Almost everyone has heard of Jacques Cousteau. He is probably the most famous diver in the history of scuba diving. And rightly so since he is the one who made it accessible to the average person.

However, a few notable names often mentioned in discussions about accomplished deep-sea divers include Jacques Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, and James Cameron. Each has made significant contributions to underwater exploration and marine research.

The Algarve in Southern Portugal has fantastic diving all year, with endless sunshine and clear warm waters reaching up to 23 °C in summer. Go Azores diving from April to October to experience water visibility up to 35m and to meet some of the islands' 20 or so visiting whale species, plus dolphins, turtles and sharks.

A recreational diving limit of 130 feet can be traced back decades. The deepest your typical recreational scuba diver can go is 130 feet. In order to venture further and explore wrecks, caves and other sites beyond 130 feet, these agencies — such as PADI, NAUI and SSI — require “technical” certifications.