Christmas Island’s narrow reef supports bountiful marine life, including 88 coral species and more than 600 species of fish. It’s an underwater wonderland for divers, with clear warm waters, coral reefs and spectacular wall dives. Soft corals, feather stars and gorgonian corals grow along vast walls which plunge into a seemingly bottomless abyss. The fish community is distinctive because the island is a meeting place for Indian and Pacific Ocean fish species. It’s one of the few locations in the world where you’ll see Indian and Pacific Ocean fish swimming side by side. Some of these species interbreed to produce hybrids. Christmas Island has more hybrid fish than anywhere else in the world, making it a marine hybridisation zone of international significance. In addition to the hundreds of species of tropical fish, dolphins inhabit the island’s waters and whale sharks regularly visit during the wet season. Whale sharks generally first appear when the red crabs are spawning at the start of the wet season — they converge to supplement their plankton diet with crab larvae. Locations like Flying Fish Cove, Ethel Beach, Dolly Beach, West White Beach and Winifred Beach offer scuba divers and snorkellers a rewarding marine experience. At Flying Fish Cove and Ethel Beach shore diving is possible depending on the time of the year. There is excellent fishing, with sailfish, tuna and wahoo among some of the fish to be caught. You’ll find boat ramps at Flying Fish Cove and Ethel Beach.

On the world map of fishing locations, Christmas Island may only rate a small dot, however fish being caught here are making a big mark amongst the international fishing fraternity. The secret is out! Anglers around the world are starting to find out that Christmas Island is the hottest new spot for big fish in South East Asia. Within a few hundred metres of the boat launching facilities, it is possible to fish in thousands of metres of water for Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo and all the other exciting species that you usually find in tropical locations. The difference is that on Christmas Island the fish are BIG, very BIG. When the ocean currents bring the tuna in, it is possible to see fish in excess of 100 kilograms feeding on the surface. While the Yellowfin Tuna roam and pass the island quite regularly, Dogtooth Tuna live permanently on the steep drop-offs that surround Christmas Island. Some of them grow to be over 80 kilograms. If you prefer the high flying aerial displays of a sailfish, during the pre-monsoon months some of the biggest Sailfish in the world are to be found around Christmas Island. Even trolling within a few hundred metres of the shoreline you will find the razor gang. Wahoo are the fastest fish in the world and Christmas Island is their favourite racetrack.

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has one of the world’s biggest incense burners, used at the pilgrim’s mass held most days at noon. Priests tie the "botafumeiro" censer to ropes at the end of the mass and lift it all the way up to the ceiling with burning incense.