During last summer’s trip to Fuerteventura, my boyfriend Jack managed to persuade me to go on my first ever scuba-dive. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t overly keen to start with, however due to the fact it was his birthday, I decided to face my fear and give it a go. And I’m so glad I did! It was like discovering a new world underneath the water – one, that in comparison, we know so little about. I thought I would ask Jack to compile his diving bucket list of the top places to dive in the world, and I was suitably impressed with some of the destinations that he came up with. Have a look yourself, and see if you have been to any of the dive-locations on his list!
My Diving Bucket List
Last Summer, I took Victoria out on her first dive in the beautifully blue waters of Fuerteventura. Though it wasn’t something that she was especially looking forward to, once she got in the water she loved it and since then we have been discussing where a good place to dive may be. I have been diving for almost 10 years now, and have been fortunate to dive on some really cool sites, from scarier dives such as visiting a wreck at 52m in the Canaries, to swimming with turtles on offshore coral reefs in Bermuda. I thought that I should make a bucket-list of the key places I want to dive in my life so that you guys (and of course Victoria) can make your own minds up and plan a trip which involves a memorable dive.
The Maldives
Famed for its marine life all over the world, the Maldives offers a huge range of biodiversity. An old housemate of mine actually went there for a few consecutive years and came home with videos and pictures of whale sharks, manta rays, turtles… You name it, it was there. The other great thing about the Maldives is that it’s easily accessible to those who don’t want to dive, and just fancy a snorkel. A lot of the reefs are pretty shallow, and so you can easily see all the sights through staying at the surface or through a bit of free-diving (if you’re feeling adventurous!). As well as diving, the Maldives offer a perfect destination should you want some tranquillity, or to escape from the day-to-day life.
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos is renowned as one of the best places to see wildlife. On the land, you have unique species that you cannot find anywhere else, and in the water the marine life is brimming. However, the main attraction here is of course everyone’s favourite diving sight; sharks. The Galapagos Islands home the largest abundance of shark populations in the world, and mass gatherings of hammerheads and reef sharks are a common sight. When people first go diving, they all want to see a shark. More often than not they are disappointed, and see nothing more than big fish. However, if you pick the right island at the right time, you can guarantee yourself a sharkey-spectacle to last with you forever.
Iceland
This entry is slightly different to the others. It isn’t because of the tropical seas or the striking coral that inhabit many of the top dive sites. On the contrary, diving in Iceland is almost lifeless in comparison. What it does offer however is a crystal-clear dive where the icy walls look like something out of a fairy tale. The only issue with this is that it is exceptionally cold, but with the visual spectacles available this is insignificant in comparison.
Hawaii
This one is a bit abstract, but bear with me, as I could set you up for one of the best diving experiences of your life. Hawaii is famous for many things; the culture, the surfing and its impressive marine life. One of the most spectacular animals is the manta ray, and these are found in the surrounding ocean of the island. Some people say that at night, you can dive in specific points and set up lights. This attracts loads of different small animals (called zooplankton), which in turn attracts the manta rays. On a good night, I can only imagine this to be the show to end all others.
The Red Sea
Ever since I started diving, I have always wanted to visit the Red Sea, and more specifically, Shark reef and the wreckage of the Jolanda. Here there are two outcrops and a wreck, making it ideal for a plethora of marine creatures. It is meant to be one of the diving jewels of the world, and is filled with stunningly exquisite colours from the coral and fish that live there in abundance. For sheer colour and variation, there are few places that can beat this, which is why I have included it on my list.
Malaysia
Whilst studying my masters in marine biology, I recall sitting next to a man from Malaysia in one of the lectures that we had. I remember him telling me about a dive site called ‘Barracuda Point’ on Sipadan Island in Malaysia. He showed me all these incredible pictures of turtles, a huge drop off, and of course, barracuda. However, these weren’t the one-off predatory fish that I was used to, these were in colossal shoals, with each individual easily over a metre in length. From that moment, I have wanted to dive on this site, and see one of these great shoals of teeth and predatory glazes.
Belize
Just off the coast of Belize is an infamous sinkhole, known by divers as the ‘Great Blue Hole’. This sinkhole goes to around 125m deep, and is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, to even dive on it, you need to have a record of 24 dives under your belt, and have sufficient qualification. In the Caribbean depths you can see a variety of sharks and parrot fish, before the light is slowly taken away. As Victoria is a beginner, I don’t think we’ll be going any time soon, but what an adventure this would be.
Australia – The Great Barrier Reef
What dive bucket-list would be complete without the king of reefs? This reef has everything you could ever want from a dive, and guarantees you some breath-taking spectacles. Part of me wants to say that this has to be at the top of my list as there are simply so many things to see, and the sheer size of it makes it so that no two parts of the reef are the same. It also includes some of my favourite creatures, such as the mystic sea-dragon, or the ferocious tiger shark. I also want to visit the famous wreck of the Yongala, which has immense biodiversity including manta rays, sharks and turtles.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading my diving bucket list! Have any of you ever dived on these sites? If so please let me know, and send all your tips over.
Love, Victoria x
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