Diego Garcia Things to Do

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In the main body of the lagoon, and beyond, awaits what is undisputedly some of the best fishing in the world. Tuna, wahoo, snapper, "sweet lips", marlin, barracuda are all the catch of the day. Unfortunately, with global sea temperatures on the rise, the delicate balance of the coral ecosystem is disturbed, causing the coral reef to die at an alarming rate. With it will go the fish population, fostering a rapidly growing sentiment for catch-and-release fishing. A foreboding of man's untamable ability to ruin the world? Hard to imagine - and frightening - here in the middle of Everyman's definition of nowhere.

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At the BIOT helm is a man, known to many only as "Brit Rep", who discharges his duties of preserving law, order and natural beauty with fierce loyalty and great dignity. A Royal Navy Commander, his charming nature and positive outlook on life set the tone for an extremely pleasant way of life. He is without a doubt one of the finest human beings I have ever known. The BIOT Security Force provides an idyllic sense of order that exists in few other places on the planet in this day and age.

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Efforts on behalf of the Brit Rep to preserve - or at least stabilize - one of the original plantation colonies have been quite successful and give visitors a very realistic sense of life when DG was a coconut oil processing colony at the turn of the century. Most of the atoll lies beyond the landmark "Donkey Gate" and is open for recreational use with strict regulations enforced to preserve its beauty. On this plot of land, burros from the days of the coconut traders exist peacefully in a land of monstrous coconut crabs - a highly protected and amazingly unique species. The area is also home to legendary "Turtle Cove" a safe haven given to the encouragement of the turtle population in the Chagos Archipelago.

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Birding is a great sport in Diego Garcia there are two types of Shearwaters the wedge tail and Audubon but they are a bit hard to find as they come ashore during the breeding season and than only at night. If you are out on the open ocean you have a better chance of seeing these pelagic birds (Birds that live at sea). Shearwaters are sort of a mediumish birds with long wings and they shear/skim over the up drafts from the waves -- why the are called shearwaters.

There are three Tropic Birds the Red tail, white tail and the Yellow White tail. The Chagos also has three species of Booby namely the Red-footed, Masked and Brown Boobies.

Of the five species of Frigatebirds, the Great and the Lesser are found in the Chagos.

Diego Garcia was a big producer of coconut oil until WW2. There are use to be 5 plantations but only this one survive the years.the last plantation was close in 1971 In here , you can see an old master's house still standing and it seems like an old church.

A lot of people come to this area to have a picnic and also to do some snorkeling.

This is a wildlife sanctuary in the island where you see lot of turtles , rays and fishes. They have nice sandy beaches that you can walk along as you observe the local inhabitants.

Don not jump in the water or snokel. The island police enforce this rule to protect the local wildlife.

Located in the downtown side of the island, people come to this area to unwind for the day and watch the beautiful sunset. There are a couple of old cannons that was use to defend the islands back in the days. There are some picnic tables in here so if you and your friends wants to go have a few drinks or just relax this is the place to be.

Marina:

1. Snorkling- the most beautiful coral reefs I've ever seen. The sharks swim past you and ignore you completely... if you get offended by that you probably shouldn't get in the water. Losing gear does not upset the staff and it can all be replaced cheaply. I lost two masks, a fin, and a snorkle... and they were still smiling at me.

2. Sailing- the wind is marvelous and the air smells clean! Very cheap rental prices and plenty of space without the usual crowding of touristic beaches.

3. Canoe- can't leave without doing this one! The waters are smooth and you can always find people to compete with!

And since I'm not too familiar with all the other water goodies, I won't speak of them.