Editor Haley Gilbert

Top 7 Diving Destinations in America

1. Oahu, Hawaii 2. U.S. Virgin Islands 3. Puerto Rico 4. Barrier Islands, North Carolina 5. Florida Keys 6. American Somoa 7. Channel Islands, California

Giant stride into these waters on any site, and youll swear youve gone to dive heaven. At the tipof the Sinai peninsula which divides Africa and Asia is Ras Mohammed Marine Park. It is the meeting point of the RedSea and its offshoots, the Aqaba and Suez gulfs. The reef is tantalizingly close to the surface and drops off precipitouslyinto the blue thousands of feet. You dont need a degree in marine biology to realize that this is the perfect recipe for a coral reef on steroids. The walls are covered in colorful soft corals and the reefs in clouds of bright-orange anthias.

Diving Egypt: The Red Sea

The fish found here hit every size on the marine-life scale, from tiny nudibranchs to giant Napoleon wrasse. And just when you think it cannot get any better, in the summer months, great schools of snapper, jacks, unicornfish and barracuda gather here. With beautiful coral, millions of fish, fantastic visibility, sheltered reefs, towers, pinnacles, walls, coral gardens and wrecks, the Red Sea is truly a world class scuba diving destination. A few locations in the Red Sea were recently named on the list of the top 5 places to dive in the world. There really is no comparison to the life youll find on the reefs and wrecks here.

Underwater Hiking: An Adventure in Austria

Austrias storybook mountain scenery could make even the most outdoors-averse person want to get outside and maybe even spin around in a wildflower-dotted meadow. With the abundant high-altitude hiking opportunities in the country, it might come as a surprise that one of Austrias most beautiful hiking spots is actually in thats right, in a lake. Or, at least it is for part of the year. Grner See (Green Lake), located near the town of Tragoess inStyria , is nestled within the spectacular Hochschwab mountains, and its situation creates a unique phenomenon. During the winter, the lake is shallow, at a depth of only about one to two meters (three to six feet). But in the spring and summer, as the snow and ice melt and run down from the surrounding karst peaks, the lake fills with brilliant green water, to a depth of ten meters (30 feet) or more. The walking paths and roads that are used for strolling and driving during the winter and fall become submerged, along with all the benches and nearby plants, providing a weird, wonderful and otherworldly experience for divers. Its a great opportunity for divers of all levels to experience a truly unique phenomeno n, as well as revel in the beauty of the area. While theres not a lot of life beneath the lakes surface, divers might see some trout and small crustaceans.

You can snorkel overhead and see the main decks and topography of the ship plus take a look down the smoke stack that opens up straight down to the bottom of the hull and the engine rooms. This wreck, that will soon enough become an artificial reef, is enhancing the marine environment with new fishery stock and habitats for marine life. The Kittiwake is situated in marine park that is protected under law in Cayman, with no touching or taking of anything, no gloves allowed and no fishing allowed on the wreck/Kittiwake site. It requires an entrance fee to visit from a licensed operator, with the fees going towards the ongoing maintenance and protection of the new artificial wreck/reef plus natural reefs. An exception to taking fish is made for culling lionfish, an invasive species to Cayman waters.

Diving the Kittiwake

Diving in the Turks and Caicos Islands

The alluring turquoise waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands feature a vast, thriving coral reef ecosystem. Whether youre lookingfor breathtaking walls or wrecks, tropical diving in the Turks and Caicos is both accessible and impressive. And dont forget, you can see Humpback Whales January through March. Approximately 64 kilometres/40 miles south of the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos is just a short flight from Miami, Florida, USA. The Turks and Caicos are made up of 40 different islands and cays, but just eight are inhabited. The Columbus Passage, a 35 kilometre-/22 mile-wide channel, separates the Turks Islands from the Caicos Islands. This deep passage is a water highway for migrating fish, rays, turtles and dolphins. With reefs dropping past dive limits, its easy to see why this is a divers paradise.

The coconut palm and the yellowfin tuna, symbols of the Maldives, say a great deal about this nation of more than a thousand islands. Grouped into 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean south-southwest of India, less than 300 of the islands are inhabited. Its the abundance of marine life that really sets the Maldives apart; the atolls offer excellent reef diving, much of it done at a leisurely drift pace. Deep, nutrient rich water flows up along the walls, feeding the sponges and soft corals clinging to the rock sides. In the channels, divers explore swim-throughs, caverns and overhangs festooned with colorful sponges, invertebrates and gorgonians. At well-known cleaning stations, wrasse and shrimp service manta rays, and other large marine species. Long frequented by the jet-setting crowd and those looking for a superior dive experience, more divers are clamoring for a glimpse at some of the planets most pristine reefs and the amazing cast of supporting aquatic characters, big and small. The Maldives are a great place to dive!

The Maldives