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Text by Jeremy Cuff (www.ja-universe.com) Photographs by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff (www.ja-universe.com) It may seem strange to talk about royalty in the context of revolutionary Cuba, as they’re normally anathema to one another. However,regal place names remained permissible in Castro’s Cuba, persisting for more than 60 years (and counting) of revolutionary communistrule. The “royal” place… Continue reading Cuba – An Audience With The Queen

An Underwater Photographers Guide By Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotographs by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff Whilst researching diving options for a visit to Eastern Australia, we discovered a variation on the normal dive trip theme – the “Fly Dive”. We wanted to visit some of the more remote areas of the Great Barrier Reef, so we joined a… Continue reading Australia East – The Northern Great Barrier Reef

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Micronesia is about as far as it’s possible to go without starting to come back. It takes four flights and around 36 hours of travelling to visit the legendary wreck diving paradise of Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon, the island of Yap famous for its manta rays and… Continue reading Micronesia – Distant Diving Dreams

How To Dive Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Great Barrier Reef in Eastern Australia is a global icon of travel, attracting a constant stream of visitors from around the world. I remember as a boy watching TV programmes about the reef back in the ‘70’s, when… Continue reading Australia East – No Barrier To Travel 

An Underwater Photographers GuideBy Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotographs by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff Lady Elliot Island marks the southern-most point of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and has a surprisingly varied and turbulent history leading up to its current status as an “eco resort” which included guano mining. We thought it was fantastic, with great diving, lots of… Continue reading Australia East – Lady Elliot Island – The Southernmost Tip Of The Great Barrier Reef  

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Whilst researching diving options for our visit to Eastern Australia, we discovered a variation on the normal dive trip theme – the “Fly Dive”. We wanted to visit some of the more remote areas of the Great Barrier Reef, so we joined the Spirit of Freedom… Continue reading Australia East – That’s The Spirit – “Fly Diving” in Australia

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com If you’re a diver, you’re likely to be asked whether you’ve dived on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, such is its’ status as a global icon of the underwater world. In the north of Queensland, the reef is closer to the coast, so it’s much… Continue reading Australia East – Days Out On The Reef

Osprey Reef & The Coral Sea Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com In eastern Australia, it’s possible to marry flying and diving on unique liveaboard trips to the northern Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea using the remote and exclusive resort of Lizard Island as the departure or arrival point. It’s… Continue reading Australia East – Fly Diving In Australia – Pt.II, The Sequel

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com If you look around at some of the tempting liveaboard options these days, you’ll find that the majority of them only offer week long trips. That’s fine if you’ve got the time and the budget, but if you’re looking for shorter trips, it’s not easy to… Continue reading Australia East – Three Days In The Diving World’s Biggest Playground 

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The wreck of the SS Yongala is one of Australia’s best known and iconic dives. To visit the wreck, it’s no longer necessary to book a liveaboard or a long single day boat ride from Townsville. Now, from the tiny settlement of Alva Beach it’s possible… Continue reading Australia East – All Aboard The Yongala Express

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The SS Yongala is a British built steamship that spent several successful years plying lucrative trade routes in Australia. In March 1911, on a voyage from Sydney to Cairns, her luck came to a tragic end, succumbing to a cyclone off Cape Bowling Green. The ship… Continue reading Australia East – The Wreck of the SS Yongala, Eastern Australia

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Lady Elliot Island is a tiny speck of land that marks the southern-most point of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The island has a surprisingly varied and turbulent history leading up to its current status as an “eco resort” which includes guano mining. We thought it was… Continue reading Australia East – 3 Days, 9 Dives, Full Logbook!

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The wreck of the SS Yongala is one of Australia’s best known and iconic dives. To visit the wreck, it’s no longer necessary to book a liveaboard or a long single day boat ride from Townsville. Now, from the tiny settlement of Alva Beach it’s possible… Continue reading Australia East – Fast Forward To The SS Yongala

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Western Australia isn’t short of superb underwater experiences. Swimming with the sea lions of Green Head is certainly one of the most incredible and presents a unique opportunity for underwater photographers to get up close with these graceful, inquisitive and rare marine mammals. And the conditions… Continue reading Australia West – The Sea Lions of Green Head

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Any fans of Formula One racing will be familiar with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes race engineer Bono (Chris Bonnington) telling his driver over the radio that it’s “Hammertime”, the time in the race for Lewis to unleash a succession of the hottest laps. But in terms of… Continue reading Bahamas – It’s Hammertime!

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com This Bahamian trip has its’ roots back in the Covid-19 pandemic, when we were originally supposed to go to the island of Bimini in search of Great Hammerheads, but for reasons we all know too well, a lot of plans were cancelled, put on hold, and… Continue reading Bahamas – Earning Our Stripes

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Great Barrier Reef is known the world over. But Australia has another big reef – the lesser known Ningaloo Reef.  Is it great? Absolutely!  The Great Barrier Reef, on Australia’s eastern seaboard has a globally renowned reputation among travellers. For many, it’s the main reason… Continue reading Australia West – Australia’s “Other” Big Reef

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com A fortnight to dive and photograph western Australia’s excellent Ningaloo Reef from Coral Bay and Exmouth. Was it enough? Of course it wasn’t! It had been a long held ambition of mine to visit Ningaloo Reef in western Australia, a 260 km fringing reef system that… Continue reading Australia West – Photographing Ningaloo in a Fortnight!

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com At the 2000 NEC Dive Show, the American underwater photographer and filmmaker Tom Campbell recommended Walkers Cay as one of the best locations for close encounters with sharks. Well within the reach and budgets of non-professional divers, it is, perhaps, the ultimate shark experience… Last autumn… Continue reading Bahamas – Walkers Cay – The Ultimate Shark Experience

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Belize had been on our “to do” list for some time, almost making it to the top a couple of years back, but our recent trip came as a bit of a surprise, due to our planned Turks & Caicos Islands liveaboard being cancelled. Belize was… Continue reading Belize – Lighthouse Reef Shines Brightly in Belize

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com More and more photographers are taking their interest into the water. So much so that a niche in the dive travel industry has grown up around the needs of underwater photographers wishing to improve their work. To do this we travelled to Bonaire in the south… Continue reading Bonaire – Photo Opportunities

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Lankayan Island is a tiny speck of land in the Sulu Sea, off the coast of Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo. It’s a lovely place, with a friendly and welcoming staff, superb beachside accommodation, excellent food and a great climate. But what about the… Continue reading Borneo – Lankayan Island – Going Sulu In Borneo

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com It’s unlikely to escape the attention of anyone passing through Sandakan that the area is known for its orang-utans, a word that literally means “man of the forest”. Orang-utans are under acute pressure in many areas of Borneo as their forest habitat is logged and cleared… Continue reading Borneo – The Orang-utans Of Sepilok

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Diving trips, and especially liveaboards, are normally the preserve of the “grown-ups” but not on the Caribbean based Aggressor Fleet boats. Firstly in the Cayman Islands, then Belize and later in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we took our son Zac on the Aggressor Fleet’s unique… Continue reading Caribbean – Just Kiddin’ In The Caribbean

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Caribbean is a general area bounded by the Gulf of Mexico, the East coast of Central America, the North coast of South America and the Atlantic Ocean to the East. To be pedantic, some of the destinations covered in this feature fall outside of the… Continue reading Caribbean Capers – An Overview of Caribbean Diving

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Diving trips, and especially liveaboards, are normally the preserve of the “grown ups” but in the Cayman Islands, we took our six year old son Zac on a unique family liveaboard week. I was producing a feature for Sport Diver magazine in the UK and wanted… Continue reading Cayman Islands – Photographing The Family Week, Cayman’s Style

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Cayman Islands have long been associated with great Caribbean diving and in our opinion rightly so. These flat, low-lying islands consist of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac and are located north west of Jamaica and to the south of Cuba. The Aggressor Fleet… Continue reading Cayman Islands – From a Fisheye’s Perspective: The Cayman Aggressor

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Diving trips, and especially liveaboards, are normally the preserve of the “grown ups” but in the Cayman Islands, we took our six year old son Zac on a unique family liveaboard week. Here’s how it went…  Anyone with a young child (or children) will know that… Continue reading Cayman Islands – Kids Of The Caribbean

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Two dives on one of Corsica’s best known dive attractions, the American B17 Bomber that crash landed at Calvi in 1944… In WW II, the Mediterranean was a far cry from the idyllic holiday destination that much of it has become today. Back then, it was… Continue reading Corsica – Calvi’s B17 Bomber

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The eastern Caribbean island of Dominica is emerging as a great destination for underwater photographers. Good visibility, easy conditions, photo friendly dive sites, abundant marine life and slow swimming dive guides, need I say more…  Dominica is the new Bonaire! Really? Why do I say that…?… Continue reading Dominica – Dominica Is The New Bonaire!

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The eastern Caribbean island of Dominica is a great destination for reef diving at its very best. It’s also friendly, unspoilt and extremely relaxing… The island of Dominica is a refreshingly different destination from many others in the Caribbean and should not be confused with its… Continue reading Dominica – Diving In Dominica – The Caribbean’s Nature Island

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com In 2007, we embarked on our first Red Sea liveaboard in Egypt, based out of Marsa Alam in the south. We enjoyed it so much that we came back for more in 2008, this time in the north from Sharm el Sheikh. Now we’re thinking that… Continue reading Egypt – “Down South, Up North”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Over the years, we’d visited Egypt on a number of occasions, taking in land based diving at different locations, a couple of liveaboards and even a Nile cruise. This time, for our Easter break, we were looking for some “back to nature” simplicity, which attracted us… Continue reading Egypt – Get Up, Eat, Go Diving, Eat, Sleep. Repeat.

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Galapagos isn’t a place you can easily visit on a whim, or can likely afford to. Our trip was more than three years in the waiting, giving us time to save up and put the money aside. Our itinerary on the Galapagos Sky liveaboard was different… Continue reading Galapagos – Diving On The Wild Side

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Imagine a place where the entire hub of government, administrative functions, infrastructure, and ports of entry and exit have been destroyed. I suppose, it’s somewhat akin to a war zone. Whether you can or can’t imagine it, that’s what happened to the island of Montserrat thanks… Continue reading Montserrat – “An Interval of Calm”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Red Sea invokes images of the distant and exotic and yet it’s as little 5 or so hours flying time from the UK. It’s surrounded by some of the world’s richest and most important history, basks in near unbroken sunshine and contains stunning coral reefs,… Continue reading Red Sea – Seeing Red – An Overview of Diving the Red Sea 

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The “forbidden island” of Niihau is the “wild frontier” of diving in the Hawaiian Islands.  It rewards the visiting underwater photographer with some spectacular underwater experiences, and world class underwater scenery. You’ve even got a good chance of encounters with one of world’s most endangered marine… Continue reading Hawaii – Kauai & Niihau – Diving Niihau – Hawaii’s Forbidden Island – An Underwater Photographers Guide

An Underwater Photographers Guide Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Hawaii’s “Big Island” is some of the world’s newest land. It’s geographically remote and still volcanically active. In the Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea is still erupting as it has done for the last twenty or more years, and just after our visit,… Continue reading Hawaii – Big Island – Hawaii’s Kona Coast

An Underwater Photographers Guide Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The “Big Island” of Hawaii is a fabulous place, with a great many attractions to captivate visitors. There’s the island culture, active volcanoes, endemic flora and fauna, superb trekking, a mountain top observatory, interesting local cuisine, spectacular scenery and unique diving experiences.… Continue reading Hawaii – Big Island – Eruptive Behaviour – Unique Liveaboard Diving on the Kona Aggressor in Hawaii

An Underwater Photographers Guide Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com With the advent of the digital camera, a great many divers have also become photographers. Some are content to simply “point and shoot” on their annual dive holidays.  For others, the pursuit becomes more serious, usually involving investment in specialist photography equipment… Continue reading Hawaii – Big Island – Lights, Cameras, Action!

It’s Surely A Contender Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com I don’t normally start my features with a “clickbait” style of title, but having enjoyed a long awaited visit to Ustica, I felt compelled to pose the rhetorical question; is this the best diving in the Mediterranean..? When we told friends that… Continue reading Italy – Ustica: The Best Diving in the Mediterranean?

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Located off the eastern coast of southern Africa, the island of Madagascar is like no other place on earth. It boasts a unique culture, an interesting and varied topography, superb national parks and flora and fauna found nowhere else. It’s also becoming easier to go diving… Continue reading Madagascar – “Dive Madagascar – The Island Continent” 

Festive Family Diving in the Maldives  Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com In recent times, the Christmas breaks didn’t seem the same to Amanda and I, which we hadn’t enjoyed in the way we once did. As we both felt the same way, this triggered a discussion about “doing things differently”, such… Continue reading Maldives – Diving Away For Christmas 

An Ideal Destination for Photographers with Families  Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Back in 1997, as diving newcomers, we’d visited the Maldives and loved the barefoot bliss and chilled out days of dives, sunsets, books and good food. Now, winding the clock forward to the present day, life for us has… Continue reading Maldives – Bandos Island in the Maldives 

Location: Guadalupe Island, Mexico’s Pacific Side Purpose of Visit: Close Encounters with Great White Sharks Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com It’s been one of my life’s ambitions to see a Great White Shark (in the right circumstances, of course). Previously, I had to abort a long-awaited trip to Mexico’s Guadalupe Island… Continue reading Mexico – Life Behind Bars 

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Socorro Islands are located on Mexico’s Pacific side, some 250 miles due south of the tip of the Baja California peninsula. They’re also known as the Revillagigedo Islands and are sometimes referred to as “Mexico’s Galapagos”. The area offers great opportunities for photographers looking for… Continue reading Mexico – Shooting In The Socorro’s 

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Socorro Islands are also known as the tongue twisting Revillagigedo Islands and are sometimes referred to as “Mexico’s Galapagos”. They’re located on Mexico’s Pacific side, some 250 miles due south of the tip of the Baja California peninsula. It’s a great destination for photographers looking… Continue reading Mexico – Out In The Blue At “Mexico’s Galapagos” 

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The remote Socorro Islands are also known as the tongue twisting Revillagigedo Islands and are sometimes referred to as “Mexico’s Galapagos”. They’re located on Mexico’s Pacific side, some 250 miles due south of the tip of the Baja California peninsula. You could describe the action packed… Continue reading Mexico – All Action at “Mexico’s Galapagos”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Over the years, the majority of my underwater photography trips have run reasonably smoothly and without significant hitches, but this trip turned out to be rather different. Instead of great weather, lots of photography and good health, I encountered poor weather, very difficult diving and photography… Continue reading Philippines – Donsol and Ticao Island in the Philippines v1

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Over the years, the majority of my underwater photography trips have run reasonably smoothly and without significant hitches, but this trip turned out to be rather different. Here’s an account of how it went, what I saw, and how I was still able to salvage enough… Continue reading Philippines – Donsol and Ticao Island in the Philippines v2

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Some diving and underwater photography trips go just perfectly, but occasionally the opposite happens when things don’t go according to plan. Instead of great weather and good health, I encountered poor weather, very difficult diving conditions and an illness in the form of a sinus infection.… Continue reading Philippines – In The Big Time, Philippines Style

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Malapascua is a laid back and pleasant island located just off the northern tip of Cebu in the Philippines. To date, its presence on the global diving map can largely be attributed to the local Thresher Shark encounters which can be reliably seen on dives at… Continue reading Philippines – An Underwater Photographer’s Guide to Malapascua Island in the Philippines

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com With Far East dive destinations such as Bunaken and the Lembeh Straits lodged firmly in the global consciousness and hovering near the top of many peoples “to do” lists, there’s also an appetite among some divers for discovering less known areas. One such place is Malapascua… Continue reading Philippines – Threshing Around In The Water

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Liveaboards provide that perfect opportunity to get completely absorbed into the diving lifestyle, if only for a week. Having done the Cayman and Belize Aggressor’s Family Weeks in the past with our son Zac, next on our list was the Turks and Caicos Aggressor, which helpfully… Continue reading Turks & Caicos – “Living The Dream – Turks & Caicos Style”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Dive liveaboards provide that perfect opportunity to get completely immersed into the diving lifestyle, if only for a week, where you literally dive, eat, relax and sleep. Previously, we’d enjoyed the Cayman and Belize Aggressor’s Family Weeks with our son Zac, as well as travelling on… Continue reading Turks & Caicos – “A Caribbean Dive Adventure – Turks & Caicos Style”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Babbacombe Bay had been on my “dive radar” for quite a while. My previously planned visits didn’t happen for reasons of adverse weather, but this time I chose a weekend (the 11th & 12th May), booked some accommodation and hoped that the weather would turn out… Continue reading UK – Babbacombe – The South Coast’s “Cephalopod Central”

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Many people visit Bournemouth’s beach and pier on the South Coast, but rarely for the purpose of diving. Dorset destined divers generally choose the more “traditional” dive spots such as Swanage and Portland further to the west, but there are other possibilities. So, how about Bournemouth… Continue reading UK – Bournemouth Pier – A Dive Spot Hidden in Plain Sight

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Though I learned to dive in the temperate waters of the UK, the magnetic pull of warm and clear tropical waters has dominated my underwater experiences ever since. More recently however, I wanted to expand my diving and photography to include more temperate destinations, where the… Continue reading UK – Channel Islands – Photographing Bouley Bay in Jersey, UK Channel Islands v1

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Though I learned to dive in the temperate waters of the UK, the magnetic pull of warm and clear tropical waters has dominated my underwater experiences ever since. More recently however, I wanted to expand my diving and photography to include more temperate destinations, where the… Continue reading UK – Channel Islands – Photographing Bouley Bay in Jersey, UK Channel Islands v2

Diving Bouley Bay in Jersey Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Type of dive: Shore. Experience: Great for inexperienced divers, but very interesting for experienced divers.  Depth: Up to 12 – 15 metres depending on tides and where you go. Marine life: The bay is home to a multitude of marine life.… Continue reading UK – Channel Islands – On A Shore Footing

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The island of Sark in the Channel Islands is one of the most unspoilt and undeveloped of the island group, known for its lack of traffic (only tractors and horse & carts), tranquillity, and for the stargazing opportunities among other things. For divers, it offers an… Continue reading UK – Channel Islands – Going Out After Sark

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com As the Sea Cat ferry set out from Poole Harbour, winding out past Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and Studland, it felt like properly going away, getting “off the island”, so to speak. I looked forward to the pleasant continental vibe of the Channel Islands and the diving… Continue reading UK – Channel Islands – Bouley Bay – The Channel Island’s Best Shore Dive

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The dive spots and destinations that I choose to visit usually start by appearing on what I describe as my “dive radar” and then onto my “must do” list. In that respect, Kimmeridge Bay was no different, attractive to me in that it’s within the Purbeck… Continue reading UK – Kimmeridge Bay – “Off The Beaten Track” Shore Diving In Dorset

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Lulworth Cove is an attractive and sheltered bay, popular with tourists, daytrippers and anyone who likes the water. It’s located on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset between Swanage and Weymouth and offers a great dive day out… Over the past ten years or so, I’ve visited… Continue reading UK – Lulworth Cove – A Great Dive Day Out v1

The Countess of Erne, the Landing Craft & Bombardon Unit Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Type of dive: Boat, a short trip from locations within Portland Harbour. Experience: Would suit inexperienced divers, but still interesting for experienced divers.  Depth: Up to approximately 18 metres depending on tides and where you go.… Continue reading UK – Portland Harbour – Wreck Diving Inside The Wall

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Type of dive: Shore, with an easy entry off the beach Experience: Would suit inexperienced divers  Depth: 7 or 8 metres depending on tides and where you go Marine life: Theluxuriant seaweed growth is home to many fish, crustaceans and molluscs Visibility: Expect between 2-8 metres… Continue reading UK – Lulworth Cove – A Great Dive Day Out v2

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Few people visit Studland Bay in Dorset to dive, choosing instead to visit more traditional locations such as Swanage just along the coast, but it’s an interesting area that enthusiasts of marine life may find rewarding. It takes a bit of planning, but can make for… Continue reading UK – Studland Bay – Diving’s Naked Ambition

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com When Mark (Scuba Diver’s Editor in Chief) asked me if I could contribute a feature on Swanage Pier, I probably had enough material already “in the bag” as I’d dived there several times in the past. However, his request gave me the impetus to have another… Continue reading UK – Swanage Pier – An Iconic South Coast Dive Site

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The “forbidden island” of Niihau is the “wild frontier” of diving in the Hawaiian Islands.  It rewards the visitor with some spectacular underwater experiences, and is truly world class. You’ve even got a good chance of encounters with one of world’s most endangered marine mammals, the… Continue reading Hawaii – Kauai & Niihau – Diving Niihau – Hawaii’s Forbidden Island

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com Around five years ago, I made a solo dive trip to the Indonesian island of Bali staying at the Scuba Seraya Resort in Tulamben. I thought it was great and knew my wife Amanda would love the place too, so we vowed to make a family… Continue reading Indonesia – Bali – Giving Peacefulness A Chance, Balinese Style

A Return Visit to the Lembeh Strait, 16 Years On Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi (Indonesia) is an iconic dive destination for very good reason. This narrow channel, swept by currents, creates ideal conditions for a profusion of weird lifeforms to thrive. Over Christmas 2018,… Continue reading Indonesia – Sulawesi – Change For The Better…?

Text by Jeremy Cuff/www.ja-universe.comPhotography by Jeremy & Amanda Cuff/www.ja-universe.com The Dry Tortugas forms the end of the Florida Keys and is probably the remotest area of Florida, a long way from theme parks and mass tourism. To dive there, a liveaboard is the only real option. Those who make the journey will be rewarded by… Continue reading USA – Away From It All: Remote Florida