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Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -3

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -3

Written by Noreen
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Published on February 22, 2010

If you missed our other posts …

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die

1. Best Cave/Cavern Dives – Cenotes of the Riviera Maya, Mexico
2. Best Wreck Dive – SS Yongala, Ayr, Australia
3. Best Wall Dive – Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
4. Best Manta Ray Dive- Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
5. Best Deep Dive – Lighthouse Reef- Blue Hole, Belize

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -2

6. Best Drift Dive – Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico
7. Best Ice Dive – Mc Murdo Sound, Antarctica
8. Best Night Dive – Maaya Thila, Maldives
9. Best Kelp Dive – San Clemente, Channel Islands, California

10. Best Coral Reef Life Dives – Sulawesi, Indonesia

11. Best Big Fish Encounter DivesSipadan Island, Borneo, Malaysia

The tiny island of Sipadan which is a limestone pinnacle rising from 600 meters from the seabed in the Celebes Sea was described by the famous late French underwater explorer and diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau as “…an untouched piece of art.” A legendary dive destination, Sipadan is a magnet and bio-diversity hotspot of Southeast Asia drawing in big fish like barracudas, large schools of trevally, horse-eye jacks, reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish. It’s coral reefs housed in turquoise blue waters are also home to dozens of breeding hawksbill and green turtles that have become accustomed to divers making it a great spot to get up close and person with these gentle reptiles.Rated the 3rd best dive site in the world by ScubaTravel and most favored dive site in Sipadan is ‘Barracuda point’. While there are no guarantees the chances are you’ll find yourself in the center of a swirling vortex of…any guesses?…yes, Barracudas!! Apart from barracuda you’ll see species like the chevron barracuda and blacktail barracuda, huge schools of jacks, tuna, bannerfish, redtooth triggers and plenty of turtles as usual along with Grey reef sharks looking for a quick lunch. (For more read: Diving at Sipadan Island, Borneo – An Untouched Piece of Art)

12. Best Shark DiveGansbaai, South Africa

For what nightmares are made of, there’s no where in the World like South Africa to encounter the so called ‘man-eater’ Great White. 12kms offshore from Gansbaai (160km from Cape Town), there are two islands Dyer Island and Geyser Rock where all the action takes place. The islands covered with seals and jackass penguins are like a ready to eat fast food meal for the sharks who patrol the shallow and narrow channel that runs between the two islands, as if they were at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Jump in a cage here an all that’ll separate you from the most feared shark in the sea is a few metal bars. It’s a front row seat to watch the dinning frenzy and maybe a closer encounter with a curious great white when it checks out your cage. You’re guaranteed you’re moneys worth and an experience of a lifetime. (For more read: Top 5 Shark Diving Destinations in the World)

13. Best Whale Shark DiveRichelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Thailand

14 km east of the Mu Koh Surin marine park is the dive site of Richelieu Rock in the famous stretch of Andaman Sea lying between the Similan and Surin Islands renowned as whale shark territory. Although there are many sites in Thailand for diving with whale sharks, Richelieu Rock is your best bet. The nutrient-rich water makes for excellent diving where plankton blooms attract many fish including the whale shark. Manta Rays too frequent the site.The huge central pinnacle of this dive site is surrounded by smaller jutting rocks every inch of which is covered in soft corals, anemones, barrel sponges and sea fans making it a picturesque setting for a whale shark encounter.

14. Best Shore DivesBonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire of the Dutch Antilles located in the southern Caribbean near Aruba is world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and is consistently rated among the best diving and locations in the world. The island itself is actually the peak of a submerged mountain, so deep sloping reefs surround most of the island. Just a walk down the beach and you can plunge into any one of the 86 spots and find spectacular coral within a few hundred yards. The Bonaire Marine Park protect the environment from the high water mark to a depth of 200 feet maintaining this reef’s integrity. (For more read: Bonaire – A Divers Paradise)

15. Best Liveaboard Dives Sharm El Sheik and Ras Mohammed, Red Sea, Egypt

Sharm El-Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt is one of the most popular dive destinations of the Red Sea and has the best of what the Red Sea has to offer. With lush sandy beaches, tropical climate and exciting nightlife it’s a tourist destination with beautiful dive sites to explore. A couple of dive sites worth noting here are ‘the Light’ and ‘the Point’, where there are 130-foot drop-offs and multitudes of reef and pelagic fish. A 196 feet wall drop off into the depths just off shore, just south of Na’ama Bay called ‘The Tower’ is another popular site and is frequented by sea horses and ghost-pipe fish. All these plus the 20 dive sites within the Ras Mohammed National Park, including the famous Thistlegorm wreck, rated among the World’s Top 10 Wreck Dives are best visited by liveaboards of all price ranges operating here. (For more read: The Best Red Sea Dive Spots)