Each year, we ask our readers to participate in our annual Readers Choice survey to determine the best dive destinations, resorts, operators and liveaboards. Nearly 5,000 readers provided feedback this year, which helped us to identify the value dive destinations below. View the complete 2020 Readers Choice Award rankings here.

1. BAY ISLANDS

Anyone new to the sport might hear the term “wall diving” and think it’s not for them. What they’re not asking is at what depth the wall starts. In Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, the wall starts at 40 feet deep, which means that less experienced divers can stay shallow and still get in on the action, including big schools of Bermuda chubs and horse-eye jacks. “My favorite is the Atlantic spadefish because when you hover at 40 feet, these guys will rub up against your fins,” says Patty Grier, owner of Dockside Dive Center at CoCo View Resort.

Another site perfect for new divers is Gold Chain Reef, where the shallows are covered in lettuce and staghorn corals. “You can spend your entire dive in 20 feet of water finding nudibranchs, lettuce leaf slugs, brittle stars and yellowtail damsels— which stand out thanks to their iridescent blue spots,” Grier says.

Staying shallow, which a diver can easily do on Roatan, means having it all—from boat dives to shore dives, all teeming with wildlife.

READERS PICKS
Resorts
Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan, Honduras
CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Honduras
Villa on Dunbar Rock, Guanaja, Honduras

Operators
Anthony’s Key Resort Dive Shop, Roatan, Honduras
Barefoot Divers, Roatan, Honduras
CoCo View Resort Dive Shop, Roatan, Honduras

Liveaboards
Roatan Aggressor, Honduras

2. U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

If you’re a less experienced diver, you might not know which kind of diving is your favorite. On St. Croix, the largest of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands, those who are newly certified or have never been diving can get wet at Frederiksted Pier, a shore dive where the bottom is never deeper than 20 feet. There, divers learn that you don’t need to swim deep to see underwater growth, color and life that surpass expectations.

Because it’s such an easy, calm dive, free from waves or current, the pier is where Cane Bay Dive Shop offers the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience. It’s also where instructors bring open-water students. “For open-water and beginner divers, you feel a greater sense of control here because it has such a shallow bottom and you can see everything around you,” says Suzanne Rosbach, co-owner of Cane Bay Dive Shop. For those who have completed Discover Scuba or an Open Water Diver course and crave more diving, there’s the next level: shore diving Cane Bay, a wall dive on the island’s north shore. Divers might have to enter and swim against a few small waves for the reward of a site with turtles, octopuses and eels—plus whatever swims by in deeper water. From the wall, divers can choose to take on wrecks, walls, drift dives and more — all without leaving St. Croix.

3. ST. LUCIA

Experienced divers know that managed marine areas make the sport more enjoyable, but beginners might not yet realize what that protection means. On the island of St. Lucia, the Soufriere Marine Management Area safeguards 7.5 miles of coastline and reef— and Anse Chastanet Resort lies right in the middle.

Reefs are thriving, creating habitat for 500 fish species and three species of sea turtles, including hawksbill and green. The turtles are prolific, as are frogfish, squid, seahorses and a host of other small critters—all of which can motivate newbies to master buoyancy skills sooner rather than later. “The success rate with our new divers is so high because of the amount of marine life— they get hooked by what they see,” says Karolin Troubetzkoy, operations manager of Anse Chastanet.

READERS PICKS
Resorts
Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia
Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Gros-Islet, St. Lucia

4. HAWAII

Maui is home to 30 miles of beaches—good news for sun worshippers, and every new diver. Many of these beaches are the start of shore dives, leading to reefs in 30 to 40 feet of water. Best of all, divers need only suit up and walk in. There are no big rocks that serve as hurdles.

Nor are boats in the equation. “Maui is super friendly for people who get seasick or are afraid of being on the open ocean,” says Jessica Pickering, owner of Maui Diving Scuba & Snorkel Center. In fact, she says, the best dive on the island is a shore dive: Mala Pier. Following a 1992 hurricane, the structure became fish habitat. It’s now home to encrusting yellow corals and a diversity of fish. “The structure, with archways and swim-throughs, really lends itself to being explored,” she says. “Plus, there are rivers of fish and usually at least a dozen turtles.” The turtles are drawn to a cleaning station on the deck. Underneath, it’s typical to find resting whitetip sharks. “Oh, and there are nudis all over the place,” says Pickering, referring to the tiny slug-like gastropods known for their wild, colorful patterns.

The spot is also good for finding Commerson’s frogfish, which grow up to 15 inches. “Really, it has everything you are coming to Maui to see.”

READERS PICKS
Operators
Big Island Divers, Hawaii
Dive Maui, Hawaii
Dive Oahu, Hawaii
Jack’s Diving Locker, Hawaii
Kona Diving Company, Hawaii
Kona Honu Divers, Hawaii
Maui Dive Shop, Hawaii
Scuba Shack, Maui, Hawaii
Seasport Divers, Kauai, Hawaii

Liveaboards
Kona Aggressor II, Hawaii

5. PHILIPPINES

The Philippine island of Negros offers divers swimming-pool-like conditions, with a depth typically 50 feet and shallower. Within that range, divers, regardless of experience level, can encounter frogfish, cleaning shrimp, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, seahorses and a host of other species that serve as a jaw-dropping introduction to marine life—or, for the more experienced diver, a reminder of what’s possible when it comes to underwater wonders.

READERS PICKS
Resorts
Atlantis Dive Resorts, Puerto Galera
and Dumaguete, Philippines

6. FLORIDA KEYS

The Florida Keys is popular with experienced divers, but thanks to skilled dive operators; warm, clear waters; and reefs in the 15- to 40-foot range, the destination is great for less experienced divers too. “They’re perfect for new divers and divers who just got certified and need experience,” says Dan Dawson, owner of Key Largo’s Horizon Divers scuba center.

There, divers can practice diving with a buddy instead of simply following a guide. If a diver happens to lose orientation, it’s not a problem. They can surface slowly, find the boat, signal “OK” and then descend again and finish their dive. “We’ve all done it at some point,” Dawson says understandingly—of course, the technical diving instructor certainly hasn’t had to do a surface peek in decades.

Still, if you have to, the Keys are a good place to do so. The protection of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park means fewer boats in the area, and those that are on the water have operators at the helm aware of the rules that come with a flying dive flag.

Many divers who head to Key Largo want to see coral, yes, but they also want to see history. The Keys can offer even new divers the chance to explore a few wrecks, including the 345-foot SS Benwood in 25 to 40 feet of water, and the remains of the 165-foot Acorn steamship, shipwrecked in 1885.

READERS PICKS
Operators
Dive Key West, Florida Keys
Horizon Divers, Key Largo, Florida Keys
Ocean Divers, Key Largo, Florida Keys
Rainbow Reef, Key Largo, Florida Keys
Sea Experience, Fort Lauderdale, Florida