The Best Scuba Diving in the World
Every year, Scuba Diving magazine's readers vote for the world's best scuba diving in the Readers Choice Awards. This year, more than 3,000 avid divers made their vote count. Check out the world's best scuba diving in every category — for advanced divers, wreck divers, shore divers and more.
HOW WE GOT THE NUMBERS
Thousands of Scuba Diving subscribers and online users rated their experiences at dive destinations in a variety of categories on a scale from 1 to 5. Final scores are an average of the numerical scores awarded. A minimum number of responses was required for a destination to be included in these ratings.
ShutterstockKona Manta Night Dive
BEST SCUBA DIVING OVERALL
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Indonesia |
| 3. Maldives |
| 4. Great Barrier Reef/Queensland |
| 5. Palau |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Bonaire |
| 4. Roatan |
| 5. Belize |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. California |
| 3. British Columbia |
| 2. North Carolina |
| 3. Great Lakes |
ShutterstockHawaii won first place in the best visibility category for the Pacific and Indian oceans region.
BEST VISIBILITY
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Red Sea |
| 3. Indonesia |
| 4. Fiji |
| 5. Maldives |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Cayman Islands |
| 2. Mexico |
| 3. Bonaire |
| 4. Bahamas |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Springs |
| 2. Florida Keys |
| 3. South Florida |
| 4. Channels Islands, California |
| 5. Monterey, California |
BEST CONSERVATION EFFORTS
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Indonesia, Palau (TIE) |
| 3. |
| 4. Maldives |
| 5. Great Barrier Reef/Queensland |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Mexico |
| 4. Roatan |
| 5. Belize |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Monterey, California |
| 2. Florida Keys |
| 3. Channel Islands, California |
| 4. North Carolina |
| 5. British Columbia |
ShutterstockThe Bahamas took home first place in the best big animal diving category for the Caribbean and Atlantic region.
BEST BIG ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Galapagos |
| 2. Palau |
| 3. Hawaii |
| 4. Maldives |
| 5. Fiji |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bahamas |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Turks & Caicos |
| 4. Belize |
| 5. Mexico |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. North Carolina |
| 3. California |
| 4. South Florida |
| 5. Florida Panhandle |
BEST MACRO
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Indonesia |
| 2. Philippines |
| 3. Fiji |
| 4. Great Barrier Reef/Queensland |
| 5. Palau |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Roatan |
| 3. Cayman Islands |
| 4. Curacao |
| 5. USVI |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Monterey, California |
| 2. Florida Keys |
| 3. British Columbia |
| 4. Washington |
| 5. Channel Islands, California |
BEST WRECK DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Truk |
| 2. Red Sea |
| 3. Palau |
| 4. Hawaii |
| 5. Bali, Indonesia |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bahamas |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. British Virgin Islands |
| 4. Aruba |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. North Carolina |
| 3. Florida Panhandle |
| 4. Great Lakes |
| 5. New York/New Jersey |
BEST FRESHWATER DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| None |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Riviera Maya, Mexico |
| 2. Grand Bahama |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Springs |
| 2. Great Lakes |
ShutterstockRiviera Maya, Mexico took home first place in the Caribbean and Atlantic region for best cave, cavern and grotto diving.
BEST CAVE, CAVERN & GROTTO
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Palau |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Riviera Maya, Mexico |
| 2. Bahamas |
| 3. Cayman Islands |
| 4. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Springs |
| 2. Channel Islands, California |
BEST WALL DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Indonesia |
| 2. Palau |
| 3. Maui, Hawaii |
| 4. Philippines |
| 5. Red Sea |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Mexico |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Roatan |
| 4. Turks & Caicos |
| 5. Belize Atolls |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. British Columbia |
| 2. Monterey, California |
ShutterstockBonaire took home first place in shore diving for the Caribbean and Atlantic region.
BEST SHORE DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Indonesia |
| 3. Philippines |
| 4. Fiji |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Curacao |
| 3. Cayman Islands |
| 4. St. Croix, USVI |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Springs |
| 2. Monterey, California |
| 3. Washington |
BEST BEGINNER DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Great Barrier Reef/Queensland |
| 3. Philippines |
| 4. Thailand |
| 5. Fiji |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Bahamas |
| 4. Roatan |
| 5. USVI |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida |
| 2. California |
| 3. Washington |
BEST ADVANCED DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Indonesia |
| 2. Hawaii |
| 3. Palau |
| 4. Maldives |
| 5. Fiji |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |
| 2. Bonaire |
| 3. Cayman Islands |
| 4. Belize |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. California |
| 3. North Carolina |
| 4. Great Lakes |
| 3. British Columbia |
BEST SNORKELING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Great Barrier Reef/Queensland |
| 3. Indonesia |
| 4. Fiji |
| 5. Philippines |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Cayman Islands |
| 3. Roatan |
| 4. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |
| 5. Belize |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. Florida Springs |
BEST FREEDIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Indonesia |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Bonaire |
| 2. Bahamas |
| 3. Cayman Islands |
| 4. Mexico |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. Florida Springs |
| 3. Channel Islands, California |
BEST UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Indonesia |
| 2. Palau |
| 3. Philippines |
| 4. Hawaii |
| 5. Red Sea |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Cayman Islands |
| 2. Bonaire |
| 3. Mexico |
| 4. Bahamas |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Keys |
| 2. California |
| 3. British Columbia |
| 2. North Carolina |
| 3. Washington |
BEST TECHNICAL DIVING
| Pacific and Indian Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Hawaii |
| 2. Truk |
| 3. Palau |
| 4. Baja Peninsula, Mexico |
| 5. Solomon Islands |
| Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans |
|---|
| 1. Cayman Islands |
| 2. Riviera Maya, Mexico |
| 3. Bonaire |
| 4. Cozumel, Mexico |
| 5. Roatan |
| North America |
|---|
| 1. Florida Springs |
| 2. Florida Keys |
| 3. California |
| 2. Florida Panhandle |
| 3. South Florida |
