Red Sea: The Northern Red Sea is the closest major dive destination to the UK and we have visited this area a number of times. Coral growth is good but has sustained damage over the years, partly because of careless diving. The fish life is also good but the number of pelagics has dropped considerably over the last couple of decades so a chance encounter with a shark is a fairly long shot. The wreck diving is first class but if you want to visit the Thistlegorm go on a liveaboard and do it soon as there are persistent rumours of the ship being closed to divers because of heavy damage due again to careless diving and occasionally to malicious souvenir taking. If you do dive this amazing wreck please be very careful of both the ship and the often- heavy current. Other easily accessible great wrecks in the area are the Ghiannis D and the Carnatic, both found at Abu Nuhas reef, and the Dunraven. If you see anyone removing anything from these (or any other ship for that matter) don’t ignore it, fin over there and remonstrate with them –if necessary draw the attention of other divers to the looting idiot and make them ashamed of what they are doing. Overall the Northern Red Sea is still a very good destination but as with most places the best diving is to be had on a liveaboard. As for the Southern Red Sea it happens to be one of the great holes in our diving repertoire. We know, we know, so please don’t email us with abuse for not having been there. It’s very much on our want list.
Dominican Republic: We have only dived the northern coast of this beautiful and interesting island. We were based in Cabarete which was great for windsurfing but the diving is possibly the dullest we have ever done. Considering this is the Caribbean coral life is minimal, and fish life is virtually non-existent. The only saving grace was a really nice dive in a very beautiful small inland freshwater cave – kind of a miniature cenote. Overall, if you’re planning a Caribbean dive trip put this island at the very bottom of your list. If, however, you plan to spend a lot of time on terra firma this a great-looking island with a lot of great trekking and mountain-biking possibilities. Do not believe tour operators who tell you it’s not safe to explore the island (they just want you to stay in the big AI resorts and spend all your money with them), it’s simply not true except perhaps for the area near the border with Haiti which is currently a little volatile.
Gran Canaria: Quite a surprise this one. There are a dozen excellent regularly dived wrecks all within a 15minute RIB ride of the port of Las Palmas in 15metre visibility without exceeding recreational diving limits. Highlights are; Bajel : She came to rest upside down with her midship pivoting on a small hill of boulders, much like a see-saw, creating a unique sight with the hull acting more like a protective shield than a vessel. Kalais, Scuttled in 1968 for non-payment of mooring fees, she’s about 120m long and lies perfectly upright on the sea bed at around 35m with the upper decks at 22m. Sealife is fairly prolific with everything from schools of fusiliers to triggerfish swarming around the tall winches, but the highlight is the motionless school of Barracuda hanging in mid-water right over the top of the bow. The wreck itself is in great condition, its cargo of cement helping to keep it undamaged despite those big Atlantic swells, and the view up the bow from the sea bed is truly impressive. Tres Barcos: This site is particularly interesting because it offers threesmaller wrecks all within a 50m radius of each other with a maximum depth of only 24m. Two of the wrecks are Korean trawlers which ran into each other and now find themselves in the company of a third trawler which sank on the same site in rather obscure circumstances. As you explore one wreck before moving on to the next you can see the faint outlines of the other two looming in the distance, and because of the shallow depth this would make a great wreck dive for a relative beginner. All in all don’t bother with dives around the island unless all you know is the inside of Stoney Cove but we can’t recommend the wrecks around Las Palmas enough (as long as you don’t get seasick easily because the sea can be very big around there).
Manado, Indonesia: This is among the best diving in the Far East and can be found at great bargain prices if you look around (ordinarily Barefoot Traveller seem to offer the best deal). It’s mostly wall diving around the Bunaken Marine Park and the highlight is probably the masses of beautiful coral both hard and soft you can see on every dive. Other great sightings include white-tip and black-tip reef sharks, sea snakes, and the occasional dugong. Because of its position on several pelagic migratory routes there have been rare sighting of Orca and various species of whale. Conditions can be treacherous with regular ripping currents and occasional down and up currents sometimes creating a tough washing-machine effect. This destination is more suitable to PADI Advanced level divers or equivalent or those with at least 50 dives under their belts. Also, if you have a non-diving partner bear in mind none of the resorts have beaches (though they do have pools) as the shoreline is rock and mangrove.
Costa Rica: The great attraction of Costa Rica are the islands of Cocos and Malpelo, but we haven’t been there unfortunately so we can only comment on the area around ??????? where we have dived. The diving here is very limited (three sites only) but the quality of pelagic life is outstanding. Every dive seems to involve very close encounters with reef sharks, rays, jacks and schools of barracuda. The best dive is on Devil’s Peak but it can involve a very strong current so it’s unsuitable for beginners. If you’re in this part of the world take the time to go out on a dolphin watching boat as the right captain can often find super-pods of Dolphin numbering up to a thousand individuals (this is not an exaggeration, it’s something we have personally witnessed) and it really is unbelievable to snorkel in the open ocean, a mile from shore with that many dolphins in the water around you. This area is also superb for land adventures including canopy walks, jungle treks, jungle river kayaking, sea kayaking, monkey watching and countless other great ways of spending the day. We love Costa Rica.
Gran Cayman: This is our favourite Caribbean island so far. Big enough to offer many different dive sites of all levels and good activities on land, yet small enough to retain a sense of exclusivity (helped in no small way by the fact it’s a very rich island due to its status as a tax haven). This wealth has allowed the Caymans to build their tourist industry on the principle of fewer tourists for more money and it means that even Seven Mile Beach feels deserted because few hotels are allowed to be built on it, and mass tourism is shunned. The diving is about as easy as it gets. Currents are very rare and the water is incredibly clear and blue. Highlights are frequent sightings of stingrays and large schools of tarpon as well as the odd turtle while any dive will bring you into close contact with lots of Caribbean reef fish. If you come here be sure to dive Stingray City – a three metre dive revolving around feeding large Southern Stingrays. The rays are hand fed by everyone in the group and they can get so friendly that you actually physically have to push them away. If you’re worried about the rights and wrongs of feeding fish you can rest easy in this case as the rays come here anyway to feed on the fish remains the local fishermen throw overboard when cleaning their daily catch. Generally speaking there the area opposite Seven Mile Beach offers gentle reef diving while the area the north shore offers wall diving. The north shore also offers the chance of seeing pelagic life ranging from White-tip reef sharks to Hammerheads. There is also a lot of very nice wreck diving to be enjoyed here and the conditions are perfect for beginners.
Layang Layang: This is a small coral atoll about 100km off the coast of Malaysian Borneo. There is only one resort on this man-made island and it shares the space with a bird colony and a Malaysian Navy base. If you come here expect to dive and sunbathe only, there is nothing else here for you. The diving here on a good day is nothing short of spectacular, while on an average day it merely superb. Because of its isolated position far from any land the water here is spectacularly clear but it can also get some large ocean rollers at times: thankfully the dive sites are all within a 5-30minute boat ride. Possibly due to low diver traffic the coral here is nothing short of spectacular. On a normal day’s diving expect to see turtles, jacks, barracuda, reef sharks and all manner of smaller reef fish. Also look out for giant clams here as they can grow to over a metre in length. Most dives here start with a drop to 35-37metres and a swim away from the reef into the blue to look for hammerheads and/or any large pelagics that may be passing by. After a few minutes you’ll head back towards the reef and start a slow ascent taking in the stunning wall before finishing on the topreef. Around March/April/May sightings of hammerheads are virtually guaranteed and it’s not uncommon to see them on more than one dive on the same day. It is also possible to see dolphins, mantas, and various species of whales here. While we were here we even saw Pilot Whales, though we were told that was a first for Layang Layang. An outstanding destination for the pure diver.
Sipadan: Basically this is the best diving destination we have ever visited. We absolutely love Sipadan. Cousteau loved this place and so will anyone with a c-card and a soul. The conditions are mostly pretty easy and the only danger is the lure of the deep. Dives follow a similar pattern to those on Layang Layang, dropping deep and moving away from the wall to look for Hammerheads, and then rising as you come back to the wall and the topreef. We have made over fifty dives on this island and we are not exaggerating when we say that we have never once seen less than half a dozen turtles and white-tips. It’s common to have four or more turtles within sight at once, coming and going all around the divers, often within a couple of feet. Highlights include: The Drop-off, just a few yards from shore, which makes a great shore dive with a huge resident school of Jacks which parts just inches from your mask as well as a school of Bumphead Parrot Fish and millions of other reef dwellers. Also perfect for snorkelling. Barracuda Point often has a huge tornado of Barracuda swirling around, but even when they’re elsewhere there are always sharks, turtles, jacks, crocodile fish, lionfish, the list is endless. Turtle Tomb offers a unique experience; this dive HAS to be taken accompanied by a guide and thus can sometimes incur r an extra charge. This is because more than one diver has lost their way in this disorienting cave and died as a result. The attraction here is the presence in the cave of several turtle skeletons and the theory is that some older turtles come in here to die because they have never found the remains of young turtles here, only fully-grown ones. Other sightings at Sipadan commonly include Hammerheads, and Leopard Sharks, and occasionally Whale Sharks and once even a saltwater crocodile. This is an incredible destination for every reason and never fails to remind you why you started diving in the first place.
Kuredu, Maldives: to come
Villi Varu, Maldives: to come
Blue Planet Shark Tank, Cheshire, UK: to come
Cuba: to come
