As a fellow diver, I’m always on the lookout for some of the best scuba diving in the world! However, finding the ideal dive site for scuba adventures can be an overwhelming task, simply because there are so many wonderful diving destinations out there.
Whether you are on the lookout for gorgeous marine life, the best wreck dives, or simply a vibrant coral reef, this is the list for you! Check out my 77 Best Scuba Diving Sites In The World and start planning your next underwater adventure now.
1. Acropolis — Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
Undoubtedly one of the best dive spots on the Great Barrier Reef and home to some of the most beautiful table corals globally.
2. Alcyone — Cocos, Costa Rica
3. Anemone City, Alor, Indonesia
This unspoiled, natural beauty located on a volcanic Island is a great dive site that has been well conserved to maintain the glorious coral reef.
Also a great spot for seeing turtles and whales but as it has some fairly strong currents, it is probably better for the more experienced diver.
4. Apo Island, Dumaguete, Philippines
5. Barracuda Point, Sipadan Island, Malaysia
Known as an underwater paradise, this amazing dive destination offers divers of all levels crystal clear waters and more than 2500 species of fish. Barracuda Point is most famous for its “barracuda tornado” which is an awesome sight to behold!
6. Batu Bolong, Komodo Island, Indonesia
7. Blackish Point — Utila, Bay Islands
8. Blade, Southeast Sulawesi (Wakatobi), Indonesia
9. Bloody Bay Wall — Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
10. Blue Corner Wall, Palau, Micronesia
One of many dive sites in the area, Blue Corner stands out due to being home to over 12 species of shark, including white tip reef shark as well as an array of marine life with beautiful coral! One of the coolest parts of this dive trip, is the current hook, where divers can relax and watch the fish life pass by with the ever changing currents.
11. Blue Heron Bridge — Riviera Beach, Florida, USA
12. Blue Maomao Arch — Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand
You can experience some of the best scuba diving in the world here and this particular dive site is great for both experienced divers and beginners alike. Due to the difference in conditions seasonally you can hope to see Orcas, Manta Rays and other beautiful marine life.
13. Cabo Pulmo — Baja California, México
14. Cape Kri, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
15. Capo d’Acqua — Italy
Due to my love of ocean diving, I often forget about the amazing freshwater dives out there. This Italian gem is one of those! Underwater photographers flock to this world class diving destination due to the amazing underwater ruins and unspoiled scenery. It is a highly monitored conservation area and one of the only dive resorts to guide tours on the lake is Altlantide who can provide the best diving experience!
16. Charlie Brown — St. Eustatius (Statia)
One of the largest wreck dives in the Caribbean! This is a formidable dive but if you have some confidence in the water you can go inside the ship and explore!
Home to fauna of all varieties including Barracuda, Stingrays and the dreaded Lionfish, this is a really pleasant mis of a wreck dive and sealife dive. Definitely must be on your list of “to dive” for 2022.
17. Critter Corner — St. Vincent & the Grenadines
18. Dinah’s Beach/Lauadi, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
19. DS Frankenwald — Norway
For the adventurous scuba diver, this wreck dive is considered one of the best diving sites in the world due to its amazing condition and size. If you have ever considered wreck diving there are many experienced liveaboard tour guides who can take you through the multiple dives needed to fully appreciate this spectacular beast!
20. Emma Reef — Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea
21. Farne Islands — England
Although most of us dream of seeing tiger sharks, reef fish or just coral reefs, the Farne Islands offer a much more unique animal encounter. Weather permitting, you can watch from beneath the waves during breeding season and watch the Grey Seals diving into the abyss. It’s an experience you will never forget!
22. Goofnuw Channel — Yap
23. Gran Cenote — Riviera Maya, Mexico
24. Great Blue Hole, Belize
One of the most famous global scuba dive destinations, this deep blue hole is home to a vast array of marine life including Angel Fish, Reef Sharks, Sea Turtles and even on occasion there have been sightings of Hammerhead Sharks too! There are also over one hundred species of hard and soft coral making The Great Blue Hole one of the most interesting scuba diving destinations in the world.
25. Hairball — Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
26. Half Moon Caye — Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize
27. Hanifaru Bay — Baa, Maldives
This beautiful enclosed underwater bay is a scuba diving paradise! A dive site that offers the unparalleled experience of seeing hundreds of manta rays feeding over a four hour period daily. For marine life lovers this is for sure one of the best scuba diving locations in the world. Not only can you watch the graceful manta rays but this dive site is also home to whale sharks. A scuba diving experience you will never forget!
28. HMS Thistlegorm — Egypt, Red Sea
29. Humpback Whales — Tonga
This one of the most awe inspiring scuba diving locations for experienced divers who are looking to come face to face with the majestic Humpback Whale! Check out this and other marine life and explore the other local dive sites in and around Tonga!
30. Kona Mantas — Big Island, Hawaii, USA
31. Liberty Wreck — Bali, Indonesia
In terms of wreck diving this is one of the most famous in Bali,and also the most crowded. Be sure to either dive early or late to avoid busiest dive times. This is also a great dive site for a night dive.
32. Magic Mountain, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
To experience some of the best scuba diving in the world, check out Raja Ampat for some awesome dive sites. Of all the dive sites, Magic Mountain is one of the most breathtaking!
This beautiful scuba diving experience includes magnificent coral reef, shark reef and with a large area being in only 5 meters of water, the ocean floor vista is amazing.
You can take a single dive or go on a multi dive tour to get the optimal scuba diving experience!
33. Manta Ray Night Dive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Although there are a number of destinations where you can scuba dive with Manta Rays, the Kona Dive is something special.
Firstly, the species of Manta residing in Hawaii are some of the biggest on the planet and are definitely creatures of habit! The Rays here are used to the light of guides torches to attract their dinner and therefore you really do get to see these majestic creatures close upo and personal.
The other great feature of this dive destination is the dedication the local people have given to the species. There are a number of conservation programs, and educational centers to explain the Manta Ray and give divers a full 360 experience.
34. Mary’s Place — Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
35. Mellow Yellow, Vatu-I-Ra, Fiji
Considered one of the most relaxing dive sites in the world, Mellow Yellow is a scuba divers dream.
It is named after the fields of soft yellow coral that create a super chilled ambiance and is an inspiration for both scuba divers and underwater photographers alike.
36. Nakwakto Rapids — British Columbia, Canada
37. Navy Pier, Western Australia
Another one of my favorite dive sites due to the variety of marine life and also the low difficulty of one of the shallowest shore dives.
Some of the marine life inhabiting this beautiful destination are Pelagic Fish, Reef Sharks, and much like the famous Barracuda Point, you can witness schools of Barracuda jetting along in this underwater paradise.
For some of the best diving in the world, I would highly recommend this beautiful scuba divers utopia!
38. Neptune Islands — South Australia
39. Otugi Pass — French Polynesia
40. Palancar Horseshoe — Cozumel, Mexico
Located on the world-famous Palancar Reef in Mexico, this massive horseshoe in one of r=the region’s most impressive dive sites.
Home to a vast array of marine life you can find everything from eagle rays, to moray eels as well as a huge variety of reef fish.
41. Paradise 1 — Mabul, Borneo, Malaysia
42. Pat’s Wall — Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
43. Pedras Secas — Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
A beautifully warm and relaxing dive spot suitable for all levels of qualified diver.
The Pedras Secas translates to dry stones and perfectly describes the gorgeous caverns and cave runs that are just asking to be explored.
This dive is best taken with a guide as they will identify the best bits of experience for you. If you are feeling brave, have a glance into some of the hidey-holes and find some lobsters, prawns and crabs!
Also, Keep your eye out for the green turtles and manta rays. The lucky divers have also reported seeing Hammerheads in the area!
44. Point Lobos — Carmel, California
45. President Coolidge — Vanuatu
This enormous wreck dive is perfect for those who would like to do multipole dives on=ver the same site. There is always something new to see on this dive and being nestled on the reef, this is also a great shore dive.
46. Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia, Australia
47. Ras Mohammed — Egypt, Red Sea
Located about one hour from Sharm El Sheikh, this is home to some of the most exciting scuba diving in the world.
This National Park is home to a wide variety of Scuba Dive sites including: “Shark Observatory”, soft and hard coral dives, cave diving and much more. In addition you can enjoy an abundance of reef fish and not to mention StingRay Alley!
You will probably need to spend a bit of time here to fully enjoy all that the dive sites have to offer.
48. Ray of Hope — New Providence Island, Bahamas
49. Richelieu Rock, Thailand
One of the most amazing dive sites in Thailand!
Richelieu Rock is a formation of lots of outcrops in a rough horseshoe shape. It’s situated about 12 KM from the incredible Surin Islands that is home to an abundance of amazing marine life.
The best way to see everything is to scuba dive as part of a liveaboard experience, and really doing a minimum of 3 to 4 dives.
For those with the time, some of the gorgeous marine life includes tons of reef fish, octopus (often seen mating!) and if you are super lucky, there are Manta Rays and Whale Sharks in the region.
An absolute gem of my list of dive sites!
50. RMS Rhone — British Virgin Islands
51. Roca Partida, Socorro, Mexico
Looking at all of the dive locations in the indian and pacific oceans Roca Partida consistently makes the top 3 lists for dive destinations. If you are looking to scuba dive in high visibility water teeming with big marine life, I highly recommend this destination!
Just a small cross section of the sea life here include Hammerhead Sharks, Silvertip Sharks, huge schools of Tuna and Manta Rays. Because of the limited human interaction, many of these awesome creatures will swim right up to you without hesitation!
Because of its remote location the absolute best option for scuba divers is to take a liveaboard over a number of days. You will need an experienced dive skipper who can help navigate your dive plan and make sure you see all that this amazing place has to offer!
52. Salt River Canyon — St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
53. San Francisco Maru — Truk Lagoon, Chuuk
When it comes to wreck diving this particular site is great for those divers looking for a single dive and who are interested in Military History.
This wreck is often called the million dollar wreck because of the extensive cargo on board dating from World War II. In the holds there is everything from Army trucks to Torpedos and Depth Charges!
There is not a huge amount of sea life on this dive but still ranks as a great wreck dive!
54. Sardine Run — South Africa
55. Secret Bay — Anilao, Philippines
If you are looking for the teeny critters that dominate the seafloor this is an epic scuba dive destination!
Located in fairly shallow water, this dive is perfect for explorative divers. There are an abundance of different crab species as well as Sea Snakes, Bobbit Worms, squid and seahorses!
Although this dive is by boat access there are two dive resort locations nearby to tend to all of your needs!
56. Shark and Yolanda Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
57. Something Special — Bonaire
The perfect dive for beginners!
This brilliant shore dive is an easily accessible dive destination that really takes your breath away. Once you have found your way out to the reef (beware to stay low and there is a lot of boating activity in the bay!) You can observe some beautiful sea life and reefs.
As well as the hard and soft coral, you can see a wide variety of fish including Frogfish, Angelfish and of course the iconic Parrot Fish!
With very limited currents and up to 40 monster visibility this is a relaxing and enjoyable marine adventure!
58. Somosomo Strait — Fiji
This epic scuba diving location is a must visit for any avid diver. Home the the famous Great White Wall and the miles and miles of soft coral, this is a regular hit on any top ten dive sites that crop up.
The great white wall is so named for the drop off which is covered with soft white coral. Best to view this from a distance and totally awe-inspiring!
There is also an opportunity to see some exceptional wildlife whilst diving Somosomo. Namely the incredible Humpback Whales and the ever-so-cute Spinner Dolphins!
An absolute diver’s dream!
59. South Pass, Fakarava, French Polynesia
The ultimate shark dive!
This amazing location is home to one of the largest shark populations on earth, and as it is a registered UNESCO reserve, there is no baiting or feeding to be able to enjoy their beauty.
They have been under conservation to such a high standard that there is a 90%chance you will catch a glimpse of the infamous Wall of Sharks! And all of this without having to dive any deeper than 20 meters.
Located in the little town of Tuamotu, the natural beauty of this dive spot is a must visit for a thoroughly enjoyable diving adventure.
60. Superior Producer — Curaçao
The history of this wreck is actually just as interesting as the dive itself.
Being a slightly “fresher” wreck, sunk in 1977, the fate of the Superior Producer was sealed when it was overloaded with Cargo and almost immediately started listing after setting sail.
Although the crew desperately tried to dispose of the perfume, whiskey and other Xmas cargo, they were not quick enough and the ship was towed out to sea and went under.
At the time there were so many scuba divers who came to retrieve the lost treasure it became a chaotic rush of recovery efforts.
Subsequently this remains a great wreck dive due to being a habitat for a number of predatory fish.
Also residence for lobsters and other molluscs, this is now considered one of the top dives in the caribbean.
61. The Boiler, Socorro, Mexico
62. The Sisters — Tobago
This is one for the more experienced diver… Or those of you who fancy some challenging currents!
Famously known as the Drift Dive of Tobago, this destination is a fabulous opportunity to experience riding along the fairly aggressive currents whilst watching the different types of Hammerhead Sharks lurking in the depths!
Although the Caribbean isn’t famous for its Shark life, this goes against the grain because of the “playground” of sandy shutes at the base of The Sisters where the sharks love to play.
A little unpredictable for weather forecasting, but if you hit a good day there is no comparable experience!
63. The Yongala, Australia
64. Koh Ma, Thailand
This little gem is located just off Koh Pangan and is easily accessible due to the sandbar. A really unspoiled dive location, Ko Ma offers crystal clear, temperate water along with beautiful coral and sea life.
As well as being a great dive destination, due to the many dive services offered on Koh Pangan, this little nook of paradise is a perfect place for brand new divers who are looking to become qualified for the first time.
Having said that, more experienced divers will also enjoy the beauty and diversity of this little rock!
65. Thistlegorm, Egyptian Red Sea
66. Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
If you have always dreamed of diving with Tiger Sharks, this is your best bet.
With beautifully clear water and a larger shark population, you are almost guaranteed to catch a glimpse of these beautiful animals here if you try to visit between October and January.
This location has pristine visibility of up to 140 meters and the temperatures are great, in season, for all experience levels.
67. USAT Liberty, Bali, Indonesia
68. USS Vandenberg — Key West, Florida Keys, USA
69. Whale Sharks — Isla Mujeres, Mexico
70. Shark Point Phuket
The clue is in the title for this one!
In my top dive spots list there are a number of shark dives, however this particular dive gives you a great chance to see the elusive Leopard Shark up close and personal!
Located about 1.5hours from Phuket, this is a fantastic destination for both novice and experienced divers.
71. Wolf And Darwin Islands, Galapagos, Ecuador
72. Fish Head, Maldives
This protected Maldivian beauty is a great spot for divers who like a mix of both caves and abundant underwater life!
You will find everything from white reef sharks to surgeonfish in this underwater paradise which also attracts a large photography following.
For more info about Fish Head, check out the divers guide here.
73. Koh Tachai, Thailand
74. Felipe Xicotencatl, Mexico
This impressive wreck dive is an intentionally sunk minesweeper that was donated to this underwater national park for your pleasure!
Fun fact, after she was decommissioned as a minesweeper this ship was used to patrol the seas for drug and arms running vessels!
75. Heron Island, Australia
76. Koh Lipe, Thailand
One of the most impressive things about this beautiful destination is the local commitment to conservation. The area is only diveable at certain parts of the year and thus gets lots of recovery time after the high season.
Aside from this, the coral vista at Koh Lipe is exquisite and because of the varied current patterns, you can see the gorgeous pink soft coral gently wafting away as you drift through paradise!
This is a highly recommended spot and is popular with the diving community, as such, there are many dive centers where you can book tours and equipment for your own personal experience.
77. Bari Reef, Caribbean
If, like me, you enjoy a good “sponge” then this is the dive for you!
There are a vast array of different species which are super easy to access via this shoredive.
If you feel like being a little more adventurous, this dive destination offers a beautiful drop off where you can see squid along the sandy flats.
One hundred percent a recommended dive for all!
Best Diving in the World Summary
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced scuba diver, there are some incredible underwater adventures to be had around the world.
It is a daunting task to even begin to pick out your next dive destination but I hope that my best scuba diving in the world list has given you some fun and exciting new ideas to add to your bucket list.
I wish you happy diving and for sure, there are some once in a lifetime destinations on this list that (if I haven’t already!) I will be checking out in 2022!
