There’s something very freeing about diving down into the deep blue, blowing bubbles of air, and looking up in amazement at a whole other world where animals move with ease. The best thing about diving is that it lets you get away from everything. With the sounds of daily life just a few meters away, it’s one of the few places where it’s better to take your time. You just pay attention to your breathing, look around, and kick every so often. It’s like nothing else you’ve ever done.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to visit some of the best places to dive in the world, places that would make most experienced divers green with envy. Now, these aren’t listed in any particular order, but from top to bottom, they are all amazing places that are worth planning a trip around. So get your scuba gear ready, because it’s time to go diving!

Anyone who knows about WWII knows that one of the bloodiest battles of the war took place on this chain of islands. Today, though, it’s one of the best places to dive in the world.

Palau is very popular because it has a wide range of underwater features, such as wrecks, caves, channels, walls, and holes. When I was there, every dive I did showed me a different kind of terrain. On one dive, there was a drop off to my right that seemed to go on forever, and on another, I had to squeeze through coral rocks to get to the other side.

I haven’t even talked about the animals that live in the water. Palau is known as a shark sanctuary, which means that you’re almost certain to see sharks there. In addition, there is the famous Jellyfish Lake, which is one of the few places where you can snorkel with thousands of jellyfish that don’t sting.

All of this makes it an amazing place to go diving, with excellent visibility, famous diving sites, and water temperatures that stay the same all year long.

It’s not surprising that Egypt’s Red Sea has been known for a long time as one of the best places to dive in the world. It has a lot of marine life, clear water, and good weather.

There are beautiful reefs that have stayed healthy even though the climate has changed. Ras Mohammed National Park is where you can find the reefs that are in the best shape. There are also a lot of shipwrecks, including some from World War II and others from the 1800s. Last but not least, you can see interesting animals like whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, and dolphins here.

My time in Hurghada gave me a chance to see the Red Sea. I would say that now is the best time to go because of recent political events that have hurt the area. As a result, occupancy rates and overall traffic have been at an all-time low. You’ll find that prices are very low and the place isn’t busy at all.

Even though I might be a little bit biased, I would say that the Maldives is my favorite place I’ve been so far. This tropical country is known for its high-end resorts. It also has reefs, blue lagoons, and the best marine life. It is made up of beautiful atolls that are spread out over the Indian Ocean. It has become a world-class diving spot, not so much for the reef but for the huge variety of aquatic life that can be seen here.

My trip to the Maldives was memorable because we saw so many manta rays while diving, and they often came to play at the resort. Besides that, this is where I saw my first whale sharks. I finally bought my own men’s dive watch at this point, which paid off because I no longer had to pay to rent one, even though we went diving almost every day.

Since El Nio happened a few years ago, the reef in the Indian Ocean has been going through a lot of bleaching. However, soft coral is on the comeback trail and is slowly getting back to its bright and beautiful self.

Seychelles is a group of 115 islands 480 kilometers off the coast of Africa. It is a great place to go diving because the water and air are warm all year long. The Indian Ocean’s clear, turquoise waters are full of fish and coral, and its pinnacles, reefs, and canyons make for a beautiful landscape.

I recently had the chance to visit Seychelles as part of my honeymoon. We stayed on Silhouette Island at the Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa, which is a high-end resort. During our two days of diving here, we were surrounded by at least 15 nurse sharks, which was the coolest thing we’ve ever seen.

Last but not least is the Dominican Republic, a country in the Caribbean. I call it the DR, which is short for Dominican Republic. Even though it might not be as exotic as the other places mentioned so far, this is a great place to dive that costs a lot less than the others.

What you might not know is that during the winter, humpback whales gather in the water near the Silver Bank. Off every coast and near most resorts, there are dive sites with beautiful reefs, light-filled caverns, and ships that have sunk.

A few years ago, I had the chance to dive with SeaPro Divers. We were treated to a tanker that we had to duck under. Since it wasn’t too deep, it was easy to see everything, and the sun above filled in the shadows and lit up the huge metal beams.

So that’s the end of it! There are 5 great places to go diving that might change your plans for your next trip.