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Sardine Run 2014 – The Holiday Diary

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It’s Sunday morning, day one. The alarm clock shows 6.00 am and its beeping makes it very clear that it’s time to get up. It’s still dark outside, the coffee fragrance is in the air leading us to the breakfast lounge of the Umkomaas lodge; a few muffins satisfy the stomach and get us ready to go. The equipment is all set-up, the wetsuits are on and the boat is loaded. It’s not often to see people getting up before dawn with a smile on the face, but when your early wakening anticipates two dives packed of sharks, then the perspective totally changes. The launch with our speedboat is still the same: hold on tight, put your feet in the straps and the jumping and slalom between the waves kicks the day off. The first dive is a baited dive, but not before having attracted a few dozen blacktip sharks around the boat. We kit-up and with a rollback we are in what looks more like a shark soup then a place in the Indian ocean. The washing machine drum full of smelly fish hangs at an eight meter depth and we’re looking all around at the blacktips getting crazy…

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Scuba Diving in Cocos

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“Pura Vida” (pure life) is a popular catchphrase and lifestyle choice for many Costa Ricans; symbolising their passion for an eco-friendly and “pure” way of life in synergetic connection with the country’s vast expanses of rainforest and natural beauty. The allure of this natural (in some cases wild) destination attracts travellers seeking adventure, and for divers, this takes the form of the isolated world heritage site: Cocos Island. About Cocos Island Cocos is a serious adventurer’s destination! A rugged, jungle covered, uninhabited island (except for a permanent ranger station), and supposed treasure trove for 17th century pirates and now a nationally protected haven for elusive hammerhead sharks, skulking tiger sharks, countless white-tips, majestic whales and dolphins, and other large pelagic fish. Location Located almost 500 kilometres South West of the Costa Rican coast, Cocos island covers almost 24 square kilometres and is comprised of the main island and the largest islet: ‘Manuelita’. Arriving and moving around Reaching Costa Rica does not present a problem for most international carriers, yet of the country’s two International airports, the largest (and most convenient) is located on the outskirts of the capital of San Jose (with a departure tax of US$26). It is considerably…

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Scuba diving holidays of 2014

3 Scuba Diving Holidays you can’t miss in 2014

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Today we’re introducing three scuba diving holidays for 2014, three destinations that will leave you breathless, three experiences that you will remember for a life time. To celebrate what we believe was a great year for diving, we’ve put together the 8 most spectacular underwater picture of the year, you’re very welcome to send us your picture via the Facebook page. If you’re a passionate diver like we are, this article will enlighten your soul. Next year, 2014, you can choose between three, a soon more, great diving holidays. As usual, EDA’s holidays feature only the best diving destinations, the best diving sites and the best dive guides. The 2014 selected destinations are: Maldives – Liveaboard Diving Holiday South Africa – Sardine Run Indonesia – North Sulawesi Diving Maldives – Liveaboard Diving Holiday Maldives is the diver’s paradise: sunny days, flat sea and warm water. Top comfort for divers with the local boats called dhoni and the friendly local staff, diving in Maldives couldn’t be more relaxing and enjoyable. Underwater, Maldives are simply breathless: it’s one of the few places in the world where you can find a bit of everything. Great for big pelagic fish like sharks, whale sharks,…