Are you ready for your next — or first — big-animal encounter? Do you dream of scuba diving with sharks, manta rays, sea lions and dolphins?

From the Andaman Sea to the Coral Sea, this region offers unspoiled reefs, big animals, thrilling drifts, World War II wrecks and unparalleled macro life.

The Galapagos Islands are home to some of the world's highest concentration of endemic species, and nearly 20 percent of the islands' marine species aren't found anywhere else in the world! Come watch Darek Sepiolo's video of the marine life found in the archipelago.

Hard to spot and even harder to look away from, creatures like the tasseled anglerfish, stargazer, red-lipped batfish and reef stonefish are among the most unsightly species in the underwater world.

Peter Hughes knows a thing or two about live-aboards, and he has a spot in the DEMA Hall of Fame to prove it. In 2011, Hughes received the DEMA Reaching Out Award for helping to evolve the live-aboard diving industry over the past three decades. That same year, after spending more than 25 years building his former live-aboard company, Peter Hughes Diving, Inc., the 40-year scuba diving veteran threw all of his expertise and energy into a new live-aboard venture, the DivEncounters Alliance

A photo gallery from our D2D message board that showcases the these least understood and most endangered predators of our seas.

Based on the opinions of thousands of divers from across the globe, our annual Top 100 Readers Choice Awards showcase the best scuba diving in the world.

During a liveaboard trip to the Galapagos, Scuba Diving editor David Espinosa dived with sharks, sea lions and more at Roca Redonda.

During a liveaboard trip to the Galapagos, David Espinosa filmed hammerhead sharks, a dolphin, and a tiger shark. And that was just one day.