I won’t lie, the water will be colder than snorkelling in the Seychelles, but there's a real buzz to diving off the coast of Britain. A good wetsuit makes all the difference, and if you’re a bit of a fair-weather diver, summer is the time to take a dip. Here’s our ten best spots to whet your appetite.

The Manacles, off the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall

Located a short distance from The Lizard coast, the granite reef of the Manacles offers some of the most fun you can have with flippers in Britain. This popular dive site is home to a variety of marine life including several starfish species such as the common, cushion and spiny starfish and wrasse, which reach up to 50cm in length. In summer, you may even spot a pod of dolphins cruise by.

Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands

Related Internet Links

• Read about more water sports adventures in Europe

Britain's best wild swimming spots

Louise Roddon suggests seven of her favourite rivers for a refreshing dip in England and Wales

• The world's deepest swimming pool

It came from the bog

Bog-snorkelling is for wimps — real men do it on a bike. Fetch my mudguards, says Stephen Bleach

Diving with sharks in Scotland

Ginny McGrath takes a dip in Scotland's largest aquarium and meets an amorous shark and cuddly ray

A 40-mile row down the Thames

Novice rower Minty Clinch takes a punt on a skiff adventure around Henley and beyond

Related Links

• Britain's best wild swimming spots

Scotland has many great dive sites including the marine nature reserve of St Abbs and Eyemouth, but top of the list for many is the scuttled German World War One Fleet which lies in the rather ominous sounding Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Divers are drawn here to explore 180-metre-long, 36,000-tonne battleships that still have everything from guns to teak decking.

Challaborough Beach, South Devon

Russell Troake, PADI Scuba Instructor, describes the wreck of the "Persier" as being his favourite British dive site. This Belgian steamer was torpedoed and sank in 1945 and can now be reached on a 10 minute RIB boat ride from Challaborough Beach, South Devon. He says: “The wreck lies in about 30m of water - as well as an abundance of fish, there are beds of soft pink coral fans to be discovered. Highlights include swimming over the mast, rigging and winches and searching for crabs, lobsters and conger eels.”

Scomer Island, Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire has some of the most spectaclar coastal scenery in Britain and below the waves there’s plenty to see too. The array of sea life in these waters includes dolphins, porpoises and seals as well as brightly coloured wrasse and impressive coral species. Skomer Island, being a marine nature reserve, is a popular destination. There are dive sites which cater for both learner divers and the more experienced. In addition to shallow reef dives and drift dives, there’s also the wreck of The Lucy for more experienced divers to explore. This 52-metre vessel ran aground in 1967 and now sits in 40 metres of water.

Lundy Island, Bristol Channel, Devon

This car-free island is an unspoilt habitat enjoyed by a large variety of wildlife including migratory seabirds and the Lundy ponies. Like Scomer Island, this is a marine nature reserve and large parts of the surrounding water are protected as a "no take" zone for fish and other marine life. All good news for divers who come to experience this unique environment. Lundy is also a good location for diving with seals.

Farne Islands, Northumberland

Times recommends

• Croatia: the flashing blades of Korkcula
• The best stopovers en route to Australia
• Chernobyl offers a holiday in hell