Maldives

I have been lucky enough to dive in many places, from the cold waters of the UK – where you feel anything but lucky – to the azure waters of the Red Sea in Egypt, but no place on God’s green and blue planet comes close to the pleasure of diving in the Maldives. This collection of atolls and islands that string together like teardrops in the Indian Ocean offer divers of all experience and ages the chance to marvel at an unspoilt underwater world.

One of the best sites from which to do this is the beautiful island of Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort where the Sun Diving Centre is located. The team are brilliant and hugely experienced and their house’ reef, where you can learn to dive, is both beautiful and safe. But it is the fact that from Olhuveli you can access about 35 dive sites by boat that makes it so special, meaning it is possible to dive with whale sharks, manta rays, Napoleon fish and, for the more adventurous, sharks.

To top it off, for those who have partners, like me, that do not dive there is loads for them to do whilst you are off bobbing around. There is a great spa where treatments like the ‘Jet Lag’ massages are on offer (thoroughly recommended) watersports centre, gym, library, cyber café and not to mention chilling in the sunshine. It really is heaven on earth.