... a destination diver...So, where is a top Dive destination for you?
You don't mention budget or if you will be traveling alone or with a buddy or with non-diving companions - and those factors may change recommendations for dive destinations.
In the Caribbean, we like the Cayman Islands, especially the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman - with Little Cayman having the best diving IMO. But Brac is a charming place with excellent diving, and Grand Cayman also has very good diving, especially the North Wall and the East End. GC also has many topside attractions and the Seven Mile Beach, if you are traveling with non-diving companions.
I don't know how distant you are from Toronto; but the last time we were on Little Cayman we met a Canadian couple and they told us that they could fly direct from Toronto to Grand Cayman (Air Canada, I think) and then take the half hour flight over to LC on Cayman Air.
If you want to do a lot of dives at the best locations then you should consider trying a liveaboard - unless you are travel with non-diving family or friends. Some Caribbean liveaboard destinations that you might want to try for excellent diving include Turks and Caicos, Belize, and the Cayman Islands.
Saba and St. Kitts also have good liveaboard diving on the Explorer and those trips are usually cheaper than some of the other Caribbean liveaboards. There are also some liveaboards in the Bahamas.
Another land-based Caribbean destination to consider is St. Croix, decent diving and the opportunity to shore dive the Fredricksted Pier is very special. Dominica is charming and the diving is unique, lots of frogfish and seahorses and other rare creatures - but it can be difficult to get there.
Bonaire and Curacao are popular shore diving destinations although boat diving is also readily available. The diving freedom culture of Bonaire is unique and something that you should consider experiencing.
Moving away from the Caribbean, no one has mentioned Hawaii but I think it is worth consideration. The diving is different from many tropical locations, mostly hard corals but with lots of fish life. We did a liveaboard trip around the Big Island with the Aggressor and it was a great trip, and night-diving with Mantas off Kona was a very memorable experience.
The Sea of Cortez and Baja are another destination to consider, especially liveaboard diving.
It's a big world with lots of great destination diving opportunities, have fun!
