This will make you want to go to sea and dive in

Most of the eastern coast of the Adriatic belongs to Croatia. Approximately in the middle lies the Kornati archipelago, which encompasses a number of islands, estimated between 90 and 150, around 12 percent of all the Adriatic islands. In contrast to the classics – southern France and northern Spain – for decades the former Yugoslavian territory was not a popular destination for most Mediterranean divers. And certainly not due to a lack of underwater wonders. Croatia became an EU member state in July 2013, and since then its fantastic dive spots have been easier for divers to reach.

And these dive spots, also known as the "diving treasures of the Adriatic", are certainly worth a trip. After all, the Kornati Islands were declared a national park as early as 1980, and commercial fishing is prohibited there. Divers will find reefs with red and yellow Mediterranean fan corals as well as rock walls covered in massive colonies of yellow encrusting anemones. They will encounter sea turtles, with a little luck see a bottlenose dolphin, and of course the "usual suspects" live here: octopus, moray eels, lobsters and colourful sea slugs. On the seabed there are also shipwrecks from various eras to explore.

The Strait of Bonifacio runs between the northern coast of Sardinia, the second largest Mediterranean island, and Corsica, only about 16 kilometres away. All sea creatures wanting to enter the eastern Thyrrenian Sea or from there into the western Mediterranean must pass through the strait. The regular currents ensure lush coral growth (also) along the coast between Alghero in the northwest and the Maddalena archipelago in the northeast. Just a few dive centres share the waters off Alghero and Baia Sardinia as well as the former fishing village of Santa Teresa di Gallura in-between. In the sea there are spectacularly colourful rocky reefs and barracudas live everywhere in large numbers. Speedboats transport divers from Baia Sardinia and Santa Teresa to the Lavezzi Islands, where there is a dive spot with a “grouper guarantee”. Here and there a small wreck can also be explored. And one thing there isn’t here: hordes of divers. Sardinia is much better known as a hiking island and for sailing. However, for divers who have paid only one visit to the underwater world in the north of Sardinia are usually addicted right away. Large car ferries provide service to Alghero and Olbia from Genoa and there is also an international airport.

The Sinai Peninsula is separated from the Egyptian mainland in the west by the Gulf of Suez and its renowned canal, while the Gulf of Aqaba lies off the eastern shore. About 90 kilometres north of the famous Cape Ras Mohammed and about 75 kilometres from Sharm el Sheikh, the still relatively tranquil village of Dahab leads almost a shadowy existence as a diving destination. Many divers know it because of the unusual Blue Hole, but the fantastic reefs of this region are less well-known. Although day divers from Sharm come here regularly, Dahab's diving location with its spectacular steep walls and colourful coral world has much more to offer than can be experienced in two or three dives on a day trip. The fauna is just as varied; to name but a few, there are migrating dogtooth tunas up to 1.5 meters in length, as well as large groupers and barracudas.

Being off the beaten track doesn’t have to mean being excluded. This statement applies to the dive sites around the Indonesian island of Flores. In the seemingly endless expanses of the Indo-Pacific there are a whole series of equally popular and exquisite diving locations. Flores, which is not far from the island of Komodo with its famous monitor lizards, doesn’t fall into the category of "well visited". Yet getting there these days is no longer such an adventure. Here divers find reefs full of tropical maritime diversity. Among the large fish in the waters, the manta rays are especially distinctive and can outshine other sea dwellers such as barracudas, reef sharks, turtles and huge schools of fish. Brightly-coloured overgrown reefs with a terrific mixture of extraordinary marine life make this diving location extremely varied.

In all honesty, do you know where Yap Island is located? It belongs to the Federated States of Micronesia as the western island of the Caroline Archipelago in the West Pacific Ocean. It is situated about 1,300 kilometres east of the Philippines on the southern foothills of the Mariana Trench. Getting there is still not easy; flights go to Guam and Palau. There is one (!) hotel on Yap, with a dive centre attached to it. Both were founded by Texan Bill Acker, who came to Yap in 1976 during his civilian service and fell in love with the dive spots with their manta rays and sharks. He still runs the hotel and dive base with his family. In view of the limited capacities on Yap and its remote location in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, this is definitely an insider tip for divers. All around the island, hard corals dominate the fish-rich reefs. The exposed location not far from the deepest known point of the seabed in the world, measuring about 11,000 metres, makes everything possible: divers can experience a wide range of small and large sea creatures, from rare sea slugs to mature sharks and numerous manta rays.