Superyacht SCUBA diving holidays
by Sarah Mackenzie/West Nautical 11 Nov 2021 17:43 PST
Scuba diving provides us access to the world under the waves © West Nautical
A vacation on a superyacht is the ultimate in luxury, adventure, and relaxation all in one. Yachts are able to reach all corners of the globe including some areas only accessible by boat.
Scuba diving is one of the many adventurous activities to look forward to on your yacht holiday. It is an incredible sport where you will be able to truly see what lies beneath the surface of the vast oceans. Whether you are diving to see a shipwreck, marvel at marine life or swim over a vibrant, colourful coral reef, a day of diving will never disappoint.
What better way to explore the world than from a yacht where you will wake up to a freshly prepared breakfast every morning, be super served by the crew on board and be able to enjoy your favourite beverage after a day under the sea.
Here are some of the most incredible diving areas in the world, best visited from the luxury of a superyacht.
Micronesia
Micronesia is a country spread across the Western Pacific Ocean between the Philippines and Hawaii consisting of more than 600 islands. This gorgeous island paradise is known for palm lined beaches, ancient ruins and last but not least, incredible dive sites.
Some of the islands in Micronesia are uninhabited and therefore only accessible by boat. You can expect a colourful culture, vibrant reefs, an impressive variety of marine life and once in a life-time dive sites. Look out for marine life including sharks, barracuda, eagle rays and many, many different kinds of fish. Known for its beauty, Palau is one of the most well-known dive sites and for the history lovers, Chuuk / Truk Lagoon is famous for its WW2 wrecks.
Spend your days island hopping enjoying this amazing country above and below the ocean.
The Red Sea, Egypt
Every keen diver has The Red Sea on their diving bucket list. From brightly coloured nudibranchs and long nosed hawk fish to oceanic whitetips, hammerheads, and whale sharks; beginner divers all the way to dive masters, the Red Sea has something for everybody.
The Red Sea lies between Saudi Arabia and Egypt and is completely surrounded by desert. It is connected to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.
One of the most well-known dive sites in the Red Sea is Thistlegorm, a wreck dive of a British vessel carrying war supplies that was attacked and sunk in 1941. Yolanda reef, which is three dives in one day, starts at anemone city, continues to shark reef and its drop off and finally reaching the wreck of Yolanda. Yolanda reef has a current which allows for great drift dives between all three gorgeous dive sites.
Great Blue Hole, Belize
Belize is located in Central America, bordered by Mexico, The Caribbean Sea and Guatemala.
Most divers will have heard of, if not visited the Great Blue Hole of Belize, a giant marine sinkhole off the coast of this vibrant country. The hole is circular in shape and is 318 metres across and 124 metres deep. It is the only blue hole that can be seen from space with the naked eye.
The hole is lined with coral reef and is inhabited with sharks. The reef is only a few feet below the surface and coloured by anemones, elkhorn, starlet and club finger corals.
Diving the Blue Hole is for divers who wish to experience a completely unique, ‘bucket-list’ dive.
As divers descend into the hole, they will find fresh water at approximately 15 metres deep followed by stalactites and stalagmites of ancient caverns visible when diving down a further 25 metres.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and stretching for an impressive 2,300 kilometres, The Great barrier reef is the only living structure visible from space.
This protected marine area is a World Heritage Site and due to its protection, is an incredible dive site. Well-known for its great, year-round visibility, healthy and vibrant coral, and many fish such as barracuda, giant groupers, and dogtooth tunas.
No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting this natural wonder, enjoy the unspoilt reefs and the spectacular underwater scenery.
Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands lie 900 kilometres off the Pacific coast of Ecuador and is home to a vast collection of endemic species. They are famous as the inspiration behind Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
Due to their protected status and remote location, the islands provide the most complete diving experience on the planet. Where else will you be able to see whale sharks, schools of hammerhead sharks as well as sea lions, penguins, and marine iguanas, all in one dive.
You will also be able to see manta rays, turtles, and more than 30 different species of sharks. This truly is a bucket-list diving experience and due to the islands’ remote location, would be an incredible place to cruise on your own yacht for a diving holiday.
The Philippines
The Philippines is home to over 7000 islands located in the Indo-Pacific Coral Triangle and is said to have some of the world’s best scuba diving.
Boasting pristine coral reefs and gardens, huge schools of fish, manta rays and if you are lucky, whale sharks; we can certainly see why a diving holiday here is a once in a lifetime experience.
This warm water location is home to the Tubbataha reefs National Park, known for its high biodiversity, Coron Bay in Palawan is known for easy WW2 wreck dives and Puerto Galera in Mindoro is famous for beautiful beaches and diverse dives.
Windward and Leeward Islands (The Caribbean)
The Windward Islands stretch from Dominica down to Trinidad and Tobago, which includes Barbados, Grenada, the Grenadines, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent.
The neighbouring Leeward Islands are made up of many smaller islands; namely Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Nevis, Redonda, Saba, St. Barts, Saint Kitts, Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, The British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands.
Most of these locations have incredible dive sites where you can expect to see reefs and abundant marine life as well as wrecks, adding a historical element to your diving experience.
Sculpture Park is a famous dive site located in the oceans of Grenada. Created in 2006 by British artist, sculpture and photographer, Jason de Caires, this dive site is the world’s first underwater sculpture park and can be found off the West Coast of Grenada.
There are a total of 75 sculptures, made of concrete and steel, located between three and five metres underwater.
The three most famous sculptures found here are Christ of the Deep, The Vicissitudes, which is a group of 26 children all holding hands in a circle, and The Lost Correspondent, also known as the Newspaper Man, as he is seen typing on a typewriter at a desk.
As well as the incredible sculpture park, you will be able to see nurse sharks, thick reefs and hard corals when diving in Grenada.
St Kitts has some incredible wreck dives, the most well-known being the M.V. River Taw, a huge freighter broken into two pieces with the inside of the hull exposed. You will be delighted to see moray eels, wrasse and even turtles when diving in St. Kitts.
The Charles Brown wreck in Sint Eustatius, is definitely one to add to the list of dream dives for any avid diver. This 100m long cable ship was built in 1954 in Italy and served the American company AT&T for a few decades before being sunk in 2003 as a purpose-built dive site. It is the largest wreck dive in the Caribbean and is home to a large array of fauna including stingray, barracudas, moray eels, tuna, turtles, crayfish, lionfish, and scorpion fish.
With all these incredible diving hot spots to see around the world, why not own a yacht and have a holiday filled with adventure, luxury, and relaxation all in one. A holiday where there is something to do for the whole family, where you will all get to experience the activities you love, marvel at the natural world and cruise the worlds’ oceans from the comfort of your own private yacht.
West Nautical sell, charter and manage superyachts from their head office in Newcastle upon Tyne. The business currently employs a team of 21 staff throughout their offices based in the UK, Russia, France and Cyprus.