If you’re a scuba diver and haven’t put together your bucket list yet, this is a great place to start. These five dives are some of the best in the world, featuring awe-inspiring biodiversity, beautiful shipwrecks, and crystal clear waters to make sure you snap some photos to remember your trip. These dream destinations may be hard to get to, but they undoubtedly feature some of the best diving in the world. Here are our 5 favorite places in the world to scuba dive.
1. The Blue Hole, Belize
It’s almost as stunning from above as it is from below. If you have a drone, bring it with you and get some shots from the boat. The Great Blue Hole is surrounded by a coral reef and inhabited by many sharks, measuring about 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. The caverns are incredible, featuring stalactites and stalagmites at 130 feet. The large grouper, sharks, and enormous tuna are what make The Blue Hole so spectacular.
2. Barracuda Point, Malaysia
You are guaranteed to see large marine life here. To name a few of the creatures you can spot, white tips, turtles, grouper, jacks, bumphead parrotfish and of course the barracuda that give it its name. Some of the currents can be quite strong, but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s one of the best dive spots in the world, easily.
3. Kailua Kona, Hawaii
You can dive here anytime, but for us, it’s all about seeing the Manta Rays at night. The Kona coast has a population of over 100 Manta Rays, and they all frequent a specific spot in Kailua Kona in the evening to feed. Bright lights attract the Rays as they reveal plankton, so you’re sure to see large schools when you visit.
4. Gordon’s Rock, Galapagos Islands
Cold waters from the southeast make this an extremely diverse maritime environment. The Galapagos Islands and the surrounding marine reserve were the first marine Heritage Site designated by UNESCO. The schooling hammerheads found 110 feet down are a sight to see, as their can be schools of up to 20 that are between 10 to 20 feet in length. Turtles, Eagle Rays, and Sea Lions are also in abundance. This is a dive you won’t soon forget.
5. The Yongala, Australia
The Yongala is a shipwreck off the coast of Queensland, and it should make every serious diver’s bucket list. You’re sure to see manta rays, sea snakes, octopuses, turtles, bull sharks, tiger sharks, clouds of fish and spectacular coral. The ship itself is 109 meteres long and is now under official protection from the Historic Shipwrecks Act.
