16 Of the Best scuba diving places around the world
Top 5 best camera lenses on the market for phones
January 15, 2021
4 Of the best climbing shoes on the market
January 17, 2021
Scuba diving has long been a popular and preferred sport for many travelers all over the world. There are a certain excitement and pleasure that comes with seeing the world as it is from beneath the ocean. The rich marine life and crystal-clear water can make for an incredible vacation and one that will not be gone or forgotten.
Scuba diving will offer the thrill of a lifetime while also taking you to some of the most unique and exotic places in the world.
- 16 Best scuba diving places around the world
- #16 Netrani Island aka Pigeon Island – India
- #15 Bimini – Caribbean
- #14 Cozumel – Mexico
- #13 Caño Island – Costa Rica
- #12 Galápagos Islands – Ecuador
- #11 Ari Atoll – Maldives
- #10 Silfra – Iceland
- #9 Raja Ampat – Indonesia
- #8 Navy Pier – Australia
- #7 Kona Coast Hawaii – USA
- #6 Cocos Island – Costa Rica
- #5 Great Blue Hole – Belize
- #4 Shark and Yolanda reef – Egypt
- #3 Red Sea – Egypt
- #2 Blue Corner – Republic of Palau
- #1 Sipadan island – Malaysia
- Certification for scuba diving
- Final Thoughts
16 Best scuba diving places around the world
Throughout the world, there are so many destinations that offer great scuba diving experience. Here is the list of some spots offering the best opportunities for scuba diving. Reach any of these places and enjoy the most exhilarating and exciting moments of your life.
#16 Netrani Island aka Pigeon Island – India
Netrani’s clear waters and rich marine make for an amazing scuba diving experience. Although a tiny island in the Arabian Sea, the visibility around Netrani Island is 15-20 meters.
The diving locations are 10 to 30 meters deep and they house coral reefs on the eastern side of the island, rock walls on the west, and the northwestern side of the island.
When you dive you can expect to see schools of Barracuda, Jacks, Snappers, Red tooth triggerfish, Indian Bannerfish, large shark-like Cobia, Groupers, Honeycomb Moray Eels, Pufferfish, Napoleon Wrasse, and much more.
If scuba diving is not your cup of tea, you can snorkel and enjoy the wonderful underwater life.
#15 Bimini – Caribbean
Bimini is one of the most well-known areas in the Caribbean for scuba diving and good reason. Its crystal blue water and stunning weather offer amazing dive conditions for 9 months out of the year. The waters here are full of life and diving here is a favorite activity for many travelers.
The Bimini Road is a half-mile long underwater formation of limestone rocks resembling a road. Discovered in 1968, the rounded stones were thought to perhaps be the undersea road to the Lost City of Atlantis. However, the consensus among the scientific community is that the Bimini Road is a naturally occurring geological formation.
Either way, the Bimini Road is an extremely fun dive and one can’t help but get a mystical feeling when visiting this amazing place.
#14 Cozumel – Mexico
Just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is considered by many the best scuba diving destination on Earth.
Its attractive coral reefs, vibrant marine life, and high visibility are a diver’s dream. Cozumel contains over 19 popular reef diving spots, providing you a massive selection of options that you can choose from.
For super brave adventurous divers, a short boat trip to the mainland is all you need to dive into the mysterious underwater caves known as Cenotes.
As you can see, Cozumel has a wide range of diving choices to choose from, all of which will provide for an exciting and adventurous diving trip.
#13 Caño Island – Costa Rica
Cano Island is one of the most remarkable diving destinations in Costa Rica. It is a great destination to experience a multiplicity of marine life. Providing a memorable scuba diving experience, Costa Rica brings ample opportunity to dive and explore marine life.
It is a tropical paradise, which allows travelers to explore the true assets of the ocean. Come across different oceanic like sharks, mantas, and angelfish and fabulous coral reefs.
#12 Galápagos Islands – Ecuador
situated just off the coast of Ecuador, Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands. It is well-known as a perfect spot to explore bigger marine life like whales, sharks, sea lions, and equatorial penguins as well.
The location witnesses strong currents and low visibility which is why only experienced divers must dive at this place, and the water can be colder than 10ºC.
#11 Ari Atoll – Maldives
Ari Atoll in the Maldives is an amazing deep-sea diving place that boasts several exclusive dive spots to explore. It is one of those places where high-quality sea diving can be enjoyed.
In this fabulous place, diving varies from many other spots of Maldives as it does not have long stretches of the barrier reef.
Atoll lagoons work here as places of marine aggregation. While diving in the sea, divers come close to a lot of aquatic animals like sharks, eagle rays, and other different oceanic animals.
#10 Silfra – Iceland
When people think of amazing scuba diving, they probably imagined warm climates and schools of tropical fish, so you might be surprised to hear that one of the most awe-inspiring places to dive is actually in one of the world’s coldest countries: Iceland.
Situated inside Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, you’ll find Silfra, a fissure where you can actually dive between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, as if that concept alone isn’t mind-blowing enough, the very cold-water coursing through the rift is extremely and incredibly clear which provide divers of some seriously splendid and clear views.
#9 Raja Ampat – Indonesia
From some of the coldest waters to some of the warmest, we are now heading to the stunning waters of Indonesia: The Raja Ampat Islands.
Located off the northwest coast of West Papua, has become a popular destination for divers all around the world. You’ll have the chance to see spectacular creatures, like manta rays’ sharks, and barracudas as well as other different underwater life forms, and amazing coral gardens.
The Papua diving resort is one of the most well-known places to get started, and it’s also recommended to visit via a life aboard trip and eat, sleep, dive.
#8 Navy Pier – Australia
To see many of the most mind-blowing underwater sights the world has to offer, you have to go out relatively far into the ocean to find spots at least somewhat undisturbed by humans. at Navy Pier in Western Australia, however, it’s possible to see impressive and remarkable amounts of sea life right beside the shore.
A reviewer called this place “the best shore dive in the world”. In fact, the name Navy Pier is literal and this site isn’t actually open to the public, meaning you have to go through a private company to see these spots.
#7 Kona Coast Hawaii – USA
Under the sea it probably doesn’t really matter if it’s night or day, or does it. You might think that if you swim deep enough, the time of day must be irrelevant but in fact of course certain sea creatures act differently in the later hours, and that’s what makes the beautiful Manta Ray night dive in Hawaii so amazing.
You get to see the Manta rays at dinner time because there are special lights set up to attract plankton to the area, which just so happens to be the manta rays’ favorite food seeing these gentle giants hunting is a bucket-list experience.
#6 Cocos Island – Costa Rica
300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, you’ll find one of the most fabulous UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Cocos Island.
If you want to see marlin, dolphins, sailfish, and sharks, and you know you do, this is definitely the place to go.
Many divers will have the opportunity to see the hammerhead sharks that populate this place, but if you want to be certain of catching a glimpse make your trip between June and October, there are about 20 different dive sites off the island but Bajo Alcyone is considered by many to be the best.
#5 Great Blue Hole – Belize
The entire Belize Barrier Reef reserve system is another amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the wonderfully named Great Blue Hole is possibly the most popular part of that system.
The amazing marine sinkhole was ranked in 2012 as the number one entry on the Discovery Channel’s list of the ten most amazing places in the world.
Divers who ventured down will be able to explore this underwater wonder, and hopefully, see fish like the midnight parrotfish and Caribbean reef shark. It’s important to note that you have to have logged at least 24 dives to qualify to make the trip.
#4 Shark and Yolanda reef – Egypt
In a particularly politically volatile part of the world, of the Sinai Peninsula near Ras Mohamed National Park lies a reef that’s been described as featuring quote an underwater landscape that will make your head spin.
This destination requires a guide. The currents there could be dangerous, but also offer a drift diving experience like nowhere else.
You’ll be able to see Turtles, pelagic fish, batfish, unicornfish, and scorpionfish. Also, the wreck of the ship Yolanda decades ago left the seabed strewn with hundreds of toilets and porcelain plumbing fixtures. Weird and wonderful.
#3 Red Sea – Egypt
Located nearby in the Red Sea, near the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is another dive spot that provides a very cool shipwreck, while there are actually several shipwrecks that you can explore in Egypt during your trip.
The one we’re gonna recommend here is the SS Thistlegorm. The reason is many ships have met their end in this area are those strong currents and the reefs, which of course also make for scenic dive spots.
The delightfully named British merchant Navy ship SS Thistlegorm sunk in 1941 with a variety of World War II, war supplies onboard including a motorbike and a truck, both of which remain preserved underwater.
#2 Blue Corner – Republic of Palau
This archipelago nation bordering Micronesia is one of the biggest diving hotspots in the world. With approximately 41,000 divers visiting each year.
The particular features that make diving in stunning Palau a not-to-be-missed experience are the abundance of sea walls and steep drop-offs, as well as the opportunity to dive among sharks.
The Blue Corner makes for a great dive for those with more experience since the strong currents can make the trip extra challenging. If you can manage it though he’ll be rewarded with views of sea life unlike anywhere else.
#1 Sipadan island – Malaysia
We’re going with a tried-and-true legendary destination for our number one pick. Which scuba aficionados broadly consider offering some of the very best diving in the world
Sipadan Island in the Celebes sea of Borneo is famed for its pelagic wildlife and biodiversity, from sharks to a dizzying array of turtles, to massive schools of fish like the barracuda, that could block light due to their density.
The icon Jacques Cousteau made the area famous years ago, when he filmed and extolled its virtues, but its subsequent popularity has done nothing to diminish its charms. The island itself is mostly closed off to visitors, so stay at a resort or lodge in nearby Sempurna and get diving.
All these scuba diving destinations are amazing, impressive, and offer scuba diving lovers an experience to rival the best of their stories. Choosing one destination could be a challenge, and most divers commit to seeing all these places. Who can blame them?
With such unique and mind-blowing characteristics and because of their proximity to paradise, these locations bring out all the best for scuba divers.
Certification for scuba diving
Before you reach your destination, you need to make sure that you get certified. The best way to get this certification is by joining a scuba diving school that bases its curriculum on a recognized scuba training agency. Such scuba certification agencies regulate and represent diving experts and operators whilst also promoting the sport and the marine environment.
Final Thoughts
Exploring and enjoying the deep waters is really thrilling that makes everyone inquisitive about experiencing it once.
Scuba divers get the incredible opportunity of meeting with a wide range of sharks, eagle rays, manta rays, and other aquatics that play in the waters and leave you with a mesmerizing experience. This perfect activity is getting popular gradually as several inquisitive people want to discover a world underwater that is mysterious and anonymous.
