The vast seas and oceans around the world can be stunning to see and experience but they can also be some of the most extremely hostile environments on Earth.  Whilst it’s the unpredictable and dangerous setting for many a horror or survival movie, typically these days involving some form of mutated shark or over-sized fish, or even the subject of many popular games such as the Great Blue slot, it’s also the unworldly and almost alien setting for some of the most incredible and spectacular sights on the planet, particularly when you head beneath the surface.

CORAL REEF, VARIOUS

There are various locations around the world where you can dive and view a stunning underwater coral environment. These incredibly beautiful and extremely important ecosystems have been created over thousands of years and serve as one of the oceans most remarkable and colourful natural features. The Great Barrier Reef, found in Australia, is one of the worlds most famous and largest which is made up of about 2,900 different reefs. It is vital that we do everything we can to protect these ecosystems which are suffering. The Great Barrier Reef for example has become so damaged and unstable that it could be on the verge of a complete collapse and conservationists are doing everything they can to prevent this from happening.

GREEN LAKE, AUSTRIA

Located in Tragoess (Tragöß) this attraction is a particularly seasonal underwater destination for rather obvious reasons. Throughout the year its home to a beautiful lake and surrounding park area which becomes completely submerged in the spring months as the snow from the surrounding mountains melts away and floods the lake below. It’s not quite an underwater city but the melted snow turns the park into a striking underwater location complete with its bridge, walkways and even park benches which all becomes surrounded by clear waters which you can dive down to experience.

THE LOST KINGDOM OF CLEOPATRA, EGYPT

Whilst Austria’s Green Lake is a stunning location it’s nothing compared to the grand scale of what’s beneath the surface in Akoubir Bay, Alexandria. This legendary Egyptian city disappeared into the Mediterranean Sea hundreds and hundreds of years ago and has since been a great source for archaeologists and historians to learn more about this ancient civilisation. There are breathtaking statues and architecture as well as various shipwrecks and statues of the goddess Isis and even a sphinx found at the underwater site.

UNDERWATER HOTEL, ZANZIBAR

There are many locations around the world where you can enjoy some especially beautiful underwater resorts and hotels allowing visitors to enjoy spectacular 360 degrees of the surrounding ocean. The Underwater Hotel located in Zanzibar off the coast of East Africa gives visitors the opportunity to sleep in a bedroom based underwater beneath a three-storey floating structure in the ocean. There’s a staircase that allows you to walk down to your bedroom with full views of the surrounding marine life, reefs and other submerged sights all around you.