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Scuba Diving Magazine's 2017 Readers Choice Awards

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On November 7, 2016
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Scuba Diving Magazine's 2017 Readers Choice Awards

05/17/2018 - 0 Comments

Each year, we ask our readers to vote for their favorite dive operators, liveaboards, dive sites and more to bring our Gold List to life. The winners below were chosen by popular vote (regardless of location) and ranked based on their category.

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Best Dive Operators

Best Liveaboards

Best Dive Sites

Best Dive Resorts

Best Wreck Dives

Best Shore Dives

Best Animal Encounters

Most Unusual Dive Sites

Best Dive Operators

When you're scuba diving at a new destination, the experience is only as good as the dive operation, instructor or divemaster who is guiding you through the ocean. Here are the 20 best scuba diving operators, as voted by the readers of Scuba Diving magazine.

Scuba Diving Kids Sea Camp Palau

Sam's Tours Palau hosted a Kid's Sea Camp.

Courtesy Sam's Tours Palau

  1. Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire

  2. Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

  3. Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas

  4. Reef Divers, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac

  5. Jack’s Diving Locker, Kona, Hawaii

  6. CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

  7. Dive Provo, Turks and Caicos

  8. Ocean Divers, Key Largo, Florida

  9. Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico

  10. Sunset Divers, Grand Cayman

  11. Sam’s Tours, Palau

  12. Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman

  13. Dive With Martin, Cozumel, Mexico

  14. Red Sail Sports, Grand Cayman

  15. Dive Maui/Hawaii Rafting Adventures, Maui, Hawaii

  16. Amigos del Mar, Ambergris Caye, Belize

  17. Horizon Divers, Key Largo, Florida

  18. Divetech, Grand Cayman

  19. Kona Honu Divers, Hawaii

  20. Kids Sea Camp, Multiple Locations

Best Liveaboard Diving Cruises

Diving from a liveaboard cruise ship is the ultimate getaway for scuba divers. While the ship destinations and amenities vary, nearly all liveaboards include unlimited air and nitrox diving and range from weekend vacations to weeklong excursions. Be sure to check out the latest liveaboard diving deals and discounts before planning your trip!

Scuba Diving Cruise Cayman Aggressor Liveaboard

Scuba Diving magazine readers voted the Cayman Aggressor IV cruise ship as one of the best liveaboards in the world.

Courtesy Aggressor

  1. Aqua Cat, Bahamas

  2. Belize Aggressor III

  3. Cayman Aggressor IV

  4. Palau Aggressor II

  5. Turks & Caicos Aggressor II

  6. Galapagos Aggressor III

  7. Odyssey Adventures/Truk Odyssey, Micronesia

  8. Four Seasons Explorer, Maldives

  9. Taka, Solomon Islands

  10. Kona Aggressor II

  11. Rocio del Mar, Mexico

  12. Maldives Aggressor

  13. Emperor Superior, Red Sea

  14. Arenui, Indonesia

  15. Okeanos Aggressor II, Cocos Islands, Costa Rica

  16. Bahamas Aggressor

  17. Pelagian, Sulawesi, Indonesia

  18. Rock Islands Aggressor, Palau

  19. Philippine Siren

  20. Okeanos Aggressor, Cocos Islands, Costa Rica

Best Dive Sites

Scuba Diving Cenotes Mexico

Our readers voted Mexico's famous cenotes among the best places in the world to dive.

Shutterstock

  1. Palancar Reef, Cozumel, Mexico

  2. Alice in Wonderland, Bonaire

  3. Mary’s Place, Roatan, Bay Islands

  4. Bond Wrecks, Nassau, Bahamas

  5. Barracuda Reef, Cozumel, Mexico

  6. Devil’s Grotto, Grand Cayman

  7. Cathedrals, Lanai, Hawaii

  8. Something Special, Bonaire

  9. Bari Reef, Bonaire

  10. Cenote Dos Ojos, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Best Dive Resorts

Wakatobi Dive Resort Indonesia

Wakatobi Dive Resort in Sulawesi, Indonesia, was rated by Scuba Diving magazine readers as one of the best resorts for scuba diving in the 2017 Gold List awards.

Courtesy Wakatobi Dive Resort

  1. Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire

  2. Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

  3. CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands

  4. Little Cayman Beach Resort, Cayman Islands

  5. Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico

  6. Wakatobi Dive Resort, Sulawesi, Indonesia

  7. Beqa Lagoon Resort, Fiji

  8. Sunset House, Grand Cayman

  9. Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, Bonaire

  10. Hotel Cozumel & Resort, Mexico

  11. Palau Pacific Resort, Palau

  12. Cayman Brac Reef Beach Resort, Cayman Islands

  13. Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, Key Largo, Florida

  14. Captain Don’s Habitat, Bonaire

  15. Anse Chastanet Resort, St. Lucia

  16. Cobalt Coast Grand Cayman Resort, Grand Cayman

  17. Presidente InterContinental Resort & Spa, Cozumel, Mexico

  18. Compass Point Dive Resort, Grand Cayman

  19. Turneffe Island Resort, Belize

  20. Utila Lodge Island Dive Resort, Utila, Bay Islands

Best Wreck Dives

Scuba Diving Cayman Islands Wreck

The Capt. Keith Tibbetts wreck in Cayman Brac was one of our reader favorites for best wreck diving in the world.

Shutterstock

  1. Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida

  2. USS Kittiwake, Grand Cayman

  3. Duane, Key Largo, Florida

  4. C-53, Cozumel, Mexico

  5. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Key West, Florida

  6. Capt. Keith Tibbetts, Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands

  7. Ray of Hope, Nassau, Bahamas

  8. Fujikawa Maru, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia

  9. U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina

  10. Corsair, Oahu, Hawaii

Best Shore Dives

Bonaire Scuba Diving

It's no surprise that Bonaire's many shore dives helped it earn multiple wins with our readers.

David Benz

  1. 1,000 Steps, Bonaire

  2. CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

  3. Bonegi Beach, Solomon Islands

  4. Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman

  5. Buddy Dive House Reef, Bonaire

Most Unusual Dive Sites

Scuba Diving Key Largo Christ of the Abyss

Scuba Diving magazine readers voted Christ of the Abyss (a dive site in Key Largo, Florida) as one of the most unusual dives in the world.

Shutterstock

  1. Great Blue Hole, Belize

  2. Devil’s Throat, Cozumel, Mexico

  3. Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida

  4. Chac Mool Cenote, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

  5. Chandelier Cave, Palau

Best Night Dives

Pelagic Magic Night Dive Hawaii

The Pelagic Magic night dive in Kona, Hawaii, is a reader favorite for most unusual dives in the world.

Shutterstock

  1. Manta Night Dive, Kona, Hawaii

  2. Salt Pier, Bonaire

  3. Coco View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

  4. Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

  5. Pelagic Magic, Kona, Hawaii

Best Animal Encounters

Shark Scuba Diving Bahamas

Scuba diving with Caribbean reef sharks in Nassau, Bahamas, was voted by our readers as one of the best big animal encounters in the world.

Shutterstock

  1. Whale Sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

  2. West Indian Manatees, Crystal River, Florida

  3. Sand Tiger Sharks, North Carolina

  4. Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nassau, Bahamas

  5. Tiger and Bull Sharks, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji

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