Ocean Adventures

The world's most beginner-friendly sailing destination. Sixty-plus islands in line-of-sight, protected by Tortola and the Sir Francis Drake Channel, well-charted, well-marked. Bareboat capital of the Caribbean. The Moorings, Sunsail, Dream Yacht Charter all base here. Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke (Foxy's), Anegada, the Bitter End — destinations a week of sailing barely covers.

Split, Hvar, Vis, Korčula, Dubrovnik. 1,200 islands, well-marked, every harbour with a stone walled town built between the 9th and 15th centuries. The Mediterranean's finest sailing-and-culture combo. Bareboat from Split or Trogir; the islands are 4-15 nautical miles apart.

Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos. The Meltemi wind makes summer afternoons lively (15-25 knots) — perfect catamaran sailing. Bareboat or crewed from Athens (Lavrion / Alimos marina). The Cycladic whitewashed villages are the postcard but the lesser-known coves are the prize.

The author's personal favorite — 43-ft Catamaran from Placencia or San Pedro, 7-14 day itinerary toward Nicaragua and back. Belize Barrier Reef (the Western Hemisphere's largest), Blue Hole snorkel detour, the cayes north of Belize City uninhabited and reef-protected.

Bareboat or crewed catamaran from Raiatea through Tahaa, Bora Bora, Huahine. The Society Islands offer the world's most photogenic sailing — lagoons inside motu rings, calm overnight anchorages, every backdrop a magazine cover.

Seventy-four islands inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Whitehaven Beach (98% pure silica sand) by tender. Bareboat from Airlie Beach. The bareboat sailing capital of Australia — calm protected water and short island hops.

Whale watching capital of the Atlantic. Blue whales, sperm whales, dolphins year-round. Plus open-ocean sailing for the experienced — the mid-Atlantic island chain is a stop on transatlantic crossings.

The only country in the world that permits in-water humpback whale interactions. Boat from Vava'u or Ha'apai during July-October calving season. Mother + calf encounters at 3-5 metres distance. One of the great wildlife experiences on earth.

Jacques Cousteau called it 'the world's aquarium.' Whale shark swims at La Paz (October-March), gray whale calving lagoons at Magdalena Bay (January-March), sea lion colonies. Sailing the islands of the Sea of Cortez from La Paz or Loreto.

Year-round whale shark aggregation at South Ari Atoll. Manta rays at Hanifaru Bay (June-November plankton blooms). World-class snorkeling from every resort jetty. The ocean-adventure-without-scuba destination par excellence.

Sea kayaking through fjords with cascading waterfalls falling from above. Lofoten Islands in summer (midnight sun), Tromsø + Lyngenfjord in winter (orca aggregations). Multi-day expedition kayaking with sail-support a growing niche.

Sailing the Yasawas and Mamanucas from Port Denarau. 333 Fijian islands; soft-coral diving and snorkeling unmatched in the Pacific; the easiest cabin-charter option in the South Pacific.

Sea kayaking among calving glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. Humpback whales bubble-net feeding. The Inside Passage is a 1,000-mile sheltered waterway accessible by small expedition cruise + kayak combo.

Crewed yacht charter and bareboat both available. Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (the Caribbean's first marine reserve), swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, Thunderball Grotto. Sandbars that appear at low tide.

Snorkel between two continental tectonic plates in glacial meltwater with 100+ metres of visibility. The only place on earth this exists. A drysuit, a guide, and forty minutes that ruin every other snorkel for you.

Crewed yacht charter through the granite Inner Islands (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue) and out to the remote Aldabra atoll. Seychelles is the world's most photogenic crewed-charter destination outside of French Polynesia.

Sperm whales year-round, dolphin swimming, fur seal colonies. Underwater canyon brings deep ocean within reach of small-boat day trips. The world's most reliable sperm whale encounters.