I love this thread because these have been some of our best vacations. Love to find an island or coast that has topside and also great diving. Its a perk when its not a full day to get to the sites but sometimes its worth it and the ability to have combination is great.
Ko Tao was lovely for us because we hit quite a bit of dive sites within a close proximity and loved the vibe of the topside to accompany the diving. Well worth the day trip to see Sail Rock! Some days we did close dives and enjoyed the afternoon day laying around and others went out for the whole day. Good combination would just stay clear of the large mass dive boats.
Bail area favorite was Nusa Lembognan. It had the right amount but not too many tourists yet enough for restaurants to accompany the diving. Could jump on a scooter and go around as well. Nice combination and got to see Mantas and Mola Mola which are always perks. Quite a bit of current so ensure you are comfortable and experienced.
I would recommend Candidasa too and do not know why it is isn't spoken about more about in Bali. Tons of marine life from cuttlefish to a shark cave. Again good local restaurants and vibe in the area.
Amed in Bali on the north was a little too quiet of a town for us plus it was a lot of muck diving which we don't fancy. I would say do it because the liberty was amazing to see bump heads and found pretty cool mantis shrimp so worth it but a couple days 2/3 and it was time for a little more for us.
I would try the Gili Islands from everything Ive heard so far just ran out of time.
Koh Lak was also a good place for us. We did a little different and did a 3/4 day liveaboard which took us to some of the good sites but also spend several days on land to enjoy topside activities scooter, walking, and just laying in sun.
Kho Samui gave us a lot more top side but it was definitely not the choice for us to run to Sail Rock etc based on travel time. Great island though.
Does anyone have similar locations they like with both topside and good diving?
In other areas I would recommend Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Key West, Florida (and drive throughout) while I also like the Bahamas for such topside activities and diving. Would love to hear more locations in Asia which have the nice combination as I'm trying to decide on next trip too!