20 places You Need to Scuba Dive

1. Vandenberg, Florida Keys, USA

6 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida, the USS Vandenberg can be found 140 feet deep. The Vandenberg is part of the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail, a group of intentionally sunk vessels. The ship is the second largest vessel to be sunk purposely to become an artificial reef. Artificial reefs can help take pressure off of natural coral reefs and can add habitats for marine life. Using ships is a way to both help the marine
environment and preserve the history and heritage of the vessel. The USS Vandenberg was sunk in May 2009 and opened to the public just a few days later. Now the ship is one of the most popular scuba diving locations in the world. It is an incredible and massive artificial reef that is worth exploring.

2. Hawaii, USA

Hawaii is one of the top diving locations in the world and is home to the largest marine reservation in the United States. The islands of Hawaii offer a whole underwater world to discover, from reefs to shipwrecks. Hawaii, while normally thought of as one place, is actually a group of hundreds of islands. There are four main islands – Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. The great diversity of land, from volcanic lava to sandy beaches, also translates to underwater diversity. Hawaii is home to some of the most pristine underwater scenery and unique marine creatures.

BAHAMAS

Over 700 island, cays and islets make up the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, found in the atlentic Ocean. Between the blue holes, caves, caverns and forest-like coral reefs, The Bahamas offers a dive experience like no other. The marine life is teeming with a wide variety of marine species-you can even feed and swim with the reef sharks. Check out Unexso for the best scuba diving experience in The Bahamas.

4. Punta Gorda, Costa Rica

Punta Gorda is a popular diving spot on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Although the fire coral and clear waters are desirable for divers, the principle allure of Punta Gorda is actually the giant schools of eagle rays that call this dive site home. In addition to the eagle rays, Punta Gorda is also home to manta rays, bull rays, sharks, turles, whale sharks and dolphins. Plus, the water is especially warm so unless you are diving to extreme depths, wetsuits aren’t necessary.

5. Utila, Honduras

Utila is the smallest of the Honduras Bay Islands, which includes Roatan and Guanaja. Found in the Caribbean Sea, the Honduras Bay Islands are at the sound end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest reef in the world. The Caribbean offers one of the most beautiful diving locations in the world, and Utila is probably the most cost effective site to dive the Caribbean. With more than 80 diving sites on the
island, there are several places for you to dive into. Some of the most famous dive sites you can explore are: Spotted Bay, Joshua’s Swan, Black Hills, West End, Blackish Point and CJ’s Drop Off. The extensive reef system provides not only a beautiful site, but also a wide variety of marine life, including the elusive whale shark.

6. The Blue Hole, Belize

The Blue Hole is one of the most famous dive sites in the world and has been declared to be the one of the top sites to dive. It was also named by the Discovery Channel as number one on it’s life of “The Worlds Most Amazing Places.” The Blue Hole, or Great Blue Hole, is actually submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. Expeditions of the Blue Hole have documented the hole to have a depth of 410 feet. The crystal clear water
makes this a great place to watch marine life, which includes: midnight parrotfish, Caribbean reef shark, bull sharks and hammerhead sharks.

7. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil. Fernando de Noronha is easily one of the best scuba diving locations in South American and even the world. These islands in Brazil are secluded and only allow a certain number of visitors so you can explore the beauty without it being a tourist destination. Due to the South Equatorial Current that pushes warm water from Africa to
the islands, you can dive up to 40 meters without a wetsuit and visibility underwater can reach up to 50 meters. In addition to the crystal clear water, Fernando de Noronha offers you the ability to swim with turtles, dolphins and much more.

8. Punta Gorda, Costa Rica

9. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Even though the Galapagos were made famous for their wildlife on the island, they are quickly becoming a famous dive spot for their diversity of marine life as well. Charles Darwin made the Galapagos famous for being the inspiration for his theory of evolution. The islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador, and form a biological marine reserve. The Galapagos are home to a wide variety of marine life, including: sting rays, golden rays, whales, marine iguanas, turtles, a wide variety of fish, white tip reef shark and hammerhead sharks.

10. Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire, along with its sister islands Aruba and Caracao are known for being spectacular scuba diving destinations. The islands known as the ABC islands are located off the north coast of South America in the Caribbean Sea. But unlike the other two, Bonaire is less of a tourist destination and gives you a more personal location for your diving experience. Since the island is a marine park with a total of 86 diving spots, there are many different sites you can dive. It’s marine park title also means the island is protected and untouched, and you can see some of the most beautiful underwater reefs in the world. The island is also known to be home to nurse sharks, sea turtles, parrot fish and many other exotic marine animals.

11. The Gili Islands, Indonesia

Indonesia is becoming one of the most popular locations for scuba diving in the world. One of the reasons for its recent growth in popularity is the Gili Islands in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are surrounded by a large reef system, which is better preserved than other
reefs in the area. The beautiful clear water, white sand beaches and the phenomenal array of wild marine life will prove to capture the attention of scuba divers of any levels.

12. Boracay, Philippines

Boracay is a small island in the Philippines which is becoming a very popular diving location, on top of being a top destination for it’s beaches and tranquility. Boracay is a tiny patch of paradise that is only seven kilometers long and around one-kilometer-wide at it’s narrow midriff. The island is known for it’s beautiful white sand beaches and beautiful marine life. There are over a dozen of dive centers in Boracay and they are relatively cheap for diving.

13. Sipadan, Malaysia

Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia and is located in the Celebes Sea. It was formed by living corals that grew on top of volcanic cone and it took thousands of years to develop. The island is located in the Indo-Pacific basin which is one of the richest
marine habitats in the world. The region boasts over 3,000 different species of fish and hundreds of coral species. It was named the top of Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List for ‘The Top Dive Destination in the Word’ for the diversity of marine life.

14. Maaya Thila, Maldives

The Maldives have become well known for being one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world. They offer clear warm water, coral reefs and a wide variety of marine life. Maaya Thila has become one of the top dive locations in the Maldives. A Thila is an underwater island that has an abundance of sea life. Maaya Thila is known for both its day and night time diving, however currents should be considered when thinking about diving here. When the currents are not strong, it is a good dive location for all levels of divers but when the currents are strong, only experienced and advanced divers should be diving in Maaya Thila. The marine life in Maaya Thila is ful of fish, eels, turtles, octopus, stonefish and white tip reef sharks.

15. Thailand

Thailand has a wide variety of famous dive sites: Phuket, Hin Daeng and Hin Maung, Similan Islands, Ko Tao and the Surin Island. But Thailand in general is very good for diving. Most of the country is going to be able to give you a good diving experience, although some parts have become touristy and the fish have become less abundant. The warm waters of the Andaman Sea makes a good destination for diving year around and
is a great location for viewing sharks and other marine life.

16. Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a group of five islands on the coast of Mozambique. The islands include: Bazaruto, Santa Carolina, Benguerra, Margaruque and Bangue. These secluded islands in the Indian Ocean offer a beautiful scuba diving experience. The islands are come to incredible coral reefs and crystal clear waters. In addition to the coral reefs that surround the islands, there are also sunken ships of the coast that
provide a interesting location to dive.

17. The Red Sea, Egypt

The Red Sea is one of the most famous scuba diving in the world due to it’s underwater ecosystem and the reef system. The clear water is full of exotic marine life and has generally clear visibility year round. The Red Sea gets its name from the periodic algal bloom that makes the sea a reddish color. The sea is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a diver’s paradise. It boasts warm water, little wave action and unsurpassed visibility. The marine life is made up of over 1,100 different types of fish, 1,000 species of invertebrates and over 200 species of soft and hard coral.

18. The Yongala, Australia

Over 100 years ago, actually one year before the sinking of the famous Titanic, the SS Yongala sank during a cyclone in the Great Barrier Reef marine park. The Yongala is located just 12 miles off the coast, the ship sits on its starboard site and is the most intact shipwreck in Australia. It is over 109 meters long and home to a mega variety of marine life such as giant gropers, giant marble rays, barracudas, eagle rays, turtles, sea snakes and bull sharks.

19. Beqa Lagoon, Fiji

Fiji is one of the best known locations for scuba diving due to the clear water and marine life. The Bega Lagoon in Fiji consists of over 100 square miles of crystal clear water surrounded by 30 kilometers of barrier reef. The barrier reef that sounds the lagoon is one of the largest in the world. This makes the water in the lagoon consistently stay around 78.8 degrees and little currents. Some of the most famous dive sites in the
lagoon are: Caesar’s Rock, Carpet Cove, Fantasea, Seven Sisters and The Pinnacle. The Beqa Lagoon is known for its soft corals, and numerous variety of fish. But the most alluring marine life of the lagoon is the large number of octopus and sharks. The Lagoon even has a shark feed at Pacific Harbour that divers can partake in.

20. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

No top diving list would be complete without the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s longest reef and without a doubt the most famous reef and diving spot. The reef is home to more tropical sea life than you could image. A wide variety of fish call the reef home, 6 different species of turtle, numerous dolphins, whales and a wide selection of sharks, as well as the inspiring great white shark.

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