Enthusiastic about diving? Do you know what the world’s top diving spots are?
Experienced scuba divers long to explore underwater kingdoms, surrounded by strange and wonderful wildlife and beautiful corals.
There are so many wonderful dive sites around the world that, for those who are avid divers, it can be tough to decide where to go.
To help, I have put together a list of the top 20 world’s top dive sites you really need go.
Before I get started, if you are keen to book a dive trip, view my guide to liveabroad diving.
1. Yongala, Queensland, Australia
One of the best dive sites in the world is Yongala in Queensland, Australia. This shipwreck site is the final resting place for the SS Yongala, a ship that sank in 1911 during a tropical cyclone. You will see bull sharks, leopard sharks, manta rays and sea snakes. You may even feast your eyes on minke and humpback whales.
2. Sipadan, Malaysian Borneo
Although the strong currents mean this is not a great place for less experienced divers, iSipidan is a great place to visit. You are likely to see plenty of turtles, sharks, mandarin fish and seas wasps.
Barracuda Point is located in Malaysia off Sipadan Island is highly recommended. Divers find themselves surrounded by jackfish, sea turtles and barracuda. Add hammerhead sharks and rays to the tumultuous site and you have a dive to remember.
3. USS Liberty Wreck, Bali
If you plan to visit Bali, check out the USS Liberty Wreck. This sunken ship was hit by a Japanese torpedo during World War II. Book a cheap hotel in Bali, go check out the ship and come face to face with garden eels, surgeonfish and black tip sharks.
4. Blue Hole, Belize
Lighthouse Reef Blue Hole in Belize is considered one of the most thrilling dive sites in the world. The diameter of the hole is 1,000 feet while the depth is 450 feet. Created during the Ice Age, this site lets you marvel at stalactites and a dizzying view of the sky as you look up through the hole. Hammerhead sharks keep you company as you explore.
5. Tofo, Mozambique
Plan a trip to Tofo, Mozambique and swim with mantas measuring 19.68 feet. The dive site, aptly named Manta Reef, serves as a cleaning station. Watch smaller fish attach themselves to manta and feast on parasites that make their home on the mantas’ wings and fins. Dragon moray eels, frogfish, whale sharks and bowmouth guitarfish lurk nearby.
6. Manchones Reef, Cancun, Mexico
Manchones Reef in Cancun, Mexico features statues beneath the water. Exhibits include 400 statues of people called The Silent Evolution. Barracuda, lobsters and moray eels swim throughout the man-made reef.
7. Yaeyama Islands, Japan
Dive at Yonaguni Jima, located in Yaeyama Islands, Japan and spy an ancient pyramid beneath the ocean. Standing 82.02 feet tall, the Mayan-like pyramid is a relic of an ancient city that might have sunk because of a long forgotten earthquake.
8. Santa Rosalia, Mexico
Monster-sized squids await you when you dive at Santa Rosalia in Mexico. Diving in the Sea of Cortez, you come face to face with the Humboldt squid. It can grow up to six feet long and is armed with tentacles laced with teeth. It also boasts a vicious beak that can tear fish apart. Humboldt squids gather in the Sea of Cortez and dine upon other marine life. Go searching for them if you dare.
9. Utila, Honduras
Utila Island in Honduras offers a range of reefs extending 450 miles. Located in the Caribbean Sea, the site features marine life that includes the awe-inspiring whale shark. Visit during the spring or fall to swim with these animals that can tip the scales at 20 tons and grow up to 30 feet in length.
10. Riviera Maya, Mexico
Swim through underwater caverns and caves when you dive at Cenotes, an area located in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. The Cenotes are limestone sinkholes filled with freshwater. You will marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites as you glide through turquoise waters.
11. Rocktail Bay, South Africa
This area is part of the Maputaland Marine Reserve and contains many tropical fish in its cool, clear waters. Rocktail Bay Lodge is the only place in this region where you will find a dive boat. On your way out to the dive site you can expect to catch a glimpse of humpback whales and bottle-nosed dolphins, if you are lucky.
12. Rangiroa, Polynesia
This remote, stunning location is actually the second biggest atoll on the globe. The amazing lagoon has some exciting diving on offer. Larger species that you can hope to see include manta ray, dolphins, grey reef sharks and even hammerhead sharks.
13. Sulawesi, Indonesia
In the dive sites around these Sulawesi Islands you will find some of the most diverse marine life the world has to offer. There are a huge variety of different species of fish, corals, flat worms, nudibranchs and even shark. You may even be able to spot some pygmy seahorses. As the Bunaken National Marine Park is highly invested in sustainable tourism, you will have to pay a fee to dive, which will go to local communities.
14. The Maldives
Any of the Maldives’ islands provide a great location for diving, but some of the best dive sites can be found off the North Male atoll and the South Ari atoll. Between May and September you are more likely than not to be able to see manta rays, although they are there during the whole year. You should also be able to see schooling fish, sharks, turtles and plenty of reef life.
15. Little Cayman, West Indies
On this small island, you can hope to find some amazing diving, free from pollution. Be sure to check out Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson’s Point. There is a huge coral cliff and a 2,000 metre drop into a large submarine trench. You won’t see a lot of sharks or big fish, but it is a beautiful and relaxing site for diving.
16. Cocos and Malpelo, Eastern Pacific
Only drivers and coast guard members are allowed to visit these two remote islands. On these marine reserves, you are almost guaranteed to see schools of hammerhead sharks, along with silky sharks and white tip reef sharks. You can also see schools of jacks and tuna.
17. The Bismark Sea, Papua New Guinea
This is one of the more off the beaten track locations on my list but it is also one of the best. Other than the obvious large species, in this area you are sure to see some small and interesting sea creatures. These include pygmy seahorses, squat lobsters, dwarf scorpion fish and sponge crabs. There is also some amazing night diving.
18. Surin and Similan Islands, Thailand
Surin and Similar are some of the most beautiful islands in Thailand and you should come to these dive sites if you would like to see manta rays, whale sharks, leopard sharks and game-fish. There is also a great deal of macro-life to see in the area’s coral.
19. Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
The Bikini Atoll is the ideal location for anyone who wants to go wreck diving. It was once an atomic test site and is now home to the wrecks of more than a few warships. There is lots of beautiful fish life to see at these little explored dive sites.
20. St John’s Caves, Egypt
The southern Red Sea is home to a number of spectacular reefs and caves, and St John’s is one of the most impressive. Home to an amazing variety of marine life, as well as a kind of serenity hard to match, St John’s is the perfect focal point for Red Sea liveaboards.
If you are looking to plan the trip of a lifetime, here are some of the most highly rated scuba sites in the world you really need to dive once in your life.
