Of the remaining wrecks, the dive operators tend to frequent the following:

Darlington - English steamer built 1881, sank 1886; 5-10m deep; 9.6km off the West End; prolific coral growth and fish life.

Caraquet - English passenger steamer built 1894, sank 1923; 10-15m deep; 16km north of Hamilton; huge boilers, anchor and propellors.

Madiana - English/Canadian passenger steamer built 1877, sank 1903; 8m deep; 1.6km east of Caraquet; partially salvaged in World War II, but stern and twin boilers still evident.

Eagle - English merchantman carrying passengers and supplies from Plymouth, sank 1658; 15m deep; close to North-East Breakers; salvaged by Teddy Tucker; not much left apart from two cannons.

Beaumaris Castle - English sailing ship built 1864, sank 1873; carrying jute, linseed oil and gum from Calcutta to New York; 8m deep; on top of Mill's Breakers off East End next to Avenger and Colonel William Ball; two attempts at salvage failed; row of deadeyes marks site. Avenger- English brigantine, sank 1894; carrying salt, fish and sawn boards from Nova Scotia to West Indies; 8m deep; lies next to Beaumaris Castle.

Colonel William Ball - US motor yacht built 1929, sank 1943; taken over by US Navy and used as harbour boat; 5-8m deep; lies next to Beaumaris Castle and Avenger on Mill's Breakers.

Wychwood - English steamer built 1950, sank 1955; blown up after sinking because navigational hazard; now scattered at 18-20m.

Rita Zovetto - Italian steamer built 1919, sank 1924; 6-22m; at East End near Pelinaion.

Kate - English steamer built 1874, sank 1878; 15m; off north-east coast; can see boilers, engine, propeller; abundant coral, rock beauties.

Pollockshields - English steamer built 1890, sank 1915; carrying ammunition from Cardiff to Bermuda; 8-16m; just off Elbow Beach on South Shore; on calm days can be snorkelled to (follow waste pipe out to sea, then hang a left); plenty to see, including live ammo and shell casings.

Virginia Merchant - English sailing boat, sank 1661; carrying 179 passengers (only 10 survived); 4 -15m deep; just off Sonesta Beach on South Shore; can see anchor, small ballast pile and wood debris; salvaged cannon now outside Sonesta Beach Hotel.

King - US tug built 1941, scuttled 1984; 22m deep; 80m off South Shore; intact with 45 degree list; great for photographs.

Airplane - US B-29 bomber, crashed 1961 shortly after leaving Bermuda, crew bailed out; 8-10m; close to North Carolina wreck; can see propeller, wings and fuselage on reef.

Caesar - English brigantine built 1814, sank 1818; carrying grindstones, masonic flasks, medicinal phials and glass bottles from Newcastle to Baltimore; 12m deep; west of Airplane; salvaged by Teddy Tucker but grindstones and bottles still there.

Blanch King - American schooner built 1887, sank 1920; 12m deep; close to North Carolina wreck; cable and rigging with deadeyes scattered over reef, plus machinery, capstan and centreboard box for retractable keel.

That's an awful lot of talk about wrecks - what about the reefs that caused their downfall? Bermuda is famous for its breakers or boilers, where the reef rises to the surface of the ocean and gets in the way of passing vessels - you'll see plenty of them for yourself as your captain skilfully navigates the dive boat through the hundreds of channels on the way to a site. These breakers in themselves present stunning dive opportunities, with caves, swim-throughs and overhangs to explore.

The coral formations might not be as obviously dramatic or colourful as, say, in the southern Red Sea, but they're healthy, and home to huge schools of fish. There are plenty of excellent examples of brain, sponge and star coral, sea fans and whips, candelabra coral (look out for the amazingly pretty flamingo tongue shell, which feeds on it), fire coral (check out the Christmas tree worms, but don't get too close) and anemones.

Don't miss the massive, beautifully marked parrotfish, the huge lobsters and sheets of silversides that envelop divers as they emerge from a great swim-through at Eastern Blue Cut; the boiling waters, cavernous tunnels and ubiquitous four-eyed butterflyfish at the South-West Breakers; and the stunning selection of purple sea fans, brain and sponge corals and mauve-tipped anemones, the sunny, sandy-bottomed caves and the schools of snappers at North Rock. There's no getting away from the troops of sergeant majors (locally known as cowpollies), wherever you go, and you'll get used to seeing angel, trigger and squirrelfish.

Popular sites with the dive operators also include Inbetweenies, Dudley Hill, Truk Hole, Cranium Reef, Parrots Landing, Cathedral Cavern, Gurnet Rock, Golfball Reef, North East Breaker, South Shore, Tarpon Hole, Smuggler's Notch and Hangover Hole.