Discover Another Diver’s Paradise

Posted on April 30th, 2009 by admin, under Outdoors Activities, Sports Activities, Travel Destinations.

Do you wish to steer clear from the crowded Caribbean or Mediterranean cruises and experience a more thrilling and adventurous dive? Maybe the current political unrest and the recent natural disasters of Southeast Asia have kept you from planning an island getaway to Boracay or Bali. It’s probably time to check out the islands of Assomption and Aldabra. These two islands in the Indian Ocean are part of one of the world’s largest coral atolls.

Aldabra was not always the diver’s paradise it now is, the United States and Britain planned on using the island as a nuclear testing site but environmental groups won over these plans. The island is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site; only 1,500 human visitors are allowed every year. Aldabra’s coast is home to the world’s largest population of giant tortoises; wading through its shallow waters is a shoal of blacktip reef sharks. The depths hold the real treat for divers and snorkelers. The deep waters provide a sanctuary to spectacular marine life vivid with an abundance of corals serving as a shelter to a myriad of species of colorful tropical fishes.

Expedition ships from Mauritius offer 12-day cruises to these magnificent treasures of the ocean.