We have Some Great Destinations for Diving Fans…
Indonesia
There are over 13,000 islands here and, as a result, The Indonesian Republic could provide all 5 top destinations! It has been said that Indonesia, as part of the Coral Triangle, is a habitat that is the most diverse. Lots of small islands and pinnacles emerge from the waters – they house about 80% of coral species and over 1,500 different species of fish. These include pygmy seahorses, different varieties of sharks and the wonderful manta rays. Raja Ampat is where you really mustn’t miss … it’s the most talked about area in terms of diving activity.
If you want the ‘Critter Capital of the World’, you’ll need to plan a diving trip to The Lembeh Strait which separates the islands of Sulawesi and Lembeh. There you will find very unusual marine life as well as, on Lembah Island, an award winning PADI 5 Star Centre which offers PADI courses, diving and snorkelling trips and professional internships.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef on the east coast of Australia is truly magnificent and is famous for being the world’s largest and most healthy coral reef system. It is the only living thing that can be seen from space and is the biggest structure made by living organisms. It’s one of the seven wonders of the world and not hard to see why.
What awaits both divers and snorkellers is magical. There are 900 islands over 2,300km, 3,000 reef systems, 300 coral cays and 1,500 species of fish, giant turtles, sharks, whales and potato groupers.
As well as diving and snorkelling, visitors to this area can enjoy glass bottomed boats, helicopter trips, semi-submersibles, whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Hotels is this area are first class, as is the food.
Red Sea, Egypt
This is a magnificent part of the world and considered as one of the seven wonders! There are well over 200 species of coral and millions of fish. You’ll find coral gardens, coves, pinnacles and wrecks and the countries’ proximity to the Red Sea and the Med results in a very diverse underwater environment that is rather unique.
Two of the best sites here are Sharm El Sheikh, very popular, and Ras Gharib but if you want to see one of the strangest fish ever, the frogfish, don’t miss Taba on Pharaoh’s Island. If you are a fan of examining wrecks then Ras Gharib has four that have been mapped, the most famous of these being the SS Scalar (sits above 18m) which belonged to Shell Oil and was sunk by the Germans in WW2; there are supposedly many more.
For a challenge if you consider yourself an advanced diver, the Blue Hole, Dahab is a submarine sinkhole – it’s tricky, technical and more than 300 feet deep.
Galapagos
It’s just perfect. The Galapagos islands are a remote part of Ecuador reachable by air travel from Quito or Guayaquil. It’s possible to dive there anytime but for 4 months of the year – June to October – you will see penguins, eagle rays, fur seals, whale sharks, hammerheads, sea lions and sea turtles. About one fifth of the marine life in Galapagos is unique to the country so this is an experience not to miss. It is mostly famous as a shark dive destination and you would expect to see them every time.
Most of the diving is done off Darwin Island but this is not a place if you are a beginner as you will experience rocks and rather choppy sea due to currents.
Bonaire
The Caribbean is a wonderful place to visit for many reasons, including diving. Bonaire has long protected marine resources and is a tropical paradise. As it is not a well known Caribbean island and doesn’t attract anything like the amount of tourists as other islands, it’s reefs are spectacular. The colours of the fish in the turquoise waters are a sight for sore eyes! Also impressive is the coral reef system – you won’t find large fish here but there is minimal current and visibility year round of 100 feet.
Bonaire has reef sites, ocean sites and beach sites so definitely something for all and not somewhere that requires a boat to dive from like some of the other destinations.
The type of fish you can expect to see off this island include queen parrotfish, triggerfish, peacock flounders and reef squids. And this is a great place for first time divers as the water is so calm and it is home to some excellent instructors.
To get there, it is close to Venezuela and the island of Curacao, although there is no ferry from either. There are flights to the island though.
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