BIG FISH STORIES
Whale sharks of Djibouti vs Basking sharks of the Isle of Coll
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Arta beach in Djibouti is the setting for a mysterious gathering of whale sharks each winter, when they arrive to gorge on zooplankton. It’s a rare opportunity to swim with these gentle giants as they gulp down mouthfuls of globular goodness.
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How do you top the biggest fish in the sea? Allow me to present the second-biggest fish in the sea. While Djibouti’s whale sharks are subadults measuring 10-16ft in length, the basking sharks that visit the Isle of Coll in the Hebrides each summer are grown-ups reaching 25-30ft. They appear off Coll for the same reason the whale sharks aggregate in Djibouti – some local eddy causes plankton to amass, providing a feast for filterfeeders. Snorkelling only.
DIVE DEEPER
Boat charters from Oban (baskingsharkscotland.co.uk)
PIER REVIEW
Blue Heron Bridge, Florida vs Swanage Pier, Dorset
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Every diver who visits Palm Beach, Florida, hopes to dive the Blue Heron Bridge – a waterway packed with unusual creatures.
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My UK alternative may not triumph when it comes to diversity, but Swanage Pier offers a more serene setting. At the time of writing, the pier had just reopened, saving divers the 100-yard surface swim across Swanage Bay to reach the stanchions. Instead, you pop down a few steps and stroll straight into the water. The site is shallow and protected, so you can spend a good two hours exploring the seabed under the boardwalk. The area is home to the bold and brave tompot blenny – the underwater world’s answer to the robin redbreast. A snorkeller or diver may also encounter cuttlefish, sand-dwelling dragonets and the colourful gastropods known as nudibranchs.
DIVE DEEPER
Dive centre and boat charter operated by Divers Down (diversdownswanage.co.uk).
WHERE’S THERE’S MUCK…
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia vs Sea lochs of West Scotland
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They call it the ocean’s weirdest square mile, a channel between the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Lembeh, where the black sand is home to an array of ugly-beautiful beasties such as the hairy frogfish.
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Lembeh may be the heartland of the specialism known as “muck diving”, but the sea lochs of western Scotland offer a similar environment – dark sediment interspersed with boulders covered in anemones and immense clusters of brittle stars. The most rewarding locations are Loch Duich, Loch Carron, Loch Creran, Lochaline and Loch Fyne. You will need to research entry and exit points carefully in tandem with local tides to dive here safely. Don’t just jump in!
Underwater you should be able to find the incredible firework anemone, or you may run into a sleeping bull huss shark. Sea lochs represent a treasure trove of habitats, so you may find yourself looking at a seabed covered in brittle stars, or communities of flame shells. It’s a hidden world of shadows and sea scorpions.
DIVE DEEPER
This is a DIY dive trip – your best option is to be part of a club or centre that can organise its own expeditions and arranges for air cylinders to be filled. To get started, buy the book 100 British Shore Dives by Anita Sherwood (britishshoredives.co.uk).
CLASH OF COLOURS
Soft corals of Fiji vs Anemones of the Isle of Man
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Fiji is known as “the soft coral capital of the world” because of its great swathes of these treelike invertebrates, which appear in vivid tones of red, pink, purple and blue.
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Look no further than the Isle of Man. Deep water upwellings in the Irish Sea create ideal conditions for reef development at a renowned dive site known as The Burroo, off the
Calf. With a maximum depth of just 60ft, the site comprises a series of gullies all plastered in anemones and soft corals, like living wallpaper. Stars of the show are the tiny jewel anemones, which create colour-coordinated zones over every available surface. Framed by pale green water and often in excellent visibility, the Burroo and nearby Chicken Rock are world-class dives.
DIVE DEEPER
Discover Diving at Port St Mary (discoverdiving.im).
SHIPWRECK CENTRAL
Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia vs Scapa Flow, Orkney
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Chuuk (also known as Truk) Lagoon in Micronesia is home to the “Ghost Fleet” of the Imperial Japanese navy, sunk during Operation Hailstone during the Second World War.
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If the Ghost Fleet has an equivalent in the northern hemisphere, it’s the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow, a natural harbour in Orkney. The ships were scuttled by their own German crews in 1919, while interned under the terms of the Armistice. Today it’s possible to dive on four light cruisers and three battleships of the König class. Depths vary from 52ft at the top of the cruiser SMS Cöln, to 138ft if you want to see the 12in guns on the Kronprinz Wilhelm. It’s deep and dark, but rewarding for history buffs who want to see battleship guns that were fired in anger at the British Navy.
DIVE DEEPER
Halton Charters of Stromness (mvhalton.co.uk); also visits Shetland – see below.