Top 10 Cool And Unusual Dive Sites Of The World - Part 1

May 13, 2019 - Leisure Pro

We’re going to take you on journey away from the popular Scuba diving destinations that you’re used to, with their tropical islands, sandy beaches, coral reefs and colorful fish, to those places you wouldn’t have even thought of. From diving in aircraft wrecks and subway cars to an underwater cemetery; an underwater volcano to diving under 4 feet of solid ice and from diving lost cities to underwater museums we’ve got our picks for the coolest and most bizarre Scuba diving sites of  the world over. Take you pick for your next dive trip!

^{1.Ice Diving – McMurdo Sound (Antarctica)}

Antarctica scuba diving? Yes, 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.

The water below the thick layers of ice remains a near constant temperature of -1.8° C (28.8° F) and once under, divers can experience an unbelievable visibility of 300m (990 ft)! Once a divers eyes adjust to the one percent of sunlight that makes it through the ice, they describe the experience as flying over a darkened landscape of hills, valleys and sheer cliffs and if one were to look up a spectacular glowing blue cover with a moon like crater that is the ice and hole, is their reward. McMurdo Sound divers encounter colorful examples of sea life, including bright yellow cactus sponges, green globe sponges, starfish, sea urchin, jellyfish, sea anemone and some brilliant soft coral. One can even spot a Emperor Penguins gracefully swimming to find a meal of squid, fish or crustaceans. Needless to say diving at McMurdo Sound requires a high level of skills and proficiency in drysuit diving.

_{2.  Lost City – Yonaguni Monument (Japan)}

^{Yonaguni is a tiny Japanese island (28 sq. km.) with a population of less than 2000, located in the middle of the open seas, 125 km from Taiwan and 127 km from Ishigaki the nearest Japanese Island. Despite its tiny size and being located in one of the remotest parts of Japan, the waters off Yonaguni contain some of the most stunning dive sites in the world including an underwater ancient lost city known as the Yonaguni Monument.}

^{The underwater ancient ruins lie at varying depths of 5-40 meters just off the southeastern edge of the island, forming one of the earth’s greatest mysteries.  The Yonaguni Monument’s underwater rock formations are made up of a series of extraordinary formations including huge platforms, seemingly carved steps and huge stone pillars that were likely to be an ancient temple predating all buildings known to man. Most diving that takes place here are drift dives and most of the sites only for the very experienced divers as currents can be overwhelming, with no anchor lines for ascents and safety stops where buoyancy control plays an important aspect of your dive. The bottom is over 350 feet deep with steep cliff drop offs and with it’s unpredictable conditions it’s not a site for inexperienced divers. In addition to the ruins, Yonaguni is also famous among divers for its abundance of hammerhead sharks (often in groups of 100 or more) which congregate around the island and can be spotted on most dives in areas of strong current mostly during the winter months.}

^{3.  A Crater- Homestead Crater (Midway, Utah)}

The Homestead Crater, 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.

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. 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. 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.

_{4. Subway Car – Atlantic City Reef (Atlantic City)}

Of all the strange wrecks one can dive 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.

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. 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.

_{5. Dive Between Continents – Silfra (Iceland)}

Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle, suggesting the freezing cold waters alone wouldn’t scream scuba diving! But the uniqueness of its dive sites definitely do. Known as the land of glaciers, active volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, Iceland actually sits on the joint where two continental plates meet. This crack in the face of the earth between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates is Silfra, rated a World Top 10 Dive Site by some of the most respected dive magazines worldwide.

Silfra is as unique as you’ll get for a dive site. The Silfra Ravine is a crack in the earth signifying two massive landmasses and is filled with the clearest water you could possibly see. With visibility said to be 100m+ it feels like you’re floating on air! Silfra offers open water diving, caving and deep diving, with a depth of about 40 meters (131 feet) open water and 60 meters (197 feet) inside a cave. Even deep dives feel unreal in these pristine waters. Silfra never freezes over because of the current which pushes you along the ravine as you dive this site. However if you dive at Silfra don’t expect to see fancy fish or marine life, the most you may see are tiny fish darting into the rocks.