An offshore, international financial centre and duty-free shopping destination, surrounded by seas dotted with oil rigs, does not exactly give one the impression that this is where some of the region’s finest and most vibrant coral reefs, as well as excellent wreck diving, can be found. But this is indeed the case, and it just goes to prove the old saying that one should never judge a book by its cover.

I have always wanted to explore this area and was thrilled even more when they told me of the strange coraltype of life living in the lake. Intrigued, I invited a few more friends to join the excursion: my husband and dive buddy, Wayne Grant and Ron Akeson, a marine biologist from Bellingham, Washington, USA. Wayne would record the data, I would document with underwater stills and Ron would video the dive with his HD video camera. 

The first faint glow of dawn was just beginning to appear in the eastern sky as the armed cargo ship and its two destroyer escorts approached the deep waters of the Lombok Strait between the islands of Bali and Lombok.

Unknown to the crews, although perhaps strongly suspected, they had already been spotted by a Japanese long-range submarine. The strait was the principal transit route through the long chain of islands that formed the southern rim of what was then known as the Malay Archipelago, making it an ideal hunting ground.

Scuba divers visiting the region today follow in the footsteps of some big names. Ambon, on the northern edge of the Banda Sea, has been a favourite hunting ground for ichthyologists since the 18th century, and Alfred Russel Wallace spent a lot of time here during his 1854–1862 exploration of the region, a period during which he developed his ideas on biogeography and natural selection (independently of Charles Darwin) and came up with the notion of the “Wallace Line” that separates Asia from Australasia.

I am referring to the Berlengas Islands, one of the more spectacular dive destinations off the Portuguese coast. Where I was now standing was the fishing town of Peniche, on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, about 100km north of Lisbon. 

Peniche is itself a picturesque old town, with narrow streets and some really good restaurants. It is also one of Portugal’s great surfing destinations. I will get back to that, but first, we set sail across the water, heading for the Berlengas.

The Långban Gruva (Långban Mine) in the municipality of Filipstad in Värmland was opened in the 16th century and closed its doors in 1972. Located in Långbans Gruv och Kulturby (Långban Mining and Culture Village), the mine’s dive base is now operated by Långbans Dyksällskap (Långban Dive Club).

When I first arrived back in 2001, Dauin was one of the Philippines’ best-kept diving secrets, often overlooked in favour of more popular locations such as Puerto Galera or Anilao. Not anymore! In the ensuing decades, it has gained renown as one of the country’s diving hotspots. Personally, however, Dauin is special for two additional reasons. It is the place I decided to pursue underwater photography, and was the subject of my very first diving article (in this very magazine, to boot). 

For the dedicated macro enthusiast, there are a number of locations worldwide that have gained legendary status, and the Philippines certainly has its fair share. Yet one had always eluded me: Romblon. Although I had been aware of it for years, the opportunity to visit had never arisen. My last trip to the Philippines, ten years earlier, was hampered by an international summit that closed Manila’s airport for days, thwarting a planned visit. Now, a decade on, my chance had finally come.

Having visited Southeast Sulawesi in the first half of my trip to Indonesia, my goal now was a small island to the west of the big island of Halmahera in North Maluku: Sali Kecil. A Garuda Indonesia flight took me from Jakarta to Ternate in the middle of the night. Early in the morning, a Wings Air flight linked Ternate to Bacan Island, further south. An overland transfer followed, taking me through the forested, mountainous interior to the east coast.

Trip of a lifetime, bucket list, dream destination, awestruck, magical, speechless, mind-blowing… There are simply not enough superlatives to adequately describe the spectacular experience I had on this expedition to Antarctica.