e are blessed with the world's best diving virtually at our doorstep. The bluest waters, the whitest sands, fish of every colour and species, WWII wrecks, sunken cities and the opportunity to visit island paradises yet to be experienced. Leave the Peter Benchley novel at home. It's time to take the plunge.

CHINA Shi Cheng (Thousand Islands Lake's Hidden City) Beneath the scenic Thousand Islands Lake (Qian Dao Hu) in western Zhejiang, sleeps a time capsule from a bygone era. Rediscovered in 2001 after an exhaustive month long search, Shi Cheng or 'Lion City' – a Ming Dynasty walled city of 6,000 inhabitants – had remained out of sight since it was flooded in 1959, a casualty of a hydroelectric project.

The lake itself is a popular holiday hangout for domestic tourists who mostly remain near the city of Chun'an, the jumping off point for lake excursions. Shi Cheng lies about halfway across the lake – some 50 metres from the shore.

In relatively deep, cold, murky water – this trip is for advanced divers only. However, those with the requisite skills will be treated to a swim through history. The city's north gate is still intact, as are staircases, door frames and many roof timbers. A 9-metre tall imperial tablet of the Qian Long era (1736-1795) still greets visitors, as it would have done almost 50 years ago.

Hainan The nation's southern island province is the gateway to scuba for most Chinese travellers. First-timers beware though – standards and service are questionable in Hainan's dive industry at present. New divers are not given swim fins; equipment is poorly maintained and many 'divemasters' do not have sufficient training to be responsible guides. For the experienced, the waters off Sanya in the Yalong Bay resort area are promising, with superb coral growth. But the only fish one will see are those too small to be edible, and therefore temporarily spared by fishermen.

THAILAND Probably the most popular destination for China-based travellers (for numerous well-documented reasons), the Land of Smiles is also one of Southeast Asia's top diving areas. With established infrastructure and options for every budget, both the west and east coasts offer divers a wealth of options.

West Coast The country's most popular beach resort and a short flight from Bangkok, Phuket leans towards travellers willing and able to spend a bit more money on their holiday. The island is also the jumping off point for two excellent dive areas – the Similan Islands, and Koh Phi Phi.

Lying 100 kilometres northwest of Phuket, the Similan Islands are every underwater traveller's dream. A series of islands in the Andaman Sea, they attract some of the ocean's most graceful animals, including whale sharks (the world's largest fish) and manta rays that can grow to six metres across. Getting there usually requires a multi-day or overnight trip as the islands are four to five hours away by boat. For pristine diving and a chance to see some of the ocean's most spectacular creatures – it's well worth it.

A two-hour boat ride from Phuket and accessible from the beach resort town of Krabi, Koh Phi Phi provided the setting for the Leonardo DiCaprio backpacker film, The Beach. Actually not one 'beach' but a series of small islands, Koh Phi Phi offers encounters with turtles, harmless leopard sharks and shy sea horses. Because nearby habitation is sparse, visibility is better than at dive sites close to Phuket. Consider making an overnight stay here for better enjoyment of the local dive environs.

East Coast The Gulf of Thailand presents divers with an array of options. Most popular among these are Koh Samui and Koh Tao.

Offering diving experiences as contrasting as their land-based habitats, the two islands cater to different segments of the market. Koh Samui sees more upscale travellers who may wish to combine a beach holiday with diving. Though note, because dive sites near Samui are of poorer quality than the surrounding islands, some operators use fast boats to shuttle customers out to Koh Tao. Where Samui scores is accommodation, services, and facilities for visitors, and, as such, may better suit families travelling and diving together.

For those seeking more of a backpacker destination, Koh Tao is the way to go. It's crammed with dive shops that offer certification courses and accommodation for as little as USD 250, depending on the season. It's quality diving too. Rising from the sea floor to within 20 metres of the surface, Chumphon Pinnacle is attractive to both beginners and those with more experience. An oceanic bounty circles the upper reaches, while larger fish and a bull shark patrol the depths, and with prevailing temperatures and lady luck on your side you may even glimpse a whale shark come April and May.

Take a look at Green Rock, White Rock, and Japanese Garden sites. All are excellent for beginners making their early excursions underwater, and well suited to extending skills such as night diving as well.

AUSTRALIA The Pixar film Finding Nemo made audience members want to do just that: fly to the southern hemisphere in search of clownfish and the other supporting members of the cast, including sharks, rays, turtles, and other colourful reef fish.

The largest living organism in the world and the only one visible from space, the reef extends along much of Queensland's coastline and can be accessed in places via day boats. Do yourself a favour though: take a 3-4 day live-aboard boat trip for full enjoyment. Sites such as Cod Hole, where giant potato cod munch on hard-boiled eggs like frisky puppies, and Steve's Bommie, a large coral outcropping that hosts a wealth of marine life, not to mention up to 50-metre visibility, make this one of the Asia-Pacific's most worthwhile diving experiences.

Southern Australia is also home to a much-maligned predator of Hollywood legend – the great white shark. Special four-day and weeklong trips are available to search for this increasingly rare animal, with guides including Rodney Fox, who survived a great white shark attack in the 60s and has the U-shaped scar across his torso to prove it.

THE MALDIVES Idyllic, bleach-white beaches kissed by azure-blue water: what other image is there for the archipelago nation of the Maldives?

Sure it's an idealised representation of the rapidly disappearing Indian Ocean 'paradise', but there is still much inspiration there. Around the two main islands, North and South Male Atoll, are pristine reefs (a little spoiled by development), many of which are home to tuna, napoleon wrasses, sharks and turtles. In season, the hammerhead shark can be seen at some sites.

Many of the nation's islands feature only one resort, and make a superb vacation for travellers with an ample budget and a desire for quiet and solitude. Approximately 12 air hours away from China's major cities (via Sri Lanka, Singapore, or Bangkok), the trip is a long one but most believe it's worth the journey.

THE PHILIPPINES To some extent the Philippines represents the unchartered pick of the bunch. Stricter visa regulations have reduced the country's appeal to tour groups and agents on the Chinese mainland, however new diplomatic moves in 2005 may lower those travel barriers and open some of Southeast Asia's best waters to Chinese divers again.

Puerto Galera is the easiest dive area to access from Manila. It's rich in colour and vigorous with life. Rewards for the careful eye include seahorses, frogfish hidden among sponges and stonefish cunningly camouflaged among silted rocks.

Many sites are appropriate for beginners, but Puerto Galera also features more challenging sites and drift dives. Be sure to make your dive operator aware of your skill level and choose sites appropriately.

Situated between the island clusters of Luzon and Mindanao lies Visayas, of which the resorts of Cebu and Malapasuca are the choice spots for divers. A short boat ride away from the city of the same name, Cebu dive site is accessible for those travelling with families. Although not the best in the country, it's still a convenient opportunity for quality submersion.

For perhaps the finest variety anywhere in Southeast Asia, try the island of Malapasuca – two-and-a-half hours north of Cebu and described by Lonely Planet as 'the new Boracay,' after the popular beach resort elsewhere in the Philippines. It has no roads and is accessible only by boat from the northern tip of Cebu. Conditions on the island remain endearingly primitive, with only six hours of electricity per day in the evening.

Nearby Monad Shoal features the only regular encounter in the world with bigeye thresher sharks, timid members of the shark family with tails as long as their bodies. And, just five metres down off the island's west shore, divers can explore a World War II Japanese landing craft sunk by American aircraft in 1943. Wreck-lovers with an appetite may want to take a gander at the nearby Tapilon, a sunken Japanese freighter also sent to the bottom by Americans with multiple aerial torpedo hits.