The Scuba News Cayman Islands

World Water Day is a constant that always is celebrated on March 22. The changeable factor is the theme. This year’s theme asks “Why waste water?” It’s about reducing our use of water and reusing wastewater. The thrust is to cut in half the amount of untreated wastewater and increase water recycling where it can be used safely.

The South Island of New Zealand is known for its diverse and spectacular landscapes including remote national parks, golden beaches, World Heritage status rainforests, glaciers, and Mount Cook. Made famous by The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, it is a popular holiday destination for those seeking outdoor adventures and adrenaline highs.

NitrOx, EANx, DNAx, Safe Air, OEA; many names and acronyms for the same thing, oxygen enriched air. Once maligned, now just largely misunderstood, NitrOx is a part of the modern diving experience for both recreational and commercial divers. This article is less fun than previous entries, but if you’re considering diving NitrOx, it’ll help dispel some of the myths and falsehoods about it for you!

In 2011, I travelled with my family down Yukon’s Hart River. It’s one of seven pure rivers in the Peel River watershed, a 68,000-square-kilometre wilderness that’s been at the centre of a legal dispute for many years and a land-use planning debate for more than a decade. For two weeks, we fished from the river’s vibrant green waters and gazed at the limestone and dolostone peaks of the Ogilvie Mountains.

New Zealand is known for its wilderness areas on land but it is also home to 36 marine reserves and a spectacular array of dive sites. With accessible coastlines and hundreds of offshore islands, there are opportunities to dive wrecks, subtropical reefs, explore arches and dive within kelp forests, to name but a few. It is also possible to dive with rays and sharks, given that 26 species of ray and 113 species of shark have been recorded in New Zealand waters. There is something suitable for all dive preferences and abilities and here are our top picks of diving the North Island.