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The Best Scuba Diving in the World

2018 *Scuba Diving* Magazine Readers Choice Awards rank the best scuba diving.
By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On October 24, 2018
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The Best Scuba Diving in the World

10/24/2018 - 0 Comments

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.

kona manta night dive

Kona Manta Night Dive

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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
hawaii best scuba diving visibility

Hawaii won first place in the best visibility category for the Pacific and Indian oceans region.

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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

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hammerhead shark bahamas

The Bahamas took home first place in the best big animal diving category for the Caribbean and Atlantic region.

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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
mexico cavern cenote

Riviera Maya, Mexico took home first place in the Caribbean and Atlantic region for best cave, cavern and grotto diving.

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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
shore diving bonaire

Bonaire took home first place in shore diving for the Caribbean and Atlantic region.

Shutterstock

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
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