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http://islands.com/freeissue ISLANDS ranks the top 10 reefs in the world for snorkeling, diving and exploring, with a focus on sustainable tourism. See which one is number 1. From the March 2010 issue of ISLANDS magazine, on newsstands Feb. 16 and in the ISLANDS Store, http://islands.com/freeissue
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The besTisland reefs
The reefs of Indo-nesia's Wayag in the Coral Triangle show how magical the underwater world can be.
> the heart of the world’s reef life is the stunning Coral Triangle, stretching
from the Philippines down to Bali and over to the solomons. and at the center of this teem-ing haven — with its 3,000-plus species of reef fish and about 75 percent of known hard-coral species — is the small island of Wayag. “The most biodiverse marine life in the world,” says islands editor Ty sawyer. “Really you could include dozens of other islands from the Raja ampat archipelago, but Wayag is my favorite.” The maze of steep limestone karsts shields this island from fishing and tourism pressure. so under the water, the pink pygmy seahorses, red-tooth triggerfish and the tassled wobbegong sharks are free to play. “Many of these fish, corals and crustaceans appear to be endemic to the region, found nowhere else on earth,” says dr. Mark Erdmann of Conservation international, which is helping protect Wayag’s lagoon. “as
deep technical diving makes a debut in the area, even more new species records are sure to follow as divers plunge into Raja ampat’s unexplored twilight zone.” Papua diving opens up that world with trips from its dive resorts on Kri island as well as snorkeling on Cape Kri, known as a “high-way of fish.” all-inclusive rates from $310. papua-diving.com
> islands considered and ranked reefs for responsible travelers based on the sustainable opportunities to snorkel, dive and explore. Research came from firsthand insight by islands editors Ty Sawyer and Jad Davenport, both global dive experts, along with reef-conservation groups, international authorities, local dive operators and islands read-ers. Agree with the rankings? Disagree? Let us know at islands.com/best.
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2 lord Howe island, AustrAliA> The Great Barrier Reef de-servedly gets about 2 million visitors a year. But no more than
400 lucky visitors are allowed at a time on lord Howe. This island has everything: tropical and temperate species, endemic finds that trace back to the Mesozoic era, recognition as a UnEsCO World Heri-tage site and protection as a government marine park. “lord Howe is probably a no. 1 photo finish for me,” says Ty sawyer.
“The snorkeling and diving are incredible right off its shore, in the lagoon or off ned’s Beach. The water clarity is spec-tacular. The marine life is in your face.” Outside the luxury Capella lodge, the rare black cod, 500 other fish species and countless more adventures await. nightly rates from $650. capel la lodge .com.au
3 bonaire> “arguably the most pristine coral-reef environment in the Caribbean.” so says the U.s.
national Oceanic and atmospheric administration. We agreed, as islands and the Caribbean Tourism Organization awarded the Bonaire national Marine Park the sustainable Tourism award in 2008. and islands readers say, “it’s the place for snorkeling and diving.” Only one boat at a time is allowed at each of
“The snorkeling and diving are
incredible right off its shore. The water clarity is spectacu-lar. The marine life
is in your face.”
t h e b e s t
the island’s 100 dive sites. Walk right into the water to dive at 1,000 steps, or ven-ture out to Captain don’s Reef off Klein Bonaire, named after don stewart, who pioneered sustainable travel here. The resort Captain don’s Habitat famously offers unlimited diving every day of the year, every hour of the day. nightly rates from $145. h a b i ta tb o n a i re . co m
4 wakatobi, indonesiA> soak in everything on your dive because you may only get one chance. as part of the
Wakatobi dive Resort’s award-winning Collaborative Reef Conservation Pro-gram that pays “reef lease” fees to 17 local villages to limit fishing pressure, many of the sites in this part of the Coral Triangle are a once-per-stay treat. “We carefully balance our guests’ desires against loving something to death,” says Wakatobi’s stuart Blum. From non-limit diving on the house reef to a 10-day diving cruise throughout the protected marine park on the house yacht, there’s plenty to love. nudibranchs in the sea grass, funky hairy squat lobster at “the Zoo” site, oriental sweetlips on the “Mag-nifica” plateau — enjoy it responsibly, all from a world-class resort accessible only by private air charter. seven-night packages from $2,640. wakatobi.com
on a dive excur-sion off bonaire
(right), Wakatobi (below) or any of
the island destina-tions on this list,
you can responsi-bly marvel at the beauty of reefs.
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5 Palau> Famous as one of the “seven Underwater Wonders of the World,” Palau exceeds lofty ex-
pectations. diving at Blue Corner and snorkeling in Jellyfish lake are iconic marvels in their own right. local dive guides and the Palau Conservation soci-ety are ensuring that future travelers will enjoy these reefs that explode with 1,300 fish species and 700 corals where Pacific currents swirl together. sam’s Tours, for example, now has a ratio of one guide to six divers to help ensure the protection of the marine environment. still, some places are just too fragile to see. “some of the oldest coral in Palau could not sustain even the slightest impact from a diver,” says sam scott of sam’s Tours.
But with great care, he can lead you to the mandarinfish and giant tridacna clams that will leave you gaping in wonder. local hotel rates from $87. samstours.com
6 siPadan island, MAlAysiA > Massive schools of chevron barracuda patrol off Barracuda Point. Green sea turtles find
footing on the sheer underwater walls that circle this tiny island. it’s clear why Jacques Cousteau himself declared sipadan “an untouched piece of art” 30 years ago. after that, divers from around the world came to see sipadan for themselves. so to re-capture that “untouched” magic, all resorts were removed from the island as of 2005, and last year the government applied for UnEsCO World Heritage site status to protect and publicize sipadan. div-ers now stay in neighboring Mabul island. This June, Padi diving society will take its Ocean safari trip to sipadan with Bor-neo divers, the same tour operator that introduced Cousteau to this masterpiece. safari rates from $2,400. padi.com/borneo
feet and plummets to over 6,000. it’s the Grand Canyon of the Caribbean.” dive at “Over the Wall” to see reef sharks and spinner dolphins. Venture into the blue holes to see the sea monster lucsa, or so the legend goes. don’t worry, the family-run, all-inclusive small Hope Bay lodge offers one-on-one dives to explore those underwater caves. Eight-day dive packages from $2,245. smal lhope.com
9 namena, Fiji> “The marine equivalent of the serengeti.” That’s how Rick MacPherson, conservation pro-
grams director of the Coral Reef alliance, describes the outer reef of the namena Marine Reserve. “From swirling schools of hundreds of jack, barracuda and fuse-liers to big mature groupers tucked in coral nooks, napoleon wrasse, bump-head parrotfish, sleeping whitetip sharks, big patrolling gray reef sharks,” he says,
“the entire food chain is on display.” The reef success story comes in part from a new five-year no-take policy. Moody’s namena, on the one-mile-long island of namenalala, offers up-close views of that success. Five-night dive pack-ages from $1,750. moodysnamenafiji.com
10 belize islands> lighthouse, Blue Hole, Turneffe — these are just a few of the must-do dives
on the Belize Barrier Reef, second larg-est in the world and encompassing eight marine reserves. in one of his more than 100 dives there, Jad davenport marveled at 20-foot stalactites, dripstone pillows and an eight-foot bull shark that wasn’t skittish. You don’t have to go too deep for loggerhead turtles, stingrays and the occasional octopus. “i love that you can see more snorkeling here than diving most places,” says reader angela Pierce. Ramon’s Village Resort on ambergris Caye whisks divers to those sites and more. You may love this reef so much, you’ll think it’s the best in the world. and you could be right. nightly rates from $145. ramons.com islands.com/best
7 niiHau, HAwAii> This “Forbidden island” is rarely seen by travelers to Hawaii
— thankfully. Off this private, no-tourists island that’s a two-hour boat ride west of Kauai, endangered monk seals are free to glide past pillow stars on a 280-foot wall. More stunning than a top-side rainbow, that’s just one sight on the Vertical awareness dive with seasport divers. Ty sawyer ranks niihau the best Hawaiian dive experience and among the Pacific’s best diving. The niihau arches, the hard coral, the unexplored vibe — it’s the truly hidden Hawaii. dive trips from $295. seasportdivers.com
8 andros island, BAHAMAs> dive andros’ barrier reef — the third largest in the world
— and you’ll realize that rank-ing the world’s best reefs is harder than counting 3,000 fish species. islands contributing editor Jad davenport says of andros: “it’s untouched, the water is crystal clear and the wall starts from 100
Barracuda, green sea turtles — it’s clear why Jacques Cousteau himself declared this “an untouched piece of art.”
What lies beneath the Rock Islands
of palau (right) and along the
underwater walls of Sipadan Island (below) are coral and other sea life worth protecting.
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