The underwater world of marine life, coral reefs, underwater caves and shipwrecks is an awesome sight to see. Scuba diving is a great skill to learn to open up scenery that most of the population will never see in a lifetime. The vivid colors of the undersea world offer some of the most awe-inspiring views in various locations around the world.

Open Water Certification card needed:

The prerequisite of diving is an Open Water dive certification card from an accredited agency, such as the renowned PADI scuba instruction. This involves enrolling in a course that can be done online, at home or in a classroom setting that would give you some basic knowledge of scuba diving. After completing the first phase exceptionally well you will need to take five pool dives with a licensed scuba instructor. The final phase of the course is four actual dives in the open sea. Normally this would be a local dive location. These courses teach you the essentials of scuba diving, such as the basic knowledge of equipment, health and safety requirements for a safe dive.

PADI diving courses:

PADI is one of the worlds largest and most recognized scuba diving certification agencies. The acronym translates to it full form, Professional Association of Diving instructors. Their courses are globally recognized and are widely available as they have instructors located throughout the world. While PADI may be as popular as it is, there are other agencies that offer accredited courses and certifications for recreational scuba diving, but may not be recognized professionally in certain areas. For this reason it is wise to verify whether the accreditation is widely recognized before enrolling in the course.

The Top Scuba Diving Locations Worldwide:

Once you have got your open water dive certification card, you have to decide where you want to go. Thats where the hard part comes in. There are so many great scuba diving destinations around the world, it is hard to pick just one.

The worlds top scuba diving spot, as voted on by SCUBA Travel readers is now Yongala, (a wreck in Queensland, Australia). The Egyptian Red Sea holds four of the top ten spots: Thistlegorm wreck is number two on the list, Shark and Yolanda Reef is number five, Big Brother is number eight and Elphinstone Reef is number ten. The other five top locations are in Micronesia, Sipadan Island, Navy Pier Australia, Kailua Kona Hawaii and Bali, Indonesia.

Even though the top 100 scuba diving destinations are located throughout the world, they are dominated by tropical spots like Cayman Islands, Honduras, Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas and the Isle of Man. The Great Barrier Reef, parts of Indonesia, Australia, Malta, and Mexico are other locations which have some great scuba diving opportunities.

Reefs, Wrecks and Rays:

You can be guaranteed there will be scuba diving expeditions nearby wherever there is a large coral reef or shipwreck. You are likely to find yourself swimming with stingrays, puffer fish and other marine life you have never seen before. An underwater camera is advised if you want to capture some of the rare exotic plant and animal life.

You can go online to check out more top scuba diving spots at www.scubasoul.com. They have everything from tips, articles, and recommendations for scuba diving locations, accredited PADI scuba instructors and open water dive certification cards.