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Clockwise from top left: Brandon Cole; Jennifer Penner; Matthew Meier; Bruce Shafer; Brandon Cole; Courtesy Buddy Dive Resort

The Best Scuba Diving in the World

Scuba Diving's readers say these are the dive destinations to experience in 2023.
By Scuba Diving Editors | Published On November 14, 2022
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The Best Scuba Diving in the World

Our survey asked readers to evaluate dive destinations they’ve traveled to in the past two years across several categories. Below we’ve listed the top destinations that were rated excellent by survey respondents (in order based on number of votes and percentile of score). For each category, we listed the top destinations that received an excellent score (in order based on number of votes and percentile of score).

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Best Overall

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. St. Lucia
  3. Curaçao
  4. Bonaire
  5. Bahamas
  6. Bay Islands
  7. Aruba
  8. Cayman Islands
  9. Belize
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands
  11. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

  1. Thailand
  2. Indonesia
  3. Hawaii
  4. Galapagos
  5. Philippines
  6. Costa Rica
  7. Mexico
  8. Fiji
  9. French Polynesia
  10. Red Sea
  11. Maldives

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Washington
  3. Florida
  4. North Carolina
  5. Great Lakes
  6. New York/New Jersey
  7. Texas

Big Animals

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bahamas
  2. Belize
  3. Turks and Caicos
  4. Mexico
  5. Cayman Islands
  6. Bay Islands
  7. U.S. Virgin Islands
  8. Bonaire
  9. Aruba
  10. St. Lucia
  11. Curaçao

Pacific and Indian

  1. Galapagos
  2. Maldives
  3. French Polynesia
  4. Costa Rica
  5. Mexico
  6. Indonesia
  7. Hawaii
  8. Fiji
  9. Philippines
  10. Red Sea
  11. Australia
  12. Thailand

United States and Canada

  1. North Carolina
  2. Florida
  3. Florida Keys
  4. California
  5. Washington
  6. New York/New Jersey
  7. Great Lakes

Macro Life

macro scuba diving crab

Tiny critters like this arrow crab earned Bonaire a top ranking for Macro Life.

Lorenzo Mittiga

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. St. Lucia
  4. Mexico
  5. Curaçao
  6. Bahamas
  7. Cayman Islands
  8. Belize
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. Aruba
  11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Philippines
  3. Fiji
  4. Red Sea
  5. Hawaii
  6. Maldives
  7. Galapagos
  8. Thailand
  9. French Polynesia
  10. Costa Rica
  11. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. British Columbia
  2. Texas
  3. Washington
  4. California
  5. Florida Keys
  6. Florida
  7. North Carolina
  8. Great Lakes

Wreck Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Aruba
  2. Cayman Islands
  3. Bahamas
  4. Bay Islands
  5. St. Lucia
  6. Curaçao
  7. Bonaire
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Mexico
  10. Turks and Caicos
  11. Belize

Pacific and Indian

  1. Red Sea
  2. Hawaii
  3. Philippines
  4. Mexico
  5. Indonesia
  6. Maldives
  7. Fiji

United States and Canada

  1. North Carolina
  2. Great Lakes
  3. Florida Keys
  4. Florida
  5. Texas
  6. California

Cave, Cavern and Grotto

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Bahamas
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Turks and Caicos
  5. Bay Islands
  6. Bonaire

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Philippines
  3. Mexico
  4. Indonesia

United States and Canada

  1. Florida
  2. California
  3. Florida Keys

Shore Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Curaçao
  3. Bay Islands
  4. U.S. Virgin Islands
  5. Cayman Islands
  6. Mexico
  7. Bahamas
  8. Belize
  9. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

  1. Philippines
  2. Hawaii
  3. Indonesia
  4. Fiji
  5. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. Washington
  2. California
  3. Florida
  4. Great Lakes
  5. Florida Keys

Wall Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Cayman Islands
  3. Bay Islands
  4. Bahamas
  5. Belize
  6. Turks and Caicos
  7. Bonaire
  8. St. Lucia
  9. Curaçao
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Fiji
  2. Indonesia
  3. Maldives
  4. Philippines
  5. Red Sea
  6. Galapagos
  7. Mexico
  8. Costa Rica
  9. French Polynesia
  10. Hawaii

United States and Canada

  1. British Columbia
  2. Washington
  3. California
  4. Florida
  5. Florida Keys

Beginner Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Bahamas
  4. Curaçao
  5. Aruba
  6. U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. St. Lucia
  8. Cayman Islands
  9. Belize
  10. Mexico
  11. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Philippines
  3. Thailand
  4. Fiji
  5. French Polynesia
  6. Red Sea
  7. Indonesia
  8. Mexico
  9. Maldives
  10. Costa Rica
  11. Galapagos

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. Washington
  4. California
  5. Great Lakes
  6. North Carolina
  7. Texas

Advanced Diving

Grotto Cavern Mexico Diving

The Tajma Ha cenote, a dazzling cavern dive in Caribbean Mexico’s Riviera Maya region.

Jennifer Penner

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Bonaire
  3. Belize
  4. Bay Islands
  5. Cayman Islands
  6. Bahamas
  7. Curaçao
  8. St. Lucia
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. Aruba
  11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Galapagos
  2. Indonesia
  3. Maldives
  4. Philippines
  5. French Polynesia
  6. Fiji
  7. Red Sea
  8. Thailand
  9. Costa Rica
  10. Hawaii
  11. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. North Carolina
  2. British Columbia
  3. New York/New Jersey
  4. Great Lakes
  5. California
  6. Texas
  7. Florida
  8. Washington
  9. Florida Keys

Photography

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Mexico
  3. Bahamas
  4. Cayman Islands
  5. Bay Islands
  6. Curaçao
  7. Belize
  8. Turks and Caicos
  9. St. Lucia
  10. Aruba
  11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Galapagos
  2. Philippines
  3. Indonesia
  4. Fiji
  5. Maldives
  6. French Polynesia
  7. Red Sea
  8. Mexico
  9. Thailand
  10. Hawaii
  11. Costa Rica

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. California
  3. Texas
  4. North Carolina
  5. Florida
  6. Washington
  7. Great Lakes

Snorkeling

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. St. Lucia
  3. Curaçao
  4. Bahamas
  5. U.S. Virgin Islands
  6. Belize
  7. Mexico
  8. Bay Islands
  9. Cayman Islands
  10. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Fiji
  3. Philippines
  4. French Polynesia
  5. Indonesia
  6. Maldives
  7. Red Sea
  8. Mexico
  9. Galapagos
  10. Costa Rica

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. California
  4. Washington
  5. Great Lakes
  6. North Carolina

Health of Marine Environment

Galapagos Sea Lion Diving

A sea lion thrives in the protected waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Shane Gross

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Curaçao
  3. St. Lucia
  4. Belize
  5. Mexico
  6. Cayman Islands
  7. Bahamas
  8. Bay Islands
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands
  11. Aruba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Galapagos
  2. Indonesia
  3. Philippines
  4. Fiji
  5. French Polynesia
  6. Red Sea
  7. Costa Rica
  8. Maldives
  9. Mexico
  10. Thailand
  11. Hawaii

United States and Canada

  1. British Columbia
  2. Texas
  3. California
  4. Washington
  5. North Carolina
  6. Florida Keys
  7. Florida
  8. Great Lakes

Best Value

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Bahamas
  4. Curaçao
  5. Bonaire
  6. Belize
  7. Cayman Islands
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Aruba
  10. Turks and Caicos
  11. St. Lucia

Pacific and Indian

  1. Thailand
  2. Philippines
  3. Red Sea
  4. Indonesia
  5. Mexico
  6. Fiji
  7. Costa Rica
  8. Maldives
  9. Hawaii
  10. Galapagos
  11. French Polynesia

United States and Canada

  1. Washington
  2. North Carolina
  3. Great Lakes
  4. Florida
  5. California
  6. Texas
  7. Florida Keys