As the importance of the oceans fade amidst the hustle and bustle of life, Asian Diver endeavours to be its mouthpieace, bringing its voice to life with underwater tales that are yet to be told.

Think you know Asian diving? Think again. Asian Diver blows the lid on the dive destinations you (think you) know and love. Get ready to discover the blue water and drop offs in muck Mecca, the world-class reefs that neighbour the most famous wrecks, and the critters that inhabit pelagic paradise. Prepare to have your underwater world turned upside down.

Take the plunge with Asian Diver as we bring you the ultimate dive course guidebook for any scuba divers, aspiring divers, and professionals. Jump in and know about the must-have dive certificates offered by different dive agencies.

This issue’s theme coincides with ADEX 2019’s ‘a plastic-free future and is designated official magazine of Ocean Partnership Summit 2019. It is also the first issue that incorporates eight pages of our distinctive junior section, so that your young ones can enjoy articles on the same theme in the same magazine.

Asian Diver's ADEX Collector's Edition is back with an inspiring and fact-packed bumper issue to celebrate the International Year of the Reef, alongside an in-depth look at the ocean's apex predator. Get the low-down on what's happening in the shark fin trade, brush up on your knowledge of sharks and corals, and find out how individuals and organisations around the world are working to save our sharks and reefs.

This year, the quadrennial Asian Games – a massive sports event that often gets mixed up with some of its regional variants – will be hosted here in Southeast Asia. We appraise several local sports that set the Asiad’s lineup apart from its Olympic counterpart, and drop in on three unique sportspeople gearing up for August. But the 18th Games’ most interesting aspect could just be its return to Indonesia, a place where, over a half-century ago, Jakarta’s controversial hosting decisions shocked the 1960s’ worlds of sports and politics. Indonesian politics also kicks off another fascinating tale: how five Southeast Asian men managed to create the first Asian miracle of the 20th century: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Helped by a few rounds of golf and drinks, these powerful diplomats succeeded in getting their respective countries – many with histories of bitter grudges and border invasions – to team up into a bloc that today still merits international admiration. Their surviving family and friends share memories of these master negotiators.

With the modern world developing at the dizzying pace it is, do you know what’s going on around you and how it all works? In this issue, we look at the latest in science and technology across the region, from the obvious – China’s transformation from IT copycat to technology leader – to the unexpected, like why Cambodia’s farmers are now selling bat faeces instead of rice. Go on a sparkling journey across the night sky in our exclusive story on astrotourism, an upcoming trend that’s winning the hearts of Asians young and old across the region. Read about a mysterious bridge between India and Sri Lanka that has geologists befuddled, and a hyper fast underwater levitating train – straight out of a sci-fi movie ­– that you might soon be able to buy tickets for. Are you ready to get up to speed?

Dive into the unique, wild and whacky experiences of underwater photographers and divers from around the world. From epic pelagic stories to first-time jitters, readers will be in for a treat in this special edition of Scuba Diver Australasia + Ocean Planet.