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| Christmas Island |
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Description:
Christmas Island is a dot in the Indian Ocean, located 2600km north-west of Perth, Western Australia. Even though it is an Australian Territory, its closest neighbour is Java, 360km away.
This island is an old volcanoe that rises some 14000 feet from the bottom of the ocean. Due to this most of the dives done here are wall dives and there are plenty of caves and fissures. The drop offs range from 10 to thousands of meters and provide shelter for all sorts of interesting marinelife. The island has a tripocal climeat and is also known for it's birdlife. Visibility can be extremely good, ranging up to 50 metres! At one point, Flying Fish Cove, the island drops nearly 400 metres into the ocean.
Christmas Island has a unique population with a blend of Chinese, Malay & Caucasians from the Australian mainland. A visit here is a diverse cultural experience with numerous temples, festivals and a variety of cuisines. There is a range of accommodation to suit your budget & each offers a personalised service that only comes with smaller operations, ensuring that your stay here will be an enjoyable & memorable experience.
If you are looking for somewhere different, unique, tropical and without hordes of other tourists around, Christmas Island may well be the perfect destination. | | | Details: |
Nearest commercial airport: Christmas Island International Airport |
Average watertemp: Min 25 - Max 30 oCelcius. |
Average visibility: 30 Horizontal metres |
Bottom composition: Sand, Corals, Vulcanic |
Dive conditions: Ocean/Sea, Salt water |
Seasonality: Year round. |
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Marinelife in the area: | Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Coastal fish & Reef Life | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Our resident Leaf Scorpion Fish come in white, cream, pink, purple, yellow and black :-)))
| | Coastal fish & Reef Life | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christmas Island boast arround 60 species of nudibranchs - some are to be found in our massive cave systems.
| | Coastal fish & Reef Life | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christmas Islands Hard Corals leave even the most seasoned diver breathless
- if you love corals - you'll be overwhelmed !
| | Devil rays (Mobula) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Mobulas often arrive about the same time as the whalesharks, but are more likely to be seen also during the year.
| | Grey reef sharks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Grey Reef Sharks are seen year round, to Shark enthousiasts we do recommend to visit our "neighbour" Cocos Keeling Island - Sharks galore :-)
| | Moray eels | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christmas Island is home to maybe the most elusive and beautifully marked Moray eel - The Dragon Moray.
| | Moray eels | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ribbon eels are also found at other dive destinations, however - if you dive in front of the divecentre on Christmas Island, you typically encounter 5 - 10 of these vibrantly coloured Moray eels during 1 dive.
| | Pelagic fish | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Pelagics like Wahoo, Barracuda, several species of Trevally and Tuna are often seen comming in from the
"big blue".
| | Scallopped Hammerhead sharks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Our Hammerheads are typically by themselfs or in small groups.
| | Spinner dolphins (Long-snouted) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Spinner dolphins typically join the boats to play in the wake. Often divers can join them wearing only mask, snorkel and fins.
| | Whale sharks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Whalesharks visit Christmas Island to feed on the larvae of the endemic Red Crabs and are typically younger individuals. Often quite inquistive, they are staying very close to the divers and snorkellers
| | Whitetip reef sharks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Whitetip Reef sharks are quite common in the waters of Christmas Island - for encounters with Black Tip Reef Sharks, dive the Cocos Keeling Islands to the west of Christmas Island.
| | Probability of encounter: 0%, 0 > 60%, 60 > 90%, 90 > 100%
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