Published: 11.05.2018 Category: Author's essay

The Russian coast is washed by 12 seas, which belong to three oceans. The Caspian Sea is closed and has no outlet to the ocean. Russian seas, cold, harsh, but very interesting, are known to most divers much less than the seas South-East Asia And Caribbean. It's a shame? Not patriotic? Diving in Russia is more difficult, more extreme, more emotional, and is a real adventure.

Behind last years In the best places for diving in Russia, diving centers have been created with the necessary infrastructure: equipment and equipment for diving (compressor, cylinders, compensators, lung bags, wetsuits and everything necessary for diving), watercraft: from boats to safari ships, certified instructors work in the centers . They can train beginners and guide certified divers. You can only come to such a center with an international certificate, and everything you need will be given at the center.

Thanks to the emergence of the appropriate infrastructure, diving in Russia has become comfortable and accessible.

The Black Sea is the closest, most familiar and accessible for residents of the European part of Russia. This sea is huge deep depression, which is connected by the narrow Bosporus and Dardanelles straits with Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea is unique. Due to its great depth ( maximum depth 2245 meters, and the average is 1197 meters), and the narrow straits connecting the sea with the Mediterranean, only the surface layers of water contain oxygen. Below 200 meters there is no oxygen, and therefore no life at all. The surface and deep layers of water do not mix. The salinity of the Black Sea is also low. Animal and vegetable world the sea is quite poor. All underwater inhabitants can be seen down to 20-25 meters, at a depth accessible to divers.

But if there is no desire or opportunity to go abroad, you want to improve your qualifications or get a certificate, then the Black Sea is an ideal option for these purposes.

Diving in the Caucasus

In almost every resort town or the village has a diving center. You can go diving anywhere from Adler to Anapa. But the best place for diving in the Caucasus is in the Vityazevo area. Vityazevo is a village located 11 kilometers from Anapa towards the estuaries. There is a large selection of places to stay in the private sector https://edem-v-gosti.ru/rus/vityazevo/

The beaches of Vityazevo are washed by the waters of the Black Sea and the Vityazevo Estuary. On one of wild beaches There is a diving club "Chernomor", which has existed since 1995.

The water area around Chernomor is very interesting for diving. A jar of the Mary Magdalene, many anchors and fragments of sunken ships, the tanker Vasily Kuibyshev, blown up by a German torpedo in 1942, an IL-2 attack aircraft, presumably shot down in 1943. On sunken ships you can always find a lot of fish that use them as shelter. In addition to fish, here you can see crabs, rapans, jellyfish, ctenophores and a lot of algae that cover the walls of sunken ships. Fortunately, in the Black Sea there are no underwater inhabitants dangerous to humans. Diving in Vityazevo is very diverse and well organized.

As in the Caucasus, in almost all cities and towns Crimean coast There are diving centers. Many of them are located in quite interesting places with pure water, varied terrain and a fairly rich underwater world. Such places include Sudak, New World, Gurzuf. But the best place for diving in Crimea is on the Tarkhankut Peninsula, which is located in the region steppe Crimea, northwest of Evpatoria.

Tarkhankut is a completely unusual place both on land and under water. Today, most of the coast of the peninsula is part of the Tarkhankutsky Nature Reserve. The coast of the peninsula breaks into the sea, forming bizarre rock formations, arches, bays and caves. In numerous caves, until the 40s of the last century, the extinct species of monk seals bred their cubs. Most caves can only be entered from under water; it is quite difficult to squeeze into the narrow hole with cylinders.

In addition to caves, there are many interesting things under water. At different depths lie many ships that have sunk over the past 3 centuries.

Enthusiastic divers created the “Alley of Leaders” underwater. They dragged the busts of the leaders underwater and built an alley out of them. The impression is indescribable! The second underwater alley is the alley of anchors.

The underwater sites of Tarkhankut are diverse, picturesque, and have very romantic names: “Cup of Love”, “Neptune’s Arch”, “Chucha Tunnel”, “Neptune’s Grotto”, “Crocodile”, “Monastery”.

It is very difficult to visit all the interesting places in a short period of time on your own. In the village of Olenevka, closest to Tarkhankut, there is a diving center “Team EX”, which knows the underwater world of the peninsula very well and has everything you need, including watercraft.

Tarkhankut is not only the best diving spot in Crimea, but is also a very noteworthy diving spot in Russia.

In the north of the European part of Russia there is a very interesting sea for diving - the Barents Sea. This cold, deep and harsh sea is located above the Arctic Circle. During the summer months it is light here 24 hours a day, but in June the sun does not set at all.

The sea waters are saturated with oxygen due to the warm Gulf Stream current passing through here. Therefore, the underwater world here is very diverse. The sea coast is indented by deep fjord bays. Several years ago, on the site of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, on the deserted coast, a sports and tourist complex was built, which includes the Zelentsy diving center.

The center is surprisingly well located. The village is protected from the often stormy sea even in summer by islands, and the surrounding bays - Yarnyshnaya, Zelenetskaya and others - are located so that even in a storm there is always a quiet place for diving.

Diving in the Barents Sea is not for beginners. Sea water all year round only 4 degrees. You can dive only in a dry suit and insulation, gloves, and preferably a full-face mask. Diving in such a “outfit” requires certain skills and experience. In their absence, you will not be able to see, appreciate, and enjoy the unusually rich underwater world. And there is something to see underwater. Magnificent walls going hundreds of meters deep, stars of rare beauty, crabs, hedgehogs, scallops - all this is amazing clear water can be seen on dives.

Diving in Dalniye Zelentsy is almost always deep-sea. Up to 10-15 meters in the littoral zone, which is partially exposed at low tides, algae grow in a continuous strip - seaweed, fucus and red algae. Deeper on the walls, Echinus hedgehogs glow with blue balls. Even at a depth of 40 meters, this color is preserved, and in the gray twilight of the depths, urchins look like strange lamps.

Not only the underwater landscapes, but also the magnificent nature of the Murmansk tundra will delight divers in Dalniye Zelentsy. Bird colonies, powerful ebbs and flows, sunny days and nights, amazing tundra vegetation and berries, fishing - these are just a small part of what can be seen in the vicinity of the complex.

The Barents Sea is one of the best places for diving in Russia.

In terms of difficulty, diving on Lake Baikal can be compared to diving on the Barents Sea. It's cold, deep and incredibly beautiful both on land and under water. After perestroika, the underwater world of Lake Baikal became accessible thanks to numerous diving centers that appeared in Irkutsk and on the shores of Lake Baikal. Scuba diving combined with trips through incredible beauty Baikal ice one of the most unforgettable experiences.

The underwater world of the world's largest freshwater lake is not as rich as the underwater world of the seas. But the unique transparency of the water, steep walls going to depths unattainable for diving, relict Baikal sponges on the walls - all this makes diving on Lake Baikal very attractive.

Baikal waters have an inexplicable magic. Even experienced divers, for whom a depth of 30-40 meters (the maximum permitted depth for compressed air diving) is not uncommon, note that the walls going into the abyss drag them down into the depths. Today, reaching great depths has become possible thanks to technical diving, which is now available to amateurs. Diving with mixtures and rebreathers made depths of 70, 100 and even 200 meters accessible.

For traditional divers, the most interesting dive sites are located along the shore of the Baikal railway, and off the coast of Olkhon. Here, underwater, you can see canyons of a completely straight shape, up to 70 meters deep and 2 to 20 meters wide. Interesting places for diving and off the coast of the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, at Capes Elokhin and Kedrovy, opposite the Ledyanaya River.

The most comfortable way to see the underwater world of Lake Baikal is on a diving safari (as diving tours are usually called). Divers live on a ship that follows a route that takes in the most interesting sites.

The magnificent nature of Baikal, the unique underwater world, excellent infrastructure for diving and technical diving, make the lake one of the best diving spots in Russia.

Kamchatka remains an unfamiliar and difficult-to-reach land for most Russians. Meanwhile, the Kamchatka peninsula is one of the most beautiful and unusual places Russia. Diving in Kamchatka began to develop much later than in the European part of Russia. But today, divers from all over the country and the Kamchadals themselves are actively exploring the underwater world of Kamchatka.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is washed by the Bering and Seas of Okhotsk, and the Pacific Ocean. These turbulent, cold waters are unsuitable for diving most of the year. Therefore, Avachinskaya Bay is the most popular for diving, on the shores of which Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located. A large, beautiful bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by a strait only 3 kilometers wide. The bay is well protected from ocean storms, accessible from the sea and warms up better than the ocean. On the shores of the bay there are many coves suitable for diving: Tikhaya, Bezymyannaya, Stanitsky, Bolshaya and Malaya Lagernye.

The bay is shallow, 25-28 meters. During the warmest summer months, the water on the surface does not exceed 15 degrees, but at depth, of course, it is cold, and you can only dive in dry wetsuits.

The underwater world of the bay is very interesting. Here you can see ascidians and sea anemones, hairy crabs, octopuses, several species of starfish, shrimp, sponges, mussels, sea cucumbers, urchins, numerous fish, as well as algae thickets.

Fans of sunken ships will be delighted by the abundance of them in the bay. The ships lie at shallow depths and are safe to visit.

Closer to the exit of the bay you can see charming seals, which are very curious, but do not allow people to approach them.

Today in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky there is a club “Calypso”, which welcomes those who want to see Kamchatka and its amazing underwater world. The club organizes diving tours that allow you to see many interesting dive sites in a few days.

To the south of Vladivostok are some of the best diving spots in Russia. The subtropical zone is located here, so the underwater world of Peter the Great Bay, itself big bay The Sea of ​​Japan is unusually rich.

It's really warm here in the summer. In July-August there is subtropical heat, the water warms up to 22-23 degrees. For divers this real paradise, you can dive in wet suits, or without them at all.

It is impossible to describe the diversity of the underwater world of the Sea of ​​Japan in an article. The key to the animals and plants of Peter the Great Bay occupies a voluminous volume. This part of the Sea of ​​Japan is the richest place in terms of flora and fauna of all Russian seas. In the warm subtropical waters of the sea there are species of plants and animals that cannot be found in other Russian seas. Sea cucumbers, giant mussels, oysters, scallops, dozens of species of stars, soft corals, several species of urchins and dozens more species sea ​​creatures.

The underwater landscapes of the bay are also diverse. Walls and free-standing rocks, heaps of boulders, sandy glades - in every new place there is a new underwater landscape, and life is in full swing everywhere.

Diving in the Sea of ​​Japan is well organized. There are several diving centers in Vladivostok that organize diving according to world standards. The centers have dive boats that carry out daily dives. Underwater sites are described in detail. Divers can choose their favorite spots themselves.

Diving in Peter the Great Bay is a real treat. Magnificent nature Southern Primorye, the extraordinary variety of underwater sites, the gentle climate of the subtropics - everything here pleases you.

Diving in the Ruskeala Marble Quarry

Not far from the city of Sortavala and the Finnish border is located Marble Quarry Ruskeala. The Swedes began mining marble here in the 17th century. But a century later, pompous projects in St. Petersburg required a lot of marble. Large-scale development began in the quarry for the extraction of marble for the cathedrals and palaces of the northern capital. The architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral himself, O. Montferrand, personally selected marble for the columns of the cathedral from the quarry. The facade of Mikhailovsky is lined with quarry marble, and the windows of the Winter Palace are decorated. It was used in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral, the palaces of Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo.

What does diving have to do with it? The huge volume of mining led to the formation of a huge deep open pit during development. After an explosion in 1960, the quarry was flooded. As a result, a large reservoir was formed, surrounded by steep marble walls. The depth of the reservoir reaches 200 meters. Underwater were passages between quarries and sunken equipment. Amazing transparency (10-15 meters) of water, interesting underwater terrain and good transport accessibility Quite quickly led to the fact that diving at the quarry became popular among divers in nearby cities and St. Petersburg.

The quarry today is a tourist site. You can take a boat ride on the lake, zipline over the quarry, and the pier is rented out to divers.

With the advent of technical diving, Ruskeala has become a unique place for training and training technical divers. You can come here at any time of the year. Winter ice diving is especially exotic. You must bring your own diving equipment.

The underwater halls of the quarry are a stunning, incomparable spectacle. Huge marble pillars of old workings, passages, caves - everything here is of extraordinary size and shape.

Every year around the quarry, which has now become a popular tourist attraction, the number of hotels where you can stay for a few days increases. Therefore, there is a place to relax after difficult diving.

Caspian, White and other seas of Russia

Diving in seas other than those listed is of no interest or difficult to implement.

The Caspian Sea is accessible for diving only on the coasts of Dagestan and Azerbaijan. The eastern coast is a desert zone, the northern coast is the Volga delta, which is of interest to underwater hunters. Underwater hunting with scuba gear is prohibited and is considered poaching.

The western coast of the Caspian Sea is completely deserted under water. In addition, the Caspian Sea is very difficult. Even in summer, every day at 9-10 o’clock the wind rises, and a storm of 4-5 points begins at sea. Of the 30 days of the summer month, 4-5 days can be calm. It’s somehow strange to come to the sea before 9 am, and at 11-12 no longer be able to even swim.

The White Sea is the only sea entirely located on Russian territory. Compared to the Barents Sea, it is less interesting for diving. Despite the fact that the Pomors lived on the seashores from the 12th to 14th centuries, there is practically no infrastructure on the coast. From several bays White Sea, the most interesting for diving is the Kandalaksha Bay, especially the islands of the bay.

Large clubs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities travel to the White Sea during the summer months. At the same time, you need to take everything you need with you: from tents, a compressor, watercraft with motors, cylinders, suits and many little things for life and diving.

The water in the White Sea, even in hot summers, rarely warms up above 18 degrees. It's even colder at depth. Diving here is only possible in dry suits.

Underwater you can see interesting underwater reliefs - stones, rocks, various underwater inhabitants - stars, hedgehogs, sea anemones, hermit crabs. If you're lucky, you can see the indigenous inhabitants of the White Sea, beluga whales.

The nature of the White Sea region is magnificent. Forest-tundra with berry fields and an abundance of mushrooms, forest lakes and sea fishing for White Sea cod and haddock - all this makes the holiday very interesting. Having the opportunity to go to a diving base on the Barents Sea, the question of whether it is worth heroically fighting the difficulties in the White Sea remains open. Who likes what.

The Baltic Sea is fresh, poor in terms of underwater flora and fauna, and is of interest only to lovers of sunken ships. But even well-known clubs in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg more often organize trips to other seas, while ignoring the nearest sea.

The seas belonging to the Arctic Ocean basin (Kara, Laptev Sea, East Siberian and Chukotka) are generally unsuitable for diving. It is almost impossible to get there; even in summer the seas are often not free of ice; the seashores are practically uninhabited. The most important thing is the complete absence of life - pack ice practically turns coastal waters into a desert.

Diving in Russia is interesting and varied. Every year the number of diving centers in the most attractive places for diving increases. More and more Russians have the opportunity to join this exciting, emotional activity.

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The following ten dive sites are among the most that every diver should include in their dive list - regardless of the choice of a specific destination. These are unique places that are definitely worth visiting in your lifetime for anyone who is seriously passionate and wants to know all its facets.

Tiputa Pass, French Polynesia

Tiputa Pass has a reputation for being one of the best drift diving spots in the world, and you'll be able to appreciate that claim when you visit it. First, you should visit the Shark Cavern, where you are likely to be lucky enough to meet gray reef sharks. Try to go with the flow, and along the way you will meet many other underwater inhabitants of these places, including stingrays, manta rays, dolphins, tuna and hammerhead fish.

Dives should be carried out in a counter current so that you do not get carried away in the opposite direction. But in some cases (for example, when visiting caves) it is worth starting from your own experience.

The best time for diving in Tiputa Pass is June-July. It is during this period that the chances of meeting gray sharks are greatest. The water temperature here is about 25-26°C, so a thin 3 mm thick one is sufficient for diving.


Silfra Gorge, Iceland

The Silfra fault on the border of parts of the world is another one of the most attractive for divers around the world unique place for diving, because where else if not here can you swim between two continents. Geographically, the dive is carried out in, but the voyage itself takes place along the fault between the continental plates of North America and Eurasia, so divers here have the opportunity to come into contact with two continents at the same time.

Diving in Silfra Gorge offers some of the most amazing scuba diving experiences ever, with visibility over 100m underwater due to crystal clear glacial water that has been naturally filtered over hundreds of years by passing through porous underground lava. There are almost no fish here, but the beautiful rocky landscapes of Silfra are so impressive that it is worth diving here, even despite the low water temperature.

Diving in the Silfra Rift is available all year round, but in the summer there may be the greatest number of people wanting to dive into the waters of a unique place between two continents. The water temperature usually does not exceed 2-4°C, so diving requires a good wetsuit.


Taveuni, Fiji

Diving in Fiji in general is very popular, but the best known and most unique dive site that attracts divers from all over the world is the Great White Wall, located in the Somosomo Strait.

What makes this place unique is the abundance of fragile snow-white corals, which create the illusion of a snow-covered ski slope underwater. Dives begin at a depth of 25 m, but it is worth keeping in mind the presence of strong underwater currents, so diving here is suitable for the most experienced divers.

The best period to go to these places in order to engage in such exciting diving among the coral forests of Taveuni is from November to April. The tropical waters of Fiji pleasantly delight with temperatures of +24+30°C, so a 3 mm wetsuit is the best solution for diving in Taveuni.


Guadalupe Island, Mexico

This is one of the best places in the world for an unforgettable experience. Near Guadalupe Island you can meet great white sharks, reaching a length of up to 5-6 m. Diving in crystal clear waters with many of these huge predators will undoubtedly add adrenaline to your blood and make your pulse race.

Guadalupe Island can be reached from the harbors of San Diego and San Francisco. If you would like to find out at own experience, what is diving with sharks, then this is the place for you. The best period for diving with white sharks is from September to December, but the most tourists come here in October-November.

The average water temperature during the season is at least +18+21°C. So a 6-7mm semi-dry wetsuit would be a good option. But the most comfortable will be a dry wetsuit.


In the harbor of St. Georges in Grenada there is one of the most interesting objects for connoisseurs - the sunken luxury liner Bianca C, known to many as the Titanic Caribbean Sea" This is one of the most worthy of attention shipwreck sites.

In October 1961, the liner, anchored off the coast of Grenada, caught fire as a result of an explosion in the engine room. All attempts to tow the cruise ship into shallow waters were unsuccessful, and the liner sank just a few hundred meters from the coast. Therefore, Bianca C is one of the most accessible wreck sites in the world for divers and an interesting wreck that is simply impressive in its scale.

Many of the decks have collapsed under the pressure of time, but the Bianca C still remains a wreck worth visiting. A promenade deck with a bridge and a swimming pool is available for underwater exploration. It was these places that turned into a real underwater colony for schools of barracudas.

Next to this wreck site, in the Gulf of Molinere, there is another no less attractive place for divers - an underwater park of 65 sculptures, covering an area of ​​800 sq.m. When you snorkel in these places, you can't help but feel like you're in a surreal world. Hundreds of corals and various marine flora entwine these statues, turning this underwater park into a unique marine kingdom.

The best time for diving in Grenada is the dry season, which lasts from January to May. The water temperature here is rarely less than +26+28°C, so a wetsuit 3 mm thick is quite enough for diving.


Stingray City, Cayman Islands

The Caribbean is a unique place for scuba diving. The diving depth here is only 4 m, but this place is interesting due to the many stingrays with which you can easily swim nearby. More than 30 species of different stingrays are found here, which are already so accustomed to tourists that they scurry around divers like friendly puppies.

Grab a handful of squid, and you won’t even have time to notice how the first stingray will already rush towards you, sniff the hand with the prey, and will calmly feed from your hands. Diving with stingrays will not be boring when several stingrays compete for prey.

Any time of year can be suitable for diving and swimming with stingrays near the Cayman Islands. The water temperature is constant throughout the year and is about +26+28°C, so a 3 mm wetsuit will be enough.


Los Islotes, Mexico

The Mexican island of Los Islotes consists of two rocky islets, one of which is shaped like a natural arch. The coastal waters and coast of these islands have become a haven for a colony of California sea lions, of which there are more than two hundred individuals. These representatives of marine fauna can reach a length of up to three meters and weigh more than 300 kg.

They are particularly playful, so they love to keep divers company while swimming nearby. And while large adults try to stay away from people, inquisitive little ones accompany divers everywhere. One sea lion calf even gained particular notoriety because it learned to jump into divers' boats and beg them for food.

The most suitable period for diving here is from August to November, when the water is especially warm and clear. A 3mm wetsuit will provide sufficient protection when diving in these areas.

Truk Lagoon, Micronesia

On the list of wreck diving connoisseurs, located in the waters Pacific Ocean Truk Lagoon takes almost the first place, because such a large number of sunken equipment (both ships and aircraft) cannot be found anywhere else. Numerous Japanese ships, destroyed by American aircraft, rest on the ocean floor in this region.

Among the most interesting underwater objects of the Truk Lagoon, it is worth noting the 132-meter ship Fujikawa Maru. The vessel is in a vertical position at a depth of 34 meters from the surface. It is surrounded by a network of soft corals and is home to many reef fish. Here you can find shells, machine guns, wings and fuselages of aircraft.

Combined with stunning visibility, warm water and plenty of unique marine life, this dive site is a dream for any diver, not just wreck diving enthusiasts. The most favorable conditions for diving here are from June to September. The water temperature is constant and is about +27°C, so both a short and a long wetsuit with a thickness of 3 mm are suitable for diving.

The 95-meter "Rhone" was one of the main ships of the Royal Mail Steam Packet company, which could often be found in the open spaces. This ship constantly sailed from Great Britain to the Caribbean and back. In 1867, the Rhone was stationary, but the weather began to deteriorate sharply.

Instead of avoiding the storm, the captain decided to go out to sea, where the ship was caught in a real hurricane - the strongest that has ever been on the British Virgin Islands. "Rona" sank near Salt Island. The ship broke into two parts and went under water along with 125 passengers and crew.

The “Rhône” has lain underwater for almost 150 years, so all its wreckage has long been overgrown with sponges and corals, turning into artificial coral reefs, which have become an abode for many representatives of marine fauna. All this makes diving to the shipwreck of this ship one of the most exciting underwater adventures. "Rhône" is also one of the venues. In 1977, this location was chosen for the filming of the film “The Abyss.”

This dive site is accessible all year round, but in August-September the waters warm up best. The standard water temperature is in the range of +26+29°C, so you can safely choose a short or long (at your discretion) wetsuit for diving.

Manta Point, Maldives

Manta rays are one of the largest species of underwater rays, encountering them for the first time during diving makes an indelible impression. The weight of these sea giants can reach up to 1.3 tons with a wingspan of up to 7 meters. Manta rays feed mainly on small crustaceans and plankton, using their head fins to capture them.

Manta Point (or Lankanfinolhu) is one of the places where these giant rays are most often found. Dive depths near this reef vary from 12 to 50 m. The best time to go diving with mantas near North Male Atoll is from February to March inclusive. The water temperature here is approximately +28°C.

Diving is more than just scuba diving. Diving is a breathtaking process that is inextricably linked with contemplation. Therefore, in order for your diving to be enjoyable, the diving site should at least have these beauties.

It is for this reason that diving is not carried out in random, incomprehensible bodies of water with muddy waters and dubious underwater fauna.

Connoisseurs of delights depths of the sea try to choose the most Beautiful places for diving, where you can see a lot of beautiful and amazing things.

In this article we will try to tell you about the best diving spots, which are most often visited by scuba divers looking for aesthetic benefits from diving.

Thailand

Currently, Thailand is in great demand not only among ordinary tourists, but also among those who go to the resort for diving.

Where to dive?

People who travel abroad specifically for diving most often visit the Similan Islands in Thailand.

This destination differs from many others not only in geographical, but also in material accessibility.

The best place to dive is in a marine reserve protected by UNESCO. To get to it, it will take only two hours by boat from Phuket Island.

Fauna

Scuba divers in the area of ​​the Similan Islands can spend time surrounded by barracudas, coral sharks and spotted groupers, striking in their size.

If you go on one of the underwater cave tours, you can admire the anemone fish made popular by the cartoon Finding Nemo.

Education

You can not only go to Thailand if you already have diving experience behind you. You can get training here. But be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay about six or even seven thousand rubles for such a service.

Mexico

Mexico tends to love resorts with underwater caves.

Yucatan Island

There are plenty of underwater caves here. They intersect, forming whole tangles and labyrinths. Moreover, to travel through caves, scuba divers dive in places that look like small ponds dotted with water lilies and other aquatic vegetation.

And under the water a real kingdom with mysterious passages and rivers awaits a person.

It is not surprising that the Mayan Indians who lived in those places considered underwater caves to be passages for the gods of the underworld. The underwater nature looks very mystical.

Education

It is believed that special “cave” training is not required to visit the Yucatan caves. Experienced instructors work there and their supervision ensures sufficient diving safety.

However, everyone can take part in “cave” diving and go exploring caves without strangers.

Ecuador

Ecuador is another magnet for those who love scuba diving.

If you are going to Ecuador for diving, then you should definitely visit Galapagos Islands. However, it should be noted that this resort assumes that the scuba diver has sufficient experience. It's not that easy to dive here. Strong waves and currents take their toll.

Perhaps this is why local diving centers that provide training to tourists charge significant fees for their services. So, those who want to learn diving on the spot can pay from thirty to sixty thousand rubles.

Darwin

The island called Darwin comes to experienced scuba divers in their sweetest dreams. He is big volcano. True, he fell asleep a long time ago and, theoretically, poses no danger.

Fauna

Off the coast of Darwin you can find beautiful and leisurely sea turtles, whitetip sharks and hammerhead sharks, as well as dangerous stingrays.

At the Arch rock, a scuba diver can find himself among huge whale sharks.

But these places attract tourists most at night. Since they contain many luminous crustaceans, in the dark the waters turn into an amazing environment full of small moving bluish stars. Such beauty simply defies description.

Egypt

Many Russian scuba divers are upset by the ban on visiting Egypt. After all, this is where the Blue Hole is located, which is considered one of the most extraordinary reefs located in the Red Sea.

The Blue Hole is a large funnel. Its diameter reaches fifty meters. The walls of the funnel go down vertically. Due to the fact that the sun's rays are continuously reflected from the walls of the hole, the diver is not fully aware of where he is going. Because of this, the impression of mystery and unreality of what is happening is created.

The resort of Dahab is located 15 kilometers from the Blue Hole. Therefore, getting there is not difficult.

Education

Inexperienced divers would probably be pleased with the low cost of diving training in Dahab. Training centers, as a rule, charge only 2.5 to 4.5 thousand rubles for a course.

Australia

It is not so easy for Russians to get to Australia. However, those who nevertheless made an effort, visited this country and were able to go diving, as a rule, do not regret it. It’s not surprising, because this is where the Bolshoi is located. barrier reef- a fabulous dream of divers and surfers around the world.

What is amazing about this place? The fact is that here (and only here) you can examine 340 species of corals while diving. Is this too much? A lot, considering that there are 350 species of corals.

It is worth noting that the local reliefs are protected. Tourists are prohibited from breaking off pieces of coral and taking them with them. Coral broken by flippers can be punished. This strictness has allowed the authorities to preserve the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef for many years.

Fauna

But corals are not the only attraction of the Great Barrier Reef. It is also home to red snapper. This fish is considered a long-liver, because its life cycle averages fifty years.

Also here you can observe very rare specimens of underwater fauna: clown fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish, urchin fish, cardinal fish, as well as blenny and wrasse.

But every diver must remember that the touch of one bright fish can be life-threatening. Many of the local inhabitants are as beautiful as they are poisonous.

Malaysia

In Malaysia you can find a small counterpart to the Great Barrier Reef located in Australia. This backup is located on the island of Sipadan.

Sipadan

Sipadan Island was one of the favorite places famous traveler and researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

There are entire coral forests here, which, although inferior to the Australian reef in terms of diversity of species, are in no way inferior to it in beauty.

In fact, Sipadan is the top of a volcano, which, as if flirting with a person, looks out of the water.

Having decided to reach the foot of the volcano, a scuba diver can dive to a depth of six hundred meters.

Fauna

Since Sipadan has warm currents, barracudas often swim here. They travel in flocks. You can also see sea turtles here, which not only swim off the coast, but lay eggs there.

Education

There are no training centers located on Sipadan. This is because it is prohibited to build any structures here. The territory of the island is considered a protected area.

But you can get training on the nearby islands: Mabule and Kapalai.

UAE

Those who want to undergo high-quality diving training in an ideally suitable territory are usually offered to visit the United Arab Emirates.

Fujairah

Fujairah is one of the Arab Emirates. It is located on east coast states. There is not only amazing fauna and calm currents here. At the bottom you can see many sunken ships, which, like everything frozen in time, amazes the human imagination.

Autoriffs

The administration of Fujairah has created a unique reef, which has become a refuge for many colorful tropical fish. To create this space, the regional authorities had to flood several old cars.

Now not only cute fish live here. The underwater parking lot has also become home to octopuses, lobsters and crabs.

The once luxurious “iron horses” of the Cadillac and Ford brands are now covered with tubercles of shells and look more like King Triton’s motorcade.

Education

There are many training centers located here that offer services for a reasonable fee. For the course, a tourist will have to pay about seven thousand rubles.

Israel

Most often, divers visit the resort of Eilat in Israel.

Eilat

The local coral forests are very diverse and beautiful. But due to the accessibility of this resort, a huge number of scuba divers regularly visit it. Therefore, you most likely will not be able to swim underwater calmly, in the company of only familiar people.

Education

There are many training centers here that can immerse you in amazing world diving for only 4-5 thousand rubles.

Republic of Maldives

Islands

It practically does not matter from which island you begin your amazing acquaintance with the underwater world of this state. On almost every island you can find coral forests and parts of sunken ships, some of which went under water several centuries ago.

Education

If you have found the funds to come to the Maldives and explore the underwater world here, it is not a fact that you will have enough money to take diving training here.

Many centers raise tuition prices to astonishing heights. From time to time you will be offered to take a full diver course for 90 thousand rubles (and this is not the “ceiling” of local price lists).

Therefore, before packing your suitcase to visit the Maldives, it is better to undergo at least basic training in your city (if possible).

We told you about the most famous and colorful places suitable for diving.

If you have knowledge about less popular ones, but no less amazing places for divers, please share this information in the comments.

Which countries should you go to for inspiration? We talk about the best diving spots around the world. From Australia to the Barents Sea.

Why scuba diving

The thrill of diving is incomparable - you can look at something that no one has seen before, communicate with the inhabitants of the depths of the sea. You can feel like an astronaut - with modern equipment you acquire neutral buoyancy at almost any depth. This is a unique state of weightlessness that gives a feeling of freedom and flight.

Travelers have access to so-called recreational diving, when the loads are calculated so that they are much less than a person can withstand. Paired belay, good organization and reliable equipment reduce the risk of diving to zero.

Where to go diving

Great Barrier Reef

The vast expanse of ocean filled with coral reefs is comparable in area to England. The diversity of marine life is such that their number is similar to the fauna of the continents. The Great Barrier Reef has 3,000 reefs, 70 coral islands(there are more than 350 varieties of corals alone). The variety of fish and shellfish amounts to several thousand. The Great Barrier Reef has a developed diving infrastructure. You can come to these places all year round, but the best time is: , .


Catalina Island

This island is located near California. It is not only a base for diving of varying degrees of difficulty, but also an excellent vacation spot for those who prefer land. The most famous of the local beauties is the Avalon Underwater Park, where novice athletes gain experience. It is preferable to visit this place in summer.


Maldives

« Best places for diving in the world" - many people associate this phrase with a paradise. Indeed, snow-white beaches, blue transparent lagoons and palm trees are at the service of vacationers. But the main feature of the Maldives is the fantastic underwater world with colorful tropical fish, sea turtles, moray eels and stingrays. The best season in the Maldives is from end to.

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Malta

Diving attracts travelers to Malta. It is characterized by an indescribably beautiful underwater landscape - grottoes and canyons, caves, sunken ships of all times - all this untouched beauty will attract the attention of lovers of travel and adventure. In Malta you can relax from early spring to late autumn.


Southern coast of the Red Sea

The resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Dahab have been occupied by numerous tourists for a long time, fortunately you can come here all year round. Wonderful places, but one minus – it’s very crowded!


Yucatan

Only here, on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, you can fully experience the exoticism of diving underground and underwater at the same time. The world's largest concentration of underwater caves attracts expeditions, as divers continue to discover more and more caves. The water here is unusually clear and all the cave spaces with giant underwater stalactites and stalagmites are in full view. The Indians consider these places sacred. You can visit Yucatan all year round.

Diving is a very entertaining activity active rest. It hooks you after the first dive, creating a desire to return to the depths of the seas and oceans again and again. Where can you go diving? It depends on what the diver expects from the dive, as the various locations feature shipwrecks, stunning underwater caves and a variety of marine life.

Great Barrier Reef

One of the most favorite places for divers is the Great Barrier Reef on the northeast coast of Australia, the largest coral reef on Earth. He became one of the seven natural wonders The light is not accidental: a huge variety of living organisms live there. You don't have to scuba dive to see some of them: even with a snorkel you can see a lot of beautiful things.

Among the 3,000 reefs formed by 350 species of corals, there are representatives of 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 species of shellfish. This place is often visited by divers of different skill levels, but thanks to huge size reef (its area exceeds the area of ​​Great Britain!) they do not interfere with each other’s enjoyment of diving. The Great Barrier Reef is open to visitors all year round, but best season They consider October-December.

Santa Catalina Island

IN North America St. Catalina Island, thirty-five kilometers from California, is considered an excellent place for diving. In addition to plenty of land-based activities, there are 49 dive sites. Beginners should visit the Avalon Underwater Park: giant brown algae grow there, and tiny Californian horned sharks, bright garibaldi fish, moray eels and fur seals swim among them. And one and a half kilometers west of the island there is a rather difficult place - the Ship Rock rock. In the shallow waters next to her, the schooner “Diosa del Mar” (translated from Spanish as “Goddess of the Sea”) sank - she can also be seen with a simple mask. On Catalina, the diving season lasts from May to October.

Maltese Islands

The most attractive place for lovers of sunken ships will be the Maltese Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, where ships of all eras can be found - from Phoenician galleys to modern submarines. Since many of the local underwater attractions are difficult to access, most of them remain almost untouched, and therefore more interesting. A downed English bomber that has remained here since World War II is very popular among divers. A submarine of the British fleet was sunk in St. Paul's Bay, and a French merchant ship was sunk off the coast of Valletta, on board which dishes and wine were found. It was probably attacked by Mediterranean pirates, whose base Malta served for a long time. The best time to look at the numerous ships, as well as grottoes and canyons, is from June to September.

Maldives

Surely many have heard about the Maldives - small, but very beautiful islands with white sand beaches, palm trees and lagoons. Some of the first visitors to the islands were divers who explored the incredibly beautiful underwater world of the Maldives. You can even meet its representatives in shallow waters, where stingrays love to swim. And at the depths there are countless inhabitants: there are colorful tropical fish, turtles, starfish, impressive Napoleon fish, barracudas and moray eels. There are also sharks here different types, such as whale and tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks and whitetip sharks. Many hotels here have their own reefs, where most of the diving takes place. The best diving season in the Maldives runs from January to April, although the water is warm all year round.

Republic of Palau

The next place is recognized by the diving association CEDAM International as one of the seven underwater wonders of the world. Palau is a republic located on two hundred islands, of which only eight are inhabited, since the natural community here is very fragile and, of course, very beautiful. The numerous lagoons of the Palau Islands are home to 700 species of tropical fish, including leopard sharks, octopuses, turtles and crabs. Palau also has very rare marine animals that are not found anywhere else. The main attraction for divers is the so-called “Blue Hole”, a complex system of underwater caves, many entrances into which allow light to pass through so that from different angles of view and in different time days the water acquires all shades of blue. The visiting season for Palau is considered to be from January to May.

Sipidan Island

Sipidan Island is formed by the top of an extinct underwater volcano, protruding almost a kilometer out of the sea. Despite the fact that it is very small, the underwater life boiling around it can be the envy of many large archipelagos. In one part of the island, huge flocks of caranax gather, and on Barracuda Point, barracudas form schools of thousands of individuals and create amazing patterns. Sipidan is also home to one of the largest populations of sea turtles. Local reef sharks are not afraid of people and allow you to swim up to them on close quarters. These sharks are small, so divers enjoy the opportunity to photograph them up close. You can dive here all year round, but from May to November it rains on Sipidan and visibility is reduced.

Diving in Thailand

Diving in the Red Sea

The Red Sea is very popular among divers, but in the most famous places like the reefs of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh there are always a lot of tourists, and divers had to master South coast seas. There, from El-Kezir to Sudan, an uninhabited desert coast stretches for hundreds of kilometers, but coral gardens lie under the water, and among the caves and canyons there are many animals that have not yet been intimidated by divers. There are also octopuses, squids, and turtles, as well as relatives of sea cows - the amazing dugongs.

Recently, an airport was built in Marsa Alam, which led to the opening of dive centers there. But it is much more interesting to spend time in special diving camps. Enthusiasts have organized entire cities with diving schools, bungalows, tents and restaurants. The only hindrance to enjoying the dives may be the winds that cause currents, but in general the south of the Red Sea is open to visitors all year round. The best time The period from November to March is considered.

Yucatan Peninsula

Diving underwater and underground at the same time is considered especially exotic. Such dives are practiced in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. 60 underwater caves up to 68 km long have already been discovered here, and divers are constantly discovering new ones cave systems. The Indians considered the entrances to these caves to be gateways to afterworld and they threw gold jewelry there as a gift to the gods, and sometimes they sacrificed their fellow tribesmen.

Of course, everything that has archaeological value was raised from the bottom of the caves long ago, but this does not make them any less interesting. Most of these caves are located in the jungle near Cancun. The entrance to the cave resembles a pool or well, which is why the Mayans called it “cenote,” which means “well.” Sometimes getting to the cenotes is not so easy: you have to climb rocks or jump into the water from a height of three meters. But what is under the water, clear as air, is worth such efforts. Hurricanes are likely here in August and September, and most better time for a trip to Yucatan - May-July.

Diving in St. Petersburg

For those who want to learn diving and freediving in St. Petersburg, there are good diving schools that meet all certification requirements. To teach diving to children and adults in St. Petersburg, you can contact Natalya Levochskaya at https://diving-deti.ru/. Well, if you are an adult and you need a diver certificate, I recommend the website of the Baltika Club in St. Petersburg.

Diving in the North Sea

Most extreme view diving is diving into ice water northern seas. Before you go diving North Pole, it is worth testing yourself in the Barents Sea. Getting to the diving base will not be so easy: it is located on the border with Norway on the German Peninsula, and you can only get there with permission border service. At the bottom of the Barents Sea you can see many shell casings and shells, as well as sunken ships. Among the marine animals found here are northern dolphins, beluga sturgeons, whales, seals and salmon. You can dive from May to August.