Americas & Caribbean

Different worlds, one passion. The three destinations in this region face two separate oceans, and the two promise a diver entirely different things.

The Caribbean side — Cozumel in Mexico and the coasts of Cuba — means clarity: visibility beyond thirty metres, warm water, moderate current, walls and coral pinnacles. The entry threshold is low and there is plenty of light for a photographer. The Pacific side — Coiba National Park in Panama — offers the opposite: plankton-rich water with thermoclines and changeable visibility; in return, schools of sharks and large pelagic life. One is a scenery tour, the other an encounter tour.

Two things are shared. The first is the hurricane calendar: June to November is a risky period for the whole region, so programmes are placed in the dry season, November to April. The second is the land side: the Maya cities, the streets of Havana and the Panama Canal turn a diving tour into a culture trip of its own accord.

Flight times are long, which is why tours in this region usually spread over nine or ten days and balance diving days with culture days.