Top diving holiday destinations

There are thousands of places across the world offering diving holidays, so selecting the best is not an easy task.

Whether you prefer exploring shipwrecks, atolls or coral reefs, carefully selecting your destination will have a big impact on your diving holiday experience.

Help is at hand, however, as diving holiday specialist Regaldive has compiled its list of the world's top diving destinations – from Grenada to the Galapagos.

Bianca C, Grenada
Reefs and wrecks make Grenada a unique and varied Caribbean diving holiday destination. The top site is the wreck of Bianca C - known as the Titanic of the Caribbean – which is a 200 metre cruise liner that sank in 1961. The wreck supports a large variety of marine life and corals.

Ari Atoll, The Maldives
Ari Atoll is one of Maldives' most spectacular atolls, giving it a range of world-class dive sites. Whale sharks can be seen at several hotspots on the atoll, while dives at Manta Point offer the opportunity to see manta rays.

Thistlegorm, The Red Sea
The Thistlegorm is regarded as one of the world's greatest diveable shipwrecks. The military vessel, discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1956, still has jeeps, motorbikes and munitions in its hold.

Bonaire, the Caribbean
Bonaire is a tiny island in the Dutch Antilles, which boasts more than 90 dive sites accessible from the shore. A fringing reef runs the length of the island's west coast, and hosts more than 300 different fish species. The nutrient-rich waters that surround the island provide for a rich diversity of marine life.

The Devil's Cauldron, Djibouti
Djibouti is situated at the point where the Red Sea flows into the Indian Ocean. Between September and December it is one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks, which are drawn to the plankton found in Goubet al-Kharab (the Devil's Cauldron).

Komodo National Park, Indonesia
A World Heritage Site since 1991, Komodo National Park is one of the world's largest protected marine zones. Walls, coral gardens, pinnacles, drop offs and quiet bays provide variety for divers and the opportunity to view rarely-seen species. There are also opportunities to head inland to see Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat.

The Great Sardine Run, South Africa
The Sardine Run is one of the world's most spectacular natural phenomena. The annual migration of millions of sardines during June draws a host of marine life to the eastern coast of South Africa, including species of dolphin, seal and shark.

Elphinstone, the Red Sea
Soft corals, sponges, gorgonians and fans adorn the sheer walls of this 300 metre reef, where white tip sharks can be spotted feeding on the reef fish population. The reef's northern plateau is known for attracting schools of hammerhead sharks in June and July.

Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Irian Jaya has one of the highest fish and coral species counts on the planet. Divers can hope to see dolphins and hawksbill along with green and leatherback turtles, all of which breed in the island's waters.

Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos Islands
The diversity of the Galapagos Islands makes it one of the world's top diving destinations. The remoteness of their location provides a natural habitat for countless species. Hammerhead sharks, dolphins, manta rays, whale sharks and sea lions are among the marine life to be seen.

Regaldive offers diving holidays to all of the above destinations. For more information, go to: www.regaldive.co.uk