Everyone wants different things from their holidays – some people want to discover different cultures, immersing themselves in the sights, sounds, and sensory overload of somewhere completely different from where you live; other people want to see sites of historical importance, expanding their knowledge and understanding of the world; and some people just want to be able to lie in the sun, next to a pool and think about nothing other than which cocktail they are going to order next. One interesting trend that we are seeing in holiday planning at the moment is that more and more people are looking to combine their travels with their hobbies or sports. One of the most popular types of these activity-based holidays is swimming. Compared to some sports or hobbies, swimming is one of those activities that travels easily – a pair of speedos and goggles don’t take up much room in your luggage, all you need to do is find a suitable stretch of water and dive in. In this article we take a look at some of the best swimming holiday destinations around the world.
Croatian Islands
The coast of Croatia is a stunning part of the world and perfect for combining short coastal swims with longer distances between the islands. The Dalmatian Coast boasts some of the clearest and bluest water in the Mediterranean. Explore the Sibenik archipelago and the island of Krapanj.
Arizona Lakes
You may not think of Arizona as one of the world’s great swimming destinations, but Lake Powell is a swimmers paradise – in summer the water temperature is around 20 degrees. This is a huge man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, you will be surrounded by red rocks and sandy beaches as you swim through the clear blue water.
Egyptian Coral
The Red Sea is hugely popular because you are able to swim over richly populated coral reefs. The coral coast line in this Sinai region of the Red Sea extends for around eight hundred kilometres, bordered by the red mountains to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. The coastal down of Dahab is the best place to start your swimming expedition and enjoy the year-round sunshine and warm water that makes this an incredible place to swim.
Greek Dolphins
It doesn’t get any more idyllic than swimming among dolphins as you island hop around the Ionian Sea. Explore Ithaca and Kefallonia, discover hidden caves and untouched beaches.
Australian Shipwrecks
The stretch of coast that extends West from the city of Melbourne (in the south east corner of Australia) is appropriately known as the Shipwreck Coast. This is a treacherous coastline and during the days of maritime expedition and transport and great many ships came to grief on the rocky cliffs that you now drive along as you went your way along the Great Ocean Road, bordered by the Otway Ranges. The swimming here is ocean swimming – luckily the Australian lifesavers are on standby if you need them.
Who said a holiday needs to be relaxing? Get your goggles out, it’s time to go swimming!
This article was written by Gareth originally published on www.etravelblog.com. Read the original here.
*Image of girl swimming via Shutterstock
*Image of Lake Powell and Glen Canyon in Arizona, USA via Shutterstock
*Image of free diver via Shutterstock
