Best diving destinations?

[JDelage]

Hi,

Pretty new diver here (got certified last September in Cozumel).

I am looking for good diving spots recommendations. I realize that all the information is here in the forum, but it's a bit overwhelming.

So I was wondering if people could contribute diving spots that are basically no brainers. I'm not looking for the secret spot for people who've done everything else. Since I'm rediscovering the hobbie, I'm happy to go to spots which most of you have probably already been to many times. I'm hopping to find spots that are interesting in and out of the water (so I have a prejudice against purely touristic spots like Urgada or Sharm-el-Sheikh, but maybe I need to be corrected on that.)

Thanks!

 

[sasscuba]

Love Bonaire, probably my favorite out of everywhere I have been just for the fact it is so relaxing with the shore dives and all.

 

[Halthron]

It sort of depends on what you want to do. The Philippines combines awesome reef diving and good wreck diving with an English-speaking (mostly) populace and some interesting history, especially regarding WW2. Greece is starting to open up regarding dive sites so it will soon be possible to dive through sunken ancient ruins.

IMO, none of the sites that combine really good diving with a high-quality out of the water experience that isnt touristy will be found in the western hemisphere, with the exception of some pacific islands.

 

[JDelage]

Thanks - where in the Philippines would you recommend?

I'm not against touristic places, but I'm looking for places where I wouldn't be living in a cocoon with only other tourists. I tend to think of Egypt as being like that. Sorry if I was unclear.

 

[mark99]

How about just coming down to Southern California. Catalina island is one of the world's top temperate water destinations. My personal warm water favorite is Phuket, Thailand.

 

[knucklebusted]

Hi,

Pretty new diver here (got certified last September in Cozumel).

I am looking for good diving spots recommendations. I realize that all the information is here in the forum, but it's a bit overwhelming.

So I was wondering if people could contribute diving spots that are basically no brainers. I'm not looking for the secret spot for people who've done everything else. Since I'm rediscovering the hobbie, I'm happy to go to spots which most of you have probably already been to many times. I'm hopping to find spots that are interesting in and out of the water (so I have a prejudice against purely touristic spots like Urgada or Sharm-el-Sheikh, but maybe I need to be corrected on that.)

Thanks!

I just got certified in Maui on the west end and for just walking off the condo pool (Embassy Maui) and onto the beach for a dive was pretty awesome. Plenty of reef, many fish and lots of green sea turtles. We even saw a crown of thorns, which another guy told us we should have killed since it eats coral.

Although I only have 4 dives in open water, there is no end to the things to dive in and around Maui, including the cathedrals at Lanai and Molokini off Big Beach.

 

[ChrisA]

How about just coming down to Southern California. Catalina island is one of the world's top temperate water destinations.Thailand.

It's cheap too. Stay at the "hormosa" for $35/night and it's only a $300 plane ride. World class diving on a budget. Floridai is another place where you get lots of bang for the buck.

So Calif.is even in the same time zone as where you live, none of that jet lag.


But in my opinion the best place to dive is whereever you hapen to live. I mean you can't fly to even Calif. every weekend and the Pacific Northwest has some great local diving. Maybe even better then what we have here.

 

[TheRedHead]

Bonaire -24/7 diving with drive through tank pick up and nothing but a bunch of crazy drivers running amuck on the island.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Actually, you live in one of the most beautiful places in the World for diving. The PNW has some of the most diverse and healthy reef systems. From giant Metridiums to Giant Pacific Octopus, you have so much to see in your own back yard. Seattle is at the top of my list of dive destinations.

 

[divingjd]

You've already visited one of the best: Cozumel. Awesome diving and a lot of fun topside. IMHO, Little Cayman is a must-do. Bloody Bay has to be seen to be believed, the waters are amazingly clear, and the marine life is varied and abundant. It is a dive-your-brains out trip, because there is really nothing else to do, but what a get-away! It is also one of the few places where all of the accommodations and dive ops come highly recommended. People have favorites, but it's kind of like the kids in Lake Wobegon - all of the resorts or dive ops seem to be above average.

On a completely different front, the Riviera Maya area in Mexico (basically the coastline from Cancun to Tulum) is a great place to go. Cenote diving is very different and something everybody ought to try once they have their buoyancy skills honed and their air consumption under control. There is a destination and a hotel along that corridor for everyone. Party animals can go to Cancun, backpacking yoga devotees can go to Tulum, luxury-seekers can find resorts like Maroma, and Playa del Carmen packs almost everything into one smallish city. There's decent ocean diving from Cancun down to Akumal and Tulum, too. If you get bored diving (ha!), you can always visit Mayan archeological sites.