One of the world's smallest nations and a single upthrust slab of coral rock, Niue has almost no beaches, and needs none. Its magic lies below: clamber through the Talava sea arches, swim the sunlit Limu Pools, and squeeze into chasms where shafts of light pierce water of near-unreal clarity, visibility often beyond seventy meters. In season, humpback whales calve so close to shore that you may catch their song while snorkeling straight from the swim platform. Swimming and non-motorized craft only here; motorized watersports need the local authority's permission.