Pack Your Flippers for These Underwater Escapes
Space travel is still pretty pricey at $200K a pop, so for most of us, the best way to escape the surly bonds of earth is to head down, not up - on a snorkeling or scuba vacation. Just about anyone who can swim can snorkel, and it’s amazing how much you can see from just under the surface with a mask, snorkel and fins. There are also many resorts where you can learn to dive during your vacation – it’s a great way to find out if the sport is for you.
Where To See What's Under The Sea
Cozumel, Mexico
Just a few kilometres from the Yucatan Peninsula, the waters off Cozumel are home to sting rays, barracudas, nurse sharks, eels, lobsters and crabs.
Cayman Islands
Grand Cayman’s stretch of reefs and wrecks exposes divers to a colourful world of coral, algae, sponges and tunicates. Beginners can stay close to the beach and try shore diving, while more experienced divers can try a spot of night diving.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
A World Heritage Site and the world's largest marine park, the Great Barrier Reef stretches from close to Bundaberg past Cape York in far North Queensland, Australia. It is home to 1,500 types of fish, 400 types of coral and thousands of species of clams and snails.
Belize
It's the Northern Hemisphere's largest barrier reef, second only to the Great Barrier Reef. Belize's reef runs the length of the coastline and is renowned by divers as the "holy grail" of the area.
Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles
The waters surrounding Bonaire are an official marine park. Scuba diving and snorkelling here means dipping into an unspoiled and untouched environment. The waters of the Southern Caribbean are sparkling clear, making underwater photography a breeze. Beginners can start from the shore while experts can dive as deep as the drop-off zone where the star coral grows into huge mountains and the marine life includes the rock beauty, butterfly fish and angelfish.
Galapagos Islands
The volcanic islands west of Ecuador are not for novice divers. You'll need to be an experienced diver to navigate the cold waters and strong currents of the region. Diving here, for the most part, requires you to go deep into the ocean. Darwin and Wolf Islands are considered by many to be the two best dive sites in the world.
Fiji
Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, has plenty of luxury resorts and eco-hideaways that match stunning beach with stunning underwater environments. Its ever-changing current allows the corals to bloom into colour. Beqa Lagoon is one of the most popular dive sites, a favourite with beginners and veterans. Viti Levu offers bone-chilling shark-feeding dives.
Pack Your Flippers for These Underwater Escapes
Where To See What's Under The Sea
Cozumel, Mexico
Cayman Islands
Grand Cayman’s stretch of reefs and wrecks exposes divers to a colourful world of coral, algae, sponges and tunicates. Beginners can stay close to the beach and try shore diving, while more experienced divers can try a spot of night diving.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
A World Heritage Site and the world's largest marine park, the Great Barrier Reef stretches from close to Bundaberg past Cape York in far North Queensland, Australia. It is home to 1,500 types of fish, 400 types of coral and thousands of species of clams and snails.
Belize
It's the Northern Hemisphere's largest barrier reef, second only to the Great Barrier Reef. Belize's reef runs the length of the coastline and is renowned by divers as the "holy grail" of the area.
Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles
The waters surrounding Bonaire are an official marine park. Scuba diving and snorkelling here means dipping into an unspoiled and untouched environment. The waters of the Southern Caribbean are sparkling clear, making underwater photography a breeze. Beginners can start from the shore while experts can dive as deep as the drop-off zone where the star coral grows into huge mountains and the marine life includes the rock beauty, butterfly fish and angelfish.
Galapagos Islands
The volcanic islands west of Ecuador are not for novice divers. You'll need to be an experienced diver to navigate the cold waters and strong currents of the region. Diving here, for the most part, requires you to go deep into the ocean. Darwin and Wolf Islands are considered by many to be the two best dive sites in the world.
Fiji
Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, has plenty of luxury resorts and eco-hideaways that match stunning beach with stunning underwater environments. Its ever-changing current allows the corals to bloom into colour. Beqa Lagoon is one of the most popular dive sites, a favourite with beginners and veterans. Viti Levu offers bone-chilling shark-feeding dives.
Snorkelling And Diving Vacation Tips
What You Need To Know Before You Arrive At The Airport
If you are bound for a diving vacation in Cozumel, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or, more locally, British Columbia, you'll need the lowdown on what to bring and how to bring it.
When you are using a travel agent to book flights, tell them you are a diver and that you may need a bigger luggage allowance. You may be able to get a greater allowance. If that's not forthcoming, find out what the airline charges for excess baggage. It may be cheaper to pay ahead than at the airport.
If you do exceed your baggage allowance, you'll have to pay. Airlines differ in their policies. Air Transat will accept up to 20kg (44lbs) of scuba-diving equipment free of charge (including the tank, air regulator, mask and fins) but Air Canada will count one piece of baggage - whether it be an empty scuba tank, an air supply regulator, pressure gauge, tank harness, face mask, pair of diving fins or snorkel - towards the maximum number of checked bags allowed by the fare type. Delta will accept dive bags containing scuba equipment other than an empty dive tank as checked baggage, but if you are taking an empty dive tank, it'll cost about $150 each way.
Make sure your travel insurance will cover you. There are a couple of things to think about here. There's your scuba gear - how much will you be covered for if it's lost or stolen. Then there's the activity itself.
Some items can go in your carry-on luggage. Obviously, your dive knife will not be one of them. That'll go in checked luggage, along with your wetsuit, booties, fins, snorkel and buoyancy compensator. Your scuba dive computer can go into your carry-on luggage. It'll need to be packed in a box that will prevent accidental activation.
Pack a medical kit. Decongestants and ear drops, sunscreen and seasickness pills should be included in this.
And when you're finished diving, build in a day to relax. It's dangerous to fly immediately after scuba diving. You'll need 12 to 24 hours to avoid decompression illness.
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