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Top 100 Readers' Choice Survey

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On January 13, 2008
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Top 100 Readers' Choice Survey

January 2008

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| Photo by Berkley White |
Each year, we ask the most knowledgeable and well-traveled group of divers we know--our readers--to rate their favorite destinations as part of our ongoing Top 100 Readers' Choice survey. Throughout the past 12 months we invited readers to fill out surveys on the destinations, dive operators, resorts or live-aboards they experienced. The destination surveys that are the basis of this report ask divers to rate the quality of the dive experience in several categories--ranging from health of the reef to their overall impression of the diving--using a 1-to-5 scale (5=excellent; 4=very good; 3=good; 2=fair; 1=poor). For this report, we take the destinations that received a statistically valid number of surveys and rank them in order by the percentage of Excellent and Very Good ratings. By contrast, the Gold List designations are determined on a "popularity contest" basis and awarded based on the total number of responses.

What's Your Opinion?

Maybe your favorite destination didn't make the list. Or perhaps you disagree with the rankings as determined by our survey. Make your opinion known. Go to www.scubadiving.com/travel/readerratings and fill out your own survey on any destination, dive operator, resort or live-aboard you've patronized in the last two years. Your opinions and comments will be used throughout 2008 in our exclusive Reader Rating reports and to compile the next Top 100 report. You can also talk about it on our Diver to Diver message board at www.scubadiving.com/forum. Look for the Top 100 Feedback thread under the General Chat link. You must be registered to post, but registration is free and easy. Just follow the link in the upper-right-hand corner of your screen.

Top Dive Destinations

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 97.7 1 Galapagos (tie) Indonesia (tie) Palau, Micronesia 100 1 North Carolina 95.2
2 Curaçao 93.2 2 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 96.7 2 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 91.7
3 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 92.9 3 Philippines 96.6 3 Channel Islands, Calif. 87
4 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 91 4 Tahiti / French Polynesia 95.8 4 British Columbia, Canada 86.7
5 Cozumel, Mexico 88.4 5 Fiji 94.4 5 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 85.7
6 Dominica 88 6 Egyptian Red Sea 92 6 Key Largo, Fla. 83.9
7 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 87.1 7 Big Island, Hawaii 91.7
8 Puerto Rico 86.4 8 Truk, Micronesia 90
9 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 86 9 Oahu, Hawaii 88.5
10 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 85 10 Maui, Hawaii 86.5
11 The Atolls, Belize 84.8
12 Ambergris Caye, Belize 83.1
13 Utila, Bay Islands 82.6
14 Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 81.8
15 New Providence, Bahamas 79.3
16 Out Islands, Bahamas 78.9
17 Cancun & Riviera Maya, Mexico 78.1
18 U.S. Virgin Islands 76.6
19 Aruba 75.6
20 British Virgin Islands 70.8

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| ### Galapagos


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| Photo by Phillip Colla |
Get your motor running during heart-pounding shark encounters in the Galapagos. At known shark hot spots, like this one off Darwin Island, you'll find sharks sometimes numbering in the hundreds--scalloped hammerheads, Galapagos, even whale sharks. This is for experienced divers only. You'll need to handle big swells, heavy surge, strong currents and a gut-wrenching trip to the islands, which lie 600 miles off the western coast of Ecuador. The archipelago--13 large islands, six small islands and more than 107 islets and rocks--supports more than 5,000 unique species of flora and fauna. Many of the species are found nowhere else on earth.

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| ### Indonesia


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| Photo by Tim Rock |
It's nearly impossible to summarize diving in the world's largest archipelago, a vast ribbon of more than 13,000 islands spread out across some of the most diverse marine biosystems on the planet. There are many islands that have never been explored by Westerners, not to mention vast tracts of reef that have never seen a snorkel or scuba tank. No matter where you're diving in Indonesia, the beauty of the reefs is stunning, but the Raja Ampat region is the newest hot spot, where sites like the Wayag Islands, a maze of green islets sprouting from the water, shelter a thriving marine habitat.

Top Marine Life

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 96.8 1 Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia 100 1 North Carolina 95.2
2 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 92.9 2 Indonesia 98.6 2 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 86.1
3 Curaçao 89.3 3 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 93.3 3 Key Largo, Fla. 81.3
4 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 84.6 4 Fiji 91.7 4 Channel Islands, Calif. 77.8
5 The Atolls, Belize 84.3 5 Philippines 89.7 5 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 76
6 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 84.1 6 Tahiti / French Polynesia 88
7 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 82.6 7 Big Island, Hawaii 83.3
8 Dominica 80.8 8 Oahu, Hawaii 81.5
9 Cozumel, Mexico 77.5 9 Cocos Island, Costa Rica 80.8
10 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 76.9 10 Maui, Hawaii 80.2

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| ### Palau


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| Photo by Tim Rock |
You'll likely see more on one dive in Palau than on your entire previous dive trip. Rimmed by a barrier reef that separates shallow reef lagoons from sheer walls, the 340 islands of this isolated Pacific archipelago shelter a staggering number of marine life--more than 1,400 fish and 350 coral species. The reason: Three ocean currents wash over these reefs, bringing a huge diversity of life-sustaining nutrients. You'll dive into water that is startlingly clear and unforgettably blue and find the reef plastered in a color-filled wonderland of corals, anemones and sponges, a breathtakingly beautiful haven for fish.

Bonaire

Every inch of Bonaire's reef has enjoyed national marine park status for more than 25 years, and the result is healthy stands of gorgonians, dense coral formations and throngs of nearly every species of Caribbean reef fish. Bonaire's small beaches continue under water, starting with a sandy plain that slopes down to 30 feet, and then dropping off gradually; most of the action is in 45 to 60 feet of water where you will be literally mobbed by fish. If you time your trip after the full moon in September and October, plan on making a couple of night dives to see corals spawning.

Top Big Animal Encounters

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 New Providence, Bahamas 74.5 1 Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia 100 1 North Carolina 90
2 Grand Bahama, Bahamas 71.2 2 Cocos Island, Costa Rica 92.3 2 British Columbia, Canada (tie) Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 50
3 Out Islands, Bahamas 68.8 3 Tahiti / French Polynesia 92
4 Ambergris Caye, Belize 66.3 4 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 82.1
5 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 61.3 5 Big Island, Hawaii 77.1

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| ### North Carolina


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| Photo by Brandon Cole |
The big Atlantic sand tiger sharks that patrol North Carolina's waters often congregate around wrecks, like the 412-foot tanker Papoose, 180-foot USCGC Spar and World War II cargo vessel Caribsea. The sharks can be reliably encountered year-round, usually in groups of 10 to 15, but sometimes in larger numbers. The bronze- or gray-colored sharks--which can grow to 10 feet and 350 pounds--swim with their mouths open, exposing three rows of menacing teeth. Though they look ferocious, sand tigers are generally docile and curious, often approaching divers. If you plan to go, make sure that you're at least advanced open-water certified and have some ocean diving experience.

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| ### New Providence, Bahamas


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| Photo by Stephen Frink |
If you're looking for a guaranteed Caribbean reef shark encounter, the southwest end of New Providence delivers. You'll make your first dive on a wall where abundant Caribbean and black-tip reef sharks cruise out in the blue. Then comes the real heart-pounding fun: The second dive is at a coral rubble patch in about 45 feet of water; the dive group gathers in a circle on the sand bottom, and the shark feeder uses a spear to deliver chum to some very hungry sharks (read: food fight). At Shark Buoy, about an hour's boat ride from New Providence, divers have chance encounters with silky sharks.

Healthiest Marine Environment

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Curaçao 83.3 1 Tahiti / French Polynesia 93.8 1 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 74.1
2 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 78.1 2 Fiji 89.5 2 Key Largo, Fla. 70.9
3 Bonaire 77.4 3 Indonesia 88.5 3 Channel Islands, Calif. 65.6
4 The Atolls, Belize 77.1 4 Palau, Micronesia 77.8 4 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 64.5
5 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 75.3 5 Philippines 73.3 5 British Columbia, Canada 63.2
6 Dominica 73.7 6 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 72.2
7 Puerto Rico 71.4 7 Maui, Hawaii 68.9
8 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 70.9 8 Cocos Island, Costa Rica 61.1
9 U.S. Virgin Islands 67.6 9 Big Island, Hawaii 57.1
10 British Virgin Islands (tie) Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 66.7 10 Egyptian Red Sea 56.3

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| ### Curaçao


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| Photo by Ethan Gordon |
Long popular with vacationers seeking to relax on its beaches, Curaçao is loved by divers for another reason--the island's offshore reefs. Bubble blowers head to sites like the giant submerged cavern called The Cave, the psychedelic reefscape of the Mushroom Forest, and the wreck of the Superior Producer, which sports a furry coat of orange cup corals and encrusting sponges and houses resident barracuda and silversides. Almost the entire length of the island's 40-mile western shore is diveable, from North Point to East Point. The reefs from Willemstad southward have been designated a marine park, a testament to the island's commitment to preserving its marine habitat.

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| ### Tahiti / French Polynesia


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| Photo by Mike Veitch |
There are few places in the world as picture-perfect as the islands of French Polynesia. In the middle of the South Pacific, these jagged green islands rise out of glittering blue seas. One of the better-known islands in the chain is Tahiti, a lush volcanic island with cloud-shrouded peaks and a similarly exhilarating underwater topography. The island is surrounded by a lagoon and then a drop-off into abyssal depths. Recreational diving is done on the inside of the wall, which is pocked with small caves and dark overhangs full of snapper. But for many divers, the real attraction can be summed up in one word: Sharks.

Top Macro Life

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Dominica 96.2 1 Indonesia 98.6 1 Channel Islands, Calif. 68.9
2 Puerto Rico 89.5 2 Philippines 89.7 2 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 60
3 Bonaire 89.3 3 Palau, Micronesia 87.5 3 Key Largo, Fla. 56.9
4 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 83.1 4 Fiji 86.1 4 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) (tie) British Columbia, Canada 50
5 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 79.7 5 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 82.8
6 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 78.4 6 Egyptian Red Sea 75
7 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 78.3
8 Curaçao 77.8
9 Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 74.1
10 British Virgin Islands 72.7

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| ### Dominica


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| Photo by Brandon Cole |
The saying "good things come in small packages" definitely applies to Dominica's macro creatures, many of which are hard to spot--secretary blennies, barrel-shaped bumblebee shrimp, longsnout seahorses, golden barberpole shrimp, micid shrimp--and many of which are rare and elusive because of their propensity for hiding--shortnose batfish with their unicorn-like projections and speckled bandtail puffers. All these creatures can be found very close to shore in sand flats, eel grass beds and coral rubble, in very shallow water, usually less than 20 feet. While the southwest corner of the island is touted for its underwater topography, Dominica's entire western coast is ideal for muck diving--bring your macro lens.

Top Wall Diving

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 98.6 1 Palau, Micronesia 100 1 British Columbia, Canada 77.8
2 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 93.4 2 Indonesia 81.5
3 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 90 3 Fiji (tie) Maui, Hawaii 77.4
4 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 88.9 4 Philippines 62.1
5 Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 87 5 Egyptian Red Sea 60.9
6 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 86.6
7 Cozumel, Mexico 86.3
8 Puerto Rico 85.7
9 The Atolls, Belize 80
10 Out Islands, Bahamas 71.3

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| ### British Columbia


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| Photo by Marli Wakeling |
With 17,000 miles of Pacific coastline, Canada's westernmost province boasts a diverse range of habitats in its rich waters, including deep walls teeming with dense concentrations of invertebrate and fish life. One of the best is Browning Wall, off the north end of Vancouver Island, which begins 100 feet in the air and plunges 250 feet under water. It's a current-swept site that is covered with a healthy population of orange and red soft corals, giant plumose anemones, nudibranchs, crabs, starfish and urchins. Dives on sheer rock walls off small islets like Flora feature drop-offs packed with bizarre marine life.

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| ### Little Cayman


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| Photo by Stephen Frink |
Wherever open ocean abuts a thriving reef and deep water meets shallow, you're likely to find spectacular wall diving, and that's certainly true off Little Cayman. In the hearts and minds of many vertical-dive addicts, the island's Bloody Bay Wall is one of the world's best places to get steep. This drop-off is home to the beautifully adorned Great Wall and the deep swim-through canyons of Marilyn's Cut. Other sites worth your time: Nancy's Cup of Tea, a dramatic cascade of crevices and overhangs on Jackson Wall, and Mixing Bowl, a drop-off that leads to a mini-wall riddled with sand chutes, chimneys and tunnels.

Top Wreck Diving

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Aruba 92.9 1 Truk, Micronesia 100 1 North Carolina 100
2 British Virgin Islands 90.9 2 Oahu, Hawaii 77.8 2 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 94.8
3 New Providence, Bahamas 67.9 3 Egyptian Red Sea 72.7 3 British Columbia, Canada 89.3
4 Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 56 4 Palau, Micronesia 70 4 Key Largo, Fla. 81.8
5 Grand Bahama, Bahamas 50 5 Maui, Hawaii 53.1 5 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 61.5

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| ### Aruba


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| Photo by Carlos Minguel |
Wreck diving put Aruba on the dive map. The Antilla, a 400-foot German freighter, was scuttled by its crew to evade capture and sank 60 feet to the sandy bottom just south of Arashi Bay in 1940. Her bow and stern masts and the steel ribs of her aft cargo hold are visible from the surface. Star and brain corals decorate the hull, and purple and yellow tube sponges adorn her sides. The wreck attracts angelfish, yellowtail snapper, creole wrasse and blue tangs. Other notable wrecks: the beginner-friendly Pedernalis in 35 feet of water and the 250-foot Venezuelan cement freighter Jane Sea.
Truk, Micronesia

During World War II, American planes pounded the Japanese fleet at Truk Lagoon in the southwest Pacific, sinking nearly 70 vessels in two days. Today, thousands of divers come to Truk to dive the world's best-known collection of diveable wrecks. Nutrient-rich waters festoon the vessels with a coat of soft corals and anemones, and thick schools of fish, including sharks, are drawn to the hulks. To name just two don't-miss dives: the 385-foot passenger and cargo ship San Francisco Maru, with much of its cargo--including mines, torpedoes and bombs--still on board and the nearly 440-foot-long aircraft ferry Fujikawa Maru, its bow and masts beautifully decorated with soft corals.

Top Beginner Diving

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 94 1 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 87 1 Key Largo, Fla. 81.5
2 Curaçao 91.5 2 Big Island, Hawaii 83.9 2 Channel Islands, Calif. 69.8
3 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 88.2 3 Maui, Hawaii 82.1
4 Aruba 86.1 4 Egyptian Red Sea 80
5 Jamaica 84.6 5 Fiji 77.1
6 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 83.3
7 U.S. Virgin Islands 82.2
8 New Providence, Bahamas 78.5
9 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 77.3
10 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 76.2

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| ### Great Barrier Reef, Australia


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| Photo by Rod Klein |
Down under the waves in the land Down Under, off the coast of Queensland, lies the Great Barrier Reef, with 1,200 miles of reefs, cays and islets, and the biggest marine park in the world. There are several shallow reefs perfect for beginners, including Michaelmas, where you can find giant clams; Agincourt, home to Nursery Bommie, shallow reefs and clouds of tropicals; and Pixie Pinnacle in the Ribbon Reefs, a towering spire that reaches within 10 feet of the surface and is covered by an incredibly diverse collection of hard and soft corals and is mobbed by throngs of reef fish.

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| ### Key Largo, Fla.


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| Photo by Stephen Frink |
The jumping-off spot for diving in the Florida Keys, Key Largo is the longest island in the chain, with more easy-to-get-to and easy-to-dive reefs than anywhere else in the Keys. While Key Largo is a magnet for wreck divers who want to explore world-class wrecks like the Spiegel Grove and Duane, shallow, sun-dappled reefs like the Elbow, Horseshoe, Grecian Rocks and the oft-photographed Christ of the Deep have an allure all their own, boasting mobs of fish and lovely coral colonies. And all just a one-hour drive from Miami.

Top Shore Diving

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 97.4 1 Maui, Hawaii 83.6 1 Channel Islands, Calif. 78.3
2 Curaçao 85.7 2 Indonesia 70 2 British Columbia, Canada 64
3 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 77.3 3 Oahu, Hawaii (tie) Egyptian Red Sea 66.7
4 Puerto Rico 75 4 Philippines 61.9
5 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 62.7 5 Fiji 44

Bonaire

The yellow-painted stones lining Bonaire's coastal road beckon the dive-'til-you-drop set who flock to the island in droves. Bonaire operators offer do-it-yourself, 24/7 shore diving at more than 60 sites. All you have to do is rent a truck, fill it with tanks, find a yellow sign or painted rock alongside a dive site, park, gear up, and then wade in. It's that easy. The list of the island's standout sites include some of the world's best shore dives: 1,000 Steps, Invisibles, La Dania's Leap, Pink Beach, the wreck of the Hilma Hooker and more.

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| ### Channel Islands, Calif.


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| Photo by Abigail Smigel |
When our readers voted for the Channel Islands as a top place for shore diving, they were most likely thinking of Catalina Island, about 22 miles off the California coast. While you need a boat to get to Catalina, you don't need one to dive some of its best sites, most notably the Underwater Dive Park, adjacent to the Casino. Here, as in other spots scattered around the island, you'll find a thriving kelp forest that is home to calico bass, sheephead, opaleye and bright orange garibaldi, California's state saltwater fish. Where the rocky reef ends and sandy bottom begins, you'll encounter angel sharks, bat rays and banded guitarfish.

Top Value

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 100 1 Philippines 96.6 1 British Columbia, Canada 90
2 Bonaire 94.1 2 Palau, Micronesia 93.3 2 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 86.5
3 Cozumel, Mexico 89.5 3 Indonesia 91.3 3 North Carolina 85
4 Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras 88.4 4 Fiji (tie) Truk, Micronesia 88.9 4 Channel Islands, Calif. 84.8
5 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 83.1 5 Egyptian Red Sea 88 5 Southeast Atlantic (Palm, Broward, Dade) 83.3
6 Cancun & Riviera Maya, Mexico 82.8 6 Galapagos 83.3 6 Key Largo, Fla. 76.7
7 Ambergris Caye, Belize 77.7 7 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 73.3
8 Puerto Rico 77.3 8 Cocos Island, Costa Rica 69.2
9 The Atolls, Belize 75.8 9 Oahu, Hawaii 66.7
10 Out Islands, Bahamas 75.5 10 Maui, Hawaii 65.6

Top Underwater Photography

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 97.3 1 Galapagos (tie) Indonesia (tie) Palau, Micronesia 100 1 Key Largo, Fla. (tie) North Carolina 80
2 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 94 2 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 96 2 Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) 75.8
3 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 93.8 3 Tahiti / French Polynesia 95.2 3 Channel Islands, Calif. 71.4
4 Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras 90.5 4 Fiji 94.4 4 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 64.5
5 Puerto Rico 89.5 5 Philippines 92.6
6 Dominica (tie) Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 87.5 6 Big Island, Hawaii 91.4
7 Curaçao 86.2 7 Truk, Micronesia 90
8 Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 84.3 8 Oahu, Hawaii 86.9
9 The Atolls, Belize 82.8 9 Egyptian Red Sea 83.3
10 Cozumel, Mexico 81.6 10 Maui, Hawaii 81

Top Advanced Diving

Caribbean / Atlantic Pacific & Indian Ocean North America
1 Bonaire 91.7 1 Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia Truk, Micronesia 100 1 British Columbia, Canada 100
2 Cozumel, Mexico 90.3 2 Indonesia 97.1 2 Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA) 95.9
3 Puerto Rico 90 3 Tahiti / French Polynesia 95.6 3 North Carolina (tie) Southeast Atlantic (Palm, Broward, Dade) 85.7
4 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 89.9 4 Philippines 93.1 4 Key Largo, Fla. 83.5
5 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 89.8 5 Cocos Island, Costa Rica 92.3 5 Channel Islands, Calif. 77.3
6 Curaçao 86.9 6 Big Island, Hawaii (tie) Fiji 88.2
7 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos 86 7 Oahu, Hawaii 88
8 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos 84.3 8 Maui, Hawaii 80.9
9 Ambergris Caye, Belize 84.2 9 Great Barrier Reef, Australia 78.6
10 The Atolls, Belize (tie) Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands 84 10 Egyptian Red Sea 75

Reader Ratings Gold List

And now for something completely different. Although our Top 100 Readers' Choice awards don't cover dive operators, we thought it would be interesting to see which dive operators are the most popular, based on the number of surveys their customers filled out in 2007. Here are the Top 5.

### Most Popular Land-Based Dive Operators

Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas

  1. Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas, New Providence, Bahamas

  2. Florida Keys Dive Center, Tavernier, Fla. Keys

  3. Ocean Frontiers, East End, Grand Cayman

  4. Off The Wall Divers, Grand Cayman

  5. Aldora Divers, Cozumel
    (tie) Dive Paradise, Cozumel

### Most Popular Dive Resorts

Hotel Cozumel and Resort

  1. Hotel Cozumel and Resort, Cozumel

  2. CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

  3. Fiesta Americana Dive Resort, Cozumel

  4. Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman

  5. Anthony's Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

### Most Popular Live-Aboards

Blackbeard's Cruises

  1. Blackbeard's Cruises, Bahamas

  2. Aqua Cat, Bahamas

  3. Turks & Caicos Explorer II, Turks & Caicos

  4. Nekton Rorqual, Bahamas

  5. Caribbean Explorer I, Bahamas

Winners

Whenever you fill out a survey, you're automatically eligible for random prize drawings. Here are some of the prizes awarded in 2007. Photography by Joseph Byrd



Gabriele van Lingen Scubapro MK25/G250V regulator Stevae Weible Mares Nemo Wide computer



Clare Petosa UK Light Cannon 100 HID John Zelina UK Blue Tang Ti Drop Point Patricia Platt Atomic Aquatics SubFrame mask


Hillary Bloom UK Remora Ti knife Robert Zimmerman Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water fins

Shocked that your favorite dive operator didn't make the list?
Don't get mad; get involved. Go to www.scubadiving.com/travel/readerratings and
fill out a survey.

January 2008

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| | Photo by Phillip Colla | Get your motor running during heart-pounding shark encounters in the Galapagos. At known shark hot spots, like this one off Darwin Island, you'll find sharks sometimes numbering in the hundreds--scalloped hammerheads, Galapagos, even whale sharks. This is for experienced divers only. You'll need to handle big swells, heavy surge, strong currents and a gut-wrenching trip to the islands, which lie 600 miles off the western coast of Ecuador. The archipelago--13 large islands, six small islands and more than 107 islets and rocks--supports more than 5,000 unique species of flora and fauna. Many of the species are found nowhere else on earth.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Indonesia

<

table>

| | Photo by Tim Rock | It's nearly impossible to summarize diving in the world's largest archipelago, a vast ribbon of more than 13,000 islands spread out across some of the most diverse marine biosystems on the planet. There are many islands that have never been explored by Westerners, not to mention vast tracts of reef that have never seen a snorkel or scuba tank. No matter where you're diving in Indonesia, the beauty of the reefs is stunning, but the Raja Ampat region is the newest hot spot, where sites like the Wayag Islands, a maze of green islets sprouting from the water, shelter a thriving marine habitat.

Top Marine Life

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Bonaire| 96.8| 1| Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia| 100| 1| North Carolina| 95.2| | 2| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 92.9| 2| Indonesia| 98.6| 2| Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 86.1| | 3| Curaçao| 89.3| 3| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 93.3| 3| Key Largo, Fla.| 81.3| | 4| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 84.6| 4| Fiji| 91.7| 4| Channel Islands, Calif.| 77.8| | 5| The Atolls, Belize| 84.3| 5| Philippines| 89.7| 5| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 76| | 6| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 84.1| 6| Tahiti / French Polynesia| 88| | | | | 7| Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 82.6| 7| Big Island, Hawaii| 83.3| | | | | 8| Dominica| 80.8| 8| Oahu, Hawaii| 81.5| | | | | 9| Cozumel, Mexico| 77.5| 9| Cocos Island, Costa Rica| 80.8| | | | | 10| Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 76.9| 10| Maui, Hawaii| 80.2| | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Palau

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table>

| | Photo by Tim Rock | You'll likely see more on one dive in Palau than on your entire previous dive trip. Rimmed by a barrier reef that separates shallow reef lagoons from sheer walls, the 340 islands of this isolated Pacific archipelago shelter a staggering number of marine life--more than 1,400 fish and 350 coral species. The reason: Three ocean currents wash over these reefs, bringing a huge diversity of life-sustaining nutrients. You'll dive into water that is startlingly clear and unforgettably blue and find the reef plastered in a color-filled wonderland of corals, anemones and sponges, a breathtakingly beautiful haven for fish.

Bonaire

Every inch of Bonaire's reef has enjoyed national marine park status for more than 25 years, and the result is healthy stands of gorgonians, dense coral formations and throngs of nearly every species of Caribbean reef fish. Bonaire's small beaches continue under water, starting with a sandy plain that slopes down to 30 feet, and then dropping off gradually; most of the action is in 45 to 60 feet of water where you will be literally mobbed by fish. If you time your trip after the full moon in September and October, plan on making a couple of night dives to see corals spawning.

| | Photo by Brandon Cole | The big Atlantic sand tiger sharks that patrol North Carolina's waters often congregate around wrecks, like the 412-foot tanker Papoose, 180-foot USCGC Spar and World War II cargo vessel Caribsea. The sharks can be reliably encountered year-round, usually in groups of 10 to 15, but sometimes in larger numbers. The bronze- or gray-colored sharks--which can grow to 10 feet and 350 pounds--swim with their mouths open, exposing three rows of menacing teeth. Though they look ferocious, sand tigers are generally docile and curious, often approaching divers. If you plan to go, make sure that you're at least advanced open-water certified and have some ocean diving experience.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### New Providence, Bahamas

<

table>

| | Photo by Stephen Frink | If you're looking for a guaranteed Caribbean reef shark encounter, the southwest end of New Providence delivers. You'll make your first dive on a wall where abundant Caribbean and black-tip reef sharks cruise out in the blue. Then comes the real heart-pounding fun: The second dive is at a coral rubble patch in about 45 feet of water; the dive group gathers in a circle on the sand bottom, and the shark feeder uses a spear to deliver chum to some very hungry sharks (read: food fight). At Shark Buoy, about an hour's boat ride from New Providence, divers have chance encounters with silky sharks.

Healthiest Marine Environment

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Curaçao| 83.3| 1| Tahiti / French Polynesia| 93.8| 1| Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 74.1| | 2| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 78.1| 2| Fiji| 89.5| 2| Key Largo, Fla.| 70.9| | 3| Bonaire| 77.4| 3| Indonesia| 88.5| 3| Channel Islands, Calif.| 65.6| | 4| The Atolls, Belize| 77.1| 4| Palau, Micronesia| 77.8| 4| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 64.5| | 5| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 75.3| 5| Philippines| 73.3| 5| British Columbia, Canada| 63.2| | 6| Dominica| 73.7| 6| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 72.2| | | | | 7| Puerto Rico| 71.4| 7| Maui, Hawaii| 68.9| | | | | 8| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 70.9| 8| Cocos Island, Costa Rica| 61.1| | | | | 9| U.S. Virgin Islands| 67.6| 9| Big Island, Hawaii| 57.1| | | | | 10| British Virgin Islands (tie) Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 66.7| 10| Egyptian Red Sea| 56.3| | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Curaçao

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| | Photo by Ethan Gordon | Long popular with vacationers seeking to relax on its beaches, Curaçao is loved by divers for another reason--the island's offshore reefs. Bubble blowers head to sites like the giant submerged cavern called The Cave, the psychedelic reefscape of the Mushroom Forest, and the wreck of the Superior Producer, which sports a furry coat of orange cup corals and encrusting sponges and houses resident barracuda and silversides. Almost the entire length of the island's 40-mile western shore is diveable, from North Point to East Point. The reefs from Willemstad southward have been designated a marine park, a testament to the island's commitment to preserving its marine habitat.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Tahiti / French Polynesia

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| | Photo by Mike Veitch | There are few places in the world as picture-perfect as the islands of French Polynesia. In the middle of the South Pacific, these jagged green islands rise out of glittering blue seas. One of the better-known islands in the chain is Tahiti, a lush volcanic island with cloud-shrouded peaks and a similarly exhilarating underwater topography. The island is surrounded by a lagoon and then a drop-off into abyssal depths. Recreational diving is done on the inside of the wall, which is pocked with small caves and dark overhangs full of snapper. But for many divers, the real attraction can be summed up in one word: Sharks.

Top Macro Life

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Dominica| 96.2| 1| Indonesia| 98.6| 1| Channel Islands, Calif.| 68.9| | 2| Puerto Rico| 89.5| 2| Philippines| 89.7| 2| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 60| | 3| Bonaire| 89.3| 3| Palau, Micronesia| 87.5| 3| Key Largo, Fla.| 56.9| | 4| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 83.1| 4| Fiji| 86.1| 4| Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade) (tie) British Columbia, Canada| 50| | 5| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 79.7| 5| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 82.8| | | | | 6| Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 78.4| 6| Egyptian Red Sea| 75| | | | | 7| Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 78.3| | | | | | | | 8| Curaçao| 77.8| | | | | | | | 9| Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 74.1| | | | | | | | 10| British Virgin Islands| 72.7| | | | | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Dominica

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| | Photo by Brandon Cole | The saying "good things come in small packages" definitely applies to Dominica's macro creatures, many of which are hard to spot--secretary blennies, barrel-shaped bumblebee shrimp, longsnout seahorses, golden barberpole shrimp, micid shrimp--and many of which are rare and elusive because of their propensity for hiding--shortnose batfish with their unicorn-like projections and speckled bandtail puffers. All these creatures can be found very close to shore in sand flats, eel grass beds and coral rubble, in very shallow water, usually less than 20 feet. While the southwest corner of the island is touted for its underwater topography, Dominica's entire western coast is ideal for muck diving--bring your macro lens.

| | Photo by Marli Wakeling | With 17,000 miles of Pacific coastline, Canada's westernmost province boasts a diverse range of habitats in its rich waters, including deep walls teeming with dense concentrations of invertebrate and fish life. One of the best is Browning Wall, off the north end of Vancouver Island, which begins 100 feet in the air and plunges 250 feet under water. It's a current-swept site that is covered with a healthy population of orange and red soft corals, giant plumose anemones, nudibranchs, crabs, starfish and urchins. Dives on sheer rock walls off small islets like Flora feature drop-offs packed with bizarre marine life.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Little Cayman

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| | Photo by Stephen Frink | Wherever open ocean abuts a thriving reef and deep water meets shallow, you're likely to find spectacular wall diving, and that's certainly true off Little Cayman. In the hearts and minds of many vertical-dive addicts, the island's Bloody Bay Wall is one of the world's best places to get steep. This drop-off is home to the beautifully adorned Great Wall and the deep swim-through canyons of Marilyn's Cut. Other sites worth your time: Nancy's Cup of Tea, a dramatic cascade of crevices and overhangs on Jackson Wall, and Mixing Bowl, a drop-off that leads to a mini-wall riddled with sand chutes, chimneys and tunnels.

| | Photo by Carlos Minguel | Wreck diving put Aruba on the dive map. The Antilla, a 400-foot German freighter, was scuttled by its crew to evade capture and sank 60 feet to the sandy bottom just south of Arashi Bay in 1940. Her bow and stern masts and the steel ribs of her aft cargo hold are visible from the surface. Star and brain corals decorate the hull, and purple and yellow tube sponges adorn her sides. The wreck attracts angelfish, yellowtail snapper, creole wrasse and blue tangs. Other notable wrecks: the beginner-friendly Pedernalis in 35 feet of water and the 250-foot Venezuelan cement freighter Jane Sea.
Truk, Micronesia

During World War II, American planes pounded the Japanese fleet at Truk Lagoon in the southwest Pacific, sinking nearly 70 vessels in two days. Today, thousands of divers come to Truk to dive the world's best-known collection of diveable wrecks. Nutrient-rich waters festoon the vessels with a coat of soft corals and anemones, and thick schools of fish, including sharks, are drawn to the hulks. To name just two don't-miss dives: the 385-foot passenger and cargo ship San Francisco Maru, with much of its cargo--including mines, torpedoes and bombs--still on board and the nearly 440-foot-long aircraft ferry Fujikawa Maru, its bow and masts beautifully decorated with soft corals.

Top Beginner Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Bonaire| 94| 1| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 87| 1| Key Largo, Fla.| 81.5| | 2| Curaçao| 91.5| 2| Big Island, Hawaii| 83.9| 2| Channel Islands, Calif.| 69.8| | 3| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 88.2| 3| Maui, Hawaii| 82.1| | | | | 4| Aruba| 86.1| 4| Egyptian Red Sea| 80| | | | | 5| Jamaica| 84.6| 5| Fiji| 77.1| | | | | 6| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 83.3| | | | | | | | 7| U.S. Virgin Islands| 82.2| | | | | | | | 8| New Providence, Bahamas| 78.5| | | | | | | | 9| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 77.3| | | | | | | | 10| Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 76.2| | | | | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Great Barrier Reef, Australia

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| | Photo by Rod Klein | Down under the waves in the land Down Under, off the coast of Queensland, lies the Great Barrier Reef, with 1,200 miles of reefs, cays and islets, and the biggest marine park in the world. There are several shallow reefs perfect for beginners, including Michaelmas, where you can find giant clams; Agincourt, home to Nursery Bommie, shallow reefs and clouds of tropicals; and Pixie Pinnacle in the Ribbon Reefs, a towering spire that reaches within 10 feet of the surface and is covered by an incredibly diverse collection of hard and soft corals and is mobbed by throngs of reef fish.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Key Largo, Fla.

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| | Photo by Stephen Frink | The jumping-off spot for diving in the Florida Keys, Key Largo is the longest island in the chain, with more easy-to-get-to and easy-to-dive reefs than anywhere else in the Keys. While Key Largo is a magnet for wreck divers who want to explore world-class wrecks like the Spiegel Grove and Duane, shallow, sun-dappled reefs like the Elbow, Horseshoe, Grecian Rocks and the oft-photographed Christ of the Deep have an allure all their own, boasting mobs of fish and lovely coral colonies. And all just a one-hour drive from Miami.

Top Shore Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Bonaire| 97.4| 1| Maui, Hawaii| 83.6| 1| Channel Islands, Calif.| 78.3| | 2| Curaçao| 85.7| 2| Indonesia| 70| 2| British Columbia, Canada| 64| | 3| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 77.3| 3| Oahu, Hawaii (tie) Egyptian Red Sea| 66.7| | | | | 4| Puerto Rico| 75| 4| Philippines| 61.9| | | | | 5| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 62.7| 5| Fiji| 44| | | |
Bonaire

The yellow-painted stones lining Bonaire's coastal road beckon the dive-'til-you-drop set who flock to the island in droves. Bonaire operators offer do-it-yourself, 24/7 shore diving at more than 60 sites. All you have to do is rent a truck, fill it with tanks, find a yellow sign or painted rock alongside a dive site, park, gear up, and then wade in. It's that easy. The list of the island's standout sites include some of the world's best shore dives: 1,000 Steps, Invisibles, La Dania's Leap, Pink Beach, the wreck of the Hilma Hooker and more.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Channel Islands, Calif.

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| | Photo by Abigail Smigel | When our readers voted for the Channel Islands as a top place for shore diving, they were most likely thinking of Catalina Island, about 22 miles off the California coast. While you need a boat to get to Catalina, you don't need one to dive some of its best sites, most notably the Underwater Dive Park, adjacent to the Casino. Here, as in other spots scattered around the island, you'll find a thriving kelp forest that is home to calico bass, sheephead, opaleye and bright orange garibaldi, California's state saltwater fish. Where the rocky reef ends and sandy bottom begins, you'll encounter angel sharks, bat rays and banded guitarfish.

Top Value

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 100| 1| Philippines| 96.6| 1| British Columbia, Canada| 90| | 2| Bonaire| 94.1| 2| Palau, Micronesia| 93.3| 2| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 86.5| | 3| Cozumel, Mexico| 89.5| 3| Indonesia| 91.3| 3| North Carolina| 85| | 4| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 88.4| 4| Fiji (tie) Truk, Micronesia| 88.9| 4| Channel Islands, Calif.| 84.8| | 5| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 83.1| 5| Egyptian Red Sea| 88| 5| Southeast Atlantic (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 83.3| | 6| Cancun & Riviera Maya, Mexico| 82.8| 6| Galapagos| 83.3| 6| Key Largo, Fla.| 76.7| | 7| Ambergris Caye, Belize| 77.7| 7| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 73.3| | | | | 8| Puerto Rico| 77.3| 8| Cocos Island, Costa Rica| 69.2| | | | | 9| The Atolls, Belize| 75.8| 9| Oahu, Hawaii| 66.7| | | | | 10| Out Islands, Bahamas| 75.5| 10| Maui, Hawaii| 65.6| | | |

Top Underwater Photography

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Bonaire| 97.3| 1| Galapagos (tie) Indonesia (tie) Palau, Micronesia| 100| 1| Key Largo, Fla. (tie) North Carolina| 80| | 2| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 94| 2| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 96| 2| Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 75.8| | 3| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 93.8| 3| Tahiti / French Polynesia| 95.2| 3| Channel Islands, Calif.| 71.4| | 4| Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras| 90.5| 4| Fiji| 94.4| 4| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 64.5| | 5| Puerto Rico| 89.5| 5| Philippines| 92.6| | | | | 6| Dominica (tie) Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 87.5| 6| Big Island, Hawaii| 91.4| | | | | 7| Curaçao| 86.2| 7| Truk, Micronesia| 90| | | | | 8| Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 84.3| 8| Oahu, Hawaii| 86.9| | | | | 9| The Atolls, Belize| 82.8| 9| Egyptian Red Sea| 83.3| | | | | 10| Cozumel, Mexico| 81.6| 10| Maui, Hawaii| 81| | | |

Top Advanced Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Bonaire| 91.7| 1| Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia Truk, Micronesia| 100| 1| British Columbia, Canada| 100| | 2| Cozumel, Mexico| 90.3| 2| Indonesia| 97.1| 2| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 95.9| | 3| Puerto Rico| 90| 3| Tahiti / French Polynesia| 95.6| 3| North Carolina (tie) Southeast Atlantic (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 85.7| | 4| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 89.9| 4| Philippines| 93.1| 4| Key Largo, Fla.| 83.5| | 5| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 89.8| 5| Cocos Island, Costa Rica| 92.3| 5| Channel Islands, Calif.| 77.3| | 6| Curaçao| 86.9| 6| Big Island, Hawaii (tie) Fiji| 88.2| | | | | 7| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 86| 7| Oahu, Hawaii| 88| | | | | 8| Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 84.3| 8| Maui, Hawaii| 80.9| | | | | 9| Ambergris Caye, Belize| 84.2| 9| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 78.6| | | | | 10| The Atolls, Belize (tie) Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 84| 10| Egyptian Red Sea| 75| | | |

Reader Ratings Gold List

And now for something completely different. Although our Top 100 Readers' Choice awards don't cover dive operators, we thought it would be interesting to see which dive operators are the most popular, based on the number of surveys their customers filled out in 2007. Here are the Top 5.

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Most Popular Land-Based Dive Operators

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| | Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas|

  1. Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas, New Providence, Bahamas

  2. Florida Keys Dive Center, Tavernier, Fla. Keys

  3. Ocean Frontiers, East End, Grand Cayman

  4. Off The Wall Divers, Grand Cayman

  5. Aldora Divers, Cozumel
    (tie) Dive Paradise, Cozumel

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Most Popular Dive Resorts

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| | Hotel Cozumel and Resort|

  1. Hotel Cozumel and Resort, Cozumel

  2. CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

  3. Fiesta Americana Dive Resort, Cozumel

  4. Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman

  5. Anthony's Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Most Popular Live-Aboards

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| | Blackbeard's Cruises|

  1. Blackbeard's Cruises, Bahamas

  2. Aqua Cat, Bahamas

  3. Turks & Caicos Explorer II, Turks & Caicos

  4. Nekton Rorqual, Bahamas

  5. Caribbean Explorer I, Bahamas

Winners

Whenever you fill out a survey, you're automatically eligible for random prize drawings. Here are some of the prizes awarded in 2007. Photography by Joseph Byrd

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Top Big Animal Encounters

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| New Providence, Bahamas| 74.5| 1| Galapagos (tie) Palau, Micronesia| 100| 1| North Carolina| 90| | 2| Grand Bahama, Bahamas| 71.2| 2| Cocos Island, Costa Rica| 92.3| 2| British Columbia, Canada (tie) Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 50| | 3| Out Islands, Bahamas| 68.8| 3| Tahiti / French Polynesia| 92| | | | | 4| Ambergris Caye, Belize| 66.3| 4| Great Barrier Reef, Australia| 82.1| | | | | 5| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 61.3| 5| Big Island, Hawaii| 77.1| | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### North Carolina

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| | | Gabriele van Lingen Scubapro MK25/G250V regulator| Stevae Weible Mares Nemo Wide computer| | | | | |

|### Top Wall Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 98.6| 1| Palau, Micronesia| 100| 1| British Columbia, Canada| 77.8| | 2| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 93.4| 2| Indonesia| 81.5| | | | | 3| Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 90| 3| Fiji (tie) Maui, Hawaii| 77.4| | | | | 4| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 88.9| 4| Philippines| 62.1| | | | | 5| Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 87| 5| Egyptian Red Sea| 60.9| | | | | 6| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 86.6| | | | | | | | 7| Cozumel, Mexico| 86.3| | | | | | | | 8| Puerto Rico| 85.7| | | | | | | | 9| The Atolls, Belize| 80| | | | | | | | 10| Out Islands, Bahamas| 71.3| | | | | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### British Columbia

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| | Clare Petosa UK Light Cannon 100 HID| John Zelina UK Blue Tang Ti Drop Point| Patricia Platt Atomic Aquatics SubFrame mask| | | | |

|### Top Wall Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Little Cayman, Cayman Islands| 98.6| 1| Palau, Micronesia| 100| 1| British Columbia, Canada| 77.8| | 2| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands| 93.4| 2| Indonesia| 81.5| | | | | 3| Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos| 90| 3| Fiji (tie) Maui, Hawaii| 77.4| | | | | 4| Providenciales, Turks & Caicos| 88.9| 4| Philippines| 62.1| | | | | 5| Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 87| 5| Egyptian Red Sea| 60.9| | | | | 6| Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras| 86.6| | | | | | | | 7| Cozumel, Mexico| 86.3| | | | | | | | 8| Puerto Rico| 85.7| | | | | | | | 9| The Atolls, Belize| 80| | | | | | | | 10| Out Islands, Bahamas| 71.3| | | | | | |

|||| |---|---|---| | ### British Columbia

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Top Wreck Diving

|||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Caribbean / Atlantic| Pacific & Indian Ocean| North America| | 1| Aruba| 92.9| 1| Truk, Micronesia| 100| 1| North Carolina| 100| | 2| British Virgin Islands| 90.9| 2| Oahu, Hawaii| 77.8| 2| Northeast Atlantic (NJ, NY, MA)| 94.8| | 3| New Providence, Bahamas| 67.9| 3| Egyptian Red Sea| 72.7| 3| British Columbia, Canada| 89.3| | 4| Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands| 56| 4| Palau, Micronesia| 70| 4| Key Largo, Fla.| 81.8| | 5| Grand Bahama, Bahamas| 50| 5| Maui, Hawaii| 53.1| 5| Southeast Florida (Palm, Broward, Dade)| 61.5|

|||| |---|---|---| | ### Aruba

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| | Hillary Bloom UK Remora Ti knife| Robert Zimmerman Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water fins|

Shocked that your favorite dive operator didn't make the list?
Don't get mad; get involved. Go to www.scubadiving.com/travel/readerratings and
fill out a survey.