coral reefs - Search Results

An unspoiled corner of Fiji, Kadavu is a beautiful mountainous island with waterfalls, rounded hilltops, outstanding beaches and high rocky cliffs. It offers interesting bush walks, charming rockpools, luxuriant native trees and fascinating birdlife, particularly the famous red and green Kadavu parrots. Kadavu (pronounced Kahn-da-voo), has a population of approximately 8700 and lies only 88 kilometers south of Suva. Kadavu is approximately 48 kilometers in length and varies in width from 365 meters to 13 kilometers. Its area is 411 square kilometers, just a bit less than Taveuni. Kadavu has..

What we think of as Bimini is actually two separate islands, North and South Bimini, separated by a shallow, narrow channel. North Bimini, the focus of the population and activities, consists of a strip of land 7 miles long and no wider than 700 yards. South Bimini, has a small airstrip and two hotels. As a result, it's silent and rustic, while still offering easy access via water to the North Bimini happenings. Despite the fact that Bimini is the Bahamian island closest to the United States, sitting only 48 miles east of Miami, its easy way of life is reminiscent of the past. The island..

If this outpost in the western province of the Solomon Islands isn't the final frontier of diving, it's at least in the neighborhood. As Aussie divers have known for some time, Ghizo's underwater world is filled with great reefs, staggering numbers of fish both large and small – and some vivid reminders of the World War II, including wrecks of a Japanese transport ship and an American Hellcat fighter plane. The main town, Gizo (yes, the spelling is different) is the second largest in the island chain, but the main street is lined mostly with small stores and an open-air market..

Islamorada likes to bill itself as "Sportfishing Capital of the World" and does boast the largest fleet of charter boats in the Florida Keys. Why all the action? Well, fishermen have the choice of charging into the Atlantic for sailfish, tuna, and mahi-mahi along the Gulf Stream, or heading for the shallow "backcountry" waters of Florida Bay and the Everglades for a flyfishing foray after elusive bonefish and tarpon. Like its neighbor just to the north, Key Largo, Islamorada also gives divers a chance to snorkel shallow reefs or dive on shipwrecks – including the 287-foot Eagle, sunk as an..

Rarotonga is one of those islands that old South Seas hands recalled fondly when the talk around the bar turned to the quintessential island paradise. Fact is, the island can still lay a pretty good claim to that title. Long a favorite with sailors, Rarotonga, with its volcanic landscape of jagged peaks and deep valleys, is the only mountainous island in the Cook Islands. Its interior is mostly lush rain forest, and miles of white-sand beaches and an uncommonly clear lagoon fringe its shore. Dive shops on the island lead trips to about 40 sites that cover the full gamut of the water world:..