Where to Cage Dive with Sharks

Featured on Liveaboard.com: 'Great white sharks first appeared around 11 million years ago and can be found around the globe in temperate to subtropical waters. Growing up to 6 meters in length and weighing up to 2 tonnes when fully grown, they are an imposing fish to encounter and very popular to cage dive with.'Where is the best place to see great white sharks?Can you dive with great white sharks without a cage?Find out the answers to these questions and more in the full article:https://www.liveaboard.com/diving/marine-life/where-to-cage-dive-with-sharks 

Top 5 Seasonal Dives to End the Year on a High

Featured in Scuba Diving Magazine.With the year-end just around the corner and winter closing in, now is the time to look for last minute deals and enjoy seasonal dive sites begging to be explored. Divers looking for crystal clear water, sunshine on their shoulders, and big marine life look no further. In this article for Liveaboard.com and featured on Scubadiving.com I provide our top five dive experiences to end the year on a high:https://www.scubadiving.com/top-five-seasonal-dives-to-end-year-on-high  

Diving with chronic back pain

Ouch! I think that was the least offensive word I shouted when I sneezed, herniated a disc in my back and then began a very long road to recovery that included staring at the ceiling for weeks on end. Back injuries can be devastating and isolating, especially because of the limits they place on exercise and hobbies such as scuba diving.But there are ways to adjust and one thing I have learnt is that simple kit alterations, choosing dive sites and water entry types carefully can lead to a pain-free dive and a good dose of happy hormones to aid healing.I also find having a husband who is willing to carry my kit a great help!http://nz.thescubanews.com/2016/11/18/diving-with-chronic-back-pain/  

Best Of Marsa Alam, Red Sea

Being English and having learnt to dive in a very cold quarry, the Red Sea has always been one of my top destinations for a dive holiday that includes sunshine and warmth! It is accessible, affordable and frankly stunning. Yet when I lived in South Africa and met tourists from around the world, I realised just how many people are unaware of the Red Sea and all it has to offer.After writing this article about Marsa Alam for The Scuba News this week, all I want to do is hop on a plane and explore these epic dive sites. Pass me the suncream please...http://eg.thescubanews.com/2016/11/18/best-of-marsa-alam-red-sea/  

Snorkeling with Blue and Mako Sharks in South Africa

'Is it possible to have a severe case of the blues when scuba diving? It is if you’re surrounded by blue sharks in the crystal-clear, deep-blue waters of the Agulhas Current off South Africa.'Snorkeling with blue sharks is something I recommend to divers and swimmers of all abilities, as it is a great introduction to the world of sharks. In my latest article for The Scuba News New Zealand, I take a look at what's on offer in South Africa:http://nz.thescubanews.com/2016/08/29/snorkeling-with-blue-and-mako-sharks-in-south-africa/blue-shark-29-08-16-1-702x336

Mangrove Matters

When it comes to scuba diving it is hard to beat exploring colourful tropical reefs, history-filled wrecks, sun-dappled kelp forests and foreboding caves. Every scuba diver has their favourite type of diving but what of mangroves? What diving opportunities are there within mangroves and why should we care about these dwindling and vital forests?Read more in my latest article for The Scuba News.http://www.thescubanews.com/2016/02/17/mangrove-matters/Mangrove-planting-with-Projects-Abroad-702x336

Dive Site: Beqa Lagoon, Fiji

Looking for a world class shark dive this year? Look no further than Beqa Lagoon, Fiji and enjoy my recent article for Scuba Diver Life.My heart pounded as the choppy ocean slapped me in the face repeatedly and my mask fogged up like a coastal winter’s day in Cornwall. I was kicking like crazy as the Fijian waves threatened to dislodge my regulator and sense of dignity while I, a grown woman, prepared to cry and bolt to the dive boat. This was not my happy place. I was about to descend in Beqa Lagoon, the world’s reputed No.1 shark dive, as rated by the legends of the underwater world Ron and Valerie Taylor, and I just wanted to go home.Beqa Lagoon, just off Fiji’s largest island of Viti Levu, is renowned for its world-class shark diving. It’s home to the Shark Reef Marine Reserve and a healthy population of bull sharks...Read more: http://scubadiverlife.com/2016/02/06/dive-site-beqa-lagoon-fiji/Bull sharks

Living on a remote island, Cambodia - what is it really like?

I have been thoroughly enjoying the past two weeks of staying on a remote island off the coast of Cambodia whilst volunteering and lecturing with Projects Abroad. The island we are staying on is called Koh Sdach and it is a small island with a population of approximately 3000 people and zero tourists. The village consists of stilted houses that sit above the turquoise waters and there is no mains electricity, sewerage or mains water. We are utterly reliant on rainwater for our shower and toilet needs and it is rustic at its finest!We are here for three weeks to educate the volunteers, staff and local school children about the plight of sharks and we are having a fantastic time. Admittedly, living in 30+C heat and high humidity without air conditioning is a challenge but being a part of this friendly community is a great opportunity. It saddens me that the island has no waste management system and that the majority of the waste generated ends up in the oceans. There is literally plastic everywhere...on local beaches and on the beaches of neighbouring uninhabited Islands. There are discarded fishing nets on the reefs that are killing corals and all manner of other waste to be found.But, this is the good part, Projects Abroad are working hard to tackle this with regular beach and reef cleans up, by educating locals and by hopefully introducing a waste management system in the future. The diving is incredible here and the project is making a very real difference to the health of the coral reefs and the marine creatures that inhabit them.I hope you enjoy my insight into a week living and volunteering on Koh Sdach, including an underwater discovery that had the volunteers smiling all day long:http://www.mytripblog.org/pg/blog/cambodia-social-manager/read/408119/a-week-in-koh-sdach-cambodia-by-kathryn-hodgson-friends-for-sharks
http://www.mytripblog.org/pg/blog/cambodia-social-manager/read/408119/a-week-in-koh-sdach-cambodia-by-kathryn-hodgson-friends-for-sharks

Nesting in Kuala Lumpur

After a long and noodle soup-fuelled three days of flights I have made it from Fiji to Kuala Lumpur (via Melbourne, Auckland, Hong Kong and Singapore). I lost sight of which airport was which during the 18,000Km of flights but enjoyed exploring each airport during layovers and in a haze of sleepiness and hunger. Noodle soup and our colourful new travel cushions certainly kept us entertained.Kuala Lumpur is known to be a foodie heaven and it has already exceeded expectations with its endless variety of Asian foods from many countries, all at street food prices. I have enjoyed sushi lunches, more noodle soup than I can shake a chopstick at and avoided the pungent durians at all costs. A highlight so far has been our exploration of KL's China Town, which was typically decked out with giant red lanterns and a myriad of covered and open-air market stalls and alleys. The sights, sounds and smells of the alleys and bubbling Chinese pots of fish being stirred by ancient Chinese women were overwhelming at times and yet fascinating. Having already filled ourselves on local samosas we had little room for more food but will definitely return another day. We contented ourselves instead with exploring the bustling market stalls and admired local fruits, knock off goods, a street performer undertaking a very long headstand which turned his face purple and an endless array of flower bouquets containing teddy bears. An eclectic mix!As I am also approaching a move to New Zealand in mid-December I have taken to stocking up on some basic goods essential to a writer's life....my favourite pink Muji pens and a new journal. I have missed those simple items during my three years of being on the move and, as someone kindly pointed out, I am definitely 'nesting'. It feels great to be travelling and even better to be preparing to make a home. image

Diving the Poor Knights

I had no idea the marine life of New Zealand could be so diverse and colourful until I saw these photographs from Nicholas's recent day of diving the Poor Knights marine reserve. They left me speechless! This is one of the world's top dive sites and Nicholas's experiences there with Dive! Tutukaka certainly did that title justice. This site is one for the bucket list and it also demonstrates the importance of marine reserves for the health of our oceans and fish stocks. Read on to find out more:http://www.friendsforsharks.com/02/09/2015/blog/diving-the-poor-knights/