February 8, 2009
Scuba Diving is one of the best activities to do when you are on a nice tropical island. Under the sea, down where it’s wetter, you’ll find coral reefs teeming with life, Nemo’s cousins, lots of fish, plants, and beautiful colors. Whether you are looking to start or looking for new places to go, here’s a list of some of the best places to go diving in the world:
The Blue HoleThe Blue Hole in Belize is one of the most famous dive sites in the world. This site was made famous by Jacques Cousteau who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. You can dive in crystal clear water and see several types of reef sharks as well as the bull shark and hammerheads.
ThailandThailand has a number of famous dive sites: Phuket, Ko Tao, Similan Islands, and the Surin Islands. In fact, you can pretty much dive anywhere in the country, though the best diving in near Ko Tao and up near the Similans. Moreover, Ko Tao is a cheap place to learn to scuba dive.
Gili IslandsThe Gilis in Indonesia is the new hot spot with people flocking here in ever increasing numbers. With good reason- the reefs and waters here provide some amazing visual sights. And with the islands cheaper than it’s neighbor Bali, it is even more reason to come here.
SipadanLocated in Malaysia, Sipadan is possibly one of the best five dive sites in the world. The place is teeming with life. You will see turtles, cave systems, sharks, dolphins, schools if fish, bright coral, bright fish, and everything in between in such sheer volume your head will explore.
Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef needs no introduction. Every knows about it. Located off Australia, the world’s longest reef has all the tropical sea life and coral you could ever imagine. No visit to the country is complete without a visit to the reef.
HawaiiHawaii has some great scuba diving. The islands are ringed with reefs and wildlife. The area north of the islands was just made into the largest marine reserve in the United States ensuring great diving for years to come.
MicronesiaTropical islands as beautiful as Micronesia always have one thing in common: they are encircled by vibrant coral reefs. Sites like the Blue Wall make Micronesia one of the top destinations in the South Pacific. It’s out of the way, inexpensive, and pristine.
BoracayLocated in the Philippines, this tropical paradise is also diving paradise. You’ll find all the usual suspects here as well as abundant reef systems. When you are done swimming below the sea, you can enjoy the beaches above the water.
Fernando de NoronhaThis off the beaten place is in Brazil. Here you will find lots of life among the blue waters that circle these islands. You’ll be able to swim with turtles, dolphins, and much more.
Egyptian Red SeaThe Red Sea, with its clear turquoise blue water, has some excellent dive sites. The best of the reefs are absolutely stunning with a real diversity of life. From Sharm El Sheikh to the wrecks at Sha’ab Abu Nuhas to the Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed, you fill find excellent diving all over the Red Sea.
So whether you are a beginner or an expert, make sure you visit these dive sites for some excellent scuba diving. They will take your breath away.
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Comments
31 Responses to “Best Places to Go Scuba Diving”
Will on February 8th, 2009 2:39 pm
Having just gotten my open-water certification, and ready to give up the life of “ski-bum” in favor of “beach bum”, this list is sure to come in handy. Thanks!
Chris on February 8th, 2009 3:42 pm
Hi Matt,
These all look great. For something a bit cooler check this out (it’s on my wishlist)
http://www.ice-diving.co.uk/
Cheers,
Chris
Camels & Chocolate on February 8th, 2009 5:30 pm
Ooh, now I have some new places to add to my to-dive list! So far, I’ve only done the Bahamas (which is totally underrated when it comes to diving…the Abacos, for one, are STUNNING, and Andros, too, is supposed to have amazing marine life and the second blue hole to Belize’s), Roatan (only eh), Great Barrier Reef, Dominican Republic, Maldives (which SHOULD go on your list).
Where have you dived in Hawaii? And have you ever done Cook Islands? That’s up next for me next month.
Tina on February 8th, 2009 11:43 pm
Another place, is Akumal, about 2 hours south of Cancun. It’s where Cousteau discovered sleeping sharks. It was a beautiful place, where the ocean was on one side, and the jungle on the other.
Caitlin on February 9th, 2009 12:43 am
Fantastic post! I’m going SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef in April on my honeymoon. You don’t mention where on the reef you think is best. I’ve heard Lizard Island is amazing, but we are going to Heron and Wilson Islands - hopefully that will be wonderful too.
I’m surprised you don’t mention the wrecks in the South Pacific - Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, for example.
And I’ve heard that Papua New Guinea is pretty much the ultimate for diving, on the north coast near Medan.
Travel Over 30s on February 9th, 2009 12:44 am
I actually think the Great Barrier Reef is a bit over-rated these days especially with the amount of die back. I prefer the reef off Western Australia - at Exmouth. The reef is within reach of the beach and the water is very clear - and there are hardly any people there
Caitlin on February 9th, 2009 12:46 am
PS it would be cool to have some cool water dive sites on the list too. Or maybe on a separate list?
Duane on February 9th, 2009 4:46 am
I’d probably add French Polynesia. I loved diving in Bora Bora and Moorea. Awesome coral life and big animals. Diving with mantas on Bora Bora has been one of the best experiences.
Living in Chicago, I’m also very fond of the shipwreck diving in the Great Lakes.
Tamara on February 9th, 2009 9:53 am
Matt - a great list indeed - some places to add to my ‘must go’ list. Out of all of these I am ashamed to say I have only visited one - the Red Sea.I would also like to recommend diving near Zanzibar - you can dive from the north of the island but if you go a little further and get a boat to Pemba it gets even better.
Quickroute on February 9th, 2009 7:26 pm
Roatan - Honduras ain’t bad either.Barrier reef is king though!
Sara on February 9th, 2009 10:24 pm
These photos are amazing. I’ll have to take your word for the quality of scuba - I’m terrified.
However, snorkeling I can do. Would love to see a top 10 list for snorkeling too!
Diving Maldives on February 10th, 2009 5:03 am
Maldives Islands is seen by many scuba diving lovers as one of the best diving locations in the world.
Ellaidhoo Reef and Fesdhu Wreck in the Maldives are rated as top class diving spots where divers will be treated for reef fishes, jacks, eels and Groupers..just to name a few.
To appreciate what Maldives has to offer for Scuba Diving enthusiasts, one has to see the true beauty of these locations.
carpool guy on February 10th, 2009 5:48 am
as mentioined before, Wreck diving in Solomon Islands is a great plan too! Great Barrier Reef is probably a bit expensive to go diving, the west coast of australia has some nice diving sites too and is a lot less touristy.
Travel Over 30s on February 10th, 2009 9:37 am
Hi Lissie again - I just tagged you over on my blogs - 7 things about you and 7 blogs you like
SoCal Diver on February 10th, 2009 3:15 pm
No Catalina Island?
NomadicMatt on February 11th, 2009 6:32 am
Ahh, so many great places. I know Hondorus, the west of Australia (whale sharks!), Bora Bora, and more are all great. I only wanted to pick ten but lets be real- there are way more than 10 great diving sites in the world!
Thank you all for your recommendations and lovely comments!
Simple on February 13th, 2009 7:52 am
Wow, really nice places. I liked the Egyptian red sea. BTW how much would it cost for scuba diving ?
Jim Paredes on February 13th, 2009 8:37 am
Boracay is not deserving to be on your list. It is a great vacation place but the diving is lousy. YOu have to dive to 90 feet before you see a wall or anuthing interesting.
There are far more interesting places in the Philippines to dive such as Tubataha Reef which is a candidate to be a World Heritage site. It’s a live aboard experience, and many divers will say it is better than anything in Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia.
You can also go to Anilao or Bohol.
Joediveramerica on February 13th, 2009 1:24 pm
Every were very nice shot one of the best is that in Boracay…I really love that place…one of my dream place especially for scuba divng…..
jessie voigts on February 13th, 2009 9:24 pm
i want to go!!!
jen laceda on February 14th, 2009 4:29 am
Your picks are right on! I love Boracay in the Philippines. Sadly, the island had become over commercialized…but the Boracay I remember is the laid back enclave of the 80’s and early 90’s (where there were only 2 clubs, a few restaurants on the beach, and maybe 3-4 beach hut hotels. I heard that nowadays, semi high rise hotels/resorts are lined side by side with clubs, themed eateries, spas, etc.
The Vegan Snorkeler on February 15th, 2009 5:08 pm
This list is now my travel wish list! I just got scuba certified a few days ago, and I can’t wait to dive again.
Dante on February 16th, 2009 7:48 pm
Thanks for the photos - but when it comes to dive sites, it’s like talking about your favorite food: Everyone has a different “hot spot”.Tubataha in the Philippines is definitely a great spot - if the Taiwanese fishingboats didn’t take out all of the grouper.If you can afford it: PNG (Papua New Guinea) offers the most fascinating spots I’ve ever seen (and I have been to almost every country between Singapore and Micronesia). Commercial dive operations are costly but if you have the chance to go on your own sailboat, you can go further then they can. We found a reef between two uninhabited islands - the top about 15 ft deep, where fish still wascurious and came to check you out. We anchored in 140ft deep water where you could see the bottom and I had to abandon the anchor dive because the sharks were too big an curious.PNG is tiger shark country, so keep your eyes open and play it safe. Because it is out of the way for the big fishing fleets, there is still an abundant fish and coral life to find.And the country and people are just wild.Go before it’s gone….
Mi laik i go long Papua Nuigini
NastyGash on February 16th, 2009 11:52 pm
Saba anyone? Better than Roatan and Yucatan IMHO.
Cameron on February 17th, 2009 4:31 am
I love the ideas but I really do think that Bonaire of the Netherland Antillies should be up there. Cozumel is beautiful as well.
Lisa on February 18th, 2009 9:41 pm
I think I’ve just added 7 places to my must-see list. Culling the list to just ten must have been a job. The photos are spectacular. Thanks!
Earlene Simmons on February 18th, 2009 9:41 pm
Totally facinating ! ! ! !
Micky on February 20th, 2009 6:41 am
Wakatobi is by far the most amazing diving in the world. I have been all over the world diving -including most of the places listed above and the diving at Wakatobi is pristine!
muzz on February 20th, 2009 4:11 pm
Right on Dante.
Sadly too many of these beautiful places are degraded as humans over exploit this precious resource.
Some places are dying and many of the neighbouring sites have “died” some years ago.Tragic.
Greed and self interest about amongst the beauty
Aline on February 28th, 2009 2:56 am
Cozumel is beautiful!!… You should go … its really fascinating!! =)
coach sydney on March 5th, 2009 12:25 am
Diving is great hobby! This is an interesting site with all kinds of interesting pictures. You will find you can really spend time here.
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