I've been lucky enough to visit the legendary Soneva properties in the Maldives four times, and every time, I have had a dive experience to savour for a lifetime. I first visited Soneva Fushi in 2011 and immediately fell for their 'no news, no shoes' ethos. So many people parrot the concept…
These past couple of months have been the hardest yet, thanks (if that's the word) to the double dose of winter and lockdown. Here at Original Diving, we're determined to stay as positive as possible, so we asked the team to each describe their 'Happy Place' - one blissful moment from their…
It's fair to say that there has been some confusion surrounding the loosening of the lockdown. We're confident that the Great British public will use their famed common sense to work things out - after all, this is the nation that elevated queuing to an art form - but in the meantime, we've…
Picture the scene. It's the Original Diving office Christmas party, and several members of the team start an impromptu round of the 'Guess the Three-Letter Airport Code' game. One of the interns is overheard to say: 'Wow, you lot really are travel nerds.' Thank you, Fenella - there is…
Following on from Part I of Original Diver Neill's exploratory dive expedition to the remote Outer Islands, the team leave Astove to discover the virgin waters of Cosmoledo…
As someone who has been diving for over 20 years, I had heard talk of the remote islands of Aldabra, yet I have to admit I had no idea where they were. Once I found out, and once I found out it might be possible to actually get there, the adventure began. What started as a conversation with…
Having dived a few times in the Mediterranean, I have never been particularly impressed. So it was with a mixture of excitement and a small dose of pessimism that I travelled to the tiny island of Gozo next to Malta.
Bucket lists are for landlubbers. If you're a diver, and the ocean is your oyster, then you NEED to dive these spots, arguably the greatest dive sites on our blue planet.
400km south of the main island of the Seychelles, Mahe, lies the remote Alphonse group of islands - Alphonse, Bijoutier and Saint-Francois. Look at the area on a map and you realise just how remote a location this is.
Do you remember your first dive? I most certainly do. It was in the Bahamas, aged 16 and with - in hindsight - a distinctly cowboy dive outfit, but within five minutes of being down I'd seen a shark off in the distance, and after 20 minutes, a turtle considerably closer. As you can imagine,…