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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Scuba and Snorkeling
Our ancestors may have crawled from the ocean 350 million years ago, but still we are children of the sea. Scuba divers and snorkelers go to great lengths—and depths—to return to that submarine world whence we came, and there's no denying that when you can breathe underwater, the world is a bigger, better place.
Atlantic Ocean There are some cool—and cold—dive sites on both sides of the pond. Ireland, for example, has diver diversity off every shore. Not surprisingly, off the coast of Normandy, in France, are all manner of explorable World War II-era wrecks—even sunken tanks. New England is no slouch either, from the easy shore dives off York, Maine, to Cape Ann's rock pinnacles to the German U-boat sunk (after Germany surrendered, as it happens) near Block Island, Rhode Island. If that's too chilly for you, the warmer, volcanic Canary Islands have great dive and snorkeling sites with a brilliant variety of marine life. Caribbean Sea From Barbados in the south to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the Caribbean has a superbly varied menu for divers and snorkelers. Healthy reef systems, with many areas protected from development and overfishing, have been luring enthusiasts to the region for decades. Nearly two-thirds of St. John is a U.S. National Park, and one of the highlights is the 30-minute snorkeling trail in Trunk Bay. Some countries, such as Barbados, have scuttled retired ships for the express purpose of creating artificial reefs and thus new dive sites. Wreck dives might not be for first-timers or for the skittish, but they do make the underwater experience even more otherworldly than it already is, and are an excellent means of decommissioning otherwise worthless vessels. The Deep was set in Bermuda but was filmed in the British Virgin Islands, where you can still make like Jacqueline Bisset and investigate the R.M.S. Rhone, which sank in 1867. Indian Ocean Off Thailand's Andaman coast are the Surin and Similan islands, both ranking among the world's most beloved dive and snorkeling locales. On the gulf side of the Thai isthmus, Koh Samui and Koh Tao have convenient proximity to healthy, lovely reefs. (Aren't you glad Thailand banned dynamite fishing?) The Burmese recently opened up many of the 800 islands in their Mergui Archipelago to divers. The Maldives, with roughly 1,200 spectacular islets among its 26 atolls, is a diving mecca. And if you think the Seychelles' 386,000 square miles of paradise is something, have a gander below the surface. Mediterranean Sea Although you won't find spectacular coral reef systems in the Mediterranean, it still has a lot going for it, with much to see for divers of all levels. The water is clear and warm year-round, and marine organisms are as fascinating as you'll find anywhere. Sunken vessels litter the seafloor in virtually all corners of the region—many dive spots are in fact archaeological sites, requiring special permission to investigate. But there are hundreds of accessible sites, whether off Cyprus, St-Tropez, or Sardinia. Maltese diving—a fine thing by virtue of the undersea cliffs, caves, and diversity of fauna—has gained picturesque wrecks thanks to the scuttling of has-been ships of all sizes and types. Pacific Ocean The biggest ocean has something for every diver. In recent years, the Australian government extended the protected status of the Great Barrier Reef, a magnificent natural wonder that attracts divers and other appreciative gawkers from all over the world. Cairns, on the Queensland coast, is the launch point to a great many dive sites on the northern and outer reefs. Snorkelers can explore many of the same reefs as divers. Farther south, out of Townsville, day-trips and longer live-aboard excursions depart for the S.S. Yongala, one of the world's great wreck dives. Leaving from Gladstone are adventurous jaunts to secluded—and protected—islands that continue to amaze reef-o-philes of all skill levels. Hawaii has superb coral reefs, fantastic wrecks, and out-of-this-world marine life, caves, lava tubes, and other submerged beauties too numerous to list. The eerie kelp forests around California's Monterey peninsula are home to rockfish, bat stars, and harbor seals. Live-aboard dives off the Galápagos treat you to submarine sights Darwin himself never got to see. As for the rest of the Pacific, pick an island, any island: It's all good, be it Fiji, Tonga, or Yap. Elsewhere Wherever there's water, you'll probably find humans poking around below the surface. Whether you're in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, or Vermont (Lake Champlain is crammed with Revolutionary War-era wrecks), there are sunken treasures and swimming critters to marvel at. If you're especially frisky—and well-insulated—try an Antarctic dive, where the reward for enduring water temperatures just above freezing is a world of ice walls, rare sea creatures, and giant kelp forests. Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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