It really depends what you consider great diving and what makes you happy. For me, it’s warm water, colors/coral, density and variety of coral and fish, decent visibility. Cold water diving is a hard stop unless it’s Galapagos and I know that’s only marginally cold for some, which I still haven’t been too.
I’ve been diving in the United States (Channel Islands, Carmel, Monterey, Lake Tahoe), Thailand (Similans, Ko Phi Phi), New Zealand (Poor Knights), Australia (Coral Sea/Osprey Reef, outer Great Barrier Reef), Mexico (Cozumel, cenotes), Bahamas (Bimini, Freeport), Egypt (Red Sea Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Zabargad, Rocky, St. John’s, Fury Shoal, Hurghada, Marsa Alam), Singapore (Hantu!), Indonesia (Komodo, Raja Ampat, Lembeh), Hawaii (Oahu), Costa Rica (Papagayo Bay, Cat Islands, Bat Islands all out of Guanacaste), French Polynesia (Moorea and Tahiti), and the Philippines (Puerto Galera, Coron, El Nudo, Tubbataha).
Indonesia is still my absolute favorite. I’ve returned to Raja Ampat 2X and will return a 3rd time in the spring. I will also return to Komodo for a 2nd time next month. There is a reason....I’m an addict. It is THAT good. I haven’t found anything else quite like it. Closest is Philippines followed by the Red Sea. I’m off to do a Banda Sea crossing next month and will also add Ambon to my list at the end of this month. I hate to say it, but I don’t even bother with the Caribbean. The airfare is as much or more than to get to SE Asia and the diving is far inferior, in addition to all costs being a lot more once you arrive (food, transportation, lodging, diving).
As for “world class diving” at $18 per tank in SE Asia including equipment...I have not found that to be the case yet, at least not with a reputable operator for boat dives. Maybe I haven’t looked or gone to the right places.
Here are recent photos from my latest trip to Raja Ampat.
Amazon Photos