AOnce you've experienced what it's like to dive into the depths with a pounding heart, ringing ears and only the raspy sound of your breath, then you know how addictive diving is. The underwater world of Scuba Diving is a wonderful world full of surprises and unexpected twists. Floating close above iridescent coral, you suddenly paddle face to face with a giant turtle. Or you suddenly feel the tickling sensation of a sea serpent swinging between your feet. The sea is the scene of bizarre fish, spectacular coral, wrecked shipwrecks and plane carcasses. The bright colors shine towards you in oceans all over the world. Sure, some places are more beautiful than others. Especially the clear water, which allows you to see many tens of meters around you, makes the diving experience even more intense. do you have PADI/SSIA certificates already obtained? Then it's time to show your face underwater at the following dive spots. In our opinion, these are the most beautiful diving spots in the world, are you reading along?
1. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Let's get down under! Maybe no surprise, but in Australië you will find without any doubt the most beautiful diving locations in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef on Earth at 2600 km. Some numbers: 2900 individual reefs, 2000 tropical fish species, generally 60 meters visibility and a water surface of no less than 334.400 square meters. Biodiversity here is enormous. Fish of all colors and sizes, dolphins, turtles, sharks, jellyfish and rays, you can find them all over the reef. But of course it is mainly the coral that makes The Great Barrier Reef so special. In many places along the coast you can already see the beautiful coral just below the surface of the water. Be careful with your hands and flippers, coral breaks quickly and grows back very, very slowly.
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Well, The Great Barrier Reef is huge. So where is the best place to dive? Our favorite: Lady Elliot Island, just off Fraser Island. It does require a short plane flight from Hervey Bay, but you get more than enough in return. Lady Elliot Island is a stunning tropical island. Azure lagoons, dazzling coral and super clear water. The reef surrounding the island is home to dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles. Gotta see it to believe it!
2. The Great Blue Hole, Belize
This dive site in the Caribbean Sea is definitely an eye-catcher and number two on our list of the most beautiful dive spots in the world. You may have seen pictures of it. The Great Blue Hole is one of the most photographed dive spots in the world. And that is of course not easy. The reef at Belize With a length of 360 km, it is the largest, after The Great Barrier Reef. After a boat trip of about two hours from Belize you arrive at an atoll formed by a deep blue gaping hole with a diameter of 300 meters. This large blue opening was once the roof of a limestone cave and now the starting point of one of the most beautiful dives. The Great Blue Hole has a total depth of 100 meters and is located at the Lighthouse Reef. The deepest dive is about 40 meters down. Once underwater you will soon see sharks and all kinds of other large and small fish such as barracudas around the Blue Hole. Here too, the coral is astonishing and the pure blue water is a relief if you are used to the brown water from the North Sea. Make sure you have some diving to your name, because only advanced players dare to dive in this beautiful place. The Great Blue Hole is also quite rightly on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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3. Cocos Island, Costa Rica
For place three on the list of the most beautiful diving spots in the world, we take you to the island reserve Cocos near Costa Rica. Here, in the Pacific Ocean, you will find Cocos Island, a fascinating dive spot due to its overwhelming underwater life. The large schools of hammerhead sharks are especially impressive. But dolphins, moray eels, rays and manta rays are also present everywhere.
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In total, there are more than 30 species of coral and more than 300 species of fish here. Even whales, sea lions and octopuses occasionally come here to take a look. For a diver like you, Cocos Island is undoubtedly a dream place. There seem to be many treasures on the island if you are to believe the age-old pirate legends. So maybe not only your best diving experience is hidden here, but you also discover the Treasure of Benito Bonito or the Treasure of Lima. Jacques Cousteau gave this island the label 'most beautiful island in the world'. If someone of his stature says such a thing, we should take it very seriously.
Also read: Round trip Costa Rica – Adventurous and relaxed!
4. The Maldives
You are probably thinking: 'The Maldives?? Isn't that only for the rich and famous?' Perhaps when it comes to spending a few days in a super deluxe resort. But also as a diving enthusiast you secretly really must have been here. On the Maldives you will find several beautiful atolls, which are also formed by very small pearls of islands. And right here, on these small islands, countless coral reefs are hidden. Dizzying shades of color shimmer towards you once you're submerged. Strange and funny fish such as the Napoleon wrasse, the butterflyfish, pennant fish and groupers frolic past you. Of course it helps that the beaches in the Maldives are some of the whitest on the planet.
5. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Don't feel like a long flight and would you rather stay close to Europe? Then take your diving gear with you to the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Egyptian island of Sinai. The Red Sea has its own underwater wonders here. The high salinity of the Red Sea provides a unique spectacle. Diving at Sharm el-Sheikh means encountering fascinating fish that dart past coral reefs. But especially special is the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm, a British ship that sank in the Second World War. You can easily dive through different parts of the wreck and even see small tanks, motorcycles, ammunition, trucks and two locomotives (!) that have been preserved in the holds of the ship all along. How cool is that! Sharm el-Sheikh definitely belongs on the list of the most beautiful diving spots in the world, what do you think?
