Found 2300 km northwest of Perth, Christmas Island is administered by Australia, but is actually closer to Java. Traditionally used for the mining of phosphates, the island thankfully refocused its attention on tourism. Uninhabited until the late 19th century, Christmas Island offers us a glimpse of how nature evolved in isolation from human interference. To protect its multiple endemic species, over 63% of the territory has been declared part of a National Park. The island is actually the summit plateau of a submarine mountain reaching a land height of 361 metres. Off the coast, the slope drops off quickly into very deep waters, offering divers excellent deep sea and wall diving opportunities less that 20m from shore. On land, Christmas Island is famous for the red crab migration. Over 100 million little critters scramble across the land during their annual migration in November during the start of the wet season toward the sea, timed perfectly with the cycles of the moon. It also boasts the world’s highest density of Robber Crab (known elsewhere as the Coconut Crab – note these crabs are insane! They’re frickin’ huge!), and in fact, has the largest and most diverse land crab community worldwide. Christmas Island also contains the last remaining habitat of the world’s endangered Abbott’s Booby, among other land birds that make their home in the island’s unique rainforest ecology.
