1. Great Blue Hole, Belize.
When seen from above, the Great Blue Hole looks like
the pupil of an eye. Seen from within, this Unesco World Heritage-listed ocean
sinkhole is a visual treat for divers. Ringed by fringing reef, and
approximately 400m in diameter, the Great Blue Hole drops away to around 145m.
About 40m down are the formations that lure divers from around the world:
marine stalactites up to 15m in length.
Marine life is noticeable only in its absence - you might
not see a single fish - but when you're swimming among stalactites, who gives a
Nemo? Day trips depart at 6am and return at 5.30pm, or you can spend the night
aboard the boat. Watch out for the sea serpent, sighted in the 1960s.
2. Chuuk
Lagoon, Micronesia.
Micronesia's
Chuuk Lagoon is rich in colourful coral and tropical fish, but for divers these
are almost peripheral to the main attraction. What draws 56 divers to this
70km-wide lagoon are the wrecks - Chuuk may hold the greatest proliferation of
shipwrecks in the world. A Japanese naval base in WWII, here dozens of ships
were sunk and many planes downed during US attacks in 1944. Dives include the
Fujikawa Maru, complete with intact fighter planes in its holds, and the
Shinkoku Maru, decorated by nature with soft corals and sponges. Only permit
holders can dive; arrangements can be made at the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop on the
island. Visit www.bluelagoondiveresort.com.
3. Manta
Ray Village,
Hawaii.
No prizes for guessing the star attraction at this
dive site off the Kona coast of Hawai'i (the Big Island),
though half the fun is that dives here are conducted at night. Dive operators
shine powerful lights into the water to attract plankton, which in turn attract
manta rays (which then attract divers). Manta-ray sightings are unreliable -
you might see up to 10 rays and their magnificent 'wings', or you might see
none. Dives during the new moon seem to be the best bet for manta encounters.
You can opt for the three-hour round-trip snorkel or do a certified one-tank
manta-ray night dive. Book through www.hawaiiactivities.com.
4. Samarai
Island, Papua New Guinea.
Get down and dirty in the world's muck-diving capital
as you swim through Samarai's silty waters to appreciate the finer things of
the sea. You won't encounter whale sharks, manta rays or moray eels on this
island off Papua New Guinea's
southeastern tip; Samarai is about the little critters, such as nudibranches.
Shallow waters make Samarai's tiny ocean goodies accessible even to novices,
and you'll find exuberant corals and tropical fish, as well as remnants of the
island's turbulent history. Check online or with operators at Milne Bay;
www.telitadive.com
has a good reputation. Luxury full-berth cabins are US$300-340 per person, per
night.
5. Pulau
Sipadan, Malaysia.
Slow things down to turtle pace as you take to the
seas off the Malaysian island that invariably figures in all lists of the
world's top dive sites, Pulau Sipadan. Green and hawksbill turtles abound;
there's even a so-called turtle tomb, 22m underwater, containing the skeletal
remains of vast numbers of turtles. For a marine adrenalin rush, try Barracuda
Point, where the eponymous barracuda often gather in swirling, tornado-like
formations. No diver will want to leave without witnessing the famous Drop Off
where, just a stroll from the shore, the ocean floor drops away 600m. Night
diving typically costs around MYR150 per dive for one to three divers, or MYR50
if there are four or more. Book early as permits are restricted to 120 per day.
6. Cocos
Island, Costa Rica.
On Cocos Island, 600km off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, it's
hammer time. Some of Jurassic
Park's most evocative
scenes were filmed on this island, but it's under the sea that things are truly
wild. Here, hammerhead sharks shoal in enormous numbers, off ering divers a
jittery look at their fantastic features. The largest shoals are found around
the submerged mountain at Alcyone, where you will also see white-tip reef
sharks and possibly whale sharks. Divers will need to visit on liveaboard boats
as nobody is allowed to stay on the island. November to May (dry season) means
calmer seas, silky sharks and large schools of mobula rays. Rainy season (June
to November) equals large schools of hammerheads but rougher seas.
7. Gansbaai,
South Africa.
Move up the food chain, from hammerheads to great
white sharks, as you climb inside a metal cage and come nose to snout with the
ocean's most fearsome predator. Watch in awe, even as you wonder about the
cage's strength, while the 6m-long great whites circle. Dive operators off this
Western Cape town use bait to attract the
sharks to the cage, virtually guaranteeing sightings (and controversy). You'll
find operators based in Hermanus, though the boats leave from Gansbaai, 35km
away. Cage diving costs around ZAR1100 per person. Transport from Cape Town is offered by
most operators and personalised DVDs/videos are usually available too.
8. Ras
Mohammed National
Park, Egypt.
Covering the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, this
national park is the final landfall before the underwater wonders of the Red Sea. The park itself contains 20 dive sites, many of
them among the Red Sea's finest. Two submerged
peaks, Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef, are the park's diving centrepieces, and
both are rich in marine life. At Yolanda you can look forward to diving among
the wreckage of the Yolanda, including its cargo of hundreds of toilet bowls
(and a BMW). The vertical wall at Shark Reef is prized for its concentration of
fish and, unsurprisingly, sharks. All visitors must leave the park by sunset.
Snorkellers and divers standing on the corals devastate the reefs so please be
careful.
9. Cocklebiddy
Cave, Australia.
Australia's
Nullarbor Plain may appear waterless, but beneath this enormous limestone block
there's a series of caves, including Cocklebiddy
Cave. This 6.7km-long,
arrow-straight tunnel is almost entirely flooded, making for one of the world's
premier cave dives. It was here in 1983 that French cavers racked up the
world's longest cave dive by exploring to Cocklebiddy's end. The cave is
situated 10km north of remote Cocklebiddy Roadhouse; divers must obtain permits
from Western Australia's
Conservation and Land Management (CALM) department. Experienced cave divers
only; no tours are offered. Cocklebiddy's Wedgetail Inn, a caravan or rooms for
AU$50-150 a
night, is about your only accommodation option.
10. Rainbow Warrior, New Zealand.
Bombed by French government saboteurs in Auckland harbour in July 1985, the Greenpeace boat Rainbow
Warrior was later refloated and scuttled off beautiful Matauri
Bay in New Zealand's Northland. Coated in
colourful corals and populated by goatfish, moray eels and other fish, the
Rainbow Warrior sits upright in 25m of water, wedged into the sandy ocean
floor. Anemones, sponges and algae of all colours cling to the wreck; in its
grave the Rainbow Warrior is far more rainbow than warrior. Book a day tour
through www.divehqboi.co.nz
or visit www.divetours.co.nz
to book a seven- or 15-day tour that includes a number of dive sites.
