If you think you’ve heard of all the unusual diving there is, think again! Although we’ve covered some pretty unusual dive sites and offbeat dive destinations in the past that include, diving between continents in Iceland, Ice diving in Antarctica and the Arctic White Sea, diving in Blue Holes or the Eagle’s Nest sinkhole in Florida and even diving in a Crater in Utah, this particular dive site just outside of Abilene, Texas takes the cake. Well if you haven’t already figured from the title, we’re talking about diving in a decommissioned (obviously!) Nuclear Missile Silo in Texas.

Dive Valhalla as the missile silo is known, gets its name from Norse mythology and is the largest indoor deep-diving training facility in the World. Decommissioned just after two years of completion in the early 1960’s during the cold war, the silo which used to house a 82-foot- (25-m-) long nuclear-tipped Atlas missile before was left to fill up with groundwater when abandoned. The 1,288 ton (1,159 m tons) concrete and steel cylindrical “pool” is 60-foot (18-m-) wide and drops to a depth of 127 feet (38 m) with nearly 2 million gallons (7.6 million liters) of clear dive-able water in it.

Owned by the Hannifins (of Family Scuba Center in Midland, Texas) who bought the silo on 11 acres of land, curiosity got the better of them and they wanted to dive in the silo to see what was in the water. It wasn’t long before fellow instructors thought it was a cool site to teach students doing their deep-diving certification and other training which prompted the Hannifins to convert the silo from a residential property to a commercial one. Today this flooded former missile silo is a unique site that conducts a number of certifications including deep, night, altitude, rescue, mixed-gas and rebreather specialties.

While there’s not much to see when you dive in this missile silo except some debris that crisscrosses the shaft at around 110ft beyond which you can’t go deeper, diving here is more for the thrill factor and the fact that it’s a bit of an oddity more than anything else. Besides, how many people can say they got to go diving in a Nuclear Missile Silo?

The Silo however makes a great training site which is what it is primarily used for. For one it’s an altitude dive (2,420 feet above sea level) and a deep dive and secondly, it’s a controlled environment making it easy for instructors to keep a close eye on everyone. The visibility is great which is more that can be said about lakes in the area and the silo’s depth is ample enough for conducting technical training. It’s even been used for freediving classes as the conditions are more than favorable.

For more details and to organize a trip to Dive Valhalla contact Family Scuba Center in Midland, Texas, at (866) 217-2822, (432) 686-7333 or at www.familyscuba.com. You can dive here only through reservations with a minimum number of divers in a group needed to secure the reservation if not part of a scheduled class.

With literally thousands  and thousands of dive sites across the World, each with a unique underwater landscape and marine life, not to mention sites yet to be discovered, it’s near impossible to say with absolute certainty that a particular dive site is No.1! Plus, everyone has different ideas about what makes “the best” dive site. However, there some dive sites that always seem to come up in conversations about best dives and have a built reputation among the diving community as the cream of the crop. So while diving experiences anywhere depend on personal perspective as well as a number of other factors like type of dive, weather conditions, visibility, currents and luck as to what you see that day, there are some dive sites definitely worth a visit.

Here’s a look at some of the top rated and most popular dives (in no particular order) to dive before you die -

1.Best Cave/Cavern Dives – Cenotes of the Riviera Maya, Mexico

The freshwater-filled limestone sinkholes known as Cenotes situated in the state of Yucatán, Mexico lead to some of the most beautiful and intricate underwater caves and caverns in the World. The natural beauty of these cenotes and caves, with its crystal clear turquoise waters, sunlight reflecting stalactites and stalagmites are truly enigmatic works of art drawing divers the world over to explore its waters. With over 3000 Cenotes, 1400 of which have been studied and recorded it’s impossible to pick just one as the best. The Riviera Maya has the World’s three longest running underwater Cave Sytems – Ox Bel Ha (146.7Km.), Nohoch Nah Chich (61Km.) and Dos Ojos (57.7 Km.). Cenote Dos Ojos, Cenote Tajmahal and Gran Cenote are some of the notable cenotes here. (For more read: Cenotes: The Underwater Caves of The Riviera Maya, Mexico)

2. Best Wreck Dive – SS Yongala, Ayr, Australia

Rated 6th on our list of the World’s Top 10 Wreck Dives, but possibly the most popular wreck dives of all times and highly rated by thousands of divers the world over is the SS Yongala at the Great Barrier. This enchanting Australian passenger ship lying within the Great Barrier Reef Park lay undercover for over half a century since it sank in a cyclone in 1911. Today home to giant groupers, schools of trevally, cobia, turtles and sweeping rays among plenty of others, the ship is only a 30minute journey from the shore. The incredible array of marine life that accompanies the wreck is unmatched. From eagle rays, tiger sharks, bull sharks, giant grouper, turtles to swarms of giant barracuda and schools of bait fish that covers more than the eye can see, the SS Yongala is a Wreck dive site teaming with more life than many a coral reef! (For more read: World’s Top 10 Wreck Dives)

3. Best Wall Dive – Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia

Palau in Micronesia is diving hot spot and unarguably one of the best dive destinations in the World! The 200 islands of Palau are surrounded by breathtaking fringing coral reefs, crystal caves and WWII wrecks. Of all attractions on offer to diver’s delights though, the drop off’s and wall dives are in a class of their own. Recognized as one of the best wall dives in the world due to its concentration of marine life, the Blue Corner Wall at the northwest end of Ngemelis Island.This dive site features a shallow coral shelf that projects out into the ocean and has vertical walls on both sides. Not for the faint of heart, this is an advanced dive with sometimes very strong and unpredictable currents which brings in schools of fish and large pelagics to the top edges of the walls. The wall drops from 30 to 1000 feet (10 to 330 meters) or more and is covered with large variety of giant Gorgonian sea fans, hard corals and soft corals.The flat coral plateau on the top extended between the two walls and drops gently on the west to about 45 to 60 feet (15 to 20 meters). Covered in colonies of cabbage corals as well as many varieties of hard and soft corals make the wall a fantastic place for some underwater photography. But, it’s the large schools of fish that makes this site as famous as it is. Sharks, Wahoo, Tuna, Hawks Bill and Green turtles, Eagle Rays, Giant Groupers, and Barracuda, to name but a few species. Two resident Napoleon wrasses often accompany the divers throughout their dive. Diving here almost guarantees you great stories to tell friends and and marine encounters you’ll never forget!

4. Best Manta Ray Dive- Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii

The Kona Coast is one of the best places in the world to get up close and personal with manta rays. Often described as an experience of  lifetime when one chances on one of these magnificent creatures, dive operators in Hawaii plate up this experience with night dive twist making it just spectacular. Divers are given underwater flashlights and are directed to point their beams towards the surface.  The bright lights attract hordes of plankton which in turn bring the mantas as well as a ton of other fish to the vicinity. Much to the delight of divers and snorkelers even the manta rays often swoop, turn and even somersault towards the light where the plankton is plentiful displaying the surprising agility of this creature. More than 60 individual Mantas identified by spots on their underside, have been photographed, cataloged and named as regulars on the Manta Ray Night Dives. (For more read: Must Dive Sites: The Manta Ray Night Dive in Kailua Kona, Hawaii)

5. Best Deep Dive – Lighthouse Reef Blue Hole, Belize

More for an adventure dive rather than for the reef or marine life, the Belize Blue Hole is a World famous deep dive site. The almost perfectly circular Blue Hole was created by what was a dry cave system in the Ice Age and is an amazing sight from an areal view as it’s over 1000ft (300 meters) in diameter and 450ft (135 meters) deep. The caves have stalactite formations where the reef is at 110 feet and you can often see hammerhead sharks lurking in the shadows. More a thrill for it’s inky blue depths and upward view of a passage to the sky, the Blue Hole is a hotspot for divers. When it comes to Blue Hole Diving, the Belize Hole is the most well known of the lot. (For more read: Blue Hole Diving and The Most Rewarding Dive Spots In The Caribbean)

Continued in Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -2 includes…

6. Best Drift Dive – Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico
7. Best Ice Dive – Mc Murdo Sound, Antarctica
8. Best Night Dive - Maaya Thila, Maldives
9. Best Kelp Dive – San Clemente, Channel Islands, California
10. Best Coral Reef Life Dives – Sulawesi, Indonesia

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -3 which includes…

11. Best Big Fish Encounter Dive – Sipadan Island, Borneo, Malaysia
12. Best Shark Dive - Gansbaai, South Africa
13. Best Whale Shark Dive – Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Thailand
14. Best Shore Dives – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
15. Best Liveaboard Dives – Sharm El Sheik and Ras Mohammed, Egypt

*Photo Credits: photos by dMap Travel Guide, stuandgravy, Daniel, Daniel Kwok, cwilso, catherinetodd2 on flickr

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If you missed our previous post of…

1. Best Cave/Cavern Dives – Cenotes of the Riviera Maya, Mexico
2. Best Wreck Dive - SS Yongala, Ayr, Australia
3. Best Wall Dive – Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
4. Best Manta Ray Dive- Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
5. Best Deep Dive – Lighthouse Reef- Blue Hole, Belize

…Click Here

6. Best Drift Dive – Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico

Ranked no. 1 by PADI as a top dive destination and featuring on almost every divers must-dive destination list, the island of Cozumel off the Mayan Coast of Mexico is a feast for any divers eyes. Famous for its drift diving, Cozumel is a lazy diver’s paradise with currents that range from gentle 1/2 knots near some dive sites to fast, strong currents only for experienced and adventurous drift divers.The Wall at the Santa Rosa Reef begins at 50 feet and drops straight away into the deep blue. The Santa Rosa Wall is an expansive reef filled with huge coral mounds and covered with giant sea fans, beds of tunicates, immense sponges, huge overhangs of stony corals and impressive caves and tunnels. The massive richly colored sponges line the wall that drops off to infinity. Visibility here is stunning and with the current doing most of the work all you need to do is fall into the water and let the currents carry you away, past a Technicolor reef scene that boasts a rainbow array of sponges and scads of unique fish. Look in cracks and crevices for the whiskered Splendid Toadfish, found nowhere else on Earth. (For more read: Paradise Reefs: Diving in Cozumel, Mexico)

7. Best Ice Dive – McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Antarctica Scuba diving? Antarctica conjures up images of lots and lots of snow, ice, glaciers, penguins and very little to see, but one thing you would never imagine doing here is Scuba diving. Well, think again! In extreme temperatures that often drop below -40°C (-40°F), where no insects, plants nor major life exists here above the ground, people do the unthinkable and plunge into it’s icy waters! McMurdo Sound Antarctica is where divers break through the 1.3-3m (4-10ft) thick ice to enter the freezing cold waters, only to be rewarded by stunning visibility of about 300m (990 ft) and a rich marine life like no other anywhere else in the World. (For more read: Extreme Diving: Ice Diving in Antarctica)

8. Best Night Dive – Maaya Thila, Maldives

The Maldives has no shortage of dive sites and always has a spot in the Top 10 dive destinations in the World. Maaya Thila off the Ari Atoll, is often singled out as the Number 1 site in the Maldives and at is rated one of the best spots in the World to experience at night. This one- of-a kind dive is most notable for its inspiring profusion of life including White Tip Reef Sharks, Turtles, Octopus,Moray Eels, Stone Fish, Cleaner Shrimps and the seldom seen Ghost Pipe Fish. The caves, overhangs and even a swim-throughs make the dive even more exciting with the vibrant colors of the soft coral coverage and the tubastrea coral. If you’re lucky you could even spot a guitar shark,a few hammerheads or spotted eagle rays.

9. Best Kelp Dive – San Clemente, Channel Islands, California

Sometimes called ‘the North American Galapagos’ or ‘the Fiji of America’, the Channel Islands made up of a chain of eight islands is one of the richest marine parks of the world. The southern most island of San Clemente absolute diver’s Mecca with it’s redwood- like Kelp forests teeming with sea lions, with the opportunity for divers to swim with them and observe the playful sea lions up close. Garibaldi in their bright colors contrasting against the kelp and Giant curious Sea Bass are common to these waters offering scuba divers a spectacular sight. Underwater photographers will have no dearth of subjects to snap away at in these clear waters. (For more read: Dive The Channel Islands California)

10. Best Coral Reef Life Dives - Bunaken National Marine Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia

The diving possibilities around Sulawesi island are virtually limitless with 6,000 miles of coastline, however, the Bunaken National Marine Park off the north east tip of Sulawesi alone will keep most ardent divers happy. Often quoted among the world’s top ten dive destinations as the reef is in mint condition and houses almost everything there is in marine life. Pick any of group of interest – corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges – and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high here. The wall dives here are simply out of this world, you can’t help but notice the high concentration of schooling fish from drummers, fusiliers to brightly-colored anthias that you pass along the edge of the reef top and the clouds of pyramid butterflyfish and bannerfish underneath. The variety of reef fish is astounding: you could pick out over 20 species of butterflyfish alone if you so desired. The big fish too are not to be left out and one can encounter sharks , napoleon wrasses, bumphead parrotfish, giant trevally, jacks, batfish, giant barracuda and turtles out in the blue off the wall. Many inspirational underwater photos have been taken here, full of curious looking creatures. Dive here and you’ll be spoilt for the remainder of your diving life.

*Photo credits: photos by ultrahi,  wikipedia.org , findiver, Ed Bierman, Tom Weilenmann on flickr.

Continued in Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -3 which includes…

11. Best Big Fish Encounter Dive – Sipadan Island, Borneo, Malaysia
12. Best Shark Dive - Gansbaai, South Africa
13. Best Whale Shark Dive – Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Thailand
14. Best Shore Dives – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
15. Best Liveaboard Dives – Sharm El Sheik and Ras Mohammed, Egypt

Now Travel to your favorite Dive Destinations and plan your Scuba Holidays with LeisurePro.com

If you missed our other posts …

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die

1. Best Cave/Cavern Dives – Cenotes of the Riviera Maya, Mexico
2. Best Wreck Dive - SS Yongala, Ayr, Australia
3. Best Wall Dive – Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
4. Best Manta Ray Dive- Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
5. Best Deep Dive – Lighthouse Reef- Blue Hole, Belize

Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die -2

6. Best Drift Dive – Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico
7. Best Ice Dive – Mc Murdo Sound, Antarctica
8. Best Night Dive - Maaya Thila, Maldives
9. Best Kelp Dive – San Clemente, Channel Islands, California
10. Best Coral Reef Life Dives – Sulawesi, Indonesia

11. Best Big Fish Encounter Dives – Sipadan Island, Borneo, Malaysia

The tiny island of Sipadan which is a limestone pinnacle rising from 600 meters from the seabed in the Celebes Sea was described by the famous late French underwater explorer and diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau as “…an untouched piece of art.” A legendary dive destination, Sipadan is a magnet and bio-diversity hotspot of Southeast Asia drawing in big fish like barracudas, large schools of trevally, horse-eye jacks, reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish. It’s coral reefs housed in turquoise blue waters are also home to dozens of breeding hawksbill and green turtles that have become accustomed to divers making it a great spot to get up close and person with these gentle reptiles.Rated the 3rd best dive site in the world by ScubaTravel and most favored dive site in Sipadan is ‘Barracuda point’. While there are no guarantees the chances are you’ll find yourself in the center of a swirling vortex of…any guesses?…yes, Barracudas!! Apart from barracuda you’ll see species like the chevron barracuda and blacktail barracuda, huge schools of jacks, tuna, bannerfish, redtooth triggers and plenty of turtles as usual along with Grey reef sharks looking for a quick lunch. (For more read: Diving at Sipadan Island, Borneo – An Untouched Piece of Art)

12. Best Shark Dive – Gansbaai, South Africa

For what nightmares are made of, there’s no where in the World like South Africa to encounter the so called ‘man-eater’ Great White. 12kms offshore from Gansbaai (160km from Cape Town), there are two islands Dyer Island and Geyser Rock where all the action takes place. The islands covered with seals and jackass penguins are like a ready to eat fast food meal for the sharks who patrol the shallow and narrow channel that runs between the two islands, as if they were at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Jump in a cage here an all that’ll separate you from the most feared shark in the sea is a few metal bars. It’s a front row seat to watch the dinning frenzy and maybe a closer encounter with a curious great white when it checks out your cage. You’re guaranteed you’re moneys worth and an experience of a lifetime. (For more read: Top 5 Shark Diving Destinations in the World)

13. Best Whale Shark Dive – Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Thailand

14 km east of the Mu Koh Surin marine park is the dive site of Richelieu Rock in the famous stretch of Andaman Sea lying between the Similan and Surin Islands renowned as whale shark territory. Although there are many sites in Thailand for diving with whale sharks, Richelieu Rock is your best bet. The nutrient-rich water makes for excellent diving where plankton blooms attract many fish including the whale shark. Manta Rays too frequent the site.The huge central pinnacle of this dive site is surrounded by smaller jutting rocks every inch of which is covered in soft corals, anemones, barrel sponges and sea fans making it a picturesque setting for a whale shark encounter.

14. Best Shore Dives – Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire of the Dutch Antilles located in the southern Caribbean near Aruba is world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and is consistently rated among the best diving and locations in the world. The island itself is actually the peak of a submerged mountain, so deep sloping reefs surround most of the island. Just a walk down the beach and you can plunge into any one of the 86 spots and find spectacular coral within a few hundred yards. The Bonaire Marine Park protect the environment from the high water mark to a depth of 200 feet maintaining this reef’s integrity. (For more read:Bonaire – A Divers Paradise)

15. Best Liveaboard Dives - Sharm El Sheik and Ras Mohammed, Red Sea, Egypt

Sharm El-Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt is one of the most popular dive destinations of the Red Sea and has the best of what the Red Sea has to offer. With lush sandy beaches, tropical climate and exciting nightlife it’s a tourist destination with beautiful dive sites to explore. A couple of dive sites worth noting here are ‘the Light’ and ‘the Point’, where there are 130-foot drop-offs and multitudes of reef and pelagic fish. A 196 feet wall drop off into the depths just off shore, just south of Na’ama Bay called ‘The Tower’ is another popular site and is frequented by sea horses and ghost-pipe fish. All these plus the 20 dive sites within the Ras Mohammed National Park, including the famous Thistlegorm wreck, rated among the World’s Top 10 Wreck Dives are best visited by liveaboards of all price ranges operating here. (For more read: The Best Red Sea Dive Spots)

*Photo Credits: photos by findiver, manoellemos, Annie-Lou, Dan Hershman, mattk1979 on flickr

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Rays are among the top things divers like to see on dives along with turtles, sharks, schools of barracuda, whale sharks and so on. With a wide variety of rays from the stingrays, whiptail stingrays, eagle rays, marble sting rays  and manta rays, it’s always a thrill to see one. There are just a handful of spots around the World are hugely popular for sheer number of rays and a chance to swim, snorkel and of course scuba dive with these creatures.

To truly experience this ancient creature almost untouched by time, the best site worth mentioning and the most popular is…Stingray City in North Sound of the Grand Cayman Islands.

A natural channel passes through the barrier reef here in the shallow waters in the corner of North Sound of the Grand Cayman Islands. Filled with a string of sandbars the stingrays were drawn here over the years as they became accustomed to feeding off of unwanted fish parts thrown overboard by the local fisherman cleaning their daily catch. Soon they became a permanent fixture and got used to humans feeding them and climbing into the water with them.

Today, thousand of tourists particularly as part of a cruise ship attraction visit Stingray city to swim, feed and interact with the Southern stingrays. Rated one of the “best snorkeling experiences in the world”, snorkeling is one way of rubbing elbows with one of the potentially dangerous animal. However, these stingrays are a friendly bunch gathered for an easy meal and aren’t dangerous if not threatened. The snorkeling here takes place in the heart of the sandbar where the water is only 3 to 5 feet deep. The crystal clarity of the waters and numerous stingrays on the sandy bottom is just a treat not to mention when they rub up against you or even wrap their wings around you.

For the ultimate stingray experience however, the best trip to stingray city has to include diving with them. The scuba diving at stingray city is on the deeper part of the sandbar where the water is 12 to 20 feet deep and is sans fins. Groups of ten to twenty divers gear up with no fins (to avoid hurting the rays by accident) and extra weights to stay down on the sandy bottom. Instructed to form a circle, the divemaster hands out pieces of fish and squid to feed the rays. In no time the intelligent creatures have sensed their meal and swarm around the divers caressing them with their bodies and wings, urging you to give them the grub. They’re not aggressive so as to say and the chances of being stung are very slim as it’s mostly a defense mechanism and they don’t have teeth to bite, so it’s relatively safe. They suck up the food through their mouth, located on its underside and if you happen so see one from its underside you can actually see right through them.

Taking a glass bottom boat ride is also an option at Stingray city but if you’re game for it the up close and personal experience of snorkeling or better still scuba diving with the ray we feel is the thing unforgettable memories are made of!

* Photo credits; photos by petersbar, vixendoll13, Paul-W, ebatty on flickr

Just imagine telling your Scuba Diving buddies that you went diving in a geothermal heated, salt water, high altitude mini ocean with angelfish, nurse sharks, cowfish and cobias…and most surprising of all, this took place in the middle of Utah, no one would believe you!

The Bonneville Seabase located just 40 miles west of Salt Lake City off interstate 80, is just that, an unbelievable Scuba Diving experience. Developed  by Linda Nelson and George Sanders in 1988, the owners purchased this 80-acre plot of land comprising of several hot springs and developed them into a series of divable saltwater bays, and added air-fill stations, showers, outhouses, dive classrooms and a snack store.

The Bonneville Seabase has three diving bays; White Rocks Bay, Habitat Bay, and The Abyss. White Rocks Bay is the smallest and shallowest of the bays at 125 by 65 feet  and a depth of 14 feet; is covered during winter months with a Plexiglas roof to allow all year round snorkeling and diving. The White Rocks Bay is connected by a swim through, to the open air Habitat Bay which is approximately 5 times larger with a depth of 24 feet. The Habitat Bay features an underwater air-filled dive bell has been suspended at 15 feet/5 m and includes platforms for training, a boat wreck, and a long channel for compass training. This Bay is used most commonly for training open water courses. The Abyss is the warmest and deepest of the three bays, reaching a depth of 62 feet with platforms for safety stops and a platform at 60 feet.

Apart from the constantly thermally heated waters year round ranging from 80-90 degrees in the summer and 67-70 in the winter, the main attraction of the Bonneville Seabase is its abundant amount of marine life, introduced into the bays from all over the world to give divers a unique experience. Most artificially created diving lakes rarely contain any fish, and when they do, you will probably see freshwater river/lake fish. However here at the Seabase, the natural salt and year-round warm spring waters, naturally replicate the salinity of the sea, and allow for introduction of marine fish that you would otherwise never get to see in the middle of Utah.The Seabase currently boasts of a variety of Angel fish, Groupers, Grunts, Jacks, Tangs, and Rabbit fish, butterfly fish, sea robins, mullet, pork fish, monos, bannerfish, pufferfish and the most popular two nurse sharks and the newly introduced cobias.

Divers or gust visiting the park can also witness and help participate in the fish feeding that takes place at opening time each day. Admission to the Seabase is just $15 for the day, allowing you access all three bays. Facilities at the seabase include warm freshwater showers, changing rooms, gear rinse areas and a snack bar. A compressor, air storage and scuba diving equipment rentals including Nitrox and rebreathers are on site. Divers do have to keep in mind that the Seabase is located at an altitude of 4293 feet / 1300 meters, and must adjust dive depth to factor in altitude.

* Photo credits : photo by Mattk1979 on flickr

Mexico has long been among the top dive destinations in the World with both it’s Caribbean coast diving in Cozumel and Akumal, as well as its Pacific diving at the Baja peninsula including Puerto Vallarta, Socorro Islands and Los Cabos.

The Sea of Cortez of Cabo San Lucas located between the Baja Peninsula and the mainland of Mexico, has been described by many including Scuba diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau as ‘The World’s Richest Sea’. Rich with shipwrecks, caves, reefs and awe-inspiring sandfalls to explore, the Sea of Cortez holds over 850 species of fish, from cold-water California-related species to tropical fish and pelagics including whale sharks, giant manta rays, hammerhead sharks, orcas, whales, dolphin and sea lions.

The most noted of Cabos diving in the Sea of Cortez are the ‘Sandfalls’ and ‘Land’s End’ dive sites. Underwater sand waterfalls is the best way to describe the natural wonder that is the Sand Falls. Alongside the rocky cliffs in Cabo Bay, a sand chute collapses into a rocky cleft moving sand cascades down the chute creating amazing falls off the vertical granite wall like Niagara Falls, but with sand. The wall goes down 300 feet with the larger of the two famous sandfalls beginning at 100 feet. Thick with gorgonians and sea fans, diving here ranges from depths of 80-130 plus feet and is suitable for intermediate divers. Schools of goat fish, puffers, eels, parrot fish and angels among lobsters, jacks, rays and reef sharks can be spotted here in abundance.

‘Land’s End’ or ‘The Point’ as it’s also known, is where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez meet together. A truly unforgettable location to dive, diving starts out around 25 ft. This unique dive site offers the opportunity to dive a canyon next to the seal lion colony allowing you to get up close and personal with the resident seals. Marauding schools of gamefish brought in by large schools of baitfish such as sardines and greenjacks are a quite the sight here. The gentle giants- whale sharks and manta rays are also common sighting here. Strong currents that rule this region and the unpredictable dive conditions here however, make this an intermediate/ advance skill level dive site. Other diving in Cabo San Lucas include site such as the ‘North-Wall’, ‘Neptune’s Finger’, ‘Pelican Rock’ and ‘The Blowhole’, all spectacular in their own right with lots to offer.

A 2 hour drive from Cabo San Lucas is the very remote but stunning Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. The only living coral reef on the western side of North America and int he Sea of Cortez, it’s not to be missed. A great dive spot for all levels of divers, Cabo Pulmo’s nutrient rich waters draw marine life in numbers you cannot fathom. The abundant coral growth on the rocky reefs provides shelter and food for countless reef fish. Dive sites range between 30-70 feet and have a year round visibility of 80-120 ft.

There are two wrecks to explore in Cabo Pulmo. The first a freighter named ‘Colima’ which ran aground and sank in 30-40 feet of water during a fierce 1939 storm strewing its debris on the ocean floor and the other wreck, a large tuna boat which went down in 1978. The second wreck finds itself in about 50 feet of water. Both the wrecks make for some excellent underwater photography opportunities.

With these World-class dive spots, Los Cabos has truly the best to offer in Scuba diving. The chance to dive with enormous schools of reef fish found nowhere else in the world and known for encounters with large pelagics such as the whaleshark and giant mantas make this a must-dive destination on our list of dive destinations.

* Photo Credits: Photos by Colorado_Al on flickr.

Tired of diving in the same old places? Looking for an exciting new Scuba Diving thrill? Well how about going for a dive in the sleepy town of Midway, Utah,to dive in a  crater containing mineral rich 96 degree geo thermal spring water, while it is snowing outside? Sound interesting enough?

The Homestead Crater is located at Homestead Resort at Midway (Wasatch County) is a 55 foot dome formed out of beehive-shaped limestone rock which is filled with crystal clear thermal spring fed water. The large rock dome has a hole at the top which lets in the natural sunlight and air. The entrance to the crater  is through a man-made tunnel  through the side.

The Crater while a big attraction to tourist who spend their time relaxing in the warm waters after a day of skiing or mountain biking, is also a huge dive attraction, drawing several thousand of scuba divers and  certification courses to its warm waters year round.

Diving in the crater is a unique experience. While there is no aquatic life to speak of,  as the water temperature is 96 degrees there is still much to explore and the soothing warm water itself is worth diving in. The spring is around 60 feet wide, with a depth 65 feet. Visibility is around 40-50 feet and the hourglass shaped cavern has interesting walls formed by mineral deposits to look at. The bottom of the cavern at 65 feet is silty and divers can spot bottles and dropped coins and other baubles, however divers are asked to limit their depth to 45 feet to avoid stirring up the silt. Underwater lights have been mounted at 20 and 40 feet inside the spring, however it still gets rather dark, so it would be advisable to carry a dive light.

The homestead crater has a fully equipped dive shop housed in the tunnel leading to the crater that offers scuba diving equipment rentals, and scuba and snorkeling classes. With the water temperature so warm, a wetsuit is simply not necessary, and one can dive in their swimsuits. There is an entry fee to the crater; certified scuba divers are charged $22 and $27 on weekends for a 35 minute dive. Equipment rental is an additional $25 and $7.50 for a tank only. There are several  scuba lessons, and tune-up/refresher classes one can opt for, and non-divers and those wishing to just snorkel, have different entry rates.

For an ideal vacation, you can stay at the Homestead Resort, spend your days cross-country skiing, snowmobile or sleigh riding, ride horses ,play golf, go mountain biking, and go for soothing dives in the crater afterward. Who’s going to believe you when you when you tell them you went skiing and scuba diving in the same trip? And that too in Utah!

Photos by: celikins

Of all the strange wrecks one can dive at around the country, the sunken subway cars around the waters of Atlantic City are by far an unusual spectacle.

The Artificial reef program in the waters of the mid-Atlantic was an attempt to provide a way to bring fish and other marine creatures back to the featureless flat bottomed ocean bed.  The Atlantic City Reef is one of the oldest artificial reefs in existence today and is made up of several man-made objects ranging from large ships to army tanks that have been sunk strategically around the waters.

In August 2001, New York City subway cars were slid off a barge into the Atlantic Ocean ten miles east of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This artificial reef was a success and resulted in a subsequent attempt at the Atlantic City Reef in April 2008 where 44 decommissioned stainless steel “Brightliner’ subway cars were placed in a circular pattern in the reef to provide Scuba Divers access.

A total of 600 subway cars are scheduled to be sunk in the Atlantic to be used as artificial reefs, as the high cost of disposal of these cars otherwise due to the asbestos present in them would be prohibitive. The Asbestos has no apparent effect underwater, which is why for the New York MTA, this method of Subway car recycling is favorable.

Before the rail cars were sunk, materials that were potentially dangerous, such as the oily and greasy undercarriages, were removed; doors and windows were taken off; and the interiors were steam cleaned.The ends of the cars were taken off to allow for fish and scuba divers easy access to enter at either end of these 60 foot cars.

The site of the sunken Brightliner subway cars can be reached by charters run by several local dive centers. Depths vary from 80feet up to 130ft, and visibility is often poor.

Currently the subway cars are still undergoing their transformational process, inhabited only by black sea bass, tautog, and lobsters, but over time, coral anemones, barnacles and mussels will attach to the surface and attract hundreds of fishes.

However as of July 2009 the New Jersey state announced that it would no longer sink New York’s old stainless steel subway cars into the Atlantic Reef, as reports that the stainless steel cars were deteriorating rapidly as compared to the steel ‘Red Bird’ cars which are still intact. Divers are advised to take care while penetrating these wrecks.

So the next time your in Atlantic City, why not take the underwater subway and remember to pack your scuba gear… if your longing to see these magnificent structures underwater better hurry, as there may not be much left of them over time.

Photos by: andrewl04

A unique and unusual dive site off the coast of Key Largo, Florida has been drawing attention and attracting thousands of Scuba divers and snorkelers alike for more than just its reef and marine life. In the midst of this dive site, a spectacular bronze sculpture of Jesus Christ stands 81/2 feet tall in 25 feet of water with a grandeur like no other. Christ’s arms raised towards the surface in a pose offering peace, the underwater statue has a presence that has made it one of the most famous and visited underwater sites on Earth.

Created by Guido Galletti, the original “Il Cristo degli Abissi” or ‘Christ of the Abyss’ was made after an idea from Italian swimmer / diver Duilio Marcante. The First statue was placed near the spot where Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, died in 1947. Placed in 1954, this Statue of Christ is located in the Mediterranean sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera, where it still stands today.

The Second statue cast from the same mold was placed underwater off the coast of St George in the Caribbean. The Third Christ sculpture presented to the Underwater Society of America in New York in 1962 is the one that lies in Dry Rocks, around six miles North east of Key Largo in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Florida.

Also known as ‘Christ of the Deep’ the 400 pound statue attached to a 20,000 pound concrete base, stands in a shallow reef and has splendid and massive brain coral formations flanking it’s surroundings. The sandy clearing it lies in is home to large spotted Eagle Rays and Southern Stingrays, while it’s base is encrusted with flat coral and sponges.

One of the most heavily visited underwater structures of all times, the Christ dive site is very popular location for underwater weddings and nearly 200 couples say (or write) their “I do’s” here each year. However popular for good reason, the site can be a bit cumbersome to dive because of how shallow the water can be. A caution to fellow divers who wish to dive here, is a need to exercise good buoyancy control and not use your buoyancy compensators as much to avoid bumping into the coral. The tell tales signs of significant damage site has experienced from incompetent divers and snorkelers who stand on or touch the corals is clear and if proper care isn’t taken the site just won’t be the same for very long.

A true Jubilee for the divers, the Christ of Abyss is a must-dive site , if you can over come the crowd of snorkelers and divers present at any time. A spectacle that can only be experienced and not described, the Christ statue has a presence underwater which can be felt when you dive there.

* Photos by gergobacsi on flickr