2010-07-26 09:51

Diving for fun

Terry Bai, a Shanghai-based freelance photographer, has expanded his career into the oceans. From Hainan to Saipan, he has dived in the oceans off more than 10 countries.

"Digital cameras enable us to take underwater photos more easily, thanks to their relatively small body and high light sensitivity," said Bai, who is organizing an ocean-themed personal exhibition in Shanghai. "The plastic waterproof shell designed for diving photographers is my must-have equipment.

"Of course, shooting underwater requires higher diving skills and you have to better control your breathing when you come across a picturesque scene. Also, carefully watching the flow of the water is crucial for a good result.

"You can obtain a very bizarre hallucinatory effect through the magic pen of the light underwater which is quite different from the light on the land."

Bai said that underwater photography is not only a kind of artistic creation but also a tough physical test. He said it was an attractive activity and that people who didn't try it would never understand.

Wang of Masey International said that tourists without certification who want to experience life under the ocean's waves could always go snorkeling. Shallow water behind coral reefs can hold abundant marine life forms including exotic Picasso trigger fish and baby moray eels.

"Most of the trip packages to coastal countries and islands provided by travel agencies in China include diving as an activity and they don't charge the tourists a lot but, of course, they only mean snorkeling," said Wang.

"You only need a mask and an air pipe which cost about 200 to 300 yuan," Wang said. "The rent price is around 70 to 80 yuan at the resort."

At Taobao.com, China's largest e-commerce site, there are about 70,000 diving-related items available.

Zhang Jingfang, a diving product vendor at Taobao, said: "The business is good. I usually earn thousands of yuan a month.

"Such low priced products have a market because the large numbers of divers at the entry level buy these simple bits of equipment before traveling to somewhere where snorkeling is productive. The chances are it is not a regular trip so they might only use them once."

Dive the world

The gold standard Asian diving destinations include Sipadan in Malaysia, Bali in Indonesia and Thailand's Lembeh Straits and Koh Similian.

Ma Nan, marketing manager of Beijing UTS International Travel Service Co Ltd, said his company didn't organize any inbound trips with diving activities because tourists prefer to dive off other countries.

The Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development 2009-2010, released by the China Tourism Academy (CTA), estimated that 54 million tourists would go abroad this year, up from 47 million in 2009.

"Most of our tourists are young people and also some parents would like to try the activity with their kids," Ma said. "Diving tourism is still new in the Chinese market but we expect a boom in the near future."

Wang of Masey International said: "Hainan and the Maldives rank at the top of the Chinese divers' destination list."

The quality of services at Chinese diving resorts is comparatively lower than at their overseas counterparts: The sea water is not that clear and the equipment is a bit outdated and past its best, Wang said.

"It depends on what kind of scenery you are expecting to see," he said. "There is also a diving service at Qiandaohu Lake in Zhejiang province."

Ding Ding, the public relations manager at Hua Yuan International Travels Company Ltd, named Phuket, Bali and Maldives as among Chinese divers' favorite destinations.

"The average cost of diving in Australia is about AU$150 per person per session but the scene here is definitely competitive," Ding said.

Wang said: "There are some slight differences in price from place to place, but not that much. The Great Barrier Reef is the most expensive option and Southern Asia is cheap."

As to the soaring number of diving centers and indoor diving resorts across China, diving organizers and travel agencies expressed indifference.

Wang didn't think such diving centers would have much of a market since their major function was training.

"However, good divers only can be trained in the oceans," he said. "When more Chinese people accept and gradually fall in love with the activity, they will know that the core philosophy of diving is appreciating the fabulous marine life and its habitats and making friends with Mother Nature."