Our wonderful planet is made up of over 71% water which, when you tally up the average British holiday allowance (28 days in case you're interested), means you would need several lifetimes (official stat) to explore the watery world. Sadly, we don't have the recipe for the elixir of life, but we do have a savvy secret to extend your diving escapades without sacrificing those precious holiday days (and it doesn't involve pulling a sickie). Due to the fortunate positioning of Easter on the cusp of May Bank Holiday, you can take nine days off for a 19-day adventure, and as luck would have it we have the perfect destinations to make use of those extra days…

Rainbow coral, Fiji

HIT THE ROAD TO RAINBOW REEF: CALIFORNIA AND FIJI

Hit the highway on an all-American road trip, taking in the iconic sights that pepper the Californian coast as you cruise from San Francisco down to Los Angeles. Next stop: paradise. Decamp on the Fijian island of Taveuni, springboard to the Somosomo Strait which is home to some of the best soft corals on earth on the aptly-named Rainbow Reef. Hop across to Royal Davui, an adults-only private island paradise, to dive the famous Shark Dive which, off the fringes of Beqa Lagoon, is home to eight species of shark (including bull and tiger sharks).

bumphead parrotfish spawning event, Palau

DIVE THE FULL SPECTRUM: PALAU & THE PHILIPPINES

Thresher sharks? Check. Manta rays? Check. World-class muck diving, colourful coral and WWII wrecks? Check. Check. Check. Vast and varied, Palau and the Philippines have it all. And to make sure you dive the full spectrum your travel guardian angelfish (that's us) will magic up the perfect adventure; spotting macro critters in Dumaguete, gliding over colourful coral in Bohol, marvelling at threshers in Malapascua, setting sail in Palau to witness the rare spectacle of a bumphead parrotfish or red snapper spawning event (during the full or new moon), or simply diving straight from the shores of a sandy island paradise.

diving papua new guinea

THE FINAL FRONTIER: PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Few places inspire a sense of adventure quite like Papua New Guinea. Much like neighbouring Indonesia, this remote archipelago enjoys a prime position within the Coral Triangle yet remains relatively unexplored. Among the obvious coral accolades, subaquatic splendours include world-class muck diving in Milne Bay, swirling schools of barracuda in New Britain, and deserted reefs and beautiful topside scenery in Tufi. It doesn't get much better than this.

raja ampat

RELAXED RAJA: INDONESIA

Most of the liveaboards will have left for Komodo by May (which we can also arrange) so explore some of Raja Ampat's finest reefs at your own leisure and in blissful solitude from authentic land dwellings. Our picks of the bunch are Misool Eco Resort in the south and Papua Explorers, located on the doorstep of the Cape Kri dive site, where a record breaking 374 species of fish were counted on a single dive. Extend your Indonesian adventure on Bali and Java - think surfing, spirituality and seriously lush landscapes.

spotted moray eel

CITY, SAFARI AND SCUBA IN AFRICA

Combine three adventures for one unforgettable African getaway; explore Cape Town's cool coastal culture and sample some of the country's best wine in the Cape Winelands; see the Big Five (hopefully) while on safari in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve; and become gloriously castaway on the luxurious Benguerra Island in Mozambique, spending blissful days channelling your inner beach bum and diving the surrounding marine park, where sharks, spotted eagle rays and turtles come as standard.

sharks in Socorro

BIG FISH, LITTLE FISH, CENOTE ROCKS: MEXICO

If you haven't been on a liveaboard yet, buoy you haven't lived (sorry). Embark on an epic voyage to the Revillagigedo archipelago which, located 250 miles south off Los Cabos in Baja California, hosts all the big ticket animals, including a staggering ten species of shark, playful manta rays, bottlenose dolphins, humpbacks and at least 366 species of fish (26 of which are endemic to the region). Head back to Baja's shores to swim alongside orcas in the Sea of Cortez before jetting to the Yucatan Peninsula to dive the crystal clear cenotes (sinkholes lined with craggy stalagmites).

Thinking about a May adventure? Get in touch with our team today.