Le Trou Diable (Devil's Hole)

Don't be fooled by the name: Le Trou Diable (also known as Devil's Hole) is very easy for beginning divers to explore, similar to Fairyland at Soufrière. A fairly easy dive with a flat coral reef at about 40ft/12M, however, the maximum depth is more than 100ft/30M. The dive includes Finger Coral, Brain Coral, Barrel Sponges, the usual tropical fish, and on a good day, up to three turtles. A fantastic second dive lasting around an hour. Under the waves, there is a plethora of coral, a rainbow of fish, including grunts and Chromis, and the odd turtle. This reef is said to be one of the healthiest on the island. There are submerged and semi-submerged caverns in the cliff face, but there are also several enormous rock formations stretching out from the cliff face that are full of canyons and overhangs that have supported schools of blue tang and a little hawksbill turtle.

There have been unsubstantiated allegations that Le Trou de David had completely fallen owing to flooding; nevertheless, when zoomed in on a satellite map, one can observe that so far no harm has been done to the stunning site. Definitely a combination of paradise and reality that may be deadly when the water is stormy, and initially mislabeled as something from Hell.

• Dive Level: Advanced.
• Location: in a detached unit of Death Valley National Park and surrounded by the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in Nye County, Nevada, in the Southwestern United States.