Socotra Island

Socotra sits in the northwestern Indian Ocean isolated enough that a third of its plant species exist nowhere else on Earth — and the same evolutionary pressure applies underwater. Bull sharks patrol the outer walls alongside grey reefs, while endemic fish species and undisturbed coral gardens reward the rare diver who makes the journey. Access is genuinely difficult and the political situation requires careful planning, but for those who get there the reef is as pristine as anywhere on the planet.