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CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Where you can dive at Christmas every day of the year!

A Whale Shark feeds (or feels sleepy) in the waters surrounding Christmas Island.

“Christmas Island – where’s that?” is going to be your first response and, to save you reaching for the atlas, it is 2600 kilometres (about 1600 miles) northwest of Perth and 500 kilometres (about 300 miles) south of Java. First inhabited in 1880s, the island was annexed by the British and phosphate mining began using indentured workers from Singapore, Malaya and China. The island was invaded and occupied by the Japanese in 1942, but returned to British control at the end of the war. Sovereignty was transferred to Australia in 1957. This far-flung and little known island, which is just waiting to be explored, is now 63% National Park and contains species of flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world, including the Golden Tropicbird and Abbot’s Booby. The underwater world is virtually unexplored, and due to the island’s remote location it is regularly visited by pelagic species, including Whale Sharks!

This is not a resort island with swaying palm trees and spa hotels but a remote and isolated place with towering sea cliffs and large areas of scrub and rainforest. Millions of red crabs have made their homes here and, at certain times of the year, make their way en masse from the rainforest to the ocean. Christmas Island has a fringing reef that extends right around the island. Superb coral gardens with vast table corals offer homes to innumerable marine species. There are two distinct seasons for diving. From November to March is the wetter, but slightly warmer, season and the sea conditions can occasionally be rough on the north side of the island, but there are many sheltered areas on the east side. This is the season for Whale Shark encounters and also for Manta Ray appearances. From April to October is the dry season when sea conditions are lake-calm and there is outstanding visibility.

There are over 40 dive sites to choose from, offering such diversity that there is something to interest every diver. Most dives are very relaxed with a gentle drift, so divers can literally go with the flow. There are dramatic walls festooned with coral, there are caves to explore and scattered wrecks from World War II. A highlight of Christmas Island is the huge pod of Spinner Dolphins. Fantastic ‘circus’ performances are a regular feature on boat trips. If you come across a pod on the way to the dive site there will be every opportunity to don snorkel equipment and swim with these very playful and acrobatic creatures that often leap right out of the water, rotating as they go (hence the name Spinner Dolphin). As the boat circles the pod, they enjoy surfing the bow wave. There can be large numbers of dolphins above, below and all around you. Prepare for some really special and close encounters!

Perpendicular Wall is exactly what it says: a vertical wall, but one that is festooned in soft corals and sea fans. With the clarity of the water, combined with the seemingly fathomless depths below, Perpendicular Wall can be a really dramatic dive. With the wild and open ocean beyond, there is every reason to keep an eye on the blue for Wahoo, enormous Dogtooth Tuna, Mahi Mahi (or Dolphinfish) and Giant Trevally (some up to 50 kgs in weight), all of which cruise these reefs. This is the edge of the Java Trench, one of the deepest areas of the Indian Ocean. Closer to the wall, columns of pretty butterflyfish decorate the reef. Look out for the remarkably patterned Eye-patch Butterflyfish with its dark, panda-like eyes.

Ever had a night dive that ends in a walk? This could be the case if you start your dive at Thundercliff Cave. The dive begins with a tour of a lovely coral garden where you will find enormous table corals and lovely sponges. Soon you will see some huge anemones, each with its own anemonefish, before arriving at the entrance to the cave, which is often guarded by very friendly and photogenic batfish. On entering the cave it is well worth checking the walls and ceiling for the many fascinating creatures that lurk here. Basslets stay close to the walls, and tunicates in blue, pink and yellow hold fast to the ceiling. Follow the tunnel into a large cathedral-like cave and, if the tide is right, you can surface, leave your gear behind and explore the cave on foot!

Close by the ‘capital’ of Christmas Island, the small port of Flying-Fish Cove, there is a superb dive that is fascinating during the day and spectacular at night: Administrator’s Wall. Here the wall drops to 50 metres before giving way to a sandy slope, though the spectacular part of the dive is in the upper water column. Schooling Pyramid Butterflyfish with their bright yellow fins move in patterns reminiscent of action art as they swarm over the reef. Midnight Snappers and Trumpetfish are common on the wall. Look out for the juvenile Midnight Snapper, with its distinctive black and white patterning.

The wreck of a Norwegian phosphate freighter, the Eidsvold, which was torpedoed by the Japanese during WWII, lies between 5 metres and 20 metres. Within this wreck, now clothed in coral, lurk moray eels that seem to ‘hiss’ at passing divers. Elegant lionfish, their fins waving like Japanese dancers’ floating scarves, hover in the shadows. A night dive here is very rewarding as the Tubastrea coral polyps ‘bloom’ as they open up to feed and pinpoints of light mark the hiding holes of shrimps and lobsters.

Whether you are searching for secretive creatures, or prefer to watch the blue for larger creatures, Christmas Island will have what you are looking for. Nudibranchs, turtles, tropical fish in abundance and sharks are all to be found. Guest stars, the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays, drop by from November to April to enjoy the plankton-fest. Chose your season and make your way here!

THE SUNSET & CHRISTMAS ISLAND WET’N’DRY ADVENTURES

Located in a lovely position on a peaceful rocky outcrop where you can hear waves breaking on the rocks below, The Sunset is a comfortable small hotel with a swimming pool. Rooms here are spacious, airy and very pleasant, possessing air conditioning, ceiling fan, internet access, TV, tea and coffee making facilities and en suite bathroom. Choose from Superior Ocean View (which are on the first floor and so have enhanced views), Ocean View (situated on the ground floor) or Standard rooms. The ocean view rooms have fabulous views, especially at sunset, of course. What more peaceful and pleasant way to round off a good day’s diving than sipping a glass of wine or a cool beer and gazing out across the sea? Guests at The Sunset are also welcome to use the facilities (full kitchen and laundry including oven, barbeque and fridge/freezer) of Sunset’s sister hotel, VQ3, across the road. So if you fancy cooking up a barbecue in the evening and opening a bottle of your own wine, go right ahead! But if you fancy dining out, there is a choice of eating establishments within the vicinity of the hotel. Try the Golden Bosun Tavern that serves ‘pub-style’ meals or the Rumah Tinggi Tavern and Restaurant which has a more adventurous menu, offering modern Australian fare, good wines and great coffee. They have a stunning location so watch the sun set or the moon rise over the Indian Ocean. Breakfast can be taken at the Rockfall Cafe that offers freshly baked rolls, sandwiches, salads coffee and cakes. Sunset’s very friendly owners are always on hand to help or advise. Further afield there are various other restaurants, including two Chinese.

Christmas Island Wet’n’Dry Adventures is the dive centre that will look after you and your diving. Hama and Lin are the owner/managers of this family business that has been operating on the island since 1994. Two dives per day are offered, taking you to the full range of dive sites round the island. Hama was born in Japan and dived all over the world before he arrived on Christmas Island. He says he tore up his return air ticket after just 3 days diving on the island, declaring that there was no need to go anywhere else! As Skipper and Divemaster he has an eagle eye for all the exciting creatures and features of Christmas Island’s fabulous underwater universe. Lin is the cook, driver and dry tours guide. She is keen to get back in to the water, but is currently busy looking after the latest member of the family, Leila. They are assisted by Lynny, a Divemaster, who has logged thousands of Christmas Island dives and has a passion for showing others the underwater world. Diving is carried out from a 7-metre, ex-rescue vessel, Feral, which has the stern and central console covered by a canopy for shade and for spotting Whale Sharks. The diving day starts at around 0800 when Feral sets out for a two-tank dive. The surface interval is usually spent onboard and a selection of refreshments is provided. Divers return to Flying Fish Cove at around 1300 and can enjoy a luscious lunch before being returned to the hotel.

To keep you busy during the afternoons, why not take one of Wet’n’Dry’s ‘dry’ tours? Take a trip in to the rainforest to learn some jungle ecology or just enjoy the sights. Join the bird watching tour to find the unique species of Christmas Island, or take a birding cruise to enjoy the fabulous seabird spectacles. A truly spectacular trip, and one that you should not miss, is the Sunset Tour. Not only will you be able to see the seabirds in flight and on their nests but you can also snorkel a WWII wreck, explore some large ocean caves, swim with the Spinner Dolphins (if they are in the mood to let you join in their fun) and enjoy a cool glass of wine while you nibble on homemade appetisers!

Renting a car on the island allows you to explore on your own, and enjoy a wider choice of restaurants. You can easily visit the several dramatic lookouts over the island, or the fascinating ‘Blowholes’ on the north coast where plumes of spray emanate from the eroded rocks every time a large wave strikes the shore. Seabirds nest all over Christmas Island (there are boobies and frigatebirds sitting in the trees as you drive around), while tropicbirds sail gracefully over the slopes. It is a fascinating experience to take some of the very well-signed nature trails and watch the various species of terrestrial crabs that inhabit the forest floor, never mind the exotic (and huge!) butterflies, flying foxes (large fruit bats) and endemic landbirds.

Price: from about £562 (from about £182 without diving). Includes: 7 nights room only accommodation in a Standard Room at The Sunset, 5 days of diving (2 boat dives daily), dive guide. Supplement for an additional days diving: from about £76. Airport transfers: about £12 return. Deposit: £200.

Single Occupancy Supplement: from about £26 per night.

FLIGHTS: Prices from about £1192 to Christmas Island. There are daily flight connections to Kuala Lumpur, but flights between there and Christmas Island are only on Mondays. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on routing, season, current fare levels and booking class availability. Our quote will include all taxes and fuel supplements applicable at the time of quotation, as well as our service charge. The usual airfare deposit is £600.

STOP-OVERS: These are available in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, depending on flight routing.

COMBINATIONS: Christmas Island can easily be combined with one of the other splendid dive destinations in Southeast Asia. Talk to us about the possibilities.