You heard it here first – wetter is better! Dive in deep and experience the world’s best 7 best underwater sights.
Underwater dining
Wine and dine in the Maldives’ underwater Ithaa Restaurant. © Conrad Hotels & Resorts
The absurdly luxurious Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 5-star resort offers 12 gastronomic restaurants for its visitors, but it’s the Ithaa Restaurant (meaning ‘mother of pearl’ in the local language of Dihevi) resting under the Indian Ocean surface that really has the wow factor.
Only reached by descending a 5 metre-deep spiral staircase, the restaurant is encased in a meticulously designed acrylic tube that offers diners unrivalled panoramic views of the catch of the day, coral gardens and other sea urchins. There’s only room for 14 people at a time, so – if you want to sample its freshly sourced caviar, lobsters and the Maldives’ largest selection of wine – then be sure to book ahead.
Underwater museum
Punta Cancun’s deep-sea couch potato. © Inertia Artist Jason deCaires Taylor, Photo The-Still LifeStyle Agency MUSA Underwater Art Museum. West Coat Marine National Park Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun, Punta Nizuc
The Mexican Caribbean coast is flushed with coral reefs and first-class snorkel sites, but none are more ambitious or artful than the Cancun Underwater Museum MUSA.
This non-profit institute was formed in 2009 by the championing British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, in collaboration with local artists who wanted to take to the sea to produce the world’s largest underwater museum. Featuring over 470 weird and wonderful sculptures, there’s plenty of opportunity for divers to get up close and personal with exhibits like “The Last Supper”, “Anthropocene” (a VW Beetle) and “Inertia” (the couch potato above), much like they would in a normal museum.
But MUSA is not just about taking art underwater. The institute was launched as an eco-project and, over the years, algae has been breathing life into the ever-evolving sculptures, which double up as reef formations for the fish that live and swim around in the museum space.
Underwater cave
The great blue eye of Belize’s Great Blue Hole.
When given the chance most people like to whip out their diving gear to explore the hubbub of activity and life lying underneath the ocean surface. But what about plummeting deep into a place of absolute isolation and absence?
That’s precisely what you get with The Great Blue Hole, a sink-hole off the coast of Belize which replaces sightings of tropical fish for stalactites and limestone structures, the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
From above, this iconic cave off the coast of Belize looks like a giant crystal blue pupil, winking at divers from all over the world and persuading them to take the plunge. At 300 metres across and an estimated 120 metres deep, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is three times the width of a standard football pitch, and deep enough to keep even the most seasoned of sea explorers happy.
Extra tip: Scuba diving boat tours to The Great Blue Hole are easy to access from the nearby island of Ambergris Caye, which also offers some of the best luxury hotels in all of Belize.
Underwater aquarium
Relaxing with the fishes at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. © tab2_dawa
Many of the world’s best aquariums try to conjure the feeling of submerging its patrons deep into the ocean to explore the sea-life in its natural, watery habitat, but the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium – one the biggest in all of Asia – goes one step further.
As part of one of its nine main exhibits, the centre has an impressive tunnel that’s longer than 3 olympic-sized swimming pool and allows visits to gaze upon gorgeous coral reefs, a shark cove, kelp cave and an octopus’s garden.
Underwater post office
Signed, sealed and delivered to the underwater post box on the coast of Vanuatu. © Dave Lonsdale
Desperate to send a holiday postcard back to a loved one at home, but can’t find a post office? We’ve all been there. Have you ever thought about looking at the bottom of the ocean? Well, just off the Oceanian island nation of Vanuatu, you can do just that.
Nestled within the Hideaway Island marine sanctuary, the Post Office sits three metres deep under the water and is easy to access for both seasoned divers and novice snorkellers. All you need to do is grab a special waterproof packaging from the shoreside staff and dive in.
The post office regularly has underwater staff, too. If a flag is floating above the sea point, then someone will be down there to help prepare your message in a bottle, love letter or package of your choice. And, best of all, there’s almost never a queue!
Underwater bar
Underwater antics at the Clear Lounge Oxygen Bar on Cozumel. © Sub Sea Systems, Inc.,
Situated on Puerta Maya in Mexico’s premier tourism island, Cozumel, the newly opened Clear Lounge oxygen bar is a breath of fresh air.
Using fancy helmet diving technology, curious travellers are able to immerse themselves into a giant aquarium filled with fun, like underwater jenga, bubble guns and even a photo booth.
You may not be able to sip on a liquid cocktail at this bar, but the scented oxygen breathed into the helmets is both tasty, refreshing and even has therapeutic qualities.
Underwater lodge
Checking out the sea life. © Jules Undersea Lodge
There’s been many a crazed hotelier that took to the sea for their latest resort, but it’s the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, that got there first and enabled its guests sleeping with the fishes.
This former marine research lab was transformed into the world’s first underwater resort in the mid-1980s – way before the luxury tourism boom. You’ll need to scuba dive 21 feet down below sea level to the mangrove-covered Emerald Lagoon’s entry hatch, so make sure you pack light.
Inside is an exclusive two-room guest house featuring all the standard hotel mod cons, as well as a pizza delivery service and 42″ windows that allow you to gaze upon the sea life or passing divers. It’s the epitome of aquatic kitsch, but the Jules’ is much more fun than other lavish sea resorts, and at nothing near the extortionate reservation price.
