Licensed divers have a minimum of one factor in frequent with the world’s most well-known undercover agent — scuba diving. There are greater than two dozen James Bond motion pictures and a minimum of 10 of them characteristic scuba diving. Should you love 007, diving (or each), there are three James Bond scuba diving locations it’s best to go to — however please don’t begin any speargun fights.
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Jamaica
Dr. No and Reside and Let Die
Agent 007 could also be Britain’s most well-known spy, however he was born in Jamaica. British novelist Ian Fleming created James Bond (codename 007) at his Goldeneye property on Oracabessa Bay.
For the last word Bond expertise, you may lease The Fleming Villa. Be forewarned: the value isn’t listed on the web site, so you might want a undercover agent’s wage to afford it.
Even if you happen to’re on a price range, Jamaica is arguably the perfect vacation spot for James Bond followers. The very first James Bond movie, Dr. No, was filmed there as was the eighth movie, Reside and Let Die.
The island is peppered with filming places together with:
Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are additionally glorious locations to scuba dive in Jamaica. While you’re able to guide your flights, begin by typing in OCJ — the code identify for Ian Fleming Worldwide Airport!
The Bahamas
Thunderball, By no means Say By no means Once more, For Your Eyes Solely, The Spy Who Cherished Me, You Solely Reside Twice and On line casino Royale
Agent 007 has visited the 700-island-and-cay nation often known as the Bahamas 5 occasions, however the Bahamas are sometimes…in disguise. For instance, in You Solely Reside Twice, Bond’s at-sea burial supposedly takes place in Hong Kong. However divers retrieve his “physique” within the Bahamas.
Equally, a lot of the underwater scenes in For Your Eyes Solely had been filmed close to New Windfall, however the movie is ready within the Mediterranean.
FUN FACT: lots of the underwater close-ups in For Your Eyes had been shot on a dry soundstage. The actors weren’t even underwater!
Clear water, colourful marine life and plentiful shark diving alternatives make The Bahamas an idyllic diving vacation spot. If you wish to comply with in 007’s finsteps, guide a dive on the James Bond Wrecks from Thunderball and the quasi-remake By no means Say By no means Once more.
Topside Filming Places
The Bahamas additionally has picturesque topside filming places together with:
What about the submarine automotive?
In The Spy Who Cherished Me, Bond drives a Lotus Esprit into the water, and it transforms right into a sporty submarine. The submersible automotive is full with louvers (as a result of: the 80s) and missiles (as a result of: Bond). The underwater pictures had been filmed in The Bahamas, however when the automotive lastly rolls again on land, it’s in Sardinia.
Thailand
The Man with the Golden Gun and Tomorrow By no means Dies
Two James Bond movies had been shot in Thailand, however solely The Man with the Golden Gun has scenes set in The Land of Smiles. In Tomorrow By no means Dies, Thailand is a stand-in for Vietnam.
Probably the most iconic James Bond filming places in Thailand is Ko Tapu, also referred to as James Bond Island. The location is notoriously touristy, however it’s near Phuket — one in all Thailand’s many spectacular diving locations.
There’s one necessary James Bond scuba diving location I haven’t talked about: England. Most of 007’s underwater struggle scenes have been filmed at Pinewood Studios, close to London. Filming takes place in a 1.2 million liter/317,000 gallon pool that’s 6 meters/19.5 toes deep. Sadly, it’s not open to the general public.
The video above options Daniel Craig as James Bond, however Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan additionally did scuba scenes (or their stunt double did).
If the world shouldn’t be sufficient to satiate your thirst for journey, study to scuba dive and begin exploring the opposite 2/3rds of our ocean planet. The following time you watch a spy thriller or motion movie, you’ll have the satisfaction of understanding, “Yeah, I can try this too.”