Best Islands for Scuba Diving Off the Shore

It's summer in Australia and the scuba diving is spectacular on the Great Barrier Reef.  On Lady Elliot Island, which is actually part of the reef, divers just walk off the shore and swim between coral canyons.  A stingray swam over my head, while I looked into the open mouth of a giant clam.   If you want closer spectacular diving, there's always Bonaire, one of the ABC islands in the Caribbean,where you can also walk off the shore and sink into a colorful coral and fish-filled underwater world.

Lady Elliot Island photo courtesy of Clint Hempsall