The Caribbean's first no-take marine reserve, where 40 years of protection have created reef fish populations five times denser than surrounding waters and Nassau grouper aggregations found nowhere else.

Depth30m

Levelintermediate

Entryboat

Currentmoderate

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Cyprus

wreck

MV Zenobia

Larnaca · Larnaca District · Cyprus

A 172-metre Swedish ferry lying on her side at 42 metres, consistently ranked among the world's top ten wreck dives.

Dominican Republic

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Bayahibe Wall

Bayahibe · La Altagracia Province · Dominican Republic

A series of coral-encrusted walls and ledges along the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, where the Caribbean shelf drops steeply and healthy reef supports dense populations of sponges, groupers, and pelagics.

France

reef

Lavezzi Islands

Bonifacio · Corsica · France

A granite archipelago in the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia, where powerful currents deliver exceptional visibility and support dense grouper populations in a strictly protected marine reserve.

Scandola Nature Reserve

Porto · Corsica · France

A UNESCO World Heritage volcanic peninsula where red gorgonian forests and huge groupers thrive in crystal-clear Corsican waters.

Le Port Artificial Reef

Le Port · Reunion Island · France

A purpose-built artificial reef complex off Reunion's west coast designed to restore marine habitat lost to coastal development, now attracting groupers, turtles, and diverse reef fish in the shadow of the Piton des Neiges volcano.

Hyeres Islands Porquerolles

Hyeres · Var, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur · France

The largest of the Golden Islands off the French Riviera, where a national park protects pristine Posidonia meadows, dramatic rock formations, and the densest concentrations of grouper and barracuda on the Provencal coast.

Italy

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Tremiti Islands

Foggia · Puglia · Italy

A tiny Adriatic archipelago off the Gargano coast where ancient Diomedes legend meets pristine Mediterranean marine reserve, featuring dramatic grottos, Posidonia meadows, and some of Italy's clearest water.

Ustica Island

Palermo · Sicily · Italy

Italy's oldest marine protected area, a volcanic island sheltering half the Mediterranean's marine species in crystalline waters.

Libya

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Sabratha Offshore Reef

Sabratha · Zawiya District · Libya

A remote rocky reef system several kilometres off the Libyan coast near Sabratha, untouched by recreational diving for decades and sheltering enormous grouper, dense gorgonian forests, and pristine sponge gardens.

Morocco

reef

Al Hoceima Marine Park

Al Hoceima · Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima · Morocco

Morocco's first marine national park protects a rugged coastline of volcanic rock, seagrass meadows, and hidden coves where osprey nest above and grouper, dolphins, and occasional monk seals patrol below.

Senegal

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Gorée Island

Dakar · Dakar Region · Senegal

Rocky volcanic reefs off Senegal's historic Gorée Island where Atlantic grouper, barracuda, and rays inhabit underwater basalt formations rich in West African marine diversity.

Spain

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El Toro Marine Reserve

Santa Ponsa · Balearic Islands · Spain

A protected marine reserve off southwest Mallorca where huge barracuda schools patrol above pristine Mediterranean reef.

Medes Islands

L'Estartit · Catalonia · Spain

Seven protected islets off Costa Brava harbouring the Mediterranean's densest concentration of dusky groupers and gorgonians.

Cabo de Palos Islas Hormigas

Cartagena · Murcia · Spain

A marine reserve off southeast Spain where submerged volcanic pinnacles attract the Mediterranean's largest aggregations of barracuda, eagle rays, and enormous dusky groupers, with dramatic underwater topography and exceptional visibility.

Columbretes Islands

Castellon de la Plana · Valencian Community · Spain

Remote volcanic archipelago 50 kilometres offshore with crystalline visibility and enormous groupers in a strict marine reserve.

Thailand

wreck

HTMS Sattakut Wreck

Koh Tao · Surat Thani Province · Thailand

A purposely sunk Thai Navy vessel off Koh Tao offering penetration opportunities and an expanding artificial reef in the Gulf of Thailand.

Tunisia

reef

Tabarka Needles Reef

Tabarka · Jendouba Governorate · Tunisia

Dramatic needle-shaped rock pinnacles rising from a coral-encrusted seabed off Tabarka, hosting some of the last remaining red coral colonies in the Mediterranean alongside grouper, barracuda, and dense gorgonian forests.

Zembra Island

Sidi Daoud · Nabeul Governorate · Tunisia

A UNESCO-listed marine reserve off the Cap Bon peninsula, Zembra Island offers sheer underwater cliffs draped in gorgonians, massive grouper populations, and some of the clearest water in the central Mediterranean.