When you’re under the waves, the world can seem a very different place. Without wishing to invoke to readily the words of any animated Jamaican crabs, it’s rather pleasant down there of course, but it’s also fascinating as a kind of inverted version of life above the sea. A classic example? The Maldives. Proud of its ‘desert island’ image and a successful holiday location for its ability to sell that notion. Not that you can challenge that image: the Maldives are the 176th most populous place on earth. There are more people in tiny Luxembourg. The capital, Male spills over the edges of a tiny land mass poking above the surface of the sea. Under the waves however, Maldives diving reveals an expansive submerged mountain range teeming with life. Countless species call the Maldivian reefs home, with some alluding scientific description even today.

Scuba Diving holidays are the gateway to another world for many, and the tourism industry recognises the increasing demand for these kinds of excursions. The Maldives are truly among the world’s premier scuba diving destinations. Not only are there a plethora of diving spots and the infrastructure to support them, but the array of choices will suit people of any proficiency (and some hotels allow free diving for qualified scuba divers). Throughout the world’s tropical zones you will find diving spots new and old. The Great Barrier Reef and Grenada still remain a fantastic place to dive, but new and emerging markets are being formed in places like Mozambique and Bali.

You don’t have to go to a desert island to get a great scuba experience. One of the world’s most intriguing diving spots is accessible with Red Sea Diving on the South coast of Egypt (Sinai). You’ll get all the coral life you wish for, as well as a local population of (currently infamous, but not usually dangerous) sharks. Even more intriguing from the perspective of an altered world, the Red Sea is a graveyard of ships. Many ships have run into trouble in the Red Sea, which long had strategic significance before Tourism bought yet more ships to the region. One popular reef for scuba divers is infamous among sailors: The Sha’b Abu Nuhas has claimed 7 ships (maybe even more), first by sinking them and later by incorporating their hulls into its habitat.