Deep Blue Dive Offbeat Scuba Spots

From Ireland to Japan, these unexplored diving destinations might be worth taking the plunge for

- Misbaah Mansuri

For dive addicts, the thrill of strapping on their oxygen tank, plunging off the side of a dive boat, and watching it loom out of the blackness is the sole fix. It’s amazing how things look grey and dull at first, but then you shine a torch on the barnacles and the anemones that have grown on the massive hulk over the years. Colors explode. What a delight to suddenly see the watery world light up—pinks, greens, and yellows, like an underwater rainbow! Just sometimes, these big ocean thrills can drift the way of amateurs as well.

We list out some underrated scuba-diving destinations, waiting to envelop you.

SKELLIG MICHAEL, WEST IRELAND

From a depth of 105 feet, the Skellig, abound by exquisite rock formations, rises precipitously from the Atlantic off Ireland's west coast. While kelp dominates the seascape, it’s the visual rush that makes this location so special, as it serves sheer walls of coral and sponge in great visibility as you go cold water diving. It is home to huge colonies of puffins, seals, and over 60,000 gannets. A UNESCO site, marine reserve with seabird colony and 6th-century monastery on the surface—and also a film location for two Star Wars movies—this isle should be a part of every diving enthusiast’s diving bucket list. When May-October, when daylight is plentiful and the weather is likely to be at its most clement.

POOR KNIGHTS ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND