Any time, any place
Generally speaking, a good spot for diving means a place where the visibility is good, the varieties of fish are numerous, and the coral is lush. In the view of many who have dived around Green Island, it ranks among such world-class diving sites as Palau, Sipadan, and the Maldives. Since the repeal of martial law, under the policy of making the East Coast National Scenic Area into "a vacation destination of international standard," various facilities, such as diving paths and pavilions, have been completed since last year. Privately operated bungalows, hotels, diving agencies and recreational boats have also opened to business, with the hope that the island will soon become a paradise for divers and lovers of ocean ecology.
From October to April, during the season of northeast rains, on the east and north coasts of Green Island the typical scene is of stormy seas, dark reefs and waves chipping away at the cliff walls. At this time the soft coral dwindles and large fish that move in giant schools grow in number. On the slopes of the reef, you can see fierce jackfish and sharks that grow nearly a meter long cruising about slowly. It's dangerous and exciting. Nocturnal fish, such as squirrelfish which gather in schools of several hundred, hide in the crevices of the reef and nervously shoot back into their holes as soon as humans approach. And on the south and west coasts, because the hills on the island block the wind and rain, the soft coral in the sea grows lush.
Wind direction influences ocean currents, and is a key factor when divers decide whether or not to go into the water. The central hills on Green Island play the role of "wind terminator." During the northeast rains when the northeast coast has very choppy seas, the southwest coast still has calm waters, when its garden undersea is as beautiful as ever. And when the summer winds bring the southwest rains, divers can go to the northern reefs. All year long, except during typhoons, divers needn't worry about not being able to get into the water.
Dreaded boat changing virtually doesn't exist here. Abroad, to reach many world-class diving sites, you've got to spend a few hours in transit, switching from planes to boats before arriving, but on the southwest and north coasts of Green Island, you can just walk right off the beach to world-class diving scenery. Even if you want a take a boat to leave the harbor and do some deep-sea diving, it's just a short boat ride away. In less than one hour you're there. And so when divers come to Green Island, whether they rent their own bungalow or stay at the Green Island Hotel dorm, they need stay just three days and two nights for a relaxed island diving vacation. If you lack a diving license, but would still like to take a look at the underwater scenery, you can go to a certified diving instructor right on the island and say you'd like to "experience diving." He can take you scuba diving individually or give a group of you a look at the underwater world snorkeling.
People in the diving world have described the ocean as "the world of inner space." You leave the land and enter a gravity-free state. As you descend the sunlight thins, and your sense of distance and direction are distorted. At this time, let your spirits and body relax, and feel the brush of the current. You're just another creature in the tropical sea.
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There are more than 400 varieties of coral around Green Island, more even than on the Great Barrier Reef. This rare abundance makes it ideal for developing eco-tourism.
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Hard to distinguish from actual rock, stonefish, with their poison glands in their hard fins, hide in the coral rock, heads half-exposed, waiting to pounce upon any small fish that might wander by.
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The blue sky and waters of Green Island nurture thriving underwater ecologies.
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Banded coral shrimp are one of the most beautiful shrimp species found in coral reefs. How delicate are their six long and slender feelers! Eating decaying matter, parasites and other such detritus, they serve as sanitation workers of the seas.
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Where the current is strong along a coral cliff, red sea fans and tropical fish form a vibrant ocean world.
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Coral is constructed of many individual polyps. Here, in hard coral that is part of a coral reef, the ends of the polyps have opened to allow the symbiotic algae within to accomplish photosynthesis.
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Orange-red tube coral usually grows at depths of ten meters or more in the caves of coral reefs. Here tube corals have opened their tentacles to catch plankton.
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Sea squirts look like works of glass art. One of the most complex invertebrates, they rely on the filters in their orifices to extract plankton from the sea water.
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A tiny anemone crab enjoying a stroll on a sea anemone. The sea anemone's tentacles form a natural cover, on which are stinging cells that paralyze intruders. The sea anemone makes them its home.
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By staghorn coral, you often find moorish idols--with their black, yellow and white bodies and their long fins--as well as schools of damselfish, who rarely wander too far. When the damselfish encounter a predator, they quickly hide in the coral.
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A clownfish seeking protection in the tentacles of a sea anemone. His leftovers are the sea anemone's gourmet treats.
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Gateway Rock. If only we show love and respect for the world of nature, the oceans will welcome us.
Orange-red tube coral usually grows at depths of ten meters or more in the caves of coral reefs. Here tube corals have opened their tentacles to catch plankton.
Sea squirts look like works of glass art. One of the most complex invertebrates, they rely on the filters in their orifices to extract plankton from the sea water.
A tiny anemone crab enjoying a stroll on a sea anemone. The sea anemone's tentacles form a natural cover, on which are stinging cells that paralyze intruders. The sea anemone makes them its home.
By staghorn coral, you often find moorish idols--with their black, yellow and white bodies and their long fins--as well as schools of damselfish, who rarely wander too far. When the damselfish encounter a predator, they quickly hide in the coral.
A clownfish seeking protection in the tentacles of a sea anemone. His leftovers are the sea anemone's gourmet treats.
Gateway Rock. If only we show love and respect for the world of nature, the oceans will welcome us.