Bonaire

Bonaire is consistently ranked among the best shore-diving destinations on the planet. And for good reason — simply rent a truck, load it with scuba gear and stop at any of the yellow-painted stones on the roadside that mark dive sites. The island’s west coast alone offers more than 50 beach-access sites. Among Bonaire’s top spots are 1,000 Steps, Small Wall, Karapata and the 236-foot-long Hilma Hooker, a popular wreck you can get to from shore. Better still, all of the waters surrounding the island have enjoyed marine-park protection since 1978, so the sea life is always prodigious, with abundant angelfish, yellowtail snappers, grunts, parrotfish, rock beauties, squirrelfish as well as plentiful corals and gorgonians.