You’ve never really been fond of “Top 10 Lists” - after all they are highly subjective.

And when it comes to putting together a Top Ten List of Scuba pool Sites - there are so many factors involved - Top 10 for what?

For Marine Life? For Coral Colors? For Beginners? For Divers named Shirley? - Well you get the point.

Still if you cruise the various “Top Tens” that have been put together over the years by the various dive magazines and dive enthusiasts you will find certain places that make the lists over and over again, despite the parameters, and so for what it is worth here is your list (in no particular order) of

The Top 10 scuba pool Sites in the World.

1. Thailand’s Adaman Sea - From Barrier reefs, Corals, Wrecks and Caves the waters of the Adaman Sea off of Thailand’s Coast offer everything a Scuba Diver is looking for scuba pool and more.

2. Darwin Island in The Galapagos - Easily one of the best scuba pool Sites to see large Sea Creatures. Sea Turtles, Hammerhead Sharks, Sea Lions and Seals abound here. Sighting a Whale Shark is not uncommon.

OK, you’ve booked that Scuba Trip of a lifetime to the Fareast or other exotic locale - and now you need to be sure all your scuba gear arrive there safely.

Especially with some of the new TSA regulations there are a few things every diver needs to know about traveling with Scuba Gear.

Of course before packing any Scuba gear for travel it is best to have a complete gear “check-up” and make sure everything is functioning properly.

Many divers will buy some spiffy new piece of equipment for a dive trip and never take it out of the box before they travel, not a good idea according to the pros - always test even brand new equipment before you travel with it.

Scuba gear bag-for airplane travel

Once you are sure that everything you want to take is working, the best way to pack gear for airplane travel is in a specific Scuba Gear Bag. There are two advantages to suing a scuba gear bag.

Not only are these bags designed to keep Scuba Gear safe, some of the airlines that fly to popular scuba destinations may allow you to check an official Scuba Gear Bag, and not charge you for an additional piece of luggage.

You’ve gotten your Scuba Certification. Maybe you’ve made a few dives in your local area, but you have heard about these wonderful and exotic dive locations all over the world and would just love to take a Scuba Diving Vacations.

But you may be wondering while it sounds wonderful to dive with sharks, swim with dolphin or manatee, or spend days exploring a great reef or underwater network of caves - can you afford it?

Yes you can. Truth is when planned correctly a dive trip or scuba diving vacations doesn’t have to be any more expensive that any other kind of tour.

Like with any kind of discount travel the key to affordable scuba trips or scuba diving vacations is to find the package deal. There are a number of travel agents who specialize in Scuba Travel, and have done a lot of the work for you.

One of the tops in the business is ScubaDiveTravel.com. They claim to offer the largest resource for tropical island scuba diving vacations on the Web representing more than 200 dive resorts & 34 live-aboards in 30 countries around the world.

Scuba diving is a wonderful hobby. And since it requires certification even as a beginner - it is one of the few sports where you can track your progress and can advance as far or as little as you would like.

All scuba diving starts with Basic Certification. It is required that you complete an entry level or basic scuba diving course from one of the accredited Scuba organizations to rent or purchase Scuba diving gear.

With Basic Open Water Scuba Diving certification you can enjoy many scuba experiences and dive trips.

It is not required that you advance beyond basic Open Water scuba diving Certification to still thoroughly enjoy recreational scuba diving, however if you would like too; and many do; there is a whole wealth of advanced and specialty Scuba Diving Certification available - right on up to Master Scuba Diver the highest level of non-professional or recreational scuba diving.

Even holding “Open Water” or “Basic Scuba Diving” credentials (depending on the dive organization that has issued the certification) entitles you to take classes and receive scuba diving certification in a number of scuba diving specialties. Such as Boat Diving.

Scuba Diving can be great fun for the entire family. Children of 8 years old can be certified on some level, and those 12 - 15 can receive many of the same certifications as adults.

Scuba Diving is a great way to teach your children about the world around them and gain a greater appreciation for the environment and protecting the natural world.

Of course anyone even children, can enjoy their first foray below the surface by snorkeling or “skin diving” Most people, including the little ones, can snorkel quite well the first time out.

Snorkeling involves swimming at the surface of the water, wearing fins, a mask, and the snorkel -a curved tube you can breathe through.

The snorkeler or skin diver well then “free dive” below the surface for as long as he or she can hold his breath. Snorkeling is best in shallow reefs, is inexpensive, requires little equipment, and is easy to learn.

Introduction of children to scuba diving

A great way to introduce kids to Scuba diving who may not be old enough to get out in the open water just yet is through PADI’s, (www.padi.com) Seal Team program.

Scuba diving or at least underwater adventure is a hobby that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

While there are age restrictions on Scuba Diving certifications, depending on the scuba diving certifying organization, today children of all ages can take part to some degree of exploring the underwater world.

There is no age requirement to snorkel or scuba diving. And if you are planning any kind of scuba diving trip to well-known reef or other dive locations, there are always great opportunities to snorkel.

Scuba diving- a hobby for the whole family

The key to getting your kids to have fun with snorkeling or scuba diving is to build their confidence and get comfortable with equipment. The best place to do scuba diving is in the bathtub believe it or not.

Kids will get a kick out of this and have opportunity to get used to the feel of the mask on their faces and how to breathe trough the snorkel.

Then once you arrive at your scuba diving destination, take a few spins in the hotel pool first. Again the pool will afford a great opportunity to raise your kid’s confidence level, in a clear fear- free environment.

OK so you have decided to take your first plunge literally into the undersea world and join the hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts who enjoy the sport of recreational Scuba Diving.

Scuba Diving really is the adventure of a lifetime. It is the closest thing you can get to explore an alien world; right here on your own planet - floating nearly weightless as exotic creatures and landscapes drift by. But before you don that wet set there are a few basics you need to know.

Basics for scuba diving

First up you do not necessarily have to be a strong swimmer to be a Scuba diver, but you should at least be a competent swimmer and confident in the water.

There are no physical requirements to receive Scuba training other than that you must be in reasonable physical health, and over 12 years old. (Kids of 8 years old can receive certain limited certifications).

Organizations offering scuba diving training

There are several different organizations that offer Scuba Diving training and instructions such as PADI, The Professional Association of Diving Instructors and NAUI the National Association of Underwater Instructors.

The Caribbean with it’s 100’s of Islands and coastal countries in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean literally have thousands of opportunities for Scuba Divers. Ask a dozen scuba divers what are the best places to dive in the Caribbean and are you liable to get a dozen different answers.

You guess it can be accurately said that there really isn’t a bad place to scuba divers in the Caribbean; it’s all a matter of what you are looking for.

Scuba divers in Caribbean

So what’s the best scuba divers location in the Caribbean? For several years running readers of Scuba Diving Magazine have selected Bonaire the best location in the Caribbean for diving.

The readers do not stop at awarding Bonaire top honors overall. Professional scuba divers and lay dive enthusiasts consistently rank the small island the premiere in the region for its uniquely plentiful and healthy marine life, many dive sights close to shore and accessible without a dive boat, a number one location for obtaining great underwater photographs, and a featured dive spot for beginning scuba divers.

Beyond exploring reefs and other underwater inhabitants of the deep, probably one of the most exciting, interesting and challenging dives for the recreational scuba divers is the Wreck Dive.

Wreck diving requires particular skills, and specialty scuba divers certification is required before taking on the challenges of exploring a sunken ship or other wreck, but the additional training is well worth it.

Scuba divers on wrecks and sunken ships

Underwater wrecks are fascinating not only because of the history and the eerie feeling one gets exploring the decks and corridors of a vessel that once plied the surface, but underwater wrecks become havens for all manner of aquatic flora and fauna.

And while you do need an advanced scuba divers certification to become wreck diver certified, contrary to popular belief, wrecks are not necessarily deep-water dives; in fact there are many popular and interesting wreck dives that take place in relatively shallow waters.

Wrecks are irresistible to scuba divers. In fact not all wrecks are ships that met with a tragic fate in open waters, many wrecks were sunk intentionally for scuba divers to explore, or to be part of “artificial reefs” and build up marine habitats.

One of the most fascinating specialty dives next to Wreck Diving is Cavern and Cave Diving. The underwater world is filled with 100’s of caves, caverns and geological formations that form what scuba divers call “overhangs” that are beckoning to be explored.

To scuba divers an “overhang” is described as any formation that does not allow direct access to the surface, that is what makes these dives exciting but also challenging and treacherous - no scuba divers should penetrate even the smallest cave or cavern without being properly trained in cave or cavern diving.

Cavern and Cave scuba divers

The most critical difference in Cave or Cavern diving from open water diving is that in open water diving, in the event of an emergency the scuba divers always has the option of a rapid emergency accent to the surface, in a cave or cavern this is not the case, so extra precautions need to be taken as far as dive safety.

While both caves and caverns have this no direct access to the surface challenge, there are differences between cave and cavern diving.