23 articles
The unwritten rules of boat diving kelp forests: anchoring and moorings, canopy navigation, entries and exits, flags, restoration sites and shared-water manners.
Tom Okafor ·
First time diving from a boat? Here is the whole day — boarding, briefing, entries, exits and the unwritten rules — so nothing on deck surprises you.
Tom Okafor ·
Coral reefs and kelp forests are the ocean's two great architecture projects. How the diving compares: colour vs behaviour, warmth vs cold, crowds, seasons and skills.
Tom Okafor ·
Kelp forests are macro heaven: nudibranchs, gobies, skeleton shrimp. Lens choices, strobe technique, buoyancy and ethics for small-subject photography.
Tom Okafor ·
Kelp forests transform after dark. A night diving guide: lights and light discipline, night planning, the nocturnal shift change, and calming the mind in the dark.
Tom Okafor ·
How to assess a shore dive site step by step: wind, swell, entry and exit points, surge and kelp layout — plus the bailout plan every beach dive needs.
Tom Okafor ·
A field guide to choosing kelp shore-dive sites — what habitat makes kelp grow, four site archetypes and how to dive each, and what the canopy itself tells you.
Tom Okafor ·
Underwater photo gear without the hype: how housings, ports, domes, strobes and trays actually work, what to buy first, and how to keep salt water out.
Jack Callum ·
Winter kelp diving rewards the bold: clearer water before storms, dramatic light, migrating wildlife and empty boats. How to dive the cold season well.
Tom Okafor ·
Your first kelp forest dive is easier — and more magical — than you think. Gear, skills, marine life and etiquette for new divers entering the green cathedral.
Tom Okafor ·
Kelp-specific buddy protocols: staying paired inside a canopy, the one-minute separation drill, entanglement assists and pre-dive checks that matter.
Tom Okafor ·
Freediving a kelp forest is the purest way to meet the reef. Learn blackout-safe practice, one-up-one-down buddying, and etiquette for breath-hold diving in kelp.
Tom Okafor ·
Monterey Bay holds some of North America's most accessible giant kelp forests — a canyon-fed, otter-patrolled ecosystem you can dive, kayak or watch from shore.
Dr. Theo Nakamura ·
Goat Island — Cape Rodney–Okakari Point — was New Zealand's first marine reserve and remains its finest shore dive: big snapper, crayfish and golden kelp in five metres.
Tom Okafor ·
Where cold northern and warm southern currents collide, the Channel Islands grow California's grandest kelp forests — protected by national park and marine reserves.
Sofia Andersson ·
Catalina Island is southern California's kelp capital — Casino Point, Farnsworth Bank, warm-water giants and a century of marine science under the canopy.
Dr. Mara Ellison ·
Bicheno's Governor Island marine reserve packs weedy seadragons, Red Velvetfish and golden kelp into easy boat dives off Tasmania's east coast. A diver's guide.
Tom Okafor ·
A complete pre-dive briefing framework for kelp forests — the headings that matter, kelp-specific hazards, and the minutiae that make briefings real.
Tom Okafor ·
Join a diver or snorkeller reef survey: the main program types, the training, the transects and how to make your volunteer data scientifically usable.
Tom Okafor ·
The complete cold-water kit for kelp forest diving: wetsuit thicknesses, drysuits, hoods, gloves and the small accessories that save a dive.
Tom Okafor ·
When is kelp diving best? A hemisphere-by-hemisphere, month-by-month guide to visibility, water temperature and kelp condition in the world's temperate forests.
Tom Okafor ·
Drysuit or wetsuit for cold-water kelp diving? A straight comparison of warmth, buoyancy, cost and upkeep — plus the water temperature where each makes sense.
Tom Okafor ·
Underwater scooters open huge kelp forests to a single dive — but speed multiplies entanglement and wildlife risks. Here's how to DPV kelp country sensibly.
Tom Okafor ·