Starting 1 July, Britain Ben Southall will be reporting for duty at the best job in the world.
The four-month-long contest, put on by Tourism Queensland, called on contestants to create a video as to why they’d be well-suited for the job. The “job” is caretaker of Hamilton Island, an Australian island that overlooks the Great Barrier Reef. Oh, and he gets paid $150,000 for six months of this “work;” posting video blogs and pretty much snorkeling and hanging on the beach the whole time.
Southall had previously been a tour guide, charity fundraiser and events manager. Read more…
Check out this list of locations where you’ll get the best bang for your buck.
Stockholm, Sweden
Now: $1 buys 7.9 Sweden kronor (SEK)
June 2008:$1 bought 6 SEK
Increase in value of the dollar: 32%Reykjavik, Iceland
Now: $1 buys 120 Icelandic kronur (ISK)
June 2008: $1 bought 74 ISK
Increase in value of the dollar: 52%Bruges, Belgium
Now: $1 buys 0.79 euro (EUR)
June 2008: $1 bought 0.64 EUR
Increase in value of the dollar: 23%Madrid, Spain
Now: $1 buys 0.79 EUR
June 2008: $1 bought 0.64 EUR
Increase in value of the dollar: 23%Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Now: $1 buys 1.6 Australia dollars (AUD)
June 2008: $1 bought 1.05 AUD
Increase in value of the dollar: 52%Rotorua, New Zealand
Now: $1 buys 1.8 New Zealand dollars (NZD)
June 2008: $1 bought 1.28 NZD
Increase in value of the dollar: 41%Istanbul, Turkey
Now: $1 buys 1.7 new Turkish lira (TRY)
June 2008: $1 bought 1.2 TRY
Increase in value of the dollar: 42%Montreal, Canada
Now:$1 buys 1.28 Canadian dollars (CAD)
June 2008: $1 bought 0.99 CAD
Increase in value of the dollar: 29%Enniskerry, Ireland
Now: $1 buys 0.79 EUR
June 2008: $1 bought .64 EUR
Increase in value of the dollar: 23%
Summer is in full swing down under and the water’s perfect for checking out the Great Barrier Reef. But ideal scuba weather means crowds, so skip the dive spots typically horded by the day-trippers. Hop on a live-aboard dive boat for a multi-day expedition and it’ll just be you, yourself, and the fish among the most beautiful and solitary coral Australia has to offer.
For more on the Great Barrier Reef click HERE from Away.com
For more on travelling Australia click HERE from Away.com
Orange County, CA (PRWEB) January 25, 2008 — Scuba Diving in warm, tropical water is great enough, but when the combination of perfect water conditions with amazing visibility and underwater life will create an incredible scuba diving destinations.
The following destinations for scuba diving are worth saving for and traveling to:
1. RED SEA, EGYPT - The Red Sea is unforgettable. The underwater sea life is colorful, electric and diverse. The bright coral and 1000’s of colorful fish are plenty. There are many eels, snappers, barracudas, sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, surgeonfish and much more.
Dive Spots: The Yolanda, Ras Mohamed and SS Thistlegorm
2. AUSTRALIA - On one area of Australia, the great barrier reef spans around 1200 miles. On the other end of the coast lives the whale shark. The types of diving conditions in Australia range from tropical to temperate waters.
Dive Spots: The Coral Sea, Kangaroo Island, Heron Island
3. KONA, HAWAII - Any iland in Hawaii is great for warm water diving. Kona is the largest island of the Hawaiian Islands. It is known as the Big Island. Kona’s boat dives rank highly. It is common to see humpback whales between January through March. There are many dolphins that are always playing. Turtle Pinnacle is great place to see many sea turtles. Turtle Pinnacle is known as a beginners dive site even though veteran and filmmakers from all over the world come to Kona, Hawaii to see the Sea Turtles.
Dive Spots: Turtle Pinnacle, Golden Arches, Long Lava Tube
4. LITTLE CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS - Cayman Islands include 3 islands. Little Cayman is the smallest of these 3 islands. It is also the least developed of the three islands. Underwater animals include sea horses, colorful sponges, frogfish, and incredible coral reefs. There are 150 kinds of coral and more than 500 species of fish in Little Cayman Island.
Dive Spots: Bloody Bay Wall, Marilyn’s Cut, Jackson’s Bight
5. COCOS ISLAND, COSTA RICA - Cocos Island is an isolated island that has kept the modern day society away from it. The tropical forest gets enough rain to keep the beauty fresh with water. The hammerhead sharks are abundant in the water off of Cocos Islands.
Dive Spots: Big Dos Amigos, Dirty Rock, Manuelita
These 5 dive trips should be planned, prayed, pursued and saved for. These are scuba diving trips that a person must do at least once in their lifetime.
Lilah Tusko publishes http://www.scubadivingsolutions.com and “The Scuba Zone,” a free electronic newsletter that has the latest information on scuba diving travel, scuba diving gear, scuba diving news, and interviews with scuba diving experts. Sign up for the newsletter at http://www.thatdivesite.com.
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