Pristine ocean, shoals of colourful fish and marine life, and caves and corals come together as the picture-perfect backdrop for the best underwater dives. As the name indicates, underwater diving is swimming done underwater with minimum equipment (free diving) or with a scuba or an Aqua-Lung.
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Exploring the vast oceans with abundant marine life can offer the ultimate peace and relaxation. Whether you're an avid diver or just looking to try an introductory course while on holiday, here’s a roundup of some of the best places to dive around the world. Bookmark this guide for your next underwater diving vacation.
Bahrain
Located in the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands. This island nation is one of the world’s best spots for pearl diving. You can go pearl diving in the Ras Rayah port and the waters near Al Dar Island. After the dive, you can have your pearls examined and valued.
Bahrain Pearls. (Photo courtesy: Bahrain Tourism)
You can also go scuba diving in Bahrain.
Almost all diving is done from boats because the best reefs are at least a few kilometres offshore.
There are numerous scuba diving companies in Bahrain. Some of the best ones are Scuba Life, Scuba Master, and Into the Blue Bahrain.
Thailand
This South-East Asian country with a tropical climate and warm waters is well-loved for its spectacular white-sand beaches, marine life, and corals.
Most of the best diving sites here are in the southeast of Thailand, in the Andaman Sea. The most popular ones include Koh Phi Phi, Surat Thani, Khao Lak, Koh Lanta, Koh Tao, and Phuket. In particular, Phuket offers the opportunity to see marine habitats in close proximity.
Numerous resorts in Phuket have expert dive teams that curate excursions for guests. Moreover, the nearby Phi Phi Islands lie within the famous ‘Coral Triangle’, which is home to over 75 percent of all known coral species.
Seychelles
The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelagic country comprising 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles’ steep granitic and flat coral islands offer diving opportunities for experienced as well as novice divers. The ‘inner islands’ feature granite swim-throughs, channels, hideouts, and wrecks home to as many as 800 marine species.
The granite reefs are home to soldierfish, squirrel fish, sweepers, rays, octopi, and turtles. The ‘outer islands’ comprise caves, and wall dives amid arresting corals where larger marine species inhabit waters.
To help divers with everything they need, Seychelles has numerous land-based, liveaboard, and island resort dive centres.
(Photo by Christophe Mason Parker via Tourism Seychelles)
Maldives
A serene island paradise with mostly calm conditions, the Maldives is a year-round diving spot. Baa Atoll, located in the central region of the Maldives atoll chain, is abundant in marine biodiversity. The atoll covers an area of over 139,000 hectares and consists of several habitats that support the rich biodiversity of the atoll. Identified as a Biosphere Reserve in 2011, it houses a globally significant biodiversity of reef animals, including 250 species of corals and 1,200 reef and reef-associated fish species, a population of marine turtles, manta rays, whale sharks and seabirds. Luxury resorts such as Soneva Fushi offer diving courses and equipment to rent
Aerial shot of Soneva Fushi, Maldives.
Dubai
Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is located on the southeast coast of the Arabian Gulf. The pristine waters in the Jumeirah area are teeming with marine life, including rays, turtles, and shoals of Arabian mackerel and snappers.
Dubai has a number of dive operators that curate diving trips complete with light refreshments and boat transfers. Try Extreme Water Sports at Nikki Beach or Nemo Diving Centre at Dukes The Palm. If you’re a novice looking to learn, check out Deep Dive Dubai, the home of the deepest swimming pool for diving. This pool has been verified by Guinness WorldRecords™as the world’s deepest swimming pool for diving at a depth of 60.02 metres and holding 14 million litres of water, the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Deep Dive Dubai’s international diving professionals lead free diving and scuba diving experiences and courses.
Scuba divers at Deep Dive Dubai.
South Africa
With a scenic coastline of about 3,750 kilometres, South Africa is one of the world’s most sought-after diving destinations. In South Africa, divers can spot aquatic life ranging from large mammals such as whales and sharks to macro-life like nudibranchs and sea horses. The Indian Ocean along South Africa’s east coast has warm, tropical conditions and plenty of sharks, turtles, dolphins, whales, and rays, as well as striking coral reefs and a diverse range of colourful reef fish.
South Africa’s most well-loved diving locations include Aliwal Shoal, Sodwana Bay, Simon’s Town, Protea Banks and Port Elizabeth. In addition, during the months of May to June, divers from all over the world visit the south coast of KwaZulu Natal to witness the breathtaking ‘sardine run,’ which is one of the best diving experiences to seek in the world.
Aliwal dive, South Africa. (Photo credit: aliwalshoal.co.za)
Caribbean
The islands in the Caribbean Sea are consistently voted as the best places to scuba dive. Some of the most renowned diving destinations in the Caribbean are Nassau in the Bahamas, Roatan in Honduras, Harvest Caye in Belize, and Kralendijk in Bonaire.
Cruises such as Norwegian Cruise Line sail to some of these destinations where certified divers can book a diving excursion, or non-certified divers can try a discovery course.
Try visiting Harvest Caye in Belize, home to the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest barrier reef system in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, divers can see arresting coral formations, schools of tropical fish, spotted eagle rays, and turtles.
Harvest Kaye in Belize. (Photo credit: Norwegian Cruise Line)
New Zealand
New Zealand’s rich marine life that can be spotted all year include dusky dolphins, albatross, fur seals, and sperm whales. The best sites to scuba dive in New Zealand are Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel, Waiheke island, and the Poor Knights islands. These destinations have some of the most well-equipped diving centres in the world.
Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel, New Zealand (Photo courtesy Matt Crawford)
Australia
This list would be incomplete without Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The entire reef is worth visiting, but we recommend going north to the Ribbon reefs around Lizard Island to explore the most unspoiled parts of the reef. Divers can spot rare species of sharks, humpback whales, and potato groupers. In this region, very few boats are allowed to visit, so make sure you book your excursions well in advance.
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