9 Amazing Swims With Wildlife

It’s not just manatees – there’s a whole world of marine life you can swim with. So strap on a snorkel or a scuba tank and dive into our top watery encounters…

1 SEA TURTLES

Sipadan, Malaysia

With strong currents rushing in from the Celebes Sea, Malaysian Borneo’s Sipadan Island is the ideal place to glimpse some of the richest marine life in the world. Scores of scuba divers agree, frequently taking to the coastal waters to swim alongside bales of green and hawksbill turtles. Daily diving trips leave from South Point, where you can often drift alongside 20 sea turtles on a single dive. See them: Huge numbers of green turtles cluster in the water during August, at the start of nesting season (July–October), when experienced divers and snorkellers can watch their behaviour firsthand. Turtle mating is not for the faint-hearted, though – groups of males cause chaos, biting necks and flapping their fins wildly as they chase a mate.

2 SARDINES

South Africa

The world-famous ‘sardine run’ between South Africa’s Eastern Cape and the waters off KwaZulu- Natal draws countless visitors every summer. Silvery shoals of sardines migrate in their millions, hurtling north to warmer sub-tropical waters and straight into the waiting jaws of voracious sharks, seals and seabirds. See them: The sardine run occurs between May and July each year, when underwater escapades can be arranged for experienced divers and snorkellers keen to observe the theatre of nature. It’s a chaotic sight as the sardines swarm, helpless against the tide of bronze whaler sharks and dolphins that patrol the waters, fencing them into tight balls, ready to be devoured.

3 ORCAS Tysfjord, Norway