Reef diving

Reef diving is probably the most common form of diving. The splendid beauty of the reefs with its endless amount of colourful species is what most people associate with scuba diving.

Next to that, reef diving is suitable for divers of all levels, since the visibility is generally quite good, the temperatures are quite high and the sites are relatively shallow with lots of light and little current.

The sheer beauty and colours of the reefs and their marine life usually even surpass the imagination. The complex nature of this specific marine environment makes that even very experienced divers will continuously enjoy these types of dives.

Cold water diving

Cold water diving can be just as exciting as tropical reef diving. You will encounter different, maybe a little less colourful species, but that should not make the dives less interesting.

You will need to take special precautions though, in order to stay comfortably warm and not fall victim to hypothermia. Get a thick wetsuit with gloves, boots and a hood, since a human being most quickly looses heat through his head.

If the water is below 10-12 degrees Celsius, you may want to dive with a dry suit.

Kelp diving

A special type of cold water diving is kelp diving, which entails cruising around in the huge underwater forests of kelp plants. You will need gear to protect you from the cold, a guide or buddy with extremely good navigation or compass skills since it is easy to get lost in kelp forest, and a divers knife in order to be able to free yourself when you get entangled.

Kelp forests can be found at special dive sites only, such as New Zealand and West California and harbour special species, such as seals.

Night diving

Diving at night is a unique experience, since you will encounter different species than in the daylight. Some nocturnal marine species are bioluminescent, with can give special effects to your dark underwater environment.

You don’t need special training for night dives since they usually take place in relatively easy and shallow dive sites, as long as you follow a dive master or a guide with experience and good navigation skills.

All you need is a torch with strong batteries to light your way and a glow stick to attach to your tank so the crew on the dive boat can see you.

Wreck diving

Wrecks have always been attractive to divers, because next to beautiful marine life, there is history, mystery and tragedy. Wrecks that are deliberately taken to a dive spot to form an artificial reef are usually cleared of sharp edges and other things that can be dangerous for divers.

Do not enter a wreck when you are claustrophobic, lack the appropriate training and navigation skills or when the wreck site is classified as a marine grave yard (out of respect for the people that lost their lives at sea). Always look out for sharp edges and dead ends. Other than that, enjoy!

Technical diving

Technical diving involves special skills in order to go beyond the limits of recreational diving (beyond depths of 40 meter). Technical dives can involve lengthy decompressions and the usage of special gas mixes, such as Trimix. In order to do so, you will need extensive training, special dive gear and a lot of experience.

It can be very challenging, but it can lead to great adventures.

Wall diving

Coral reefs in tropical waters can be placed on the edge of a shelf, where the seafloor suddenly drops dozens or even hundreds of meters. These so-called walls provide extraordinary beauty, because corals, sponges and fans grow abundantly there.

There are usually many caves and hiding places where you can find many smaller species and for example moray eels. Walls like these can also be found on the edge of small volcanic islands, for example in Greece or The Philippines.

Diving along these walls is challenging, since there can be currents from the vast ocean and you want to control your buoyancy and ensure you do not accidentally decent deeper than you should.

Cave diving

Small caves and swim troughs should only be entered by relatively experienced divers, preferably with a guide or dive master who knows the area. Going deeper into larger caves should be avoided unless you are a very experienced diver and know the area.

Cave diving is very dangerous: you could get stuck or loose your sense of direction completely. You should also not go cave diving if you feel unhappy in confined spaceds Claustrophobic divers can panic, which can lead to undesired situations.

Caves can provide beautiful scenery though, and special forms of marine life.

Ice diving

You need special stamina and a fully accessorized dry suit, with a special regulator and other tailor made equipment.

Ice diving is done by adventurers in the Artic regions, but also by people in Nordic countries who will chop a hole in any layer of ice on for example a lake. You need great navigation skills in order to find your way back out (even though ice diving is generally done on a line) again and you should not be hold back by freezing temperatures.

The ice structures and colour schemes are beautiful under water and you will encounter special acclimatized cold water / arctic marine life.

Drift diving

Drift dives generally entails diving in rivers or at dive spots that have strong currents or are strongly influenced by tides. Drift diving basically means that you are not meant to surface where you started, but on a chosen spot downstream.

You will need special skills for this type of dives and you have to be able to read tide tables. Also note that circumstances can vary widely per dive site, so you should always check with locals or dive with a guide.