When you plan a vacation, you want to get the best of your legitimate leisure time, and you want to spend every minute of it. Usually people look at what sightseeing or accommodation this or that spa place offers, look at hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities on land, but you as a snorkeling enthusiast or diving aficionado you want to look deeper in the main meaning of this word, “deeper”. I always want to explore what is hidden underwater. I enjoy kelp forests and prolific reefs, with tons of invertebrate life sliding in pristine water.
Of course, every person has his own taste, and what is good for one person may be poison for another. There is a proverb in Russian, “What Russian person enjoys is death for a German person”. Even though this proverb goes into World War II times, it means that you cannot tell universal truth about what is best, especially when it relates to vacation or tastes.
Some people like active vacations, with adrenaline levels going all the way up in their blood, going as far as possible and as deep as possible to meet the most strange creatures underwater that can swallow or bite you, or sting you. But sometimes these animals are not as dangerous as they seem, like in Stingray City where they behave like domesticated pets. (See the Dangerous Animals series.)
Other divers prefer picturesque kelp forests and reefs full of rainbow-colored fish, and are happy to explore dive sites that are not far away from their home, like California’s Channel Islands. Still others enjoy ship wreck diving, with sunken ships from the days of yore, like a 19th century wooden-hull schooner that is nicely preserved in cold water.
What you should never forget about is your diving gear, including your diving knife (you need it in case of emergency) or underwater digital camera (to have the best memories of what you have seen or experienced).