{"id":279,"date":"2012-02-02T21:44:29","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T10:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/?page_id=279"},"modified":"2019-05-11T13:57:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-11T03:57:00","slug":"scuba-diving-and-underwater-sightseeing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/follow-rods-travels\/about\/scuba-diving-and-underwater-sightseeing\/","title":{"rendered":"Scuba Diving, Sunken History and Underwater Sightseeing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-5161388013621688\"; google_alternate_ad_url = \"https:\/\/travography.com\/showsell.html\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; google_ad_format = \"468x60_as\"; google_ad_type = \"text_image\"; \/\/2007-02-08: Traveloscopy Story Banner 468 google_ad_channel = \"8406711044\"; google_color_border = \"FFFFFF\"; google_color_bg = \"FFFFFF\"; google_color_link = \"063E3F\"; google_color_text = \"6F6F6F\"; google_color_url = \"78B749\";\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<p><small><em>Updated Sept 2015<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_479\" style=\"width: 268px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/bubblecave.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-479\" class=\"wp-image-479 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/bubblecave.jpg\" alt=\"bubblecave\" width=\"258\" height=\"195\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-479\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the 'bubble cave' at Fish Rock, NSW. One of Rod's fave dive locations.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Rod would rather describe himself as a writer who dives, than a diver who writes.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, he holds <a href=\"http:\/\/www.padi.com\/scuba-diving\/padi-courses\/course-catalog\/advanced-open-water-diver-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PADI Open Water Advanced <\/a>certification and has made more than 200 dives around the world including PNG, Fiji, Palau, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.travel-news-photos-stories.com\/2013\/02\/get-wrecked-in-port-vila.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vanuatu<\/a>, Tonga, California, Philippines, Christmas Island, Tahiti, Kiribati, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hawaii and, of course, Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of detailed descriptions and taxonomy of marine invertebrates, you can read about the fascinating history of a famous shipwreck like the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.travel-news-photos-stories.com\/2011\/03\/122-passengers-and-crew-vanish-without.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SS <em>Yongala<\/em><\/a> or SS <em>President Coolidge<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Dive with him as he 'discovers' an <a href=\"http:\/\/newscapades.blogspot.com\/2011\/01\/dive-into-history-sets-record-sraight.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">aircraft wreck<\/a> in the murky waters of PNG, then trace the surviving crew for a gripping description of the crash landing and their ultimate rescue.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_284\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Fish_Rock_5935.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-284\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-284\" title=\"Fish_Rock_5935\" src=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Fish_Rock_5935-300x217.jpg\" alt=\"sharks\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Fish_Rock_5935-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Fish_Rock_5935-450x326.jpg 450w, https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Fish_Rock_5935.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rod keeps a safe distance from a Grey Nurse Shark - Fish Rock, NSW<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Want to know about the latest rebreathers or regulators? Sorry, instead learn about the top dive resorts, liveaboard vessels and where to see the best stuff underwater. As for sea life, Rod has an understandable fascination with whales, turtles and dolphins but also an unsettling attraction to <a href=\"http:\/\/newscapades.blogspot.com\/2010\/09\/dive-with-demons-of-deep.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stingrays<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.news.com.au\/travel\/feature\/diving-with-sharks-up-close-and-personal\/story-fn4cjal3-1226009401898\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">big sharks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSwimming within arm\u2019s reach of a four metre Grey Nurse shark is something you won\u2019t forget in a hurry,\u201d says Rod, \u201cbut then so is being in the middle of a Manta Ray ballet as the giant creatures swirl and twirl around you with their mouths wide open as if to swallow you whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_304\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/follow-rods-travels\/about\/scuba-diving-and-underwater-sightseeing\/dive\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-304\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-304\" class=\"size-full wp-image-304 \" title=\"dive\" src=\"http:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/dive.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diving from the transom on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.northstarcruises.com.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">True North<\/a>, one of the best liveaboards around.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5161388013621688\" data-ad-slot=\"3068258267\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script><br \/>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<br \/>\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Some examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Philippines<\/p>\n<div class=\"issuuembed\" style=\"width: 400px; height: 266px;\" data-configid=\"1377802\/34103033\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.js\" async=\"true\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Thailand<\/p>\n<div class=\"issuuembed\" style=\"width: 400px; height: 300px;\" data-configid=\"1377802\/32522326\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.js\" async=\"true\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated Sept 2015 Rod would rather describe himself as a writer who dives, than a diver who writes. Nevertheless, he holds PADI Open Water Advanced certification and has made more than 200 dives around the world including PNG, Fiji, Palau, Vanuatu, Tonga, California, Philippines, Christmas Island, Tahiti, Kiribati, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hawaii and, of course, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-279","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":744,"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/279\/revisions\/744"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monolith.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}