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Tropical diving is the stuff that non-divers think of whenever SCUBA or Jacques Cousteau are mentioned. It can be great; truly spectacular on a diverse and colourful scale that wildlife on land struggles to match with the added zest that it is truly and literally immerssive. The wildlife is all around; above, below and beside in an environment that is alien to us without equipment.

These special places are under pressure from man just as much as any habitats on land and it is hard to know just how detrimental the diving industry is when conducted carefully. I hope that on balance  responsible diving is a net gain to the local economy and this gives preserving the environment a worth greater that which could be obtained from harvesting animals or damaging developments.

For us the marine riches of South East Asia are the most impressive and the difficulty of reaching them has offered some degree of protection whilst our 'local' coral in the Red Sea is taking a pounding through its proximity to Europe. 

	At the end of last year we returned to Indonesia spreading our time between Bunaken, Lembeh and a liveaboard via Halmerhera to Raja Ampat. There's a gallery for each part of the trip and even some bonus surface shots and panoramas.
	Our first few days were spent relaxing on Bunaken Island with Twofish divers
	...and then a few more at their place on Lembeh Island ....
	...before we transferred to the confused luxury of  Odyssea 1 for the main part of the trip.
	Just in case you're curious here are some assorted surface pictures....
	...I've separated the panoramas as they make rather a nice themed group by themselves
	Recently we had a jaunt round the northern part of Raja Ampat on Shakti... Raja Ampat, Shakti May 06
	...and then a few days relaxing on Kri Raja Ampat, Kri Island June 06
	Although I thought the pygmy seahorses were adorable it seems that the stunning views from the top of the hill on Wayag were even more popular so here's a better version and some more panoramic views Raja Ampat, Panoramas May/June 06

	Thailand and Myanmar December 05
	Sipadan and Kapalai, November 2004 These Islands off Borneo are both amazing and represent the front line in diving tourism. Sipadan has been the place to go for a very long time but has been adversely affected by recent, clumsy moves to 'protect' it from further exploitation. Kapalai has made a virtue of neccessity and is both a good base to dive Sipadan and now a premier 'muck diving' destination in its own right.
	North Sulawesi, including Bunaken and Lembeh, November 2004 Indonesia is perhaps the most exciting Tropical area to dive in at the moment - but that's not a very precise geographical description as with 17,000 Islands it is one of the most scattered archipelagos in the world. Years of diving couldn't cover all the variation available and luckily it is so hard to travel through the numbers of divers are low enough to be manageable - just!
	Western Australia:-) diving Ningaloo Reef and having fun on the surface in Exmouth and Perth in March 2004.
	Sharm El Sheik 03
	Thailand December 02
	I've forgotten our first trip to Australia, to see the Great Barrier Reef see the gallery for our New Zealand '02 trip which is in the temperate section