While our trip to Palau was centred around scuba diving, we also set aside a day to go kayaking with Paddling Palau. We’d heard great things about this local company and we wanted to experience the UNESCO-listed Rock Islands up close…and at a slower pace than you get whizzing by in a speedboat on the…
Stretching across Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, the Coral Triangle encompasses some of the world’s most exhilarating dive destinations. It contains around 76% of the world’s coral species (the diversity is staggering) and is often referred to as the “Amazon of the Seas”. Added to that, the region…
Scuba diving opens a window into another world, offering a front-row seat for exploring kaleidoscopic reefs and coming face-to-face with curious creatures. Here at EcoOceanEscapes, we consider it a privilege few experiences can match. But beneath the beauty or our underwater ecosystems lies a growing crisis. Rising temperatures, acidification and plastic pollution are reshaping marine…
As people who love exploring ocean destinations (and love encouraging others to do the same), this is a topic that’s hard to address. But it’s something we regularly think about, particularly when we’re travelling to far-flung reefs, islands and marine sanctuaries to dive and surf. There is an irony at the heart of surf and…
Every dive is an opportunity, not just to explore our diverse ocean environments, but to contribute to ocean science. Around the world, recreational divers are helping researchers monitor coral bleaching, track shark populations, document marine debris and even identify new species. Imagine stumbling across a species that no one has ever seen before! Through citizen…
If you’ve never heard of “blue carbon”, you’re forgiven. It’s a term we’re just getting acquainted with too. But it’s at the centre of a conservation movement that is rapidly gaining momentum. It’s a movement we think is of particular interest to sustainably-minded surfers and divers. “Blue carbon” ecosystems – mangroves, seagrass meadows and coastal…
Surfing has always been more than a sport. It’s a culture shaped by natural forces – tides, winds, swells – and a lifestyle that depends on healthy ocean environments. So it’s no surprise that surfers are often engaged environmental activists, at both a local and global scale. As we’ve travelled around the world, we’ve loved…
You don’t need a scuba certification to fall in love with the ocean. Snorkelling is an equally magnificent way to explore coral reefs, seagrass meadows and the marine life that calls them “home”. In fact, snorkelling is often a gateway to scuba diving. Or sometimes, it’s the destination. We all snorkelled long before we ever donned…
In recent decades, photography has become unbelievably accessible. Almost everyone carries a camera around with them everyday in the form of a smartphone. Technological improvements have also made underwater photography far more accessible, resulting in powerful images of a world that’s inaccessible to many. A single image of a healthy reef, a shark passing through…
Surfing sells itself as a low-impact pursuit. All you need is a board and the ocean (and if you live where we do, a wetsuit!) What could be simpler? But behind this “at-one-with-nature” facade lies an industry built on short product cycles, seasonal “drops” and a steady turnover of gear due to new “innovations”. The…