Scuba Diving Vacation

Scuba diving is a magical sport. Little wonder that travelers from all around the world take trips to the best beach resorts for this dive sport. In fact, scuba diving is so popular that there are innumerable resorts spread across the globe that are designed for this activity.

In many beaches there are companies offering lessons for beginners to scuba dive. They also make available diving equipment on rent. There are top scuba dive packages worldwide for those who dive with such fervent passion for this sport.

This fabulous outdoor activity is offered in Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Curacao, Cyprus, Fiji Islands, Florida, Grand Cayman, Greece, Hawaii, Jamaica, Malta, Mexico, Seychelles Island and Thailand, to name a few.

Caribbean scuba diving vacation

Caribbean Sea is one of the most preferred spots in the world for scuba diving. The friendly and warm waters of the Caribbean are capital for aquatic sports with specially designed resorts adding to the gaiety.

Caribbean has almost every island excelling in spots of tourist interest with submarine tunnels, coral reefs teeming with exotic life, shipwrecks, and sheer walls. Some of the best scuba diving resorts in the Caribbean are located in Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Aruba and Mexico. Cost effective tourist packages, gorgeous beaches and many a favorite tourist hot spots make these locales among the top preferences for water sports across the globe.

Scuba diving vacations are just unforgettable in the Caribbean and fanatic divers return year after year to enjoy more of these aquatic adventures.

The Bahamas for instance is absolutely perfect for relaxing on white sand beaches with tourists indulging in thrilling activity - shark and scuba diving. Hotel deals to Nassau and Paradise Island are common.

Jamaica draws foreign tourists towards its beach resorts such as Negriland Ocho Rios - best known spots in the world for spending time in tropical environment. Among the numerous packages available include introductory Scuba Dive in Negril, The Swim, Hold and Feed the Sharks Program and Scuba Diver course programs.

Aruba is the best destination all year round with its excellent weather and a large number of extraordinary diving spots especially for scuba diving. The amazing coral reefs which can be explored without much effort in the shallow waters are immensely popular. Some of the popular dive deals in Aruba include Aruba Red Sail Sports One or Two Tank Scuba Dive and Happy Hour Snorkel Sail in Aruba.

In the Dominican Republic and Mexico there are resorts like Punta Cana, Cancun, Cozumel Island and Playa del Carmen known by many a holidaymaker who prefer exclusive and classy beachside vacations.

Travelers with passion for water sports such as diving take to Scuba dive in Punta Cana, Certified scuba diving in Cozumel and 3-day open water diving courses.

In the Costa Rica, the discerning diver can join the biologists on a turtle and shark tagging expedition. Located about 350 miles from the Costa Rica mainland are the waters of the Pacific surrounding this oceanic island which is world famous for its large population of hammerhead sharks planet.

The rich waters that hold possibly the richest bio diversity in the Eastern Tropical Pacific has more than 300 species of tropical fish found in no other part of the world. It is not an uncommon sight here to see hundreds of hammerhead sharks swim by and whiter tip sharks dive. This is indeed a declared United Nations World Heritage site - probably a trip of a lifetime for many a seasoned diver.

A ten day diving expedition provides opportunities for divers to see silver tip sharks, Galapagos sharks, black tip sharks, silky sharks, marbles rays, eagle rays, and bottlenose dolphins. Participants can even capture turtles using scuba. At such close range, scalloped hammerheads are tagged using satellite, acoustic and permanent transmitters and later returned to their positions.

For scuba diving in the Mexican side Cozumel and Cancum are the best diving spots. The world's largest barrier reef is located here. The stunning aquatic life should leave the divers breathless. Dive resorts are located in deeper waters and it is amazing to watch experience divers dive with such ease.

There are quite an impressive number of operators offering diving packages in Cozumel Island than Cancun. Hotels offer packages for an all inclusive price - putting their guests in touch with local operators offering exciting aquatic sports. Some of the best hotels offer the best deals to the tourists in Cancun beach resorts.

Great Barrier scuba diving

While there are innumerable scuba dive resorts in the world, very few can be compared to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Cairns is located in the northern part of Queensland and is not a very big city. It is famous today because of its proximity to the largest coral reef system in the world with 900 islands and 2900 individual reefs. A large part of these are included in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to protect better the aquatic species inhabiting here.

Quite a number of scuba diving fans visiting Cairns choose the period between May and November to indulge in their diving cruises on the Coral Sea and the beauties of the Great Barrier Reef. A multitude of fish with over 1500 species, about 6 species of sea turtles, whales, salt water crocodiles, 5000 species of mollusk and 17 species of sea snakes, 215 species of birds form the part of the rich aquatic life of this region. In addition to this, marine plants and 500 species of algae and seaweeds are found around some four hundred species of coral. Truly awesome indeed!

Beach resorts in Cairns are excellent for daily scuba divers and they can also excursion to other regions. Vacation budget hotels can also be found on the coasts. Many scuba divers after hours of diving enjoy the region for many other things.

There are others who play golf or practice white water rafting or take coach buses and embark on local tours to enjoy scenic day trips. Theme parks in Australia offer unique life experiences and scuba divers choose this option of visiting such parks as well.

Maldives scuba diving vacation

Maldives is another perfect destination for avid scuba divers. The Maldives is an exotic paradise, a magical and enchanting abode for scuba divers.

This island offers a wide range of marine life - angels, stingrays, dolphins, turtles and reef fish and other sharks. Divers delight at the warm and clear waters with visibility up to 70 meters and ideal for scuba diving. The amazing coral reefs and aquatic life with eels, rays, sharks and leviathans create the perfect ambience for an unsurpassable dive.

Hawaii scuba diving resorts entails the enthusiastic diver to explore ocean reefs, sea caves, swim in the company of turtles, monk seals and spinner dolphins.

Hawaii's top spots include Hanauma Bay on Oahu, Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii's Big Island, Kee Beach on Kauai and Hulopoe Bay on Lanai.

Florida has two famous scuba diver locales, Marriott Key Largo and Holiday Inn Key Largo. Barely a forty five minute drive from Miami, the Florida bay's diving coral reefs beckons the tourist. This private island of paradise- Florida Keys - is open for one and all to explore.

It should be mentioned that for experienced Florida Key divers, the Elbow is synonymous with clear water. The term elbow reveals the fact that it sticks out from the rest of the reef line. As the reef is placed near the edge of the Gulf Stream, a continuous supply of clear water flows over it most of the time.

The north dry rocks features tall coral ridges that rise 15 feet or more from the sandy bottom. Surplus of angel fish with vivid colors can be seen here. In Ellison Hardee the Abyss statue stand on a concrete pedestal of 15 feet of water at Key Largo Dry rocks. This statue continues to attract the divers, along with the other parts of the attractive reef.

Other than the French reef with clear blue green waters with its fascinating caverns, arches and swim troughs, the Molasses reef is another frequently visited spots in Florida Keys. This place is magical with fluid dynamics and interesting reef structures.

The US Virgin Islands offer not just sun and sea but fun undersea as well. Scuba diving is immensely exciting in this whimsical world with its living creatures mimicking rocks and appears in rainbow colored uniforms with beautiful flowers playing hide and seek with other sea life.

St Thomas and St Croix and St John islands boast of many reefs and countless hours of underwater explorations. Rock-like coral heads with rich mix of fish can be seen here. Undersea fauna and flora are spectacular in the Virgin Islands. Visibility is also excellent up to 120 feet in many locales; even night dives are spectacular with nocturnal sea creatures lapping up morsels with their tendril like tongues quite voraciously.

Diving in the US Virgin Islands is not cumbersome but easy, enjoyable and offers something for every diver. While beginners can enjoy the comfortable waters with great visibility, experienced divers can reach some of the 58 odd dive sites accessible by beach or boat to reefs and wrecks during day or night - a time of their choice.

Scuba diving facts

• During scuba diving, the visibility can be affected by ebb and flow of tides. Incoming tides bring clear water while falling tides contain plankton and sediments.
  
  
• A diver should understand the effects of water on sunlight to really appreciate the beauty during diving. He can always take a torch on any dive to bring out the true colors of the marine ambience.
  
  
• Many island resorts have well equipped diving centers and experience instructors. Therefore, even a person who does not know the art of diving can undergo resort courses.
  
  
• There are few places where night diving could be mesmerizing. One such is Maldives. When the sun goes down, the corals open up and their flower like tentacles to prowl in spiders and shrimps.
  
  
• There are restrictions for diving distance under water. While some resorts fix their own limits to thirty meters, the maximum depth could be forty meters. Although the underwater temptation is irresistible, it can be fatal as one can succumb to an excess of nitrogen in the blood.
  
  
• The safety of scuba diving depends on how responsible the scuba diver is. It has to be clearly understood that scuba diving is a sport and like every other sport it has its risks. The scuba diver risks his life with drowning. Many are nervous using a scuba system as life support.
  
  
• There are people who are afraid of sharks, and feel that it could be a dangerous indulgence. But in reality, this sport is not as dangerous and the instances of fatality are very rare, unless the diver is reckless.
  
  
• Cave diving could be dangerous form of scuba diving. Only well trained divers should indulge in this.
  
  
• Scuba fatalities are estimated at 5 fatalities every 100,000 divers.