Where to Go Diving in Winter

While summer holidays hold the Holy Grail status of holidays, especially for families with school-aged children, we think there is a lot to be said about winter breaks. Winter diving holidays are all about swapping cold and grey British weather for sun and sand in far flung destinations that are home to all kinds of magnificent marine life. So, when the temperature starts to dip, reach for your dive diary because we have some excellent insights into where to go diving in winter.

Europe is a tad chilly for a diving break come November, but turn your attention to Middle East hotspots such as Oman and Egypt and you have the ideal destination for a short haul diving break. The Red Sea is home to some of the best diving within easy reach of the UK, boasting pristine coral reefs, sharks, eagle rays, macro critters and wrecks. If you want to travel further afield, Tanzania is dreamy in November. Home to some of East Africa's best diving, you can swim with whale sharks off Mafia Island and dive on the spectacular coral reefs of the Pemba Channel.

December promises the cosy glow of Christmas lights and festive fun, but it is also the perfect month to escape the depths of winter for the silver-white shores of the Maldives. Home to warm weather and calm seas, it's the ultimate tropical paradise with incredible diving to be done in its characteristic atolls. December also happens to be the best month to visit Mexico, with sunny skies and warm waters providing the perfect backdrop to a diving adventure, on both coasts. While in Mexico, dive with manta rays in Socorro, don your fins and venture into the pristine cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula or go to the Sea of Cortez to dive with sea lions.

Once the new year comes calling, banish the blues with a diving trip to French Polynesia. It's postcard-perfect shores are matched only by the magnificent marine life under the surface. For an unforgettable encounter head to Rangiroa and you'll see hammerheads hunting stingrays in the Tiputa channel. Alternatively, where better to banish the winter blues than the Caribbean? Winter sun, calm seas and plenty of diving to be done - the Bahamas are sublime come January. Its also the place to be if shark diving is your thing, as great hammerhead sharks arrive in Bimini in January and tiger sharks gather in Grand Bahama. Palau might not be on your radar, but it should be, and especially so in January. Palau is one of our favourite liveaboard destinations; with balmy temperatures and spectacular visibility, it's one of the best places for diving in winter.

Although February can often be a tricky time for travel, for divers there is hardly any place better than Indonesia. With minimal rain showers and smooth seas at this time of the year, it is the ideal time to go on a liveaboard trip.

With so many amazing winter diving destinations it can be hard to narrow one down, which is where we come in. Our team of experts are on hand to help you choose where to go diving in winter, whether you are in search of a family adventure, a once-in-a-lifetime trip, a solo holiday or anything in-between.

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