Scuba diving opens a world that 99% of travelers never see. Here are the best dive destinations on the planet.
Beginners
- Great Barrier Reef, Australia: Warm, clear, abundant marine life. Learn to dive here.
- Cozumel, Mexico: Drift diving in crystal-clear Caribbean waters
- Red Sea, Egypt: Affordable diving ($30-50/dive), warm year-round, incredible coral
Advanced
- Raja Ampat, Indonesia: The most biodiverse marine area on Earth — 1,500+ fish species
- Galápagos, Ecuador: Hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas, sea lions
- Sipadan, Malaysia: Turtle tornados, barracuda vortexes — one of the world’s top 5 dive sites
- Maldives: Manta ray encounters, whale sharks, and pristine reefs
Wreck Diving
- Truk Lagoon, Micronesia: 60+ WWII Japanese shipwrecks in a lagoon
- SS Thistlegorm, Red Sea: WWII British cargo ship with trucks, motorcycles, and trains
Getting Certified
PADI Open Water certification: 3-4 days, $300-600. Valid worldwide for life. Many travelers get certified in Thailand or Honduras where it’s cheapest ($250-350).
Final Thoughts
The underwater world is our planet’s last frontier. Diving takes you to places of alien beauty where you float weightless among creatures that look like they belong on another planet.
