EXPLORING THE ABYSS

The Sport: Scuba diving and snorkeling

The Arena: Turks + Caicos

Your Adventure: You could spend your entire time on T+C's wonderful beaches, but then you'd be ignoring the inviting world just beyond your towel. Diving the Turks + Caicos is like plunging into a 166-square-mile aquarium, putting you face-to-face with parrotfish, grouper, and horse-eyed jacks, and maybe even a humpback whale or hammerhead. In fact, these islands southeast of the Bahamas lay claim to some of the world's best snorkeling and diving: They have both shallow coral gardens and 12,000-foot trenches. For the closest access to dozens of dive sites, including the notorious 7,000-foot Wall, underwater people stay at Sunset Reef, on the beach of quiet, pristine Salt Cay. The property will arrange diving trips to a 18th-century British warship and surrounding waters, and you set you off to snorkel along the offshore coral reefs whenever your whims (and the tides) dictate. The two villas, with simple tropical decor, sleep up to six guests and have full kitchens for cooking up the catch of the day. Just don't get too overambitious: In these waters of the deep, you never know who might be hunting whom.

Sunset Reef
Tel: 649 941 7753
Dive packages from $1,100 per week, per person