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02/09/2007: "SCUBA SPEAR-O ........ A dive in the dark"

Scuba tank and Italian-made speargun, hopping off the rocks amongst anglers in the near darkness, the ocean like a sheet of glass. This is last Friday on the north shore of Taiwan.

In the distance a whole suburb or town comes alight with street lights just turned on. Built on the side of a mountain near the harbor city of Keelung.

In a nearby restaurant I dined on a seafood dish, a grilled yellowtail - except this species was about four times larger than the small yellowtail we have on the New South Wales coast.

Taiwan had martial law for 38 years - a world record. During this time the coastline was virtually out-of-bounds to everyone. A license required to go swimming would you believe.

Forget a lover's stroll near the beach at night, it was being patrolled by armed soldiers.

Consequently scuba diving and surfing just didn't happen.

Today, Taiwan is democratic and it's all a very different and changing for the better story.

Scuba is set to take off. If combined with a learn to speak English course the sky is the limit.

Anyone under 30 years of age can get a work permit easily here, providing you don't come from China.