Fish abroad and while traveling: are they dangerous, where do you encounter them, where can you see them?

• Fishing abroad and the underwater world
• What is snorkeling abroad?
• Why would you go snorkeling abroad?
• What do you need to go snorkeling abroad?
• Where is the best place to go if you want to dive abroad?
• To what extent are you insured abroad?
• What is diving or scuba diving?
• Why would you go diving abroad?
• What do you need to go diving abroad?
• Where is the best place to go if you want to dive abroad?
• To what extent are you insured abroad?
• What should you do if you encounter poisonous fish, and how dangerous are rays?
• What should you do if you encounter a shark, and how dangerous are white sharks?

Snorkeling abroad: what is it, why should you do it and where is the best place to go?

What is snorkeling abroad?

• Snorkeling is swimming with a windpipe and diving goggles to be able to view the underwater world from above. You usually wear flippers to move more easily, or to be able to dive a few meters deep.
• A snorkeler breathes through his snorkel and looks down through his diving mask.

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Why should you go snorkeling abroad?

• Experience, Unforgettable impressions: the first time you snorkel among the many colorful fish is an unforgettable experience for everyone. In real life it is much more intense than you would have expected.
• Involvement: Snorkeling increases your awe for nature under water, whether you go snorkeling with dolphins, come face to face with enormous manta rays or encounter a sea turtle while snorkeling, your view of nature will never be the same again!
• Stability and stress reduction: Snorkeling is not only the ultimate relaxation, it is also fantastically beautiful to float among the thousands of fish and coral species, to let yourself be carried by the current along a rock wall with bright red fan corals and parrot fish that calmly look at you.

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What do you need to go snorkeling abroad?

• Surrounding awareness: for example, by using coral-friendly sunscreen, by not standing on corals, and by touching coral or fish as little as possible.
• Health: snorkeling can sometimes involve risks if you are not fit enough and there is a strong current. Also consider a UV shirt against sun damage.

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Where is the best place to go if you want to snorkel abroad?

• Australia: top locations you will find the Great Barrier Reef
• Bonaire: check the right places
• Egypt: top locations you will find in the south and in the Sinai
• Philippines: besides Palawan and Bohol there are several top locations
• Honduras: for example around Roatan
• Indonesia: such as on Lombok (cheap), Sulawesi (Bunaken!) and Pulau Weh (Aceh)
• Maldives: on many of the islands you can snorkel great
• Malaysia: the Perhentians and Sipidan (on Borneo)
• Panama: for example on Bocas del Torro
• Tanzania: on Pemba and Zanzibar
• Where else can you snorkel really well?
• Canary Islands
• Curaçao
• Greece
• Cape Verde Islands
• Malta & Gozo
• Turkey
• Thailand

To what extent are you insured abroad?

What are the risks when practicing snorkeling abroad?

• Snorkeling is relatively harmless.
• Do inquire about local dangers such as currents and certain. dangerous fish species.
• For a pleasant night's sleep, you better make sure you don't burn your back and legs, that happens very quickly!

What are the consequences if something goes wrong while snorkeling?

• If you end up in hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself if you have not taken out insurance that covers your activities.

Are you insured for snorkeling abroad?

• Snorkeling abroad is generally not restricted by regular insurance.
• Make sure you do not take unnecessary risks. If there is a red flag in connection with the visit of a white shark or dangerous jellyfish, skip a day of snorkeling because your insurance will not cover you if you are careless.
• Read more about insuring water sports and diving activities.

Diving abroad: what is it, why should you do it and where is the best place to go?

• What is diving or scuba diving?
• Why should you go diving abroad?
• What do you need to go diving abroad?
• Where is the best place to go if you want to dive abroad?
• To what extent are you insured abroad?

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What is diving or scuba diving?

• Diving is staying under water for a long time with an air tank on your back to be able to view the underwater world up close.
• A diver breathes through his breathing apparatus, looks around through his diving mask, swims calmly through the water with his fins and often wears a diving suit for the temperature.
• Diving is also called scuba diving.
• SCUBA is the abbreviation of Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. That is the international term for a compressed air device such as that used by divers. ⇧

Why would you go diving abroad?

• Distraction: few things work better as a distraction than making a deep sea dive.
• Relaxation: once under water you find yourself in a rare calm environment, at a slow pace you swim through a completely different inhabited world.
• Adrenaline: some dives can result in encounters with special species of fish or large inhabitants of the coral. You will never forget the thrill of swimming quietly past or through them.
• Love of nature: you encounter so much beauty that you will often put protecting the underwater world higher on your list afterwards.

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What do you need to go diving abroad?

• Good health: diving can involve risks if you are not fit enough or suffer from certain ailments.
• Respect for the underwater world: as a diver you can destroy more than you like.
• A bag with useful items for diving, for before and after the dive (water, sunscreen, etc.). For most diving activities and excursions you will need a PADI certificate/license. This basic training for divers worldwide is also offered at many diving destinations.
• You can often do a guided trial dive and if your last dive has been a while ago, a refresher is recommended

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Where is the best place to go if you want to dive abroad?

• Micronesia: Palau
• Red Sea: Egypt, Djibouti
• Indian Ocean: Maldives, Pemba & Zanzibar
• Caribbean: Bonaire, Cayman Islands
• Indonesia: Sulawesi (Bunaken!), Borneo (Sipidan!), Lombok (cheap) Raja Ampat
• Papua New Guinea: multiple options
• Australia: Great Barrier Reef, if in the right location
• Central America: Honduras, Cozumel (Palancar reef), Panama (Bocas del Torro)
• India: Andaman Islands, Ladakshadweep Islands
• Oman

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To what extent are you insured abroad?

What are the risks of diving abroad?

• On average, diving is no more dangerous than most other sports.
• However, preparation and learning about the general and specific local dangers are more important.
• It is not without reason that they first have you get your diving certificate (for example PADI) before you can go out on your own.
• But even with your diving certificate in your pocket, it is often wise to go out with a local dive master.

What are the consequences if something goes wrong while diving?

• If you end up in hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself if you have not taken out insurance that covers your activities.

Are you insured for diving abroad?

• Diving abroad is generally subject to restrictions by regular insurance.
• You usually also run a greater risk of having an accident or bad luck.
• Read more about insuring diving activities abroad.

What should you do if you encounter poisonous fish?

• Only a few species of fish are poisonous to the touch. The teeth and spines that fish have are more dangerous.
• However, if you keep your distance, fish, sharks, rays and other small swimming beauties will not cause any problems.
• If you go swimming without anything on your feet, you run the risk of stepping on one of the spiky or even poisonous fish. The chance that you will step on one is not very big, but it certainly happens regularly in a coral-rich environment.

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What should you do if you are stung or bitten by a poisonous fish?

• Depending on the species, a quick visit to the doctor is recommended.
• Since this is not always a reasonable alternative, water shoes / flippers / sandals are therefore very important.
• On the Mediterranean and North Sea beaches, many bathers are stung every year by the small weever, which burrows into the sand. This fish can cause you a lot of pain for weeks if you do not quickly put your foot in water hotter than forty degrees after the sting (the proteins in the poison break down).

How dangerous are rays?

• Stingrays can also sting (very) meanly.
• They often lie buried in the bottom waiting for prey, if you then step off your surfboard, the ray can sting out of fear.
• Depending on the exact species and the exact place where you are stung, you may need to see a doctor quickly.

What should you do if you encounter a shark, and how dangerous are white sharks?

How dangerous is the great white shark?

• When does a shark become dangerous and should you be careful?
• What should you do if you go swimming or diving in an area where sharks are present?
• What should you do if you encounter a shark in the water?

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What is a shark?

• A shark is a fast and muscular cartilaginous fish.
• Sharks are on average 1 to 2 meters long. The smallest sharks are less than 20 cm long, the largest sharks can be longer than 12 meters.
• Sharks are found worldwide in all seas and oceans, except at the North and South Poles.
• Sharks have been on earth for hundreds of millions of years. Today there are more than 400 species of sharks.

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What is a great white shark?

• A white shark can be recognized by a black or dark gray upper side and a white underside.
• There are black spots on the underside of the pectoral fins and a striking black spot at the attachment on the body.
• They prefer cold water near the coast, but can also be found at depths of more than a thousand meters.
• They are very social animals and often swim in groups consisting of ten or more sharks. The white shark is semi-warm-blooded, which means that it can swim very fast, but also that it has poor endurance.
• In response to this, the white shark uses different swimming and behavioral patterns to investigate its potential prey.

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Is a shark dangerous?

• Humans are not really the favorite prey of sharks, and a shark rarely, if ever, attacks a human.
• Most sharks are not aggressive, but can be territorial.
• There are more than 80 reports of a shark attack on a surfer, diver or swimmer each year. Some attacks seemed to be the result of a 'mistake' by the shark, with a swimmer or surfer being mistaken for a seal or turtle. Other attacks were caused by someone having invaded the shark's territory.
• Of these attacks, 5 to 10 people ultimately do not survive.
• The most dangerous species of sharks are respectively: the great white shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark. The largest sharks are the whale sharks. However, they do not pose a danger to humans... rather the other way around.

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How dangerous is the great white shark?

• The great white shark is known as one of the most dangerous species among sharks. The white shark generally only bites people because it is curious and explores terrain in this way. Unfortunately, this method of research sometimes leads to a fatal end for the research subject...
• The prey they prefer depends on several things, such as the season and their size. Small white sharks mainly feed on fish, while the larger ones can devour a seal or even a small whale.

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When does a shark become dangerous and should you be careful?

• When a shark rolls its eyes, the shark follows an object with its eyes, without moving its head or body; you have been spotted! If you notice a shark lowering its pectoral fins or opening its mouth without extending its front jaw and holding this position for a fraction or more seconds, it should be considered dangerous.
• If the shark extends its upper jaw, the shark is making a biting motion;
• If you are bleeding yourself, you don't necessarily have to worry anymore, sharks don't react to human blood or your scent.
• Divers who are spearfishing and have struggling and bleeding fish on their spears are at greater risk.

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What should you do if you are going to swim or dive in an area where sharks are present?

• Find out about the type of sharks and the behavior of the sharks in the area. Most locals can tell you which season and which sharks to watch out for.
• Do not swim or dive in an area where the river flows out, that is the shark's hunting ground.
• Dive, swim and surf in groups as much as possible.
• Wear dark clothing, and no white, yellow or neon swimwear, this is more noticeable to sharks because of the way they look.
• Do bring a snorkel or diving mask and preferably fins.
• Stay alert, show that you can see everything. Sharks wait until they see a weak spot in an animal before they approach, and approach less quickly if they think the other is alert or also a predator. Realize that there are thousands of sharks per day that come near a diver, surfer or swimmer every day, without giving them a second glance. However, when you do come across that one shark that does seem interested in you, stick to the most important rules of the game.
• Most rules apply more to divers and snorkelers than to swimmers and surfers.

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What should you do if you encounter a shark in the water?

• Remain as calm as possible and behave as much as possible like a predator and not like a prey.
• Try to hide your fear, sharks can feel fear and prey can feel fear.
• Keep looking at the shark. As is often the case with other predators, sharks then assume that you are probably a predator too. Only other predators dare to enter into a confrontation. So keep looking at the shark with the stern look you put on when you go to your mother-in-law. Do not hit the shark when it comes close, do not splash, only weak and injured animals do that.
• Do not chase a shark or swim towards a shark.
• Do not try to swim away quickly, but swim calmly backwards towards a reef or boat. Swim as regularly as possible.
• Stay as vertical as possible in the water.
• Keep space between you and the shark, use your fins to 'push' water towards the shark, this can cause them to turn away. If you want to push a shark away, do so with your fin, camera or an aluminum shark stick.