Life is in the detail

If you can try to take a local cooking class in every new place you travel to. Not only do you get an authentic experience and tasty meal, but it’s the best way to keep the adventures alive when you’re back home in your kitchen.

Charlotte - Original Diver

Charlotte Dunn

Original Travel Expert

I have extensive travel experience throughout Malta, Mexico and Raja Ampat.

My travels

Large school of hammerhead sharks at Galapagos Islands.

Travel Things I Want To Do Before I Die

  • Cave dive the Glass Factory in the Bahamas
  • Dive with a hundred hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos
  • Travel to Antarctica
  • Dive in Mexico's sardine runs!
A close up of the splendid toadfish hiding under a rock in Cozumel

Best Moments

  • Seeing the pristine corals in Raja Ampat. I was completely blown away by the bright colours and thriving marine life. It had everything from creeping wobbegong sharks to pygmy seahorses.
  • Swimming with eight circling manta rays during a rain storm in Raja Ampat. We were just heading back to the liveaboard when the captain told us to detour and slip back into the water as the group of manta rays had just been spotted near the surface.
  • Finding a splendid toadfish in Cozumel. I really wanted to see one as they are endemic to Cozumel and on our final dive we managed to spot one hiding on the low reef.
Above shot of fish in wicker baskets at a fish market

Toughest Travel Moment

  • Going to a fish market in Malta and finding over a hundred pregnant female sharks that had been illegally caught.
View of a lantern stall in a market in Egypt

Weirdest Travel Moment

  • Being pulled onto a pop-up stage in a market in Egypt and then being hypnotised. I have no idea how he could guess my mother's and brother's names!

Explore my blog posts

Stonefish on wreck

Our Top Eight Stonefish Facts

Famous for being the world's most venomous fish, stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) are masters of disguise lurking among the rubble and coral. With the ability to survive out of water for 24 hours and a striking speed that would put Mike Tyson's punch to test, these funky looking fish command…

Blanket octopus

Our Favourite Blanket Octopus Facts

With a cape that would make Superman jealous, the largest sex discrepancy within the animal kingdom, and a penchant for stealing, the blanket octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus) is elusive, majestic and quite the daredevil.

Parrotfish

Our Favourite Facts About Parrotfish

Around the world's oceans, you may see the odd flash of blue, pink and green gliding among coral reefs, which is likely to be the parrotfish. Known to change colours and gender throughout their lives, these toothy, rainbow fish can munch on coral faster than a Brit eating a roast. Read on…

Clams

Our Top Facts About Clams

Clams may be unassuming characters resting (happily) on the sandy seabed, but beneath their hard shells they have some interesting features. They may not have a brain, but they have a foot to help them dig. They begin their lives as males and end as females. Some produce pearls. And with…

Wobbegong Shark

Creepy Creatures of the Underwater World

The existence of aliens may be an ongoing debate, but observing the eerie life beneath the water's surface definitely raises some mask-covered eyebrows. Here are some of our favourite creepy creatures to get you pondering on the relatives of extraterrestrial life…

Lemon Shark

Our Top Ten Facts About Lemon Sharks

Fun fact: lemon sharks like to make friends. These social and curious creatures, who enjoy the company of other sharks and divers alike, are known for their yellowish skin tone and stocky build. You'll most likely spot them in warm, shallow waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, near…

Nurse Sharks

Our Top Nurse Shark Facts

Nurse sharks are bottom-dwelling, slow-moving beauties found in the warm waters of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans. Often also referred to as sleep sharks, nurse sharks have a wonderfully chilled nature and can usually be found resting on the sandy seabed during the day. If you want…

Trigger fish

Our Top Facts About Triggerfish

Triggerfish are colourful, curious creatures found in warm waters around the world. Feisty in nature, they protect their nest with their biting abilities, especially if threatened during a new moon. They roam the waters alone, taking on sea urchins and unassuming divers. If you want to learn…

School of red fish

All You Need to Know About Blackwater Diving

If you want to swim among underwater aliens and take your night diving up a notch, why not try blackwater diving? This style of submersion - which involves suspending yourself in open water at night - allows you to witness the world's largest daily migration, called diel vertical migration.…

underwater photo of a diver swimming below a manta ray looking up to it

Biophilia Hypothesis, it’s natural for us to connect to nature.

Ask yourself a simple question: do you feel better after spending time in nature? This could be in the form of a dive, a walk in the park, tending to your garden or simply sitting on the grass. Most likely, your answer will be yes, and this is the basis of the biophilia hypothesis - the idea…

underwater photo showing a manta ray swimming over a bright light resting on the seabed at night time.

Bonfire Diving

Everyone enjoys sitting around a camp fire roasting marshmallows right? Well how about floating around an underwater 'fire' after the sun sets, surrounded by marine creatures of the night? Bonfire diving is a chance to glide with the aliens that swim among us - it's like diving in an…

underwater photo of a wobbegong shark swimming in blue water over a sandy seafloor

Our Top Facts About Wobbegong Sharks

Broad and flat headed with upward facing eyes and a blotted skin tone - do you know who we're talking about? Wobbegong sharks are bottom dwelling, nocturnal creatures who enjoy living in the warm waters of the tropical and western Pacific oceans. With dappled skin and the ability to…

a goliath grouper resting under rocks

Top Ten Goliath Grouper Facts

Often found solo, except during the summer months full moons, the solitary goliath groupers live in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, typically in the shallows close to coral reefs, wrecks or ledges ranging from five to 50m in depth. Recognised as a 'critically…

aerial view of blacktip reef sharks swimming in shallow rocky waters

Shark Identification 101: Know the Species You’ll Encounter

While many divers love to spot sharks, let's be honest - many of us still get our silkies, nurses and lemon sharks mixed up. While certain sharks are easier to identify (obvious answers being the whale shark and the wobbegong) to a total newbie, a first encounter can still leave them perplexed.

underwater photo of a blue whale diving down from the water surface

Blue Whale Facts

Blue whales are the largest creatures on Earth; in fact, they're larger than the dinosaurs ever were. Found in all waters around the world, excluding the Arctic, these blue behemoths prefer to travel solo. But they never lose contact, choosing to communicate with other whales through…

Diving 'The Pit' in Mexico

Plunging fin first into 'The Pit', El Pit, might not sound like the most enticing offer when it comes to dive sites. But allow us to explain the beauty of diving in the cenote known as El Pit, and why it should be on every diver's bucket-list. El Pit is part of the longest underwater cave…

underwater macro photography of a pink pygym seahorse resting on pink coral with a black background

Best Underwater Photography Destinations

As divers, we love seeking out bucket-list creatures in the deep blue. The majority of us enjoy turning those memories into photos too (how else will our non-diving friends believe us?). Whether you're a novice looking for crystal clear waters and calm conditions, a history buff wanting to…

A group of sperm whales swimming close to the surface in deep blue water

Top Ten Sperm Whale Facts

Immortalised by Herman Melville's classic novel Moby-Dick, sperm whales have delighted (and boggled) ocean lovers for centuries. Boasting the largest brain on Earth, along with an equally large block-shaped head, these social creatures live in pods, sleep vertically and enjoy diving to…

Underwater photo of a group of spotted rays gliding in clear water

Why Scuba Diving Makes You Happier

Have you ever heard of the biophilia hypothesis? It's a theory that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other life forms. As divers, this instinct resonates deeply with us. While we might at times appear over-enthusiastic about how much the ocean affects our…

Close view of a porcelain crab hiding among sea anemone

Top Ten Crab Facts

Crabs often get a bad rep (thanks to a certain medical issue). But we think, once you dig a little deeper, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the abilities and agility of these decapod crustaceans. From their sideways walk to their propensity to regrow limbs, when needed, crabs play a vital…

Top Starfish Facts

Starfish (also known as sea stars in the scientific world) are curious creatures spread out across rock pools, seagrass and coral reefs. Some are even found 9,000m deep on the sandy seabed. They come in various shapes, sizes and colours - there are over 1,600 species - most commonly with…

Underwater photo of a sailfish with bright blue stripes swimming up to a bait ball

Top Sailfish Facts

Sailfish are considered the Usain Bolt of the seas. Their impressive agility and striking appearance have captivated ocean lovers and sports fishers. Known for reaching up to 62 miles per hour and changing colour in the process, these magnificent creatures know a thing or two about…

A whale shark swims away close to the surface with sunlight coming in.

Just back from Western Australia

Our dive marketing guru, Charlotte, just returned from an epic trip to Western Australia. Like many divers, she has a bucket list of places and species she wants to explore, and this year she decided to tick off two: seeing whale sharks and road-tripping along Western Australia's coastline.…

close up image of the side of a pufferfish's face

Top Ten Pufferfish Facts

Picture yourself suddenly ballooning into a spiky sphere whenever you feel a mix of nervousness and curiosity. That's just a typical day in the life of a puffer fish. And while they may be the world's most poisonous fish (when eaten) they're romantics at heart. Ready to learn more about…

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