Divers swim among and inside chapeirões, Brazil's mushroom-shaped coral towers.
24–28°C · vis 30mintermediate
All 732 destinations
Every dive destination, one list
Destinations
Four ships wrecked on one reef, all between 4 m and 27 m
21–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA manta cleaning station dived all year and a wartime tanker on her side at 33 m
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateMediterranean
Amphorae of a Roman wreck on a volcanic shoal off Lipari
14–26°CintermediateA well-preserved 80 m cargo wreck lying from 16 to 47 m off Dorousa
15–26°CintermediateMediterranean
A rock wall at St George's Island with turtles nesting ashore in summer
17–28°CbeginnerBoat dives inside a national marine park on Morocco's Mediterranean coast
15–23°CintermediateCold Water
Åland Islands
Finland
Windjammer-era sailing ships and wartime wrecks kept intact in the Baltic
1–17°CadvancedBoat dives into air-pocket sea caves around Alanya Castle
17–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 133 m destroyer scuttled off Seal Island, 20 minutes from the marina
13.6–20.5°C · vis 25mintermediateA refuge closed to divers for three decades, reopened in December 2018
18–24°C · vis 30mintermediateAtlantic
Algarve — Ocean Revival
Portugal
Four Portuguese Navy ships scuttled together on one sand plain
15–23°C · vis 10mintermediateNorth America
Alger Underwater Preserve & Munising
United States
Great Lakes shipwrecks within recreational limits off Pictured Rocks
1–17°C · vis 15mintermediateRagged-tooth sharks settle on the Bay's reefs from November to May
14–24°C · vis 20mintermediateRagged-tooth sharks congregate to mate from July to November
18–26°CadvancedFour thousand Classical amphorae still stacked on the seabed at 25 m
15–26°C · vis 40mintermediateStrong straits sweep past pristine coral cover between remote volcanic islands.
22–29°C · vis 30madvancedEast Asia
Amakusa
Japan
Nudibranchs, sea caves and soft coral in the islands off western Kyushu
15–28°CintermediateEast Asia
Amami Ōshima
Japan
Pufferfish sculpt two-metre geometric nests into the sand at 25 m
21–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerSpur-and-groove canyons and nurse sharks minutes from San Pedro's piers
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerThe endemic psychedelic frogfish lives on Ambon's harbour slopes
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerEasy beach entries onto walls, a small wreck and an artificial reef
26–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerA 40 m wall under the monastery filmed in The Big Blue
16–26°C · vis 35mintermediateA limestone wall the length of the coast, dived by almost nobody
27–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerBarracuda schools circle Barren Island, home to India's only active volcano
26–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerCaribbean
Andros
Bahamas
A 200 km barrier reef with a wall that drops into the Tongue of the Ocean
23–30°CintermediateWrecks, tide-timed Menai Strait dives and sheltered shore bays
8–16°C · vis 10mintermediateCaribbean
Anguilla
Anguilla
Seven wrecks sunk as artificial reefs, with turtles asleep on the Oosterdiep at night
25–30°CintermediateRubble slopes near Manila hold an outsized range of nudibranchs and seahorses.
24–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerDive beneath icebergs alongside penguins and leopard seals
-1–2°C · vis 35madvancedCaribbean
Antigua — English Harbour & Falmouth
Antigua and Barbuda
Short boat rides from Falmouth Harbour to reefs, reef sharks and tarpon
26–31°C · vis 30mbeginnerA community-run no-take reef since 1982, with turtles on nearly every dive
25–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerThe world's second-largest contiguous coral reef, closed to fishing
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateThe Cedar Pride wreck and a scuttled tank sit an easy shore swim from Aqaba's beach.
21–27°C · vis 30mbeginnerCold Water
Aran Islands
Ireland
Diving Poll na bPéist, the Wormhole of Inis Mór
10–16°CintermediateWhale sharks live year-round on the South Ari reef shelf
26–30°C · vis 30mintermediateCold upwelling packs granite walls with fish an hour from Rio
14–26°C · vis 30mintermediateA 1940 German freighter in up to 18 m of water, among a string of other wrecks
25–31°CbeginnerGranite reefs where tropical and temperate species overlap
16–26°C · vis 25mintermediateBlack triggerfish swarm thick enough to block out the light
22–28°C · vis 40mintermediateA 2016 survey found the world's highest average reef fish count per site here.
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 169 m alpine lake ringed with shore dives, a sunken forest and a notorious deep wall
3.5–21.1°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Ayvalık & Cunda Islands
Turkey
Red coral and gorgonian forest on deep pinnacles in the north Aegean
13–25°CintermediateAtlantic
Azores — Flores & Corvo
Portugal
About a dozen dusky groupers at once in Corvo's voluntary reserve
16–23°CintermediateOpen-water mobula ray carousels at Princess Alice Bank each summer
16–25°C · vis 30madvancedAtlantic
Azores — Santa Maria
Portugal
Mobula rays over the Baixa do Ambrósio seamount each summer
17–25°C · vis 40mintermediateAtlantic
Azores — São Jorge & Graciosa
Portugal
Pelagic schools on Rosais Reef and resident groupers in Pesqueiro Alto's caves
16–23°CintermediateAtlantic
Azores — São Miguel
Portugal
The WWII Liberty ship Dori in 21m, minutes off Ponta Delgada
16–25°C · vis 25mintermediateAtlantic
Azores — Terceira
Portugal
Centuries of lost anchors and an 1878 steamer wreck in Angra bay
15–25°CintermediateUp to two hundred reef mantas barrel-roll inside a 200 m bay
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateHumpback song fills every dive from July through October
26–29°C · vis 20mintermediateRoman villas, mosaics and a sunken harbour inside a protected park
15–27°C · vis 20mbeginnerA permanent tornado of jacks and barracuda on a wall from 6 m
27–30°C · vis 25mintermediateCold Water
The U-260 submarine and the Kowloon Bridge, both dived from Baltimore
10–16°CintermediateSeamounts off a still-active volcano occasionally draw hammerheads into open water.
26–29°C · vis 35madvancedSoft coral grows so thick on Sahaung's pinnacles the rock disappears
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateReserve reef diving at Cerbère-Banyuls, France's first marine reserve
12–23°C · vis 15mintermediateCaribbean
Barbados
Barbados
Six wrecks in one protected bay, plus the deep Stavronikita
26–30°C · vis 10mbeginnerCold Water
Barkley Sound
Canada
Sheltered cold-water pinnacles and walls, diveable all year
8–19°C · vis 30mintermediateTwo WWII P-47 fighter wrecks on a quiet coast in metropolitan France's largest marine park
14–26°C · vis 35mintermediateEastern Pacific
Bat Islands
Costa Rica
Bull sharks cruise past divers settled on the bottom at the Big Scare
19–29°C · vis 20madvancedVolcanic walls and canyons where the Kuroshio mixes temperate and tropical life
24–28°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Batumi & the Adjarian Coast
Georgia
Wrecks off Kvariati and drift dives along Rock Alley at the Turkish border
9–27°C · vis 10mbeginnerThe scuttled Rainbow Warrior under a coat of jewel anemones at 26 m
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediateA wall dived from the beach, and Cuba's deepest cenote across the road
22–31°C · vis 40mbeginnerA 73 m freighter offshore and Taíno cave dives in the forest behind
25–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerEast Africa's last viable dugong population, in a 1971 national park
22–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 1941 French submarine in two sections on the sand off Beirut
18–29°CadvancedCold Water
An upright steamship and a German destroyer a boat ride from Nieuwpoort
7–18°C · vis 10madvancedCoral Triangle
Belitung
Indonesia
Granite boulders above and below the water, with coral and wrecks among them.
27–29°C · vis 18mbeginnerAtoll walls at Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe, and the Great Blue Hole
26–29°C · vis 40mintermediateFour ore carriers torpedoed at their pier in 1942, still lying at 27–40 m
0–15°C · vis 30madvancedAtlantic
Atlantic wrecks and rock dives on both sides of one strait
9–19°CbeginnerCoral Triangle
Belongas Bay & South Lombok
Indonesia
Schooling scalloped hammerheads on the open-sea pinnacles of Belongas Bay
25–30°C · vis 20mintermediateUp to 100 bull sharks on one dive inside Fiji's first National Marine Park
24–29°C · vis 30mintermediateHealthy fringing reef, boulder swim-throughs and a tug wreck minutes from the beach
25–30°C · vis 50mintermediateReserve walls at Bergeggi island and cert-gated gorgonian secche offshore
13–24°C · vis 20mintermediatePink granite caves and tunnels in cold Atlantic swell off Peniche
14–20°C · vis 25mintermediateAround three hundred charted wrecks, most of them shallower than 20 m
18–28°C · vis 45mbeginnerCoral Triangle
Biak & Padaido Islands
Indonesia
An intact Second World War Catalina seaplane on the seabed off Biak.
29–30°CintermediateSunken WWII battleships and a US carrier lie deep in a former nuclear test lagoon.
27–30°C · vis 40madvancedGreat hammerhead sharks patrol sandy shallows within sight of shore each winter
24–30°C · vis 35mintermediatePacific Islands
A pinnacle rising 900 m from the seabed to within metres of the surface
24–29°C · vis 40mintermediateCritter-dense muck diving in 5 m of water beneath a Florida road bridge
21–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerAtlantic
Boa Vista
Cabo Verde
Sand tiger and nurse sharks rest in the caves of Shark Point's wall
21–28°CintermediatePanama's cheapest place to learn to dive, with a national marine park just offshore
27–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerA hot spring vents into the sea off Karaada's caves
16–27°C · vis 35mbeginnerSweden's only cold-water coral reefs, inside its first marine national park
2–18°C · vis 20mintermediateSelf-guided shore diving along a calm, protected west coast
26–29°C · vis 50mintermediateAbseil 72 m into a cave lake to dive among submerged cones at Abismo Anhumas
21–24°C · vis 50mintermediateLemon and blacktip sharks on the drop-off outside the pass at Tapu.
26–31°CintermediateGranite walls and boulder fields — Denmark's only true rock diving
2–19°C · vis 20mintermediateGiant Pacific octopus and anemone-covered walls in the 'Emerald Sea'
7–13°C · vis 20madvancedNineteenth-century wrecks dived as drifts in a hard freshwater current
4–22°C · vis 10mintermediateSchooling hammerheads at Daedalus and two wrecks on one Big Brother wall
24–29°C · vis 30madvancedMediterranean
Budva & Jaz
Montenegro
A steamer wreck lying in two halves on the sand at 32 m
14–26°CintermediateLimestone caverns and walls beneath the white Pan di Zucchero stack
14–25°CbeginnerSheer walls drop from the surface, patrolled by turtles and napoleon wrasse.
27–29°C · vis 30mintermediateIlha de Âncora, a turtle sanctuary 11 km off the peninsula
22–26°CintermediateMediterranean
Byblos, Amchit & Batroun
Lebanon
Barbour's natural stone arches set into the Amchit Wall
18–29°CintermediateWalls from 5 m past 60, and a dive base of its own
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateGiant groupers in volcanic caves along Andalusia's largest coastal protected area
10–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerDusky groupers the size of car doors patrol two submerged mountains
14–27°C · vis 20madvancedRocky islands where cold and warm currents meet, a short boat run from town
22–26°C · vis 20mintermediateA recovered coral reef with dense jack schools and seasonal bull sharks.
20–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerA zoned 2016 marine reserve, a sunk minesweeper and a 3 km hypogenic cave
15–29°C · vis 20mintermediateNurse sharks rest in Regona's volcanic cavern maze off Santa Maria
22–28°C · vis 30mintermediateA permit-only national park off Mallorca, capped at 40 divers a day
14–27°C · vis 30madvancedMediterranean
Two Second World War wrecks and a limestone coast full of caves
14–27°CbeginnerA volcanic island with its own walls, a wreck and a submerged graveyard
26–30°C · vis 25mintermediateLobster-packed coralligenous reefs at 20–24 m off the Île de Brescou
12–22°CintermediateSchist walls, tunnels and red gorgonian fans at the Pyrenees' end
12–24°C · vis 25mintermediateRocky shore reefs off Cape Ann and fishing-boat wrecks on Stellwagen Bank
4–19°CintermediateCape Greco shore-entry caves and tunnels beside the Liberty wreck
17–28°CintermediateCape fur seals and sevengill sharks weave through towering kelp canopies.
8–20°C · vis 15mintermediateCold Water
Capernwray & the Lake District
United Kingdom
Friendly sturgeon and scuttled wrecks in a former limestone quarry
5–15°C · vis 15mbeginnerThe Mediterranean's largest sea cave, with entrances from 8 m to 33 m
14–26°C · vis 30mintermediateGranite seamounts rising to the surface off Sardinia's south-east corner
14–26°C · vis 40mbeginnerMediterranean
Capri
Italy
A dive at the Faraglioni stacks, down a steep wall to sand at 32 m
13–28°CadvancedAtlantic
Cascais & Cabo Raso
Portugal
Atlantic reef, gorges and a sea cave a train ride from Lisbon
15–20°CbeginnerOne of the few reliable places on earth to dive with oceanic whitetips
24–29°C · vis 40madvancedWalk down the stairs at Casino Point straight into a giant kelp forest
13–21°C · vis 15mintermediateBasalt sea stacks, resident morays and an ancient-anchor trail off Aci Trezza
14–27°CintermediateMediterranean
Cavtat & Konavle
Croatia
Ancient amphora cargoes and giant Greek storage jars on the seabed
14–26°CintermediateA Soviet frigate lies broken in two between 15 and 30 m
26–30°C · vis 35mintermediateWhale sharks feed under fishing platforms for one of diving's most reliable encounters.
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Çeşme & Ildır
Turkey
The Monem, a cargo wreck at 18 m that Open Water divers can explore
15–23°CbeginnerMediterranean
Ceuta
Spain
Gorgonian-clad rocks where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean
16–23°CintermediateCoral gardens and deep pinnacles in a marine park a boat ride off Hoi An
24–29°C · vis 25mintermediatePlayful sea lions and towering kelp forests around rocky island pinnacles.
12–19°C · vis 10mintermediateCentury-old wrecks and kelp walls in Europe's biggest tides
9–19°CintermediateA cobalt-blue sinkhole lake dived past 100 m in constant 22 °C water
22–24°C · vis 50madvancedWall, cave and drift dives with whale sharks on the doorstep
26–29°C · vis 60mintermediateMore than 60 ships and aircraft from February 1944 on one lagoon floor
28–30°C · vis 18mintermediateNorth America
Clearwater, Dunedin & Tarpon Springs
United States
An intact 55 m tugboat sitting upright at 22-24 m, with goliath grouper
18–30°CintermediateDrift out on the falling tide as an entire atoll empties past you
26–29°C · vis 50mintermediateHundreds of scalloped hammerheads overhead on the Bajo Alcyone seamount
23–28°C · vis 30madvancedHumpback whale song carries underwater during the mid-year migration season
20–29°C · vis 25mintermediateThousands of green turtles nest on one protected stretch of coast
25–29°C · vis 30mintermediateCold Water
A sea lion colony at Norris Rocks and summer sixgill sharks off Flora Islet
8–10°C · vis 30mintermediateOne of Vietnam's last dugong refuges with protected turtle nesting beaches
26–29°C · vis 20mbeginnerA cluster of cavern dives at Paleokastritsa, wrecks and reefs off the north-east coast
15–26°C · vis 25mintermediateA reef that has claimed more than one hundred ships, with its wrecks still on it
8–19°CintermediateHistoric wrecks packed into one bay, from shallow gunboats to a seaplane tender
27–30°C · vis 20mintermediateGranite rock heads, arches and a P-51 wreck in the gulfs of Ajaccio and Sagone
13–26°C · vis 25mintermediateA B-17 bomber upright on the sand at 25 m below the citadel
14–26°C · vis 25mintermediateAt Mérouville, habituated dusky groupers stay with divers all dive
14–26°C · vis 30mintermediateBoulder passages in the San Antonio reserve and a cave-training coast from Moraira
13–27°C · vis 20mbeginnerTown-based Costa Brava diving over granite rock and Posidonia
12–26°C · vis 20mintermediateTunnels, walls and a shallow wreck under the Montgrí cliffs, dived from L'Escala
12–26°C · vis 15mintermediateThree seamounts, a navy-tug wreck and gorgonian walls between Palamós and Cap de Begur
13–25°C · vis 20mintermediateA cave system below the Eden Roc hotel, entered at 25 m from the beach or by boat
13–25°C · vis 20mintermediateAtlantic
Centuries of shipwrecks along Galicia's Costa da Morte
13–18°CintermediateFrance's largest no-take fishing reserve sits at Cap Roux
13–25°C · vis 25mintermediateDrift along sponge-covered walls with 20–40 m visibility on the sheltered leeward coast
25–29°C · vis 35mintermediateFossil elephant tusks inside a cave whose entrance is now at 10 m
16–27°C · vis 30mbeginnerAtlantic
Rock walls carpeted in jewel anemones, plus wrecks in the bay
9–18°CbeginnerThe only place in the US where you may legally swim with manatees
22–23°C · vis 25mbeginnerAbout 50 reef, wall and wreck sites, most under 20 minutes by boat
27–29°CbeginnerShore and boat reefs, plus wrecks from a shallow tug to a harbour-mouth hull
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateThe Blue Hole's infamous Arch passage drops to roughly 55 metres just offshore.
21–28°C · vis 30mbeginnerDugongs graze seagrass beds among 200 untouched desert islands
26–33°C · vis 20mintermediateSnapper shoals and barracuda swirl over basalt at Africa's westernmost point
17–28°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Huge dusky and golden grouper and circling barracuda in impressive visibility
17–26°CintermediateBlack-sand shore muck with mandarinfish spawning at dusk
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerCoral Triangle
Davao Gulf & Samal Island
Philippines
Overhung walls, caves and wartime wrecks a boat ride from Davao City
27–31°CintermediateOman's first marine reserve, with whale sharks arriving each late summer
22–31°C · vis 30mintermediateTurtles nest on Derawan's beaches; mantas cycle through Sangalaki's cleaning station.
27–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerAfrica
Diani Beach
Kenya
Whale sharks from November to February and 29 sites within 40 minutes
25–31°CintermediateWall and muck dives start a few steps from the beach along Timor's north coast.
27–31°CintermediateSlack-water walls of giant tube worms in the strong currents of Discovery Passage
7–15°C · vis 30madvancedJuvenile whale sharks gather in the Gulf of Tadjoura through the winter plankton bloom.
24–30°C · vis 20mintermediateVolcanic walls and geothermal bubble streams
26–29°CintermediateCold Water
A cavern and swim-throughs off the walls of remote Tory Island
9–15°CintermediateCommunity-run whale shark tourism, and mantas queueing in Ticao Pass
26–30°C · vis 25mintermediateCold Water
Dover & Folkestone Wrecks
United Kingdom
Upright WW1 liners and steamers a short boat ride from Dover
8–18°CadvancedCold Water
Dublin Bay
Ireland
Seals at the Muglins and drift dives through Dalkey Sound
9–15°CintermediateWrecks and island caves a few minutes by boat from Dubrovnik
13–28°CintermediateWrecks and sandstone ledges off the Bluff and Umhlanga, launched from Vetch's Pier.
21–26°CintermediateWeedy seadragons drift through cold-water kelp forests off the Tasman Peninsula.
12–18°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Egadi Islands
Italy
Roman amphorae and gorgonian caves in the Mediterranean's largest marine reserve
14–26°CintermediateA shore-entry reef and a scuttled missile boat inside a 12 km coastline
21–27°C · vis 25mbeginnerLava arches, canyons and tunnels reachable from a rocky beach entry
18–24°C · vis 25mbeginnerVolcanic walls dropping past 100 m beside a volcano that erupted in 2011
18–24°C · vis 30mintermediateCoral gardens, limestone walls and a 40 m swim-through tunnel in protected Bacuit Bay.
24–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerShore-entry house reefs from a 4 m bay at the ancient port to rope-marked canyons
23–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerA 62 m merchant wreck lying in 2–12 m of water off Pomonte beach
13–26°C · vis 25mintermediateCaribbean
Deep wall drifts and a shark-feeding site off Cape Eleuthera
24–29°C · vis 30mintermediateCaribbean
Shallow shipwrecks layered along the reef that wrecked them
24–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerKelp, sea lions and an upright tugboat wreck off Isla Todos Santos
11–24°C · vis 18mintermediatePacific Islands
Espiritu Santo — SS Coolidge
Vanuatu
A 200-meter troopship wreck is entered straight from the beach.
24–29°C · vis 30madvancedWobbegongs stacked on the ledges of a permit-only naval pier
21–29°C · vis 20mintermediateDescend into Angelfish Blue Hole, a vertical shaft opening onto a coral-rimmed cavern
24–28°C · vis 25mbeginnerHundreds of grey reef sharks pack South Pass during the June grouper spawn.
26–29°C · vis 40madvancedRed Sea & Gulf of Aden
Farasan Banks & Al Lith
Saudi Arabia
Whale sharks gather each spring on a reef almost nobody dives
25–33°C · vis 35mintermediateCurious grey seals routinely approach and play with divers
6–15°C · vis 15mintermediateBasalt cliffs continuing underwater into surprisingly clear Atlantic water
6–12°C · vis 30madvancedCold Water
Fehmarn
Germany
Anemone-covered Baltic wrecks a short RIB ride from an easy shore
2–18°CbeginnerCold Water
Feldberger Seenlandschaft
Germany
Clear glacial lakes where freshwater sponges grow on fallen trees
4–20°C · vis 20mbeginnerHundreds of spinner dolphins gather daily in Baía dos Golfinhos.
26–29°C · vis 45mintermediateCaverns, tunnels and Roman amphorae along a rocky Mediterranean coast
16–30°CintermediateMediterranean
Filicudi & Salina
Italy
A guided underwater museum of centuries of shipwrecks off Capo Graziano
14–26°CintermediateTannin-darkened water tricks deep-water black coral into growing at diveable depths.
8–16°C · vis 15madvancedRocky islands 10 to 18 minutes from the Barra da Lagoa channel
19–26°CintermediateCoral Triangle
Florida & Russell Islands
Solomon Islands
Up to a dozen manta rays feeding in formation at Devils' Highway
28–30°C · vis 30mintermediateWarm shallow reefs and famous wrecks a short boat run from Key Largo and Islamorada
23–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerHealthy coral reef caps 161 km offshore (100 miles), famous for August coral spawning.
20–29°C · vis 40madvancedNorth America
Fort Lauderdale
United States
More than 50 shipwrecks along 37 km of coast, from 6 m to 40 m
22–30°C · vis 30mintermediateNorth America
Fort Myers & Sanibel
United States
The USCGC Mohawk, a veterans memorial reef in 27 m off Captiva Island
19–30°C · vis 24mintermediateA 1.5 km volcanic reef stepping from 7 m to past 40 m off Caleta de Fuste
18–23°C · vis 25mintermediateTiger sharks cruise a cleaning station a few meters off the harbor wall
26–29°C · vis 35madvancedSchooling hammerheads at Gordon Rocks on a day trip from Puerto Ayora
18–26°C · vis 12mintermediateSchooling hammerheads over the rocky walls and slopes of Wolf and Darwin
16–28°C · vis 25madvancedCold Cromwell Current upwelling brings mola mola, penguins and marine iguanas
16–26°C · vis 15madvancedWWI battleships and warships from the Dardanelles campaign
14–25°CintermediateEast Asia
Gangneung
South Korea
South Korea's largest cluster of wrecks, led by the scuttled trawler Stella
2–21°C · vis 10mintermediateCage-dive Shark Alley, once the world's surest great white ground, now an open question.
15–22°C · vis 20mintermediateCold Water
Gdańsk Bay & Gdynia
Poland
Wartime warship wrecks and a ruined torpedo station in the Gulf of Gdańsk
2–19°CintermediateAtlantic
Gijón & Cabo Peñas
Spain
Cabo Peñas, the most prized dives on this coast
12–22°CbeginnerEighty human figures stand in a ring on the sand off Gili Meno
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerCoral Triangle
Gizo
Solomon Islands
A 140-metre WWII transport ship on its side a short boat ride from town
27–32°C · vis 24mintermediateAtlantic
Glénan Archipelago
France
Fifteen wreck sites and anemone-covered rock among 59 sites in one archipelago
10–19°CintermediateShipwrecks and rocky reefs in warm, sheltered water off Goa
27–30°C · vis 8mbeginnerNew Zealand's first marine reserve, and the snapper have stopped running
14–22°C · vis 20mbeginnerDiving inside Blue Bay, the first national underwater park in Turkey
13–26°CintermediateRed-gorgonian rock towers rising from 50 m to just under the surface
15–25°C · vis 35mintermediateNudibranch-rich rocky reefs and kelp forest dived by boat from Gordon's Bay
10–22°CintermediateHundreds of whitetip reef sharks pile up in the shallows at El Remolino
25–29°C · vis 20mintermediateCold Water
Gothenburg Archipelago
Sweden
More than 200 known wrecks, and wolffish at Trubaduren from December to midsummer
3–19°CintermediateCold Water
Gotland & Fårö
Sweden
Shore-dive the Digerhuvud drop-off on Fårö, ledges falling to about 55 m
2–19°CintermediateA protected shore-dive bay and a 100 m wreck off the island's capital
18–25°CbeginnerHand-feed wild stingrays in chest-deep water, then drop over a sheer wall the same day
26–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerGiant Queensland grouper at Cod Hole and dwarf minke whales in winter.
23–29°C · vis 20mintermediateKuroshio-fed reefs with resident green turtles off Taiwan's volcanic isle
22–29°C · vis 30mintermediateThe Caribbean's largest wreck, plus a sculpture park in the shallows
26–29°CintermediateA bronze Cousteau sits at 12 m in the reserve he made famous
26–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerWrecks from two wars touching in Apra Harbor, plus the Blue Hole sinkhole
27–30°CintermediateSouth America
Guarapari
Brazil
Rocky island reefs and deep wrecks a short boat ride off Guarapari
23–26°CintermediateOver 30 well-preserved wrecks at the mouth of Norway's Sognefjord
6–22°C · vis 35mintermediateHannibal Bank rises from 400 m and pulls in billfish and tuna
24–29°C · vis 25mintermediateBrackish water means three-hundred-year-old ships still stand with masts up
1–18°C · vis 15madvancedWhitetip reef sharks nap in rock caves 10 to 20 minutes from the beach
20–30°C · vis 23mbeginnerReef mantas cleaning on Baarah Thila, with up to 30 reported at once
28–29°C · vis 30mintermediateEast Asia
Hachijojima
Japan
The Yuzen butterflyfish, found only here and further south
18–25°C · vis 20mintermediateBull and Northern Giant kelp forests and walls carpeted in plumose anemones
6–12°C · vis 9mintermediateCold Water
Year-round North Atlantic shore dives among lobsters and plumose anemones
1–17°CintermediateGorgonian reefs from 24 m down to 90 m, and an all-levels wreck at 4 to 18 m
14–27°C · vis 25mintermediateCoral Triangle
Halmahera — Kusu & Sali Islands
Indonesia
Blacktip reef sharks by day and the endemic Halmahera walking shark after dark.
27–29°C · vis 30mintermediateUncrowded Fury Shoals reefs, from shallow caves to Sha'ab Maksur's drop-offs
23–31°C · vis 30mintermediateCold Water
Hel Peninsula
Poland
Deep Baltic wrecks a short boat ride from Hel's fishing port
2–19°CadvancedMediterranean
Herceg Novi & the Luštica Blue Cave
Montenegro
Military wrecks, Yugoslav submarine tunnels and the Luštica Blue Cave
14–26°CintermediateTwo-tank boat days pairing a Hermanus reef with a kelp-forest dive
10–22°CintermediateIndian Ocean
Hikkaduwa
Sri Lanka
An early oil tanker and a deep rock pinnacle a short boat ride out
26–31°CintermediateGreen sea turtles grazing on lava-rock reefs a short drive from town.
24–27°CintermediateSheer purple-coral wall with manta rays and occasional whale sharks
27–29°C · vis 25madvancedMarine-park coral and geopark islands off Sai Kung
17–30°C · vis 10mbeginnerCold Water
Anemone-draped fjord walls and a sunk destroyer, an hour from Vancouver
7–11°CintermediatePacific Islands
Huahine
French Polynesia
Grey reef sharks breed in the Avapehi Pass
26–31°CintermediateSpotted eagle rays over rocky reefs in warm national-park bays.
27–30°CintermediateAtlantic
A 1941 merchant wreck off the Guadiana and rock slabs off El Rompido and Isla Cristina
16–22°CbeginnerDaily boats to the Abu Nuhas wrecks and the fish-packed Aquarium reef
21–29°CbeginnerMediterranean
Hvar & the Pakleni Islands
Croatia
Gorgonian walls and caves in the Pakleni Islands, 10 to 20 minutes by boat
13–25°CintermediateA sunlit limestone cavern, the Don Pedro wreck and the Es Vedrà pinnacles
14–27°C · vis 30mintermediateIndian Ocean
Ifaty & Mangily
Madagascar
Tunnels and arches in the passes of a 40 km barrier reef
23–30°CintermediateAtlantic
World-war wrecks and rock walls in a tidal Atlantic strait
10–20°CintermediateAtlantic
Île de Groix & Lorient
France
A German U-boat at 38 m and wrecks from both world wars around one island
9–19°CintermediatePinguino wreck, Jorge Grego crevice and rocky islands
18–28°CbeginnerHistoric steamer wrecks and a no-fishing islet worked by six island dive centres
20–27°C · vis 20mbeginnerKelp and granite in cold Atlantic water at the mouth of the Ría de Vigo
12–19°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Ios & Folegandros
Greece
Koumbara’s underwater mountain, the historic Patris wreck and a stalactite cave
16–26°CintermediateEast Asia
A constant-current drift through the Yonara Channel and its manta points.
20–31°CintermediateWade off a Honiara roadside onto a Japanese transport from 1942
28–30°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Ischia & Procida
Italy
Gorgonian and red-coral walls inside Campania's largest marine reserve
14–26°CintermediateReef manta rays circle shallow cleaning stations in Kabira Bay most of the year.
21–29°C · vis 25mintermediateCaribbean
A park wall with black coral at 30 m and a graveyard of more than 70 wrecks
23–29°C · vis 40mintermediateThe world's largest known aggregation of oceanic manta rays
19–27°C · vis 20mintermediateWhitetip reef sharks stack up by the dozen on volcanic pinnacles
26–29°C · vis 25mintermediateHundreds of whale sharks feed shoulder to shoulder in open blue water
25–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerEastern Pacific
Islas Catalinas
Costa Rica
Oceanic manta rays pass the volcanic rocks from November to April
18–28°C · vis 30madvancedA drowned volcanic crater 50 km offshore, with permit-limited diving
14–26°C · vis 40mintermediatePacific Islands
Isle of Pines
New Caledonia
Leopard sharks and gorgonian canyons in the protected waters of Gadji Bay
22–27°CbeginnerCold Water
Isle of Skye
United Kingdom
Pinnacle walls at the Macleod Maidens and wrecks from Neist Point to Loch Alsh
7–15°CintermediateNorth America
Isle Royale
United States
Intact Lake Superior steamers and freighters inside a national park
1–13°C · vis 15madvancedHundreds of wrecks, anemone-covered walls and grey seals in one week
9–19°CintermediateCold Water
Isles of Shoals
United States
A year-round colony of harbor and grey seals at Duck Island
4–18°CintermediateThe Baron Gautsch, mined in 1914, lying at 28–40 m between Pula and Rovinj
11–25°C · vis 20mintermediateEast Asia
Izu Ōshima
Japan
Hammerhead schools at sunrise, reached from a volcanic beach
16–28°CbeginnerJapan's macro heartland on a sand slope three hours from Tokyo
13–27°C · vis 25mbeginnerWhale sharks are near-certain November to May, with mantas on the outer reefs.
24–28°CintermediateSnorkel with American crocodiles, then dive reefs thick with unwary reef sharks
26–29°C · vis 35mintermediateHouse-reef shore diving off North Obhur, and the Ann Ann wreck by day boat
22–32°C · vis 30mintermediateProtected soft coral forests on volcanic rock off southern Jeju
14–27°C · vis 25mintermediateWhite quartz sand lifts the light over temperate sponge gardens
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediateTropical and temperate species overlap on one rock 2.5 km offshore
19–26°C · vis 20mbeginnerSheer walls and a steamship wreck close to Juneau
4–10°CintermediatePacific Islands
A hundred kilometres of barrier reef with almost no divers on it
24–29°C · vis 40mintermediateA thousand-metre canyon reaches to within metres of the shore
10–17°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Kalkan
Turkey
The 1940s Sakarya wreck and a barracuda wall off Snake Island
16–28°C · vis 30mintermediateCaves, arches and gorges in the Labyrinth of Telendos
17–25°CintermediateCold Water
Naval ships scuttled to guard Karlskrona, lying at about 12 m in Djupasund
2–18°CintermediateA sunken DC-3 and a replica Bronze Age ship on the Lycian coast
16–28°C · vis 40mintermediateEast Asia
Katsuura & Namegawa
Japan
Kuroshio-fed pinnacles with amberjack schools within reach of Tokyo
17–26°CbeginnerPacific Islands
Kauaʻi — Poipu & the South Shore
United States
Green turtles on nearly every dive along a sheltered lava coast
22–28°C · vis 30mintermediateTitanic's sister ship, HMHS Britannic, rests largely intact at up to 122 m
15–26°C · vis 25madvancedCaves and grottoes lit through their roofs on both sides of the Ithaca channel
15–26°C · vis 40mintermediateMediterranean
Kemer & Tekirova
Turkey
Canyons and an air-filled cave at the protected Three Islands, plus two wrecks
17–29°CadvancedShore-entry coral slopes at the warm southern tip of Taiwan
22–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerReefs and wrecks a fast-boat ride from Jakarta
28–30°CintermediateKerama Blue visibility over coral gardens with turtles on nearly every dive.
20–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerThe Vandenberg wreck plus shallow sanctuary reefs
23–31°C · vis 15mintermediateTin-dredger wrecks full of fish on a half-day boat trip
26–30°C · vis 15mbeginnerCold Water
Kilkee & the Clare Coast
Ireland
Swim-throughs and small caverns a 5–10 minute boat spin from Kilkee pier
10–16°CintermediateA single bay holds roughly half the world's recorded coral species.
27–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerCold Water
Kinlochbervie & the North-West Highlands
United Kingdom
Gullies, swim-throughs and a blowhole cave on Scotland's far north-west coast
7–13°CintermediateCold Water
Kinsale & Old Head
Ireland
Old Head reefs and the City of Chicago wreck, a short boat spin from Kinsale
9–18°CintermediateShallow east-coast coral reefs, among the richest dive sites in Iran
22–34°CbeginnerAfrica
Kizimkazi & Menai Bay
Tanzania
Coral gardens and walls in a bay where humpback and bottlenose dolphins live.
25–30°CbeginnerCold Water
Klaipėda & Curonian Spit
Lithuania
Intact Baltic shipwrecks at technical depths off the Lithuanian coast
1–20°CadvancedSoutheast Asia
Koh Chang & Koh Rang
Thailand
The HTMS Chang wreck and whale sharks from January to April
28–30°C · vis 15mbeginnerFringing reefs and small islands within 45 minutes of the boat pier
28–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerSoutheast Asia
Koh Lanta & Koh Haa
Thailand
Limestone caverns and swim-throughs at Koh Haa, a short boat ride out
27–30°C · vis 40mbeginnerGranite pinnacles and intact park reefs off Thailand's far-southern border
27–30°C · vis 20mintermediateFour hours offshore to Koh Tang, where the water finally clears
27–31°C · vis 20mbeginnerSoutheast Asia
Koh Samui & Koh Phangan
Thailand
Longtail reef dives at Koh Ma and Rock Point off Koh Phangan
28–30°CbeginnerGulf of Thailand training hub with deeper pinnacles for whale sharks
27–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerCold Water
King crabs and walls with anemone colonies in Pechenga Bay
2–11°C · vis 20mintermediateDrift dives past sharks and tuna on current-swept seamounts
20–29°C · vis 30madvancedManta rays glide through diver spotlights on Kona's nightly manta dive.
24–27°C · vis 25mintermediateSheer limestone crowns dropping past 80 m into the open Adriatic
13–25°C · vis 25mintermediateMediterranean
Amphora shards over 800 years old on The Potteries reef off Pserimos
17–26°CintermediatePacific Islands
Kosrae
Micronesia
Unbroken hard coral on an island that sees a few hundred divers a year
27–30°C · vis 45mbeginnerCold Water
Anemone-hung skerry walls in and around Sweden's first marine park
3–19°CintermediateCoral Triangle
Bamboo, cat and leopard sharks resting on remote reefs with no other divers in sight
27–30°CintermediateEasy macro and training dives in a marine park on Kota Kinabalu's doorstep
26–31°C · vis 15mbeginnerEast Asia
Kozushima
Japan
Dense fish schools over volcanic caves and walls, a short hop from Tokyo
17–27°C · vis 30mintermediateCoral Triangle
Krakatau & Sangiang Island
Indonesia
Day-boat dives on the flanks of Krakatau's volcanic islands
27–30°C · vis 20mintermediateA flooded chalk quarry with a hovering aircraft and a 55 m drop-off
5–18°C · vis 40mintermediateCold Water
Ravines, kelp and drop-offs beside the Atlantic Ocean Road
5–17°CintermediateEast Asia
Kume Island
Japan
Manta cleaning walls shallow enough for beginners, visited almost all year.
19–31°CintermediateMediterranean
Kuşadası
Turkey
An Airbus A300 airliner sunk as an artificial reef in the gulf
15–26°CbeginnerThe world's northernmost table coral reef, growing at 33° north
16–28°C · vis 25mbeginnerSelzine's blue and red gorgonian wall, dropping to 45 m off Cres
12–24°C · vis 25mintermediateMediterranean
Kyrenia (Girne)
Cyprus
About twenty reef and wall sites east and west of Kyrenia
17–29°CintermediateFish-packed volcanic labyrinths in one of Europe’s largest marine reserves
18–21°CintermediateOrange Astroides walls on a protected cliff coast, dived from a sheltered bay
14–28°C · vis 15mbeginnerMarket squid spawn in their millions over the sand on winter nights
13–22°C · vis 10mbeginnerLava arches, tunnels and a black-coral tower wall from 5 m to about 40 m
19–25°C · vis 25mintermediateA 34 km shelf-edge wall a short boat ride from two south-coast towns
26–30°CintermediateQuiet kandu channels and a manta point that works year-round
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateCoral Triangle
Labuan & Brunei Wrecks
Brunei
Four protected wrecks plus coral reefs nearby
28–30°C · vis 20mintermediateThe highest reef manta density on the Great Barrier Reef, year-round
21–27°C · vis 25mbeginnerCold Water
Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
Argentina
Clear Andean lake diving on sheer walls, drowned forest and a wreck
2–14°C · vis 20mintermediateEasy cliff-foot shore dives, with young sea lions hauled out at Seal Rock
12–20°C · vis 8mbeginnerGiant manta rays glide over an offshore granite reef from March through September.
18–27°C · vis 35mintermediateYear-round freshwater diving on Baikal, with ice dives under the Olkhon floes
1–16°C · vis 30mintermediateCold Water
Lake Bled & Lake Bohinj
Slovenia
Shore dives in two clear alpine lakes, one inside Triglav National Park
2–19°CbeginnerThe Jura paddle-steamer wreck and steep walls falling past 40 m
4–22°CintermediateDesert-reservoir walls and a shore training site strung with sunken boats
13–19°CbeginnerSome 700 cichlid species in calm, current-free fresh water
22–29°CbeginnerShore dives in a clear caldera lake, with ice dives in midwinter
1–20°CintermediateNorth America's best-known high-altitude, clear-water lake diving
4–22°C · vis 20mintermediateCold Water
Lake Vättern
Sweden
Sunken cargo boats off Hjo in cold, clear fresh water
2–17°CintermediatePermit-only Indian atolls with 30 m visibility and almost no divers
27–30°C · vis 40mintermediateMediterranean
Lampedusa & Linosa
Italy
Grey shark schools at Lampione and the Secchitella shoal off Linosa
15–26°CintermediateA coral-covered freighter wreck and fish-packed lava pinnacles
24–30°CintermediateThree hundred concrete figures stand at 14 m in Europe's underwater museum
18–24°C · vis 25mbeginnerA 172 m ferry on her side, lorries still chained to the car decks
17–28°C · vis 30mintermediateFive scuttled fishing boats at 18 to 28 m in the Golfo San Matías
10–19°CintermediateWalls of gorgonians off Cape Struga that reach 80 m
14–25°CintermediateScalloped hammerheads school along a wall that drops 2,000 m
27–30°C · vis 45madvancedMediterranean
Lefkada & Meganisi
Greece
The wall and reef under the Cape Ducato lighthouse, dropping to 40 m
15–26°CintermediateSlow scans over black sand reveal mimic octopus and hairy frogfish.
25–29°C · vis 20mbeginnerMediterranean
Leros & Lakki
Greece
Battle of Leros wrecks from 1943, led by the destroyer Vasilissa Olga
16–26°CintermediateNorth America
Les Escoumins
Canada
Anemone-packed rock and wolffish, dived from the shore at the St. Lawrence marine park
-1–8°CintermediateMediterranean
Lesbos
Greece
Volcanic arches and petrified tree trunks on the reef off Sigri
14–25°C · vis 30mintermediateReef mantas gather at Fushifaru Thila's two protected cleaning stations
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateGorgonian-clad pinnacles in open ocean off the north-west coast
23–28°CintermediateA multi-level shore wall and bridge piers in a tidal Danish strait
3–18°CintermediateMediterranean
A resident grouper on the Costandis, an artificial-reef wreck off Limassol
16–29°CbeginnerA wall that starts at 5.5 m and vanishes into blue, minutes from an undeveloped shore
26–29°C · vis 35mintermediateReef sharks and schooling barracuda at Blowing Rock, 26 km (16 miles) offshore
26–30°CbeginnerCold Water
Loch Fyne & Loch Long
United Kingdom
Shore diving on old pier wreckage and boulder reefs an hour from Glasgow
7–15°CintermediateCold Water
Lofoten Islands
Norway
Well-preserved wrecks and anemone-carpeted walls above the Arctic Circle
5–12°CintermediateThe Andrea Doria, scuba's 'Mount Everest,' lies 100 nm off Montauk in 58-73 m of water
10–23°C · vis 7madvancedDean's Blue Hole, the world's freediving capital and third-deepest blue hole
25–30°C · vis 30mintermediateTaipei's home coast, with coral shore dives an hour east of Keelung
20–29°CbeginnerThe world's southernmost coral reef, with advanced diving at Balls Pyramid offshore.
18–26°C · vis 30mintermediateNorth America
Loreto Bay National Park
Mexico
Sea lion colonies and black coral walls around the islands off Loreto.
17–30°CintermediateSea lions at Land's End and sandfalls in the marine park, minutes from the marina.
20–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 350-cay national park atoll with walls and almost no other divers
25–29°C · vis 35madvancedEngland's first marine reserve, and its grey seals follow divers around
8–17°C · vis 20mintermediateJetty pilings and sand slopes turn up ghost pipefish and mandarinfish at dusk.
27–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerSouth America
Three wrecks at around 30 m, about an hour by boat from Maceió
26–29°CintermediateA flashlightfish cave and Olango's 73 m wall, minutes from the airport
26–31°C · vis 25mintermediateCoral Triangle
Madang & the North Coast
Papua New Guinea
Wrecks, a shark seamount and an endemic walking shark from one lagoon town
28–30°C · vis 30mintermediateBoulder swim-throughs at Garajau, monk seals and mantas off the Desertas
19–24°C · vis 25mintermediateJuvenile whale sharks feed in shallow water off Mafia most of the year.
25–29°C · vis 20mintermediateNorth America
Magdalena Bay
Mexico
Striped marlin lance through sardine baitballs in open ocean
20–26°C · vis 30madvancedCanyon reefs five minutes from the fishermen's dock and a stepped outer wall beyond
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediatePacific Islands
Majuro & Mili
Marshall Islands
Ride a channel that flushes a forty-kilometre lagoon on the tide
28–30°C · vis 40mintermediatePelagic thresher sharks at a cleaning station, now at Kimud Shoal.
25–30°C · vis 25mintermediateSherman tanks lie on the seabed beside the SS Empire Heritage
8–15°C · vis 30madvancedFormentor's cliff walls and a maze of shallow tunnels, run from Port de Pollença
14–26°C · vis 25mintermediateLarge resident groupers on El Toro's reserve buoys, ten minutes from the marina
14–28°C · vis 25mbeginnerHammerhead schools of 200-plus circle La Nevera's cold-water cleaning station
17–28°C · vis 30madvancedShore-entry wrecks and a rock-tunnel sinkhole dive at Gozo's Blue Hole
15–28°C · vis 40mintermediateGreen turtles and an offshore oil-platform reef off Peru's north coast
18–23°C · vis 7mbeginnerShallow turtle reefs with visibility often reaching 15 to 40 m
27–30°C · vis 40mbeginnerA growing park of scuttled wrecks off Argentina's Atlantic coast
8–23°C · vis 10mintermediateNorth America
Marathon & the Middle Keys
United States
Shallow Sanctuary patch reefs and the intact Thunderbolt wreck at 37 m
22–30°C · vis 15mbeginnerCaribbean
María la Gorda
Cuba
Forests of black coral in a bay that is flat calm nearly every day
25–29°C · vis 40mbeginnerMediterranean
Marmaris & İçmeler
Turkey
Daylight pouring through the chimney of Baca Cave
20–28°CadvancedStep off a jetty into the world's largest lagoon, or cross to open ocean
28–30°C · vis 40mintermediateDugongs at Abu Dabbab, spinner dolphins at Sha'ab Samadai, sharks at Elphinstone
23–30°C · vis 30mintermediateWrecks, deep walls and island dives inside a national park
13–25°CintermediateShips sunk by Mount Pelée's 1902 eruption lie in Saint-Pierre bay
26–31°CintermediateMolokini's crater wall and Lānaʻi's skylit lava caverns
23–27°C · vis 30mintermediateBlack-sand muck slopes for frogfish and mimic octopus, with a wreck off the beach
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediatePacific Islands
Maupiti
French Polynesia
Manta rays at a lagoon cleaning station every morning, all year
27–29°CbeginnerSunken wrecks and a guided cavern sit minutes from the Flic en Flac shore
22–28°C · vis 30mintermediateResident manta rays clean daily at Passe en S inside the barrier reef lagoon
25–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerDusky grouper by the dozen inside a Costa Brava marine reserve
13–25°C · vis 20mintermediateUncrowded channel drifts and a manta cleaning station on the southern liveaboard route
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateBali's best walls, sheltered enough to dive in almost any weather
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerLong limestone caves and the 110 m Malakoff wreck off one Balearic island
12–27°C · vis 30mintermediateRemote liveaboard-only archipelago with the shark-rich Burma Banks seamount
26–29°C · vis 25mintermediateMainland Japan's only reliable schooling hammerhead dive
16–28°C · vis 30madvancedSheltered volcanic-sand bays where modern muck diving first took hold.
27–30°C · vis 25mintermediateMediterranean
Milos & Kimolos
Greece
Volcanic cliffs and hidden tunnels at Kleftiko and Papafragas
16–26°C · vis 30mbeginnerNorth America
Milwaukee & Port Washington
United States
Historic schooners, steamers and a sunken car ferry off Milwaukee
4–24°C · vis 30mintermediateReef and oceanic mantas share a cleaning station inside a patrolled no-take reserve
26–28°C · vis 25mintermediateEast Asia
Over 30 nudibranch species on a single Jogashima dive, 90 minutes from Tokyo
14–26°CbeginnerEast Asia
Miyakejima
Japan
Lava arches and Kuroshio-fed corals a short flight from Tokyo
17–29°C · vis 30mintermediateLimestone arches and chambers with light shafts through the roof
22–29°C · vis 40mintermediateMediterranean
Mljet National Park
Croatia
A sunlit sea cave and an ancient amphora wreck off Mljet's coast
14–26°CbeginnerAn atoll wall and easy coral slopes off Zanzibar's north-east corner
25–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerMillions of sardines form a shifting baitball reachable straight from shore.
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerAfrica
A protected fringing reef and the MV Dania wreck, close to the beach
25–31°C · vis 30mintermediateA thousand fur seals, and the juveniles come out to play with divers
14–22°C · vis 30mintermediateBeach-entry kelp forests inside a national marine sanctuary
9–16°C · vis 9mintermediateCaribbean
Montserrat
Montserrat
Uncrowded boats, and hawksbill turtles and southern stingrays at Rendezvous Bay
26–29°CbeginnerGrey nurse sharks in winter and a scuttled destroyer in 28 m
19–27°C · vis 20mintermediateSicklefin lemon sharks patrol the outer reef passes year-round.
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateReef sharks a short boat ride out and WWII bombers on the deep slopes.
28–30°CintermediateLittle-dived kelp pinnacles between Port San Luis and Morro Bay
7–13°CintermediateA coral reef reached from the beach, by day or by night
25–29°CintermediateShallow bay reefs that come alive with game fish and soft corals in mid-summer
17–21°CintermediateSpring-fed limestone ponds and sinkholes for Open Water and cave divers alike
10–17°C · vis 80mintermediateEast Asia
Kannoura, Japan's one known place to watch whitespotted bamboosharks spawn
17–28°C · vis 13mintermediateGreen, plankton-rich water and huge fish schools in the fjords of Arabia
22–32°C · vis 25mintermediateTwo sunk navy ships and wolf-eel reefs a short boat ride from town
6–13°CintermediateEast Asia
A wreck covered in schooling fish, five minutes from the harbour
17–28°CbeginnerA German destroyer's bow rises to 10 m where she was run aground in 1940
3–12°C · vis 30madvancedTwo dozen reef sharks circle a baited arena in 12 m of water
23–29°C · vis 35mbeginnerCaribbean
Negril & Bloody Bay
Jamaica
A beginner cavern and reef arches on Jamaica's calm west coast
26–30°CbeginnerWeedy seadragons over temperate sponge gardens, entered from a car park
15–24°C · vis 15mbeginnerCage dive with great white sharks over a resident Australian sea lion colony.
14–21°C · vis 20mintermediateTurtles and schooling reef fish in Shelter Cove's protected marine area
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerCaribbean
Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Swimming through the warm bubbles of a sulfur vent at Champagne Garden
27–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 38 m chimney built by freshwater springs venting inside the lagoon
21–27°C · vis 25mintermediateSharks and tuna on the tide at Albatross Passage, and wartime floatplane wrecks
29–32°CintermediateHigh nudibranch diversity in granite boulder fields off the Vietnamese coast
24–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerWhale sharks gather along the reef edge every autumn after coral spawning.
21–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerBanded sea kraits are seen resting in caves on nearly every dive.
25–28°C · vis 70mintermediateNorth America
North Carolina Wrecks
United States
Sand tiger sharks aggregate around WWII wrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
14–27°C · vis 30madvancedCave and cavern diving in constant-temperature springs
20–23°CintermediateCurrent-fed thilas, grey reef sharks and a manta cleaning station
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateManta cleaning stations Oct–Apr, grey nurse sharks through winter
19–26°C · vis 20mintermediateWhale sharks feed in the channel toward Nosy Iranja each October through December
24–29°C · vis 25mintermediateBlue gropers, seagrass critters and deep collier wrecks an hour north of Sydney
16–24°C · vis 20mintermediateScalloped hammerheads off the islet guarding Taiohae Bay
27–28°CintermediateEastern Pacific
Nuquí & the Gulf of Tribugá
Colombia
Rock formations south of Nuquí draw groupers, jacks and several shark species
25–30°CintermediateManta rays all year and mola mola from July to October
18–28°CadvancedUncrowded beach entries onto reefs with resident green turtles
21–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA WWII minesweeper and a set of caverns on one site, a short ride offshore
26–30°CintermediateWild dolphin encounters in Bonin Blue water 1,000 km from the nearest city.
20–28°C · vis 35madvancedTurtle reefs and sunken ships ten minutes off Waikiki
23–28°C · vis 30mintermediateEast Asia
Oki Islands
Japan
Sea caves and amberjack-hunted fish schools in a Sea of Japan geopark
11–28°CbeginnerEast Asia
Japan's most-dived site, a limestone cavern lit blue from below
21–29°C · vis 35mbeginnerCold Water
Baltic wrecks from beginner shore dives to intact hulls in the strait
0–21°CintermediateCold Water
Øresund & Isefjord
Denmark
An upright trawler wreck and the most visited wreck in the Øresund
2–18°CintermediateFive popular wrecks at Svestad Brygge, a ferry ride from Oslo
3–18°C · vis 25mintermediateSheer Coral Sea walls with reef shark numbers rarely seen inshore.
24–29°C · vis 40madvancedAn atoll wall dropping into open ocean, 400 km from the nearest island
26–30°C · vis 40mintermediateSheltered macro bays and current-swept islets from one harbour
23–29°C · vis 30mintermediateOuter-reef drift walls and a seahorse lagoon on Zanzibar’s south-east coast
25–31°CintermediateHooked onto the reef at Blue Corner as schools and grey reef sharks pour past
27–30°C · vis 40mintermediateA no-fishing reserve rock and small wrecks 15 minutes off Montpellier
10–23°C · vis 15mbeginnerGoliath groupers over 200 kg mass on the wrecks to spawn each August
22–30°C · vis 30mintermediateThousands of sea lions crowd bare granite an hour from Lima
14–19°C · vis 12madvancedBanded sea kraits on Cervera Shoal, an hour out of Alona
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateNorth America
Panama City Beach
United States
A field of sunken ships and bridge spans, from 23 m inshore to 34 m offshore
15–30°CintermediateNapaling's resident sardine shoal, and the base for all of Bohol
27–30°C · vis 25mintermediatePunic and Roman amphorae and gorgonian walls in the middle of the Strait of Sicily
15–25°CintermediateMediterranean
Paphos & Coral Bay
Cyprus
A cave roof encrusted with amphorae, ten minutes from Paphos harbour
17–28°CbeginnerSubmerged statues of Christ and Neptune among calm bay islands
22–26°CbeginnerA WWII Beaufighter at 34 m and a cavern that surfaces among stalactites
17–25°C · vis 25mintermediateGulf wrecks and the 100 m Samaesan Hole, two hours from Bangkok
26–31°C · vis 15mintermediateTidal gaps flush an 800 m channel past sheer coral walls
25–29°C · vis 40madvancedCold Water
Pembrokeshire & Skomer
United Kingdom
Shore and boat dives in Wales's only Marine Conservation Zone
8–17°CintermediateThree shallow wrecks off Christian and Hope Islands, most in 3–12 m of fresh water
0–21°CbeginnerEast Asia
Penghu Islands
Taiwan
Barracuda drifts and basalt ridges in a Taiwan Strait protected area
24–28°C · vis 10mintermediateAn 85 m car ferry upright at 12–30 m beside the reef that sank her
27–30°C · vis 20mintermediateShallow boulder reefs and sand macro in Vietnam's south-western gulf
28–31°C · vis 20mbeginnerYear-round day-boat diving from Chalong, with Racha Noi's boulders for the bigger animals
27–31°C · vis 25mintermediateMediterranean
Piran & Portorož
Slovenia
Seahorses on a shore reef, and wartime wrecks minutes away by boat
9–25°CbeginnerPregnant bull sharks gather on open sand minutes off the beach each winter
26–29°C · vis 35mintermediateCold Water
Plymouth Sound & HMS Scylla
United Kingdom
A frigate sunk as Europe's first artificial diving reef, a training site
8–19°CintermediateEast Asia
Pohang
South Korea
Easy beach dives and purpose-built artificial reefs on the East Sea
10–24°C · vis 15mbeginnerHammerheads and grey reef sharks hold in Palikir Pass's blue water.
27–29°C · vis 25mintermediatePygmy seahorses on gorgonian pinnacles inside the UNESCO-listed north-east lagoon
20–28°C · vis 35mintermediatePermit-limited giant kelp forest with sea otters working the shallows
10–16°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Sea caves and sheer walls in the shore coves between the two towns
14–26°CintermediateA resident bottlenose dolphin pod makes for near-daily encounters.
21–28°C · vis 20mintermediateA WWII landing ship in two sections at 19 and 30 m off a cave-cut volcanic island
14–27°C · vis 35mintermediateMassive fish schools swirl through archways at one of the world's largest sea caves.
15–23°C · vis 30mintermediateWalls, a coral pinnacle and a Coast Guard wreck on an uncrowded coast
27–30°CintermediateNorth America
Port Aransas & Corpus Christi
United States
Summer sea turtles on the jetties and fish-crowded Gulf oil rigs
16–30°CintermediateThousands of spider crabs mass under a Melbourne pier each winter
11–20°C · vis 15mintermediatePacific Islands
Port Vila & Efate
Vanuatu
A tall, narrow cavern and several wrecks a short boat ride from the capital
24–30°C · vis 40mintermediateDozens of dusky groupers hold station on the rock face at La Gabinière
13–25°C · vis 25mintermediateSea caves, walls and shoals on Salento's Ionian coast
14–26°CintermediateTwo artificial-reef wrecks at 32 to 35 m: the Gonçalo Coelho and the Marte tug
26–29°CintermediateTwo scuttled ships and rocky reefs around the islets, 2 m to 30 m
17–23°C · vis 30mintermediateSouth America
Shallow coral banks of the Recife de Fora marine park, an hour out by boat
24–28°C · vis 10mbeginnerCaribbean
Portobelo
Panama
Caribbean reefs and a plane wreck a day trip from Panama City
27–29°CbeginnerRed gorgonian forests below 25 m and a bronze Christ at 17 m
13–25°C · vis 20mintermediateSubmerged granite boulders and swim-throughs off Praslin and La Digue
26–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerMediterranean
Premuda
Croatia
Limestone chimneys lit from above, and a 1918 battleship at 66 m
12–25°C · vis 20mintermediateGorgonian drop-offs and shallow wrecks from two Dalmatian harbours
12–25°C · vis 25mintermediateGreat hammerhead schools cruise the pinnacles from November through May.
16–25°C · vis 30madvancedThe western hemisphere's third-largest barrier reef, 700 km from anywhere
26–29°C · vis 40mbeginnerSouth America
Pucusana
Peru
Kelp forest and sea lions an hour's drive south of Lima
15–20°CintermediateA narrow strait holds one of the highest recorded densities of shore fish on Earth.
26–29°C · vis 20mintermediateYoung sea lions spiral around divers at the Punta Loma colony
9–18°C · vis 15mintermediateNorth America
A marine-park reef for every level, and open-sea rocks visited by giant mantas
24–30°CintermediateCold-water walls, wrecks and wolf eels in Puget Sound and Hood Canal
7–13°CintermediateCoral Triangle
Pulau Aur & Pulau Dayang
Malaysia
Offshore rocks with barracuda and a chance of mantas and whale sharks
25–29°CintermediateYear-round macro diving on reefs a short boat ride from the city
27–31°C · vis 10mbeginnerVolcanic gas bubbles through the sand off a current-swept island
27–30°C · vis 25mintermediateMediterranean
Gorgonian walls on islets that top submarine mountains in a marine reserve
14–26°CintermediateIndian Ocean
A sunken supertanker off Larak and a deep coral field at Espringi
23–33°C · vis 25mintermediateShort boat rides to soft-coral canyons off Manuel Antonio National Park
28–29°C · vis 22mintermediateSoutheast Asia
Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
Vietnam
Short boat hops to rocky islands and reef walls off Nhơn Hải
22–31°CbeginnerManta cleaning stations and overhang-rich thilas
27–30°CintermediateJapanese wartime wrecks and jetty critters inside a volcanic caldera
29–30°CintermediatePacific Islands
Raiatea & Taha'a
French Polynesia
Drifts through reef passes with sharks, and an intact wreck in the lagoon
26–31°CintermediateSoft corals turn ghostly white along the current-fed Great White Wall.
24–29°C · vis 30madvancedDrift dives through some of the richest marine life on Earth
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateDolphins ride the tidal current alongside sharks in Tiputa Pass.
26–29°C · vis 40madvancedVolcanic arches and lava tunnels sit in some of the clearest water on Earth.
21–25°C · vis 55madvancedLeafy seadragons drift among century-old jetty pylons a short swim from shore.
12–20°C · vis 10mintermediateForty-metre visibility over lava caves and canyons, straight off the reef
24–28°C · vis 50mbeginnerDozens of wrecks on flat sand, including the 1887 steamer Pirapama
25–28°C · vis 25mintermediateTurtle-nesting beaches and a shallow wreck on Malaysia's calm northeast coast
27–30°C · vis 20mbeginnerNorth America
Redondo, Palos Verdes & San Pedro
United States
Market squid spawn on the Redondo canyon edge from mid-December to early March
14–19°C · vis 15mintermediateA recovering fringing reef and two easy wrecks on the sheltered west coast
22–28°C · vis 30mintermediateHabituated giant oceanic manta rays circle divers at open-water cleaning stations.
21–28°C · vis 30madvancedCold Water
Wolffish, grey seals and kelp forests on a lava coast within an hour of Reykjavík
6–11°CintermediateShore-entry walls and caverns at Ladiko and Anthony Quinn Bay, amphora on the seabed
17–27°C · vis 30mintermediateThailand's top-rated pinnacle dive, prime whale shark season Feb-Apr
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateThe Empress of Ireland, a protected wreck in 40 m of cold, moving water
-1–13°CadvancedFlooded limestone caverns with haloclines, open to Open Water divers
24–26°CintermediateAn 1867 mail steamer split between 9 m and 27 m off Salt Island
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateWalk in from a beach resort and be on a coral wall within a five-minute swim
25–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerShallow seal dives on the sand off the Robberg Peninsula colony
18–21°C · vis 10mintermediateThe endemic Juan Fernández fur seal colony at Tres Puntas
14–20°CintermediateA lagoon twice the island's size, with passes that flush it twice a day
22–28°C · vis 40mintermediateNew species are described from these slopes with unusual regularity
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerPacific Islands
Rota
Northern Mariana Islands
Shafts of sunlight falling into the Rota Hole cave.
28–30°CintermediateReef sharks and seasonal mantas around a quiet surf island
25–29°CintermediateTidal channels through pristine atolls draw dense schools of sharks and pelagics.
24–29°C · vis 40madvancedPinnacles rising from deep water, current-fed and thick with black coral and sponges
25–28°C · vis 35mintermediateEast Asia
Sado Island
Japan
Resident kobudai wrasse swim up to greet divers at Aka-Iwa
10–27°C · vis 20mbeginnerPanorama Reef's plateau drops away on every side into soft coral walls
21–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA vertical chimney runs up through the rock from 18 m to 6 m
28–30°C · vis 20mintermediateShort boat rides from Gustavia to walls, pinnacles and rock arches
26–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerSwim out of a collapsed limestone cavern into the open Pacific
27–30°C · vis 50madvancedCold Water
Steller sea lions and giant octopus in Russia's first marine park
2–22°CintermediateDive the slack-tide window of the world's strongest maelstrom
4–14°C · vis 15madvancedSouth America
The 180-metre freighter Cavo Artemidi, a boat ride from the city
26–29°C · vis 40mintermediateGranite shoals, kelp and wrecks in and around the Ría de Arousa
13–17°CbeginnerAncient anchors, a cannon and artefacts scattered over calm Aegean rock
16–25°CbeginnerNorth America
A sunken Canadian destroyer and giant kelp a short boat ride from Mission Bay
8–14°C · vis 30mintermediateCurrent-fed walls of anemones and sponges, dived at slack water
9–12°C · vis 18madvancedSheer lee-side walls with hammerheads passing in the cooler winter months
23–29°CintermediateAtlantic
Ocean sunfish at a cleaning station off the Ratón de Getaria
13–21°CintermediateMediterranean
Caves, walls and the Capua wreck between San Vito and the Zingaro reserve
14–26°CintermediateBlack volcanic sand that bubbles from vents, full of macro critters
24–28°C · vis 25mbeginnerHot gas vents stream through the reef from an active submarine volcano
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateMediterranean
Santa Maria di Leuca
Italy
Red and yellow gorgonian forests on the banks off the cape where two seas meet
14–26°CintermediateSheer Ogliastra cliffs, a barracuda shoal and three wrecks
14–25°CbeginnerCold upwelling makes Colombia's Caribbean coast unexpectedly productive
20–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerAtlantic
Rock passages and a domed rock formation at a reserve island off Santander
11–23°CintermediateAtlantic
Santo Antão
Cabo Verde
A labyrinth reef, black-coral walls and a cavern near Porto Novo
23–27°CintermediateMediterranean
Santorini & the Caldera
Greece
A WWII passenger wreck resting upright at 18 m off Nea Kameni
16–27°C · vis 40mbeginnerEast Asia
Easy, gentle reef diving around the bays and islands of southern Hainan
20–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerEquatorial volcanic pinnacles almost nobody has dived
25–29°C · vis 25mintermediateA shallow wreck, a cave dive and drifts, all a short boat ride from Mindelo
20–27°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Sarandë & Ksamil
Albania
Six ex-navy ships scuttled off Ksamil and a 1943 wreck in Saranda Bay
15–26°C · vis 30mintermediateLava tubes and drop-offs, with a marine reserve walkable from Apia
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateA resident school of scalloped hammerheads stays off Savusavu all year.
22–30°C · vis 40mintermediateScuttled German fleet wrecks in a sheltered Orkney anchorage
7–13°C · vis 20madvancedSea lions at Los Islotes and whale sharks in La Paz Bay
19–30°CintermediateTurtle-heavy reefs and pygmy seahorses within 25 minutes of Pom Pom by fast boat.
28–30°CintermediateThe River Gurara wreck and gorgonian rock south of Lisbon
13–18°C · vis 15mintermediateA 1905 trader at 18 m and a 32 m lagoon resurgence
12–22°CbeginnerCold-water walls, a Navy barge wreck and giant Pacific octopus
2–13°C · vis 24mintermediateIndian Ocean
Seychelles — Inner Islands
Seychelles
Granite boulders stack into swim-throughs found nowhere else in the ocean
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerColumnar rock and Shakotan Blue water in Hokkaido's only marine park
4–22°CbeginnerThe Thistlegorm's holds still stacked with motorcycles, trucks and rail cars
21–29°C · vis 35mintermediateIntact steamship wrecks in the almost tideless water south of Lerwick
7–15°CadvancedSwim beneath drifting sea ice searching for tiny 'sea angel' clione
-1–4°C · vis 20mintermediateCoral Triangle
Siargao
Philippines
Blue Cathedral, a Pacific cavern swept by schooling jacks and barracuda
26–30°C · vis 25mintermediateCalm marine-park reefs and twin pinnacles a short boat ride from the Sibu resorts
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerCold Water
Silfra
Iceland
Visibility measured in tens of metres inside a rift between two tectonic plates
2–4°C · vis 80mintermediatePermit-only snorkel encounters with breeding humpback whales on an offshore bank
22–26°C · vis 30mintermediateGranite boulder swim-throughs on one coast, sloping coral reefs on the other
27–30°C · vis 40mintermediateAn 1801 frigate wreck and a run of sunk hulls minutes from Philipsburg
25–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerCold Water
A giant amber-quarry excavator bucket at 21 m in a flooded pit lake
2–19°CbeginnerTornado-like schools of barracuda and big-eye trevally beside sheer walls.
27–30°C · vis 40mintermediateShore-accessible walls from 5 m into blue, dived one boat at a time
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerCold Water
Cold-water coral walls within nitrox range of the surface
4–12°C · vis 15madvancedSnorkel alongside orca pods hunting herring baitballs in Arctic fjords
4–13°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Skopelos
Greece
A well-preserved 83 m cargo wreck sitting upright in sheltered Panormos Bay
14–26°CintermediateCold Water
Sochi & Lazarevskoye
Russia
The tug Pervansh, a wreck at 19 m off Sochi
7–29°C · vis 10mbeginnerRed Sea, Arabian and Indian Ocean species overlap on unsurveyed reefs
23–29°C · vis 30madvancedPregnant ragged-tooth sharks settle on Quarter Mile Reef in summer.
21–28°CintermediateEast Asia
Sokcho & Goseong
South Korea
Canyon and boulder reefs in cold East Sea water, a few hours from Seoul
2–21°CintermediateWWII aircraft wrecks rest near lightly dived, pristine barrier reefs.
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateThe Rondo stands almost vertical, stern at 15 m and bow at 50
7–14°C · vis 20madvancedCaribbean
South Abaco Blue Holes
Bahamas
Full-cave-only diving through ice-age passages hiding extinct-crocodile fossils
24–24°C · vis 40madvancedCold Water
South Funen Archipelago
Denmark
Denmark's last train ferry, scuttled as an overgrown artificial reef
2–18°CintermediateProtected shark channels 20–40 minutes by boat from Maafushi's guesthouses
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA 125 m ocean through-cave, and grey nurse sharks in the gutters
17–25°C · vis 30madvancedWhale sharks in the shallows and a sanctuary wall almost nobody dives
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateMediterranean
Sozopol & St. Ivan Island
Bulgaria
Black Sea wrecks, a stone forest and spring seahorses off Sozopol
7–25°CbeginnerOne hull swarming with groper, sea snakes and schooling trevally
22–29°CadvancedJewel anemones and grey seals on a Berwickshire volcanic coast
6–15°C · vis 20mintermediateAdult male and female whale sharks gather together, seen nowhere else
20–26°C · vis 40mintermediateLight shafts cut through shallow coral caves at Umm Kharārīm
22–30°C · vis 40madvancedSwim off a beach onto a wall that drops past 900 metres
25–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerLava flows, old wreck sites and night turtles in a marine park
26–29°CintermediateCaribbean
St. John
U.S. Virgin Islands
Tarpon schools at Carval Rock and coral cays a short boat ride out
25–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerCaribbean
St. Kitts
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Easy wrecks and coral-head reefs in calm, gentle water
26–29°C · vis 30mintermediateSoft-coral walls beneath the Pitons, with a beach entry straight onto the reef
26–30°C · vis 30mbeginnerSwim-through rocks, a multi-level reef wall and two big wrecks
25–30°CbeginnerSeahorses and frogfish on shallow sand beside leeward walls and a cave
27–30°CintermediateGreat whites in the Foveaux Strait, cage-dived under permit at 47° south
8–16°C · vis 20madvancedMediterranean
Barracuda schools crossing the seagrass in a marine protected area
13–24°CbeginnerCold Water
Intact wrecks from the 1600s in Sweden's first maritime cultural reserve
1–19°CintermediateA flooded granite quarry with a sunken tug, a helicopter and a submarine replica
4–18°C · vis 20mintermediateIntact Great Lakes wrecks in two lakes, either side of the Mackinac Bridge
4–20°CintermediateTide-scoured walls and wrecks in a County Down sea lough
7–15°CintermediateCold Water
Strýtan
Iceland
A shallow hydrothermal vent cone rising to 15 m in a cold Arctic fjord
3–10°C · vis 20madvancedCoral Triangle
Subic Bay
Philippines
US and Japanese war wrecks 15 minutes by boat from the dive centres
27–29°C · vis 20mintermediateCousteau's 1963 Conshelf II habitat frames still rest on the sand at Shaab Rumi.
26–30°C · vis 40madvancedWhale sharks gather at Saleh Bay's fishing platforms all year round.
24–28°CintermediateThailand's best shallow hard-coral gardens, in five to twelve metres
27–30°C · vis 25mbeginnerIce diving and Arctic kelp walls from an expedition ship at 78° north
-2–6°C · vis 25madvancedMediterranean
Tabarca & Santa Pola
Spain
Large groupers on the protected rocks of a 1986 marine reserve
14–26°CintermediateDusky groupers patrol coral-lined tunnels beneath a Genoese fort
14–26°C · vis 30mintermediatePacific Islands
Tahiti & Teahupo'o
French Polynesia
Grey, lemon and blacktip reef sharks at La Vallée Blanche
26–29°CbeginnerThe world's third-largest atoll, and a wall running the length of Selayar
27–30°C · vis 40mintermediateBlue holes and swim-throughs a short walk from the island's only dive centre
24–28°CbeginnerMediterranean
A third-century cargo of marble sarcophagi a short swim from the beach
14–26°CintermediateAtlantic and Mediterranean dives on one island
14–21°C · vis 30mintermediateA Luftwaffe bomber, harbour wrecks and an underwater park off a working breakwater
12–27°C · vis 15mbeginnerEast Asia
A sunken shrine, Shark City and Japan's cod hole at the mouth of Tokyo Bay
14–26°CbeginnerMediterranean
Pinnacles, walls and granite shoals in two protected marine areas
14–25°CintermediateAtlantic
Tenerife
Spain
Black sand and lava arches metres from shore, with resident pilot whales
18–25°C · vis 25mbeginnerSoutheast Asia
Tenggol Island
Malaysia
Current-swept rock and drifts, with whale sharks from August to October
27–32°CintermediateMediterranean
Thassos
Greece
Walls, a small cavern and amphora scattered around Virgin Mary Island
13–26°CbeginnerA hundred wrecks in Shipwreck Alley, some shallow enough to snorkel
2–18°C · vis 30mintermediateKneel on open sand in 6 meters of water while tiger sharks cruise past at arm's length
24–30°C · vis 30mintermediateA pass so packed with fish Cousteau's team singled it out
26–29°C · vis 45mintermediateSheltered South China Sea reefs popular with Singapore and KL divers
26–30°C · vis 15mbeginnerCaribbean
Tobago — Crown Point & Mount Irvine
Trinidad and Tobago
A critter wall on the calm Caribbean side and drift dives at the Atlantic south end
26–27°C · vis 27mintermediateGiant brain corals on current-fed reefs, and schooling hammerheads at the Sisters
24–28°CintermediateHistoric schooner and barque wrecks in cold, clear fresh water
4–18°CintermediateManta cleaning stations on the reefs and whale sharks at the surface all year
22–29°C · vis 30mintermediateA B-24 Liberator at 22 m and a lake full of stingless jellyfish
28–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerEast Asia
Tokunoshima
Japan
Caves and arches in raised coral, crowded with sea turtles
20–29°C · vis 30mintermediateRuins of a wartime torpedo test facility standing in a glacial lake
4–24°CintermediateSoutheast Asia
A sunken train and sheltered reefs a short longtail ride from Koh Ngai
28–30°CbeginnerNorth America
Treasure Coast — Sebastian, Vero Beach & Fort Pierce
United States
Shore dives onto 1715 Fleet sites and a boiler wreck close off the beach
20–29°CintermediateA bronze Padre Pio stands on a submerged rock at 14 m
13–26°C · vis 35mbeginnerCoral gardens, a sunken aircraft carrier, and sperm whale superpods
27–30°C · vis 30mintermediateWhale sharks hang under fishing platforms year-round in Papuan soft coral
27–30°C · vis 20mintermediateSheer mid-ocean walls hold schooling hammerheads and grey reef sharks.
27–29°C · vis 30madvancedMuck diving in drowned volcanic valleys with rainforest on the walls
27–30°C · vis 35mintermediateThe USAT Liberty wreck lies coral-encrusted just off a black-sand beach.
26–29°C · vis 25mbeginnerA wall off Grand Turk where migrating humpback whales pass within earshot each winter
26–29°C · vis 40mintermediateSouth America
Ubatuba
Brazil
Island bays for every level, a Cousteau statue and mating stingrays
21–27°CbeginnerKorea's clearest water over black volcanic arches and caves
10–26°C · vis 30mintermediateHistoric wrecks on the approaches to Galle Harbour
28–30°C · vis 30mintermediateGreen turtles and a horseshoe barrier reef in the Tobago Cays Marine Park
27–30°CbeginnerCold Water
Ushuaia & the Beagle Channel
Argentina
Dry-suit dives through Beagle Channel kelp to channel walls and old wrecks
2–10°C · vis 20mintermediateGrouper on nearly every dive inside Italy's oldest marine reserve
15–26°C · vis 35mintermediateWhale sharks off the north side and easy macro reefs for new divers
26–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerFotteyo Kandu, a channel many rank among the best dives in the Maldives
26–30°C · vis 30madvancedSweden's westernmost skerries, with seal colonies and current-fed walls
3–18°CintermediateMediterranean
Varna & Cape Kaliakra
Bulgaria
Warship wrecks and sea caves along Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast
7–25°CintermediateA harbour wreck, a light-filled cave and humpback season
24–28°C · vis 40mintermediateMediterranean
Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
Croatia
The Blue Hole, a wall and cavern dive among more than 35 sites
14–25°CadvancedThe Gulf of Mexico's largest reef complex, off a working port
22–29°C · vis 20mbeginnerSnowmelt so clear you can see the trees from the riverbed
6–14°C · vis 50mintermediateEasy shore diving at Mosquito Pier, a former military pier, to 12 m
24–29°CbeginnerArches, canyons and swim-throughs among the Dog Islands, a short boat ride out
26–29°CbeginnerWartime bombers and a storm-sunk steamship around one Adriatic island
14–24°C · vis 25madvancedCold Water
Wrecks, sheer island pinnacles and towering kelp in a Far East cold-water bay
0–20°C · vis 20mintermediateMediterranean
Vlora, Karaburun & Sazan
Albania
Wrecks, caves and vertical walls around the military island of Sazan
15–25°C · vis 20mintermediateA community-protected house reef drops straight off the jetty into dense coral.
25–30°C · vis 35mbeginnerSchools of barracuda and trevally riding the current through Passe Avatolu
28–30°CintermediateEasy reef dives in a marine park where dolphins are seen most days
24–30°CbeginnerHalf a century of protection on one of Africa's oldest marine reserves
25–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerNudibranch-rich rock pinnacles a short boat ride off the south coast
27–31°CintermediateSubmarine wrecks at 30 to 39 m, and a shore site for training
7–18°CintermediateSoutheast Asia
Whale Island & Van Phong Bay
Vietnam
Whale sharks and whales feeding in Van Phong Bay from April to June
25–29°CbeginnerCold Water
Marine ice diving over anemone walls beneath tide-broken hummocks
-1–14°CintermediateTame Maori wrasse inshore, and the outer barrier sixty kilometres out
22–28°C · vis 15mbeginnerCold Water
Whittier & Prince William Sound
United States
A 40 m wall beneath a kittiwake colony, a 5–10 minute boat ride from town
2–13°C · vis 24mintermediateBronze whalers and common dolphins tear through sardine baitballs in open water.
16–24°C · vis 20madvancedA quiet marine park reef, with day trips to the Banco Chinchorro atoll
21–27°C · vis 30mbeginnerHundreds of resident green turtles around a six-kilometre island
24–29°C · vis 30mbeginnerRed Sea & Gulf of Aden
Yanbu & the Seven Reefs
Saudi Arabia
Hammerheads and silvertips on plateaus that run off uncrowded reefs into the blue
24–32°C · vis 50madvancedResident manta rays cruise cleaning stations on nearly every dive.
27–30°C · vis 25mintermediateUncrowded volcanic-island reefs with mantas from May to October
23–30°C · vis 40mintermediateWinter hammerhead schools stack over pinnacles beside the disputed sunken Monument.
21–29°C · vis 30madvancedMediterranean
Zadar & Dugi Otok
Croatia
Gorgonian walls and caves on the open-sea side of Dugi Otok
13–25°CintermediateA monk seal is sometimes found sleeping in the Keri caverns
15–27°C · vis 25mbeginnerCuttlefish arrive by the hundred each spring to court in the shallows
4–20°C · vis 12mintermediate
