LIVEABOARD DIVING IN Christmas Island

Christmas Island is a small territory in Australia in the Indian Ocean, located approximately 2,600km/1,616mi northwest of Perth and only 500km/311mi south of Jakarta in Indonesia. The island itself is the tip of an ancient volcanic mountain that rises 3km/2mi out from the Java Trench. Over 63% of the island territory is national park land, a real paradise for tourists, with many walking trails and drivable roads leading to beautiful freshwater springs, spectacular waterfalls, many interesting caves, and secluded beaches. The waters surrounding the island boast a magical selection of marine life. The water visibility is often as good as 50m/164ft, and divers can gaze at the amazing collection of colorful corals covering the walls of the reef that plunge into an apparent bottomless abyss. The deep waters around the island attract a large number of pelagic species, including trevallies, tuna, schooling barracudas, and a variety of sharks. Visitors to Christmas Island can also witness an interesting phenomenon that happens in October/November, when some 120 million crabs leave their burrows in the rainforest and begin a spectacular migration towards the sea to release their eggs. There are 40 other different good-quality dive sites around Christmas Island. The most popular sites include the Thundercliff Cave (huge cave carved in a limestone cliff by constant waves), the Morgue (gentle slope followed by a dramatic drop-off with colorful bommies and many nooks and crannies to explore), and the Perpendicular Wall (beautiful vertical wall with enormous colorful fan corals).