Wondering where the best scuba diving destinations in the world are?
Let me help you find your next scuba diving adventure with my World Dive Map.
It features 150 of the best places to scuba dive in the world, in warm and cold waters, from the Caribbean to the South Pacific, and from Iceland to Patagonia. Knowing where to go as a scuba diver is also the best way to meet like-minded friends and find a dive buddy if you travel alone.
10 years of travelling across every continent and thousands of hours of research are summarised here for you. I hope my World Dive Map will help you discover new destinations you haven’t considered yet.
Please note that any destination promoting feeding or baited dives has been removed from this list. Let’s promote together responsible diving tourism!
Colour code :
- light blue : destinations I visited & published an article about
- dark blue : destinations I visited
- red : next destinations scheduled
- green : still on the bucket-list
Regional guides to the best diving in the world
In addition to my World Dive Map, if you want to explore the best scuba diving destinations region by region, I recommend reading the following pages:
Europe
From Spain to Greece, the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe is a long-time favourite in the summer for European divers. However, experienced divers know the cold waters of Northern Europe can be dived all year-long with a drysuit to explore historic shipwrecks or surprising cold-water marine life such as the seals or the basking sharks.
Discover the Best diving in Europe.
The most popular places to scuba dive in Europe include Malta, Spain and Scotland.
Asia & the Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region might be the number one region for scuba divers worldwide. With a combination of impressive coral reefs, pelagic action, and affordable costs, South-East Asia, especially, became a go-to destination for beginner divers. The Pacific region has some even more exciting promises, but the cost is much higher, so it is usually a favourite among experienced divers only.
Discover the Best diving in Asia or the best diving in the South Pacific.
The most popular places to scuba dive in Asia-Pacific are Bali, French Polynesia, the Philippines and Japan.
Americas & the Caribbean
While the Caribbean Islands are well known for tropical holidays by American and European scuba divers, the American continent is also full of incredible scuba diving adventures in warm and cold waters.
Discover the Best diving in America.
The most popular places to scuba dive in the Americas are Hawaii, Florida, Mexico and the Galapagos.
Africa & the Middle-East
Egypt is the number one destination for European scuba divers thanks to its warm waters and affordable costs. However, the African continent boasts incredible dive sites, especially along its southeastern coast in the Indian Ocean.
Discover the best diving in Africa.
The most popular places to scuba dive in Africa and the Middle East are Egypt, Mozambique and Madagascar.
PIN IT FOR LATER
I absolutely love this map! It must have taken so much time to create it….? I am working on a similar thing but it just takes forever and there are far too many places where I would like to go diving. Great work 🙂 Thanks for that – just clicking through it to see if any of these places are missing on my list 😉
Thank you very much, it took me about 3 years to collect information about all these interesting destinations 🙂
Hi, you might want to visit us in Anilao, Batangas 🙂
Awesome map! Think South Africa South Coast should have been on here.
Hi Claire, thanks for your comment. I already added Gansbaii, would you like to recommend another spot?
This map is absolutely useful for me. I’m gonna put this as guidance/wishlist to start my diving adventure someday. Thanks a lot ☺& good job!
Thank you! So where are you going next?
Dear Florine, I’m newbie in diving actually. But soon after I take diving course&license my first trip will be Nusa Lembongan/Penida. I really want to see Mola Mola (sunfish). That’s a must☺!
*Started with snorkeling first by Jan 2016 at Blue Lagoon Beach, Bali
Hi. I got my ow certificate last year in Thailand but since I live in Europe I do not know if I can dive as a newbie easily in Europe.
Which places in Europe are good for new divers?
x
Spain, Italy, Malta and Greece have great dive sites for beginners! click on the pins of the map to learn more about dive destinations in these countries 😉
Lots of missing spots:
– Haven, Italy. Largest wreck in the world
– Zenobia, Cyprus
– Bianca C, Grenada
– C130, Aqaba, Jordan
– Daymaniyat islands, Oman
There’s also a 747 in Bahrain but haven’t done this yet.
Of course, it’s almost impossible to have the full extensive list. So I made a selection based on sufficient interest but also within the limits of recreational diving.
The only one from your list I could add would be the Zenobia, but right now, I have no interest of going to Cyprus.