There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself. Except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you will realize that you have been missing the whole point of the ocean.
Dave Berry’s words ring true in every sense.
Scuba diving is an experience like no other. It opens you up to an entirely different world and puts you in awe of it!
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Here is a crème de la crème of best scuba diving locations in the world as suggested by travel bloggers.
Best Diving Locations in the World
Best Scuba Diving Locations in Asia
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Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Margherita of The Crowded Planet(Check out her blog on Instagram) had the following to say about Raja Ampat which is widely known for its rich marine diversity.
There are so many reasons to love Raja Ampat, and diving is definitely one of them. These remote islands in the western part of Indonesia only see a fraction of the tourist multitudes that descend on Bali, meaning that beaches and landscapes are still in pristine conditions – and the same is true underwater!
We only had time for two dives in Raja Ampat, as we only had three days in the islands and also wanted to see more, but I can say without the shadow of a doubt that during the first of my two Raja Ampat dives, I saw more than in all my other 40 dives combined!
The first dive site we visited was Sawardri and in one single dive, we saw barracudas, sharks, turtles, giant shrimps, lots of different fish and multicolored corals. On top of that, there was no one in sight! I really loved diving Raja Ampat and I’d love to be able to return next year, perhaps for a liveaboard!
Find all information about traveling to Raja Ampat Indonesia on her blog The Crowded Planet.
Moalboal, Philippines
Alex Trembath from Career Gappers (Check out his blog on Pinterest) went on about his favorite diving experience in the Philippines.
The Philippines is one of the world’s top locations for scuba diving, with over 7,000 islands of lush blue-green Pacific waters to explore. We took a trip to the coastal town of Moalboal on the south-west of Cebu Island.
With a rich diversity of marine life, wreck dives, wall dives, and underwater caverns within close reach, this picture-perfect spot had a bit of everything to satisfy our diving needs. It was also very easy to access in comparison to some diving sites around the Philippines; the bus from Cebu city took just three hours.
In two days of diving, we saw innumerable turtles, sea snakes, octopuses, barracudas, and cuttlefish, as well as immaculate coral reefs. The highlight, though, was Moalboal’s famous Sardine Run. Just a few meters from the shore, we dived into the midst of a million-strong school of sardines.
Although it’s possible to see the sardine school from the surface, there’s nothing quite like diving down underneath it. The sight of sunlight teeming through that giant swarm of little creatures darting about is one of our most special diving memories.
Tubbataha, Philippines
Mary from Move To Vietnam has been raving about Tubbataha and this is what she had to say about it.
Tubbataha has been attracting visitors from all over the world since the 1970s and it seems like it’s not done impressing the world yet. Tubbataha Reef is separated from Puerto Princesa, everyone who wishes to explore its beauty is required to take a 12-hour boat ride. There are over 360 coral species, which covers almost two-thirds of the part. It shows off magnificent reefs, vast lagoons, and ever two coral islands.
If you decide to try out scuba diving in Tubbataha, I assure that you will have the dive of a lifetime, however, if you are a beginner, I would highly recommend you to take an advanced training beforehand to appreciate its beauty.
Sipadan, Malaysia
Craig Russell of No Real Plan (Check out Instagram and Facebook) talked about his best diving experience in Sipadan.
To put it simply, scuba diving in Sipadan, Borneo, Malaysia is some of the best diving I have ever done. So what makes it so special? In 2002 and all resorts were banned from the island to protect the environment by the government. This means divers can no longer stay on the island and have to then stay at nearby places such as Mabul or Semporna. You usually have to have a certain number of dives completed, and be certified as an Advanced PADI Diver. Permits are then issued each day, allowing only 120 people to dive there so you often need to book in advance.
This may seem like a lot of effort, however, it makes the diving world class as nature flourishes in full swing in Sipadan. You can see schools of various fish, sharks, and turtles bigger than some coffee tables! Hammerhead sharks are also spotted there if you are lucky.
There is one dive site at Sipadan called The Drop Off where you go from standing and being waist deep in water to a 600-metre drop, so keep an eye on that depth gauge!
There is also an opportunity to swim into the blue to see massive schools of barracudas. I saw so many amazing sights, in such a small amount of time. If you want to visit the top places in the world to scuba dive then you have to add Sipadan to your list!
Koh Tao, Thailand
Inma and Jose of A World To Travel(Check out their blog on Instagram and Facebook) had the following to say about Koh Tao.
“Little we know we were going to fall so badly for scuba diving while wandering around Thailand a few years back. But it didn’t take long enough to figure out that it’s a paradise for scuba divers of all levels. Affordable prices, great island vibes was all that we could have asked for.”
“We jumped right in to get our Open Water Diver license from an SSI school. Apart from that, we got to dive a few cool spots where we saw many varieties of fishes which we hadn’t heard of before. Longish bannerfish, saddleback anemonefish (Nemo), blotched porcupine fish, parrotfish, titan triggerfish were just some of the species we got to witness.”
Read more about this Thailand paradise Koh Tao on their blog A World To Travel.
The Maldives
When I was collating this list suggested by other travel bloggers, I thought of adding a suggestion of own too about the Maldives.
The Maldives may be known for its luxury resorts and over water villas but the best part about the Maldives is under water. Especially on the radar for a variety of sharks and big fishes like grey tip and white tip sharks, tiger sharks, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays and Manta rays. I’m glad that I chose Maldives to get certified as a PADI Open water diver.
Out of the four dives I went on in the Maldives, I personally loved Kadooma Thila for it colourful and vibrant underwater life. It is apparently the best dive site in the Maldives and has a visibility of over 30 meters.
Guraidhoo Manta point was another one of my favorite dive points, for I witnessed many Manta rays and eagle rays near the cleaning stations coming up to clean their gills and skin from the smaller fishes.
Also, there are many wreck diving opportunities available for advanced scuba divers. If you want your travels to be focussed on diving, then try out live boarding experiences in the Maldives. Spending days in the midst of the ocean, watching the dance of the waves, and resplendent fishes, is nothing short of a dream, ain’t it?
Read on how to plan a trip to the Maldives on a Budget on The Roving Heart.
Best Scuba Diving Locations in Africa
Dahab, Egypt
Lisa of Scuba Around The World talks about her diving experience in Dahab, Egypt in the pristine Red Sea.
Dahab is a coastal town in the south-east of the Egyptian South Sinai peninsula. It lies on the Gulf of Aqaba, at the northern end of the Red Sea. Most dive sites in Dahab are easy to access shore dives that can be easily reached by car. With up to 30 different dive sites, the visibility that’s often over 20 to 30 meters, Dahab is rich in marine diversity. Also, it has plenty to offer for both advanced and novice divers. Combine this with Bedouin hospitality, 365 days of sunshine and plenty of other activities and you’ve found a great spot for your next diving holiday.
If you have a few extra days a tryout diving safari which is a unique and fun experience. Travel along the coast with your Bedouin guides (by camel if you want) and set up a dive camp in the middle of nowhere. Sleep under the stars and go on an early morning dive or try a dusk dive at some of the more remote dive sites.
Check out the best Dive spots in Dahab Egypt on her blog Scuba Around The World.
Sharm El Sheik, Egypt
Linda of Retired and Travelling(Check out her blog on Instagram and Facebook) talks about her experience diving in the Red Sea at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
I have always wanted to scuba dive in the Red Sea. Our cruise through the Middle East gave us the perfect opportunity when we stopped in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. We found most of Sharm El Sheikh to be deserted. Tourism is well below normal. But we did find a scuba shop to take us out for a dive from shore. Sharm El Sheikh is a great spot to access the Red Sea. We encountered large schools of fish, colorful corals, giant grouper, and crocodile fish.
Sharm El Sheikh is a treasure trove of historic dive sites, wall dives and colourful reef dives full of diverse marine life.
Read more about scuba diving in the Red sea at her blog Retired and Travelling.
Malindi, Kenya
Greta Omoboni of Greta’s Travels(Check out her blog on Instagram and YouTube) had the following to say about this offbeat diving location in Kenya.
For now, Malindi, in Kenya, isn’t on the mainstream diving radar, meaning that the coral reefs and marine wildlife are more untouched and not as exploited as in other popular destinations. There are two main barrier reefs in front of the Malindi beaches, both of which are home to multitudes of fish and turtles. There are two marine national parks in Malindi, one is Malindi Marine National Park and the other is called Watamu Marine National Park, just a short 20-minute drive away from each other.
The marine flora and fauna are very similar, the only difference is the presence of algae at different times of the year. In winter, low season, Watamu has the clearer water and the beaches in Malindi are covered in algae, whilst in summer it’s the other way around. When you visit make sure you dive at the park and barrier reef with the clearest water at that time of year!
Find out more about scuba diving in Malindi on her blog Greta’s Travels.
Best Scuba Diving Locations in Oceania
Ningaloo Reef and Muiron Islands, Australia
Wendy from Adventurous Retirement(Check out her blog on Facebook and Twitter) had a lot to say about diving in Ningaloo Reef and Muiron Islands.
Exmouth Australia was our favorite part of 2 months visiting Australia. The World Heritage Ningaloo Reef area, including Ningaloo Marine Park and the exquisite Muiron Islands Marine area, are spectacular dive destinations. As advanced divers, diving for approximately 20 years, we found Exmouth and the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area one of the best places to dive. I was personally drawn to Exmouth because of the fantastic dive reviews that claim it is much better than the Great Barrier Reef.
After diving both, in my opinion, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) pales in comparison to Ningaloo Reef and Muiron Islands.
We found the sea life to be more plentiful than the GBR. The corals are alive and pristine. Many of the live corals look green at depth. We have never seen so much live coral, like the huge fields of staghorn coral with all the sea life around it; they are immense and staggering to see.
We swam among beautiful and plentiful reef fish – many that we had never seen before. You’ll see spotted wrasse, bluetail wrasse, speckled wrasse, stars and stripes puffers, barimundi (a type of codfish), filefish, many varieties of starfish, small and large crayfish (lobster), coral pigfish, various types of colourful nudibranchs, and much more.
Some of the big animals we spotted include sharks, giant clams, mantas, blue spotted lagoon ray, wobbegong shark (we have never seen one before; it’s a shark with a goatee – a type of carpet shark).
Find out more about Exmouth, Australia on her blog Adventurous Retirement.
Byron Bay, Australia
Chris Stevens of Backpacker Banter(Check out his blog on Instagram) talks about his surreal experience diving in Byron Bay, Australia.
Out of all the places I’ve dived around the world one of my absolute favourites has to be Byron Bay in Australia.
Not only is this barefoot hippie beach town one of my favorite spots in Australia but the diving here is stunning.
Sure it doesn’t have the coral gardens of say the Barrier Reef and the water isn’t quite as warm, but Julian Rocks is one of the countries top dive sites.”
This rocky outcrop is famous for the big fishes. Be ready to encounter the Grey Nurse Sharks, huge rays, heaps of woebegone sharks and curious leopard sharks.
The shark encounters here are some of the best I’ve had and nothing quite beats seeing those shadows loom out of the deep and cruise past you without a care in the world, it’s something you’ll never forget!
Learn more about Byron Bay in his blog Backpacker Banter.
Best Scuba Diving Locations in Europe
Malta
Allison of Eternal Arrival(Check out her blog on Facebook and Instagram) had an offbeat location in mind. Here’s what she had to say about Malta.
Malta may not be the first destination that pops into your head when you think of scuba diving, but here’s why you should change that! Malta is home to unique, impressive geology that looks even more impressive underwater. You’ll get to explore sheer sea walls teeming with underwater life and dive through caves and tunnels (not as scary as it sounds!). You’ll find parrotfish, octopus, lobsters, damselfish, eels, and more.
Due to Malta’s geographic position between Italy and North Africa, it’s not surprising that there are tons of shipwrecks from World War I and II here.
Keep in mind that many of these wrecks require advanced open water certification though.
Berlengas islands, Portugal
Stuart Foster from Go Eat Do(Check out his blog on Facebook and Twitter) had the following to say about diving in Berlengas islands in Portugal.
Berlenga Grande has high, jagged cliffs and looks imposing as you enter the water of the Atlantic. Watch the Haliotis shells with silvery interiors litter the gritty ocean floor. Beneath the surface, you’ll be able to see octopuses and silvery shoals of fish. You can find beautiful caves full of red gorgonians and various colored anemones that make their home here. There are dozens of dive sites for divers of all certifications and experience. Also, there are tons of shipwrecks here at different depths making this area the largest shipwreck graveyard in Portugal.
The Berlengas islands rise from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 10 km off the Portuguese coastline.
Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia
Mar Pages of Once in a Lifetime Journey(Check out her blog on Facebook and Twitter) has the following to say about wreck diving in Chuuk lagoon.
The state of Chuuk is made of a 50 by 30-mile barrier reef enclosing a few sizeable islands and several other smaller ones. This protected reef is the reason why Chuuk was chosen as the main Japanese naval base in the Pacific following WWI.
In 1944 the US attacked the Japanese combined fleet stationed in Chuuk Lagoon in what was known as Operation hailstone and destroyed it all: ship, planes and land deployments.
Today, what remains is between 50 and 70 wrecks preserved underwater in what is the greatest wreck diving destination in the world.
Most of the wrecks are at deeper depths and require Advanced diving certifications and Nitrox. However even if you are just an Open water PADI diver like me, be rest assured to find several wreck dives here.
Read A complete guide to Chuuk on her blog Once In A Lifetime Journey.
Best Scuba Diving Locations in North America
Roatan Island, Honduras
I asked Campbell and Alya of Stingy Nomads(Check them out on Facebook and Twitter) about their favorite diving. Here is what they had to say about their best diving experience in Central America.
Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands off the east coast of Honduras.
The Mesoamerican Reef around Roatan Island is the largest reef in the Caribbean and the second largest in the world.
The reef creates dozens of different dive sites all around the island, each with special and unique characteristics. Texas had large groupers and pelagics such as barracudas and horse-eye jacks swimming over the beautiful reef. Deep Seequest showed us turtles and rays swimming over the sandy bottom. Seeing a big school of barracudas swimming next to West End Wall was a treat. Diving on the wreck of El Aguila was fantastic. This wreck lies at about 35m and was scuttled to form an artificial reef for diving. Big holes in the wreck are safe and easy for penetration. I enjoyed looking at many massive groupers and snappers swimming in this area. Offering a variety of marine life, beautiful reefs and warm clear water makes diving around Roatan Island spectacular.
Find out more about Scuba diving at Roatan Island at their site Stingy Nomads.
Cozumel, Mexico
Viktoria of Chronic Wanderlust(Check out her blog on Instagram and Facebook) couldn’t stop gushing about her diving experience in Cozumel, Mexico.
It’s definitely not a secret anymore because the reefs of Cozumel are out of this world. Those huge coral formations that you can find at the Palancar Reefs will make you drop your regulator. Not many stay long enough to discover all the reefs.
But even if you’d dive the same dive site for a month straight, you would find different things on each dive.
I spotted eagle rays, big green moray eels, tiny sea slugs, and many nurse sharks. In the right season, you can spot some blacktip sharks too. Turtles are also frequent visitors and will stop by to greet you.
My favorite dives sites on Cozumel? All of them are unique and so special, I couldn’t pick one. Maybe I prefer Palancar and Yucab just a little more than the others.
Best Scuba Diving Locations in South America
Bonaire National Marine Park, Bonaire
Rachel of Rachel’s Ruminations (Check out her blog on Instagram and Twitter) had only wonderful things to talk about Bonaire.
Bonaire is a tiny island in the Caribbean, quite close to Curaçao and north of Venezuela. Completely surrounded by reefs, it’s a perfect place for a diving vacation. Bonaire lies outside the usual hurricane routes, and the weather is pretty much perfect all year. Cactus is what grows best, rain is minimal, and the tidal variation is very small.
But here’s what makes Bonaire a magical diving spot: the entire coastline is protected as Bonaire National Marine Park, and the reefs line the shore, starting at the low tide line. You can literally wade into the water anywhere you choose around the island and enjoy a stunning dive. Any dive shop, of course, will give you tips about where the best spots are, but my husband and I loved the freedom of renting our equipment for the week. We stopped by our dive shop each morning to trade our empty air tanks for full and took off for whatever spot looked interesting.
Some days we just went diving from the patio of our beachfront rental cottage. It was magnificent.
Reef conservation
Coral reefs may have been around for as long as 500 million years, but scientists are warning that they might be gone or decimated by the end of the century. Due to various factors like rising temperature, plastic pollution and many others, corals are dying at a rapid rate than ever before. Where would the fishes go without the corals then? Doomsday doesn’t seem so far away now!
However, with urgent and collective action, we can mitigate it from happening.
Reduce pollution, practice safe and responsible diving and snorkeling, or even using a natural sunscreen that can help bring down reef destruction.
Additional Read: 10 Easy steps to protect coral reefs.
It is necessary that we preserve the corals for posterity, otherwise how else would future generations be in awe of this fascinating underwater world if there is nothing left to see?
So, what are your favorite scuba diving locations in the world? What do you think offers the best scuba diving in the world? Let me know in the comments below.
Credits to Featured image and Pinterest image – © Viktoria Urbanek | Chronic Wanderlust
Comments
20 CommentsLinda
Jan 31, 2018What a great collection of scuba diving locations. So many to add to my scuba diving wish list! Thanks for bringing these all together in one place. And thanks for including our Red Sea scuba diving adventures!
Raksha Rao
Feb 1, 2018Haha. I know. I have added so many to my scuba diving wishlist as well. And thanks Linda for your contribution 🙂
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018Thank you, Linda, for your contribution. My scuba diving list just got bigger 🙂
Eloise
Feb 3, 2018Whaaaaat? This photo of Raja Ampat is siiiiick! 😀
I want to go to every single dive site you listed.
I dived Cozumel a couple of years ago. We loved it so much that we rearranged the trip to be able to dive there a second time 😉
I’ve done my advanced certification in Byron Bay – I love the grey nurse sharks. There are other locations where you can have awesome dives with them on Australia’s East Coast (Wolf Rock, Fish Rock Cave or Broughton Island for example). I can’t even pick which one I prefer 😀
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018I know right. Raja Ampat is on the top of my bucket list just for the diving. And Cozumel seems like a wonderful location too. Can’t wait to dive there! haha. When there are so many beautiful locations to dive at, it’s hard to pick one.
Mei Mei Chu
Feb 3, 2018Solid list! Ive done Koh Tao (didnt like it) and Egypt, and will be doing Sipadan tmr! Cant wait to see if its really worth the hype!
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018That’s cool. Apparently, someone else mentioned about not liking Koh Tao too. Hope you had fun diving in Sipadan.
Elllie
Feb 3, 2018Gahhhh all these places look so amazing. I just need to work up the courage to do a diving course now…
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018You have so many reasons to do a diving course now. All the best!
Annika
Feb 3, 2018Love this post and it makes me so homesick – for the underwater world 😉
I was lucky enough to have been to a few places and looking forward to seeing more on this list. However, Koh Tao is one I would strongly disagree with – I did my DMT there and with the exception for a few sites it is not great diving anymore. At least not after you have been to some of the other places on this list.
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018Ah. I didn’t know that. I haven’t been there myself so won’t be able to comment on it either.
Karen Keathley
Feb 3, 2018These all look wonderful. I have been diving in Cozumel and the Cayman Islands and the Florida Keys. All were wonderful!
Raksha Rao
Feb 10, 2018That’s lovely. And Good choice of locations! Happy diving Karen 🙂
Sarah
Feb 3, 2018What an awesome collection of dive locations. I have only been scuba diving twice both off the great barrier reef just out of Cairns. It really was a magical experience and I can’t wait to go again.
Aga
Feb 4, 2018Those look amazing! I remember my first snorkelling in Sharm Al Sheik, it was so beautiful!
josephdarryl
May 26, 2018Amazing collection of diving locations!
Kate Lubinski
Aug 1, 2018Brilliant list of locations here, can’t wait to get my certification! Roatan and Cozumel sound like a dream, I wouldn’t know where to go first, I guess I’ll just flip a coin.
Sarah
Mar 9, 2019I am determined to learn how to dive. After having snorkeled near a few of these locations and wanting more than just ‘touching the surface’ I’m ready for the real thing. The most memorable reef I’ve been to (snorkeling) was Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Puerto Morelos, not too far from Cozumel in Mexico. Very inspiring post, thanks for making me even more determined!
Diving Nusa Lembongan
Mar 18, 2019I need to get to these places for more diving. I’ve done it in Indonesia and it was beautiful – I can’t even imagine how these places are.
Raksha Rao
Apr 6, 2019Oh yes. I’ve dived in Indonesia too, and it was astounding!