Ocean Safari Blog

We did a lot of diving in 2024 both locally and internationally. Locally, we went diving at the beach and all around the Channel Islands. We went to Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and San Miguel Islands in the north, and Catalina, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente Islands in the south. Overseas, we went to Taiwan, Anilao, Socorro, Loreto, and Spice Islands. Wherever we go, we always have fun diving and hanging out with happy, friendly divers. We appreciate your continued love and support and hope to keep sharing our love of the ocean with you all!

In November, Ocean Safari led a trip to one of the most remote areas of the Coral Triangle – the Spice Islands and the outer Raja Ampat. 16 lucky souls embarked on this epic journey covering more than 900km aboard the luxury liveaboard, Arenui. Everyone did more than 30 dives, many of which were exciting exploratory dives. So many fun memories!

At home, we went diving at the oil rigs aboard the Giant Stride. It's always amazing to see the contrast between the structure above and below the water. As you approach the oil rigs, all you see is the cold and grungy structure. Underwater, it is a completely different world. The whole structure is covered with invertebrates and there are countless fish swimming around the structure. Every now and then, you will be visited by the playful sea lions!

We had so much fun diving and hanging out at Santa Barbara Island on a two-day dive trip aboard the Bottom Scratcher on October 19 & 20. 
Check out the cool video by Sam Regan from this trip.

As usual, we had the playful sea lions zoom by and play around us. It's always fun to see them twirl around and swim around like crazed puppies. On a few of the dives we had the black sea bass approach us and stay close for almost the entire dive. They are such magnificent creatures, The lobster hunters also did very well on this trip. Everyone went home happy!

We started the Taiwan portion of the spring 2024 overseas trip in March and wrapped up the trip in the beginning of April. We ventured down to the southern tip of Taiwan and enjoyed diving in Kenting National Park. We loved the rustic and laid-back feeling of Kenting and we felt we experienced more authentic Taiwan. This was such a fun-filled and memorable trip that we started planning another Taiwan trip while we were still there.

Some of us continued on to Anilao, Philippines, after the Taiwan portion of the trip. We were joined by more Ocean Safari divers there for a 5-nights, 6-day dive trip. Anilao is considered macro photography heaven, but there were more than just tiny critters to see. Of course we saw countless tiny nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs, and fish, but we also enjoyed swimming over a wide field of heathy coral reef teeming with fish. We enjoyed our stay at the resort and had so much fun diving and hanging out with each other. We were discussing planning another trip there before we even started packing for our trip home.

During the last week of March, we headed to San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California Sur for a gray whale encounter and glamping adventure.

We first flew to San Jose del Cabo. After a briefing at the dive center, we had time to go out for tacos before heading out on a complimentary humpback whale watching boat tour arranged by Nautilus. Then we checked into the hotel and relaxed. Some of us went on a leisurely walk to the nearby San Jose estuary before dinner. We could have gone to the trendy looking restaurants near the hotel, but we opted for a more authentic experience at a taco place about 15 minutes away.

Next morning, we flew to San Ignacio Lagoon, where we stayed in insulated and windproof tents that had heaters, ensuite bathrooms and showers, hot and cold running water, power, and real beds. We enjoyed encounters with gray whales in the lagoon, kayaking, walking on the beach and the sand dunes, stargazing, and hanging out around the camp.

The gray whales in this breeding and birthing lagoon choose to swim over to the pangas to be caressed, stroked, and rubbed. Most of the whales we encountered were mothers with their calves. It was amazing to see the mother whales approach with their calves and allow us to touch them. Some of us got to hug and even kiss the whales! It was such a fun trip.

Trip report by Megumi