Above: A hawksbill turtle drifts over a reef in Dominica
Below: Colourful sponges on a St. Lucian reef
» anywhere else. Many of its destinations – the central Philippines; Bali; Indonesia’ s Lembeh
Straits – tend to be oriented towards‘ critter diving’ – looking for enigmatic creatures that live on the seabed. Overall, it’ s all about diving on really diverse coral reefs. The Price: From around £ 1,400 for a week with flights; though to get real value a two-week holiday is best. The Maldives: This chain of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean is very popular with divers, not least because the Maldives is home to large population of giant manta rays. The tourism industry centres around self-contained island resorts that give visitors the archetypal white sand beach holiday with very few distractions other than the sun, the sea and the horizon. The diving is defined by currents that move around the atolls( volcanically formed chains of islets and reefs), and while some of the atoll passes require experience diving in high current, there are plenty of protected sites inside the atolls that are ideal for new Ocean Divers Price range: From around £ 1,500 for a week with flights – try to go all-inclusive, as there will be no independent bars or restaurants to mitigate costs. Australia: Everyone wants to say they’ ve dived on the Great Barrier Reef … and if you’ re backpacking through Australia it’ s a great thing to do. But to want
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