There’s a moment that happens somewhere between booking a flight and imagining your first backward roll into warm blue water, when the Philippines starts to feel very real. Maybe it’s the thought of reef walls disappearing into the deep, or maybe it’s the quiet excitement of knowing that for a week, your hotel will gently…
If you think regular travel is boring and lounging on the beach doesn’t do it for you, welcome to the world of extreme tourism. Before you pack your backpack and book tickets, remember: these destinations come with very real risks to life and health. No amount of preparation can guarantee everything will go smoothly. I’ll…
In the early 1950s, Italian artist Guido Galletti designed a bronze statue of Jesus Christ that was placed in the Italian Riviera near San Fruttuoso to honor the legacy of diver Duilio Marcante and divers and sailors who lost their lives at sea. Galletti’s statue—known as Il Cristo degli Abissi, or Christ of the Abyss—was…
An underwater river may seem like a contradiction, but there are a handful of places in the world where underwater rivers actually exist. A flooded cave in Chumkopo, Mexico, known as Cenote Angelita, is home to an eerie underwater river. This phenomenon occurs due to a variance in the salinity of the water and a…
In Texas, it is a rite of passage to dive into the sinister waters of Jacob’s Well. Teenagers dare each other to jump into the swimming hole’s 12 foot opening from great heights. Jacob’s Well is inviting from the outside. Who doesn’t want to swim in a clear spring encircled by rocks that form a…
In 1971, legendary French marine explorer Jacques Cousteau journeyed to an obscure sinkhole in Belize and dubbed its royal blue waters one of the best diving spots in the world. A circular expanse of water dubbed The Great Blue Hole by a British diver is visible from space, and contains a stunning network of submerged…
Dry Tortugas, Florida is a remote collection of small islands located approximately 70 miles west of Key West. Dry Tortugas is so far from mainland that it is only accessible by seaplane or boat. It is 99% sea water, so why is the name “dry” in the title of this aquatic locale? Sailors labeled this…
The acclaimed Opal Mines are hidden behind winding forests. Located near Presov, Slovakia, the tunnels can be explored by an ambitious divers, only with the help of an experienced guide. Today, it is a protected region, but lots of active mining activity occurred there. Over 300 workers were going in and out, in order to…
