Getting your open water dive certification can be an end in itself, or it could be the beginning.
If you are looking for new adventures and want to explore some stunningly beautiful and deeply mysterious environments, then these cave diving sites around the world could be for you.
Below, you will discover some of the most beautiful places around the world for cave and cavern diving.
Please do not attempt these dives without the proper training and certification.
The Blue Hole, Egypt
The Blue Hole is one of the most famous dive sites in Egypt.
The dark blue sea, reflecting the depth of the mesmerising depression, attracts divers from all over the world who want to experience a fantastic feeling of a long fall, surrounded by vibrant life.
Usually one enters this site through an open chimney called the Bells.
The name comes from the sound of tanks touching the wall as it’s very narrow, only one diver can go down at a time.
Divers exit this chimney at about 26 metres and swim to the right along the outer wall of the Blue Hole where majestic overhangs full of corals are waiting to be admired.
Exploring the deeper depths should be left to experienced technical divers, but there’s plenty to discover close to the surface.
Chinhoyi Caves, Zimbabwe
Chinhoyi Caves is a hidden gem not far from Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. Visitors to the park will find stunningly blue pools inside preserved limestone and dolomite caves.
The traditional name for the caves is “Chirorodziva” which means the “Pool of the Fallen”. The name was derived from an incident that took place in the 1830s when the Angoni Tribe, who were moving northwards, surprised people living near the caves and flung them into the pool.
According to Atlas Obscura inside the caves, the air becomes cool and damp and silence descends as one walks down to the water.
They say one of the best parts of visiting the caves is that you are likely to have them to yourself to enjoy in subterranean silence.
Boesmansgat Sinkhole, South Africa
The natural Boesmansgat Sinkhole is found on the beautiful Mount Carmel Farm, located about 55km south of Kuruman.
It came about due to underground water dissolving the dolomite rocks above. The sinkhole is almost completely filled with fresh water and is thought to be 270-metre deep, making it one of the deepest freshwater caves not only in South Africa but also in the world.
Access to the mouth of the cave is via a steep climb down the rock face. Many world cave diving records have been obtained in this exceptional sinkhole, but it has sadly also claimed the lives of some of the expert divers who were attempting dives here.
Even if you are not a cave diver, Boesmansgat is worth a visit if just to peer into its unfathomable depths, though it has a tragic history.
Cenote Dos Ojos, México
Cenote Dos Ojos is one of the most extravagant diving sites in the Yucatan peninsula. It is also one of the largest underwater cave systems.
It is named like that because of the two sinkholes 70m in diameter connected by a 400-metre long passageway.
There is more natural light here, thus it is a great place for everybody.
The cave cenotes can be accessed via a land-level entrance. Once you make your way in, it opens up to an underground pool which can have shallow and deep areas.