Discover the World's Greatest Scuba Diving Spots
Published 21 Nov 2017, 20:59 GMT, Updated 10 Apr 2019, 10:24 BST
A SCUBA diving girl is enthralled by a swirling school of bigeye trevally jackfish at Barracuda Point, Sipadan Island, Malaysia.
Photograph by Aquascopic, AlamyThe Red Sea is blessed with top-notch visibility, 27 degrees Celcius bathwater, hundreds of miles of vibrant coral, and a wreck that may take the cake. This British transport ship was sunk during World War II, spilling army tanks, locomotives, motorbikes, rifles, and heaps of spare parts for planes and cars.
Photograph by Water Frame, AlamyEvery May through to July, billions of sardines travel north from the cold seas off South Africa's Cape Point to KwaZulu-Natal. As if this quantity of a single species weren't impressive enough, thousands of birds, dolphins, sharks, and whales belly up for the bottomless buffet.
Photograph by Alexander Safonov, Barcroft Media/Getty ImagesThis Sin City for early European explorers and pirates was forcibly moved to the bottom of Kingston's seafloor. Struck by an earthquake-tsunami combo in 1692, the city's grand architecture, taverns, and tall ships are now covered in coral and begging for exploration.
Photograph by M. Timothy O'Keefe, AlamyPlaying to the best of both worlds, this volcanic formation nurtures tiny wonders like colourful nudibranchs and Galapagos seahorses in its coral, while its depths bring the big fish in droves. To top it off, curious sea lions often greet you on your safety stop.
Photograph by Reinhard Dirscherl, AlamyA volcanic island 340 miles off the coast, Cocos Island offers a string of about 20 pristine sites—from vertical walls to drift dives. The highlight is undoubtedly Bajo Alcyone, with its swarms of scalloped hammerheads, whitetips, and blacktips, plus its mobula ray cleaning station.
Photograph by Oliver Petschner, AlamyCloser to Greenland than Toronto, this Canadian Arctic dive site is only accessible by snowmobile and Inuit sled. Dive between the floes and iceberg underbellies, keeping an eye peeled for narwhals, seals, polar bears, and walruses. Not just an exhilarating cold-water dive, it's an Arctic safari, above and below the water.
Photograph by Jill Heinerth, Getty ImagesOne of the world's top wreck dives alongside the world's largest reef... what more could you ask for? The 358-foot ship has been on the seafloor since 1911, giving it ample time to grow a proper coral garden and attract mantas, octopuses, bull sharks, and storms of fish.
Photograph by Red Brick Stock, Alamy