission(visas) to visit Cocos.
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Old 18-08-2014, 21:58   #25
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Anyone (Seaworthy Lass? downunder?) care to venture a guesstimate of the width of the channel leading up to (and then the 'waterfalls' entrance to) Hardy Reef Lagoon?

We're in the area now and keen to spend a night or two (weather permitting of course) at Hardy after thoroughly enjoying both Fitzroy Reef and Lady Musgrave, but we're always conscious of our 'fat' beam at 7.7M...
Hi D&D
It has been many years now and my memory may be distorted, but I think the waterfall entrance was well less than 10m. I remember having the impression that if the current took us beam on then we would have hit the sides and we were only in a 7.7 m boat.

The channel itself is reasonably wide, big tourist boats visit daily from Hamilton Island.

Nearby Bait Reef would be far safer (wide entrance). There are several mooring buoys in the lagoon and the depth was around 14m.

General info about Hardy:
There are 3 waterfalls. Only one is usable and that was marked with a stick when I was there. I think 300 Magic Miles said to enter at slack water. There may still be significant current then as the lagoon has not yet filled or emptied. It is better to wait until the tide has risen a bit. Anyone planning to enter should check it out via dinghy. There were mooring buoys nearby in the channel next to the pontoon, so the arrival doesn't have to be timed perfectly. The channel is too deep to anchor - about 60 odd metres.

It's fantastic inside the lagoon - huge area, sandy, about 2m everywhere.

Absolutely terrifying going through with significant current against you. I think we downed a bottle of Scotch once we anchored .
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Old 21-08-2014, 07:06   #26
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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From press I have seen Cocos has to be one of the best sites in the world.

It is my view that I would take my own vessel to spend some time there if ever I get to that coast of USA.

Are you aware if there are any issues with private vessels getting permission(visas) to visit Cocos.
There was a private sail boat anchored near us for a few days. They didn't dive, I think they were just waiting for a window to move on. Its also one of the most expensive dive trips I have ever been on. I assume a permit could be bought, but not sure. Its a Costa Rica national park.
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Old 21-08-2014, 09:01   #27
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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There was a private sail boat anchored near us for a few days. They didn't dive, I think they were just waiting for a window to move on. Its also one of the most expensive dive trips I have ever been on. I assume a permit could be bought, but not sure. Its a Costa Rica national park.
You may be able to get the permit, but its a major PITA with Catch 22's (like a Galapagos permit 25 years ago) and its quite expensive--see noonsite for recent experiences.

We were there in 1992--diving was nice, but not spectacular and we really enjoyed going ashore on the island.
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Old 03-09-2014, 21:33   #28
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

I must say that some of the best dive sites in the world can be found in Thailand and the Philippines. In fact, I'm here in the Philippines right now for my SE Asia dive trip with my friends and we're absolutely loving our stay.
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Old 04-09-2014, 03:52   #29
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

Raja Ampat - highest number of marine species in the world. Stay at Palau pef. Fantastic :-)

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Old 04-09-2014, 14:43   #30
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Re: Best Dive Sites Worldwide!

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Raja Ampat - highest number of marine species in the world. Stay at Palau pef. Fantastic :-)

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Did you visit on your vessel. Any problems with permits,etc.
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