You want the opportunity to experiment with that new Sea & Sea MotorMarine II (or the likes of Nikonos V) to create a dive album to grace the new coffee table and impress the casual glance in that direction? Well, I reckon a 2-week trip to South Africa should do the job. You can populate that album with photo's galore of Great White and Grey Nurse Sharks (taken with a very wide angle lens) as an intro to generate some interest. Then perhaps a few hard and soft coral colorfuls to show off the power of your strobes. A wreck or two whether the metallic Produce or the wooden-hull Nebo off Aliwal Shoal (there are plenty to choose from throughout the 2200 km of coastline) always adds a nice historical and mystical twist. If you are quick and brave enough, some action photo's of the adrenalin filled surfboat launches definitely makes an impact. Then for an environmentally friendly deviation, larger than human leatherback turtles coming up to the beach to lay eggs assures a look of approval from your audience. Maybe you feel that you need that last conclusive punch which can be accomplished with a few snaps of you shooting a rapid on the Doring River or hurling yourself from the Van Staadens Bridge for a 216 m bungy for a close aerial view of the river below. By the by, you do not have to own your own camera to create this album (or be fearless which I can assure you I am not even after having compiled my own album as described above), as there are dive centers who are prepared to either hire out the equipment or impress you with some photographic skill. As a taste of what you can expect, let me take you on a virtual dive tour of a typical week in Cape Town. You fly into Cape Town and admire Table Mountain whilst being transported to your accommodation. To get into the holiday spirit, a must is a hard hat dive with Grey Nurse Sharks in the huge tank at the Two Oceans Aquarium. This is a good opportunity to take some really fun photos and convince your friends back home that once upon a time you were a commercial diver. Next, you head down to the Atlantic side of Cape Town for a quick shore entry at Oudekraal (there are no waves when the south-easterly blows) and take some shots of the huge lobster and abalone that can be found here in the thick kelp. This is a marine park, so it's purely for viewing which explains why they are still around. I have had a playful seal swim with me on a couple of occasions which is quite a spectacle as they are rather curious and this makes for some great action photography. The wreck of the Antipolis is also found here and makes for an interesting shallow water wreck dive. The visibility can be excellent and is ideal for all types of photography. Justines Caves offer a vast collection of cold water anemone's abound here in an array of colors and makes for beautiful macro pics and as this is a well protected area from the swell. The depth varies from 5 m to 18 m and makes for easy diving. Next is a boat dive to the wreck of the Maori lying in 25 metres of water, which is a quick trip from the quaint village of Hout Bay. This British cargo steam ship was declared the most well preserved wreck of its vintage when Jacques Cousteau visited this site, and it does not take long to appreciate what he meant when you dive her. When the South Easterly blows, the visibility can be excellent with top to bottom visibility making it a photographers dream and as it is sheltered from the open sea, once again makes for easy diving. Ending off the diving day with a lunch at one of the famous seafood restaurants in Hout Bay is a worthwhile experience. The Atlantic side has many other dive sites to offer, too numerous to mention in this article. You can however visit www.divesouthafrica.com, which has a listing of all the dive sites in Cape Town and the rest of South Africa. Heading over to the Indian Ocean side of Cape Town, a visit to the endangered jackass penguins in Simons Town are a must for a laugh. This area is also famous for whale watching which can be done from the shore as they come in as close as 20 metres to the shoreline at times. The water is warmer on this side than the Atlantic side and is best when the North Westerly wind blows. Fish life is more abundant and you can see small sharks, seals and even penguins trying to catch the fish you are attempting to photograph. This also offers good macro photography with colorful soft corals and sponges. The choice of diving here is easy shore entries and shallow boat dives on wreck or reef offering long dives. Without a doubt, you absolutely have to make the 1-hour trip past the village of Hermanus to Gansbaai. This is where the Great White Shark operators launch from to go cage diving at Dyer Island. This a worthwhile day trip with guaranteed viewing of these majestic creatures. I personally have seen seven Great Whites on one dive alone and even stroked a 5-meter female as it brushed past the cage. I don't think I need to say more. Just make sure you have plenty of film and batteries, as this is one time you don't want to have camera problems. To calm the nerves, a stopover at one of the numerous vineyards on returning to Cape Town is always an option. Besides diving, there are lots of other photographs to be taken of the botanical gardens, Table Mountain itself, the historical castle etc etc. Cape Town is one place you will never get bored and there are many folk from Europe who have visited Cape Town on holiday to return a short while later to live or retire. What differentiates South Africa from any other venue when considering compiling your album is the variety of diving related activities you can perform ranging from chilly to warm water with a blend of every type of diving activity imaginable - barring ice diving, although even this could probably be arranged. For the quality and quantity of diving to be done, South Africa definitely offers you the best value for money. Oh, by the way, you can do it any time you wish, just look for the next flight to Cape Town, South Africa. If you would like some assistance in making this a reality, either visit www.divesouthafrica.com or mail and enquiry to [email protected].