Looking for a place you can catch your stoke by surfing when the waves are good and diving when the visibility is great? Here’s five of the world’s greatest surfing and diving destinations.
The Maldives
When you hear the word Maldives, the first thing that will come to your mind is a peaceful summer paradise. The country is well recognized for its world-class white sand beaches with crystal clear waters, which provide tourists with a luxurious relaxing experience.
The Maldives is one of the top diving locations in the world. Warm water and regular currents transport nutrients along Maldives’ reefs, lagoons, channels, and deep oceans, which creates a marine environment teeming with life. When you dive into the clear water, you’ll witness a diverse range of marine species, including vibrant soft and hard corals, colorful sponges, and hundreds of fish species, including legendary whale sharks and magnificent manta rays.
The Maldives also provides some of the best waves in the world, which are accessible all year-round. Some of the surf spots in the country push big waves that reach overhead, perfect for intermediate to advanced surfers. However, it’s important to note that many of the best waves in the Maldives are quite far from the resorts, and are only accessible by boat.
The Bahamas
Without a doubt, the Bahamas is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It is well-known for its clear turquoise seas with pink and white sand beaches. The islands are situated in the Caribbean Sea, where the weather is warm and tropical, making it ideal for a perfect summer vacation.
The Bahamas is one of the greatest destinations for diving. Having the world’s third largest barrier reef, its underwater world is surely filled by natural coral structures with vibrant colors and abundant with marine life, providing countless diving spots for both beginners and experienced divers. You can experience different types of diving in the Bahamas including, shark diving, reef diving, walls diving, blue holes diving, caves diving, and the most haunting yet scenic, shipwreck diving.
The Bahamas also has excellent waves that are ideal for surf trips. It has several surfing spots with all types of wave breaks, as well as some of the most consistent and strong waves in the world, making it perfect for experienced surfers.
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands consist of three major islands, Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. They are known for having beautiful white sand beaches, clear waters and abundant coral reefs, ideal for a relaxing summer getaway.
Situated in the Caribbean Sea, the Virgin Islands has a diverse number of dive sites suitable for divers of all skill levels. When you dive into its clear waters, you’ll enjoy a natural sanctuary for hundreds of marine species including fish, corals, and invertebrates. You may also want to try a night dive to witness nocturnal marine species.
The Virgin Islands also provide perfect waves for surfers. It offers various surfing spots, the majority of which are reef breaks, making it best suited for experienced surfers. Some of the most well-known surf spots in the Virgin Islands are: Cinnamon, Reef Bay, Johns Folly, Johnston’s Reef, Fish Bay, Nanny Point, Water Island, Grassy Point, and Hull Bay.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has coastline stretching for more than 300 miles, and it is well-known for its crystal blue seas and stunning white sand beaches, as well as for its ideal warm tropical weather for summer holidays.
Being a part of the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is one of the perfect destinations for diving. There are various diving spots along Puerto Rico’s east coast and its several small islands, which are home to a diverse range of coral reefs and an abundance of marine species, while the southern part of the island provides great deep underwater walls.
Puerto Rico, also known as the North Shore of the Caribbean, provides an incredible variety of surfing spots along its coastline. Puerto Rico is known for pushing big and wild waves especially during late fall and winter. Most of these surf spots are reef breaks, making it best suited for experienced surfers. Some of the most well-known surf spots in Puerto Rico are: La Ocho, Middles Beach, Crash Boat, Jobos, and Tres Palmas.
Belize
Belize has more than 400 islands and are well-known for having beautiful white sandy beaches lying under a perfect warm tropical weather, making it perfect for a quick summer getaway or surfing trip.
Belize is an excellent diving destination since it has the longest unbroken reef barrier in the Western Hemisphere, providing one of the greatest underwater landscapes with diverse coral reefs, and a variety of marine species ideal for an epic diving adventure. Belize is also recognized for having the Great Blue Hole, which is one of the most popular and exciting diving destinations for divers all over the world.
Belize’s long, unbroken barrier reef prevents powerful swells from reaching its shores, leaving only three surfing spots in the whole country. The most well-known is the right point break of Glover’s reef, which is located on a private island resort called Slickrock Belize Adventures, where you can enjoy surfing and other water activities through their various adventure vacation packages.