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Dive Global talks to diving enthousiast around the world. This time Charlotte van Weeghel talks about her passions for scuba diving & travel. Find out about her favorite destinations...

Dive Global : You’ve always been in and around the water?

Charlotte: Yes, that's right. My early childhood was spent right on the coast in Africa which instilled a love of tropical waters and exotic locations from a very early age on. I grew up sailing and windsurfing and life became really interesting and fun when I moved to California and discovered scuba diving.

My friends know that there is almost nothing that makes me happier than getting on a plane to the next destination. I feel very fortunate to have discovered this incredible hobby and the rich experiences it has brought to my life.

I became a serious scuba diver and instructor back in 1998, in what I still consider one of the best diving destinations in the world; the Red Sea. I first got certified as an Open Water diver back in Santa Monica, California a few years before and had dove the Channel Islands on a regular basis in the weekends. Although it doesn't attract many international divers, locals enjoy these waters, with their gorgeous kelp forests, playfull sea lions and the bright orange state fish, the Garibaldi all the time! There is also good diving on the oil rigs there. I also enjoyed the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. However nothing opened my eyes to the wonderful underwater world as that first dive in the Red Sea. And the rest is history as they say! I spent months diving three to five times a day, every day, exploring the gorgeous underwater world of the Red Sea from Dahab to Sharm el Sheikh and it was one of the best times of my life so far.

In a way I wished I had gotten certified straight out of high school. I've traveled to a lot of exotic destinations before I knew how to scuba dive and I can't help to think I missed out on some incredible places that were still pristine back in my early-backpacking-around-the-world days.

Dive Global : What is so wonderful about scuba diving for you?

Charlotte: Don't get me started, I'll never stop! First of all the underwater world is very beautiful to look at. It's very serene and magical to be down there. It always makes me think of the words of Jacques in the Big Blue: "It's better down there". I tend to agree. Once I submerge, I love the silence (apart from your bubbles of course), the weighlessness and the stunning surroundings, full of interesting and colorful marine life. You never know what you'll encounter next. You never get tired of it as there is always something new to discover. It is a whole other world waiting to be discovered. For me it has a lot to do with my passion for travel as well. I started seriously traveling on my own at the age of 16. Scuba diving is a good way to see a new part of our planet from a totally different angle; underwater! You often have to travel to remote locations to find unspoiled dive sites. You find yourself on small planes, long boat rides or even on the back of a camel to get there, its all very exciting and adventurous! I love the anticipation of researching and planning the logistics of a trip as well and look forward to the unknown and the nice people I know I'll encounter. I think scuba diving gives you a broader outlook on the world. And you realize a bit better on how it is all connected, life on land and in the sea. And that we have to respect and protect the oceans as they give us life and we cannot survive without it.

It is also a lot of fun and a wonderful way to connect to the local people and make new friends around the globe. The most interesting people I've met in my life, the best experiences I've had and the closest friends I've made, have all been through scuba diving in some way. There is an incredibly strong camaderie among divers.
And last but not least it is a great way to relax, enjoy the sun and water and marine life, and explore new hobbies such as underwater photography and video. I like water sports in general and try to combine a dive trip somewhere with a bit of sailing, kayaking, kite sailing or snorkeling whenever I get the chance. I cannot imagine my life without these trips.

Dive Global : Where else have you been that you can recommend to our readers?

Charlotte: I 've been lucky in that I've had the opportunity to dive in so many great places around the world already. But there are still quite a few left on the list. I think I could dive until I am a 100 years old and still have not seen all the places I want to see or revisit the ones I love. I'm also convinced that a good dive trip depends on many things, not just the amount of marine life that you encounter. Most divers are so eager to chase down the big animals like whale sharks and manta rays. These are great of course but I enjoy the smaller things as well, the way the light illuminates a piece of coral full of anemone fish for example or just enjoying a relaxing drift dive with a good buddy.

I've dived all over the Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and South East Asia and Australia. Favorites so far have included the Socorros in the Pacific where the diving with the Giant Manta Rays is my idea of total heaven. There is nothing more amazing as spending an hour underwater while manta rays glide by, wanting you to tickle their belly with your bubbles. And then being able to do it all over again on your next dive. I took the best video footage in my library that day, it just took my breath away, literally, as I wouldn't go up until my tank was empty!

A close second would be an amazing dive I did off Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea when I had just become a dive instructor. The circumstances couldn't have been better; I was happy to have past the strenuous training involved and went on a glorious week of liveaboard diving to celebrate. It was during the final dive of the day, the light was low, soft and pretty, when, all of a sudden, my friend and I found ourselves completely surrounded by a very large school of tunas glittering in the sun. A few moments later a big sandbar shark and a turtle entered this circle at the same time and kept swimming around without noticing us it seemed. We looked at each other and around in total bliss. We finished the dive off slowly going in and out of a string of little caves and finally came up to the surface in complete happiness. Brilliant!
Other great dive sites have been in Sipidan, Malaysia, Bali and Sulawesi in Indonesia and the Similan Islands in Thailand to name just a few.

I was also very lucky to witness the filming of the BBC's Blue Planet Series in the Red Sea. That was an amazing experience; to be in the company of these world famous underwater cinematographers. They were focusing on coral spawning in one particular location and would film in one dive site for days at the time. We all just had such an interesting and wonderful time! And the final product turned out to be excellent. The Blue Planet is one of my all time favorite underwater footage. It's very informative and beautifully filmed, I think every diver should see it. Of course you shouldn't miss out on the newer Planet Earth series either which is also fantastic. I think the BBC makes the best documentaries in the world.

You can learn a lot from these experienced filmmakers. For example how good it is to focus on and enjoy one part of a dive site or coral head instead of rushing around trying to find the big stuff like I used to do. I especially enjoy off-the-beaten-track places that are not necessarily known as dive locations per se but when you submerge you are surprised by its beauty. An example is the time I spent in the Lakshadweep Islands in the Indian Ocean. It isn't on any diver's list but it was such a unique place. I'm a bit obsessed with islands in general and am always looking at the world map to see which new speck of land or rock outcrop I haven't explored yet.

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