Divers have voted Bermuda the best place in the Caribbean and Atlantic for snorkelling and the third best destination in the region to dive underwater wrecks.

The latest edition of Scuba Diving magazine has listed the top spots in a variety of categories, as voted for by more than 4,500 subscribers, and placed Bermuda first with a 100 percent score as the top snorkelling place in the region.

In a feature on the Island the US-based magazine reports: "To many divers, the best reason to visit Bermuda is to dive the destination's historic shipwrecks, which span five centuries.

"But our readers have found that Bermuda's clear, shallow waters offer excellent access to healthy reefs that can be enjoyed on snorkel. So take a break in the middle of your week of exploring nautical accidents to leave your tank on shore and enjoy the freedom of snorkelling at favourite sites like Church Bay, John Smith's Bay and Tobacco Bay."

When it comes to the best places to dive wrecks the Island comes out in third place in a close contest with the British Virgin Islands and Aruba in the Caribbean and Atlantic section.

News that Bermuda is so highly regarded amongst the diving fraternity is not a surprise to Graham Maddocks, who owns Triangle Diving Bermuda at Grotto Bay, he just wishes more people on the Island would realise what a wonderful marine environment exists on their doorstep.

"We have some of the best diving in the Atlantic but we are very under-rated, even some people in Bermuda do not realise how good we are," said Mr. Maddocks.

"We are the second most remote inhabited Island in the world, so we are so remote from environmental damage and disease and we have no freshwater run-off that destroys underwater visibility."

When the sea cools in the winter the visibility under the waves increases further, said Mr. Maddocks.

"We are very environmentally friendly. I've dived in places like Belize and Mexico and Dominica and I say Bermuda is better. In Belize you have to drive three hours to go diving but here you are only 30 minutes away at the most. We've always had the best snorkelling it's just that most people do not know it."

Michael Heslop, director of Fantasea Diving, agreed: "It is something I have been saying for a long time. We have the best snorkelling without a doubt.

"I lived in the Cayman Islands for two years and it has great wall dives, but for snorkelling and shallow dives Bermuda is the best."

He mentioned prime locations such as North Shore with its tunnels, out around North Rock and the South Shore, adding: "It all depends what you are comparing things with, but for shallow dives Bermuda is, without doubt, more colourful and prettier."