Up-to-date list of "world's top scuba destinations" that are not "wiped out" yet?

[Miley Cyrus]

With the Christmas week over, my eyes are set on July 4. While on the boat this week, I heard about a lot of world's top scuba destinations allegedly having been destroyed by swarms of vacation divers. This makes me believe the web rankings I saw may not be reliable. Which places are still the top? I am looking for 80+ degree water, with lots of weird marine life, especially large and ugly, I have sympathy for the ugly. Possibly in or close to a large population, and not in U.S., so there's something exciting to do besides diving and eating out.

 

[Damselfish]

No list can be reliable, because different people like different things, plus have different priorities as far as lodgings, food, travel distance, cost, etc. And many lists come from parties with agendas to promote, or at least biases they don't make clear. So about all lists are good for is to give you some ideas to investigate further.

Does "not in US" mean Caribbean or Indo-Pacific or where? Generally you are going to find much much better diving in the Indo-Pacific region. What's your budget? Where are you traveling from?

"In or close to a large population" doesn't tend to to line up with good diving, as those large populations are part of what degrades the marine environment. As far as something exciting to do, you need to define "exciting", everyone has their own idea of that too. (And some of those don't line up with good diving either.)

 

[ADeadlierSnake]

No list can be reliable, because different people like different things, plus have different priorities as far as lodgings, food, travel distance, cost, etc. And many lists come from parties with agendas to promote, or at least biases they don't make clear. So about all lists are good for is to give you some ideas to investigate further.

Does "not in US" mean Caribbean or Indo-Pacific or where? Generally you are going to find much much better diving in the Indo-Pacific region. What's your budget? Where are you traveling from?

"In or close to a large population" doesn't tend to to line up with good diving, as those large populations are part of what degrades the marine environment. As far as something exciting to do, you need to define "exciting", everyone has their own idea of that too. (And some of those don't line up with good diving either.)

Well I am fairly sure that the OP just gave his priorities and was hoping the non-biased users on SB could give him some advice based on the preferences listed. I dont see the need for a sarcastic answer...


OP, if I were more well versed in dive travel, I would certainly help. The only place (that I have been to personally) I can recommend with outstanding marine life is a little island off the coast of Indonesia called Maratua. You will find large, and you will find ugly, but you will also find small and beautiful. It has everything. It is not near any major cities however. In fact, it took 48 hours of straight traveling to get there from the west coast of the US.

 

[Miley Cyrus]

Thanks. Traveling from the east coast, currently looking for something different from Hawaii. Budget is not unlimited, but not a huge concern, either, considering somewhere in Indo-Pacific. Interesting activities = can't do it on a typical weekend in a major city in the U.S., for example see exotic nature, get to know an exotic local culture, etc.

 

[Allan C Smith]

Hanna Montana Can come dive my Reef any time.

 

[drrich2]

Miley:

Please tell us where you dove before so we have a frame of reference for comparisons. Also what type of diving you enjoyed. Doesn't sound like you want live-aboard.

I'm a Bonaire fan, but shore diving isn't for everyone, it's not know for much big stuff except tarpon & the occasional big green moray or rare manta, and night life isn't a strong point. Haven't been to Curacao but suspect it might be a similar situation.

From what I've read Saba is rustic without the overrun look (I'm guessing), but probably not a lot of night life.

What besides diving do you want to do?

While it's been suggested Belize is best done by live-aboard, it has charter boat op.s and other things to do - jungle tours, see the Mayan ruins (I got to climb atop a couple), etc...

Someone with a big budget, willing to travel far, a seasoned diver and willing to do mostly dives a few days but go ashore for 'something different' might enjoy diving Komodo, I would think. A trip ashore to see the dragons would be neat.

But if bar hopping and dancing are your idea of 'non-diving activities,' rather than climbing atop ruins, touring rain forests and encountering near 10 feet dangerous reptiles on their home ground, you may be different - and happier on a Cozumel trip perhaps?

Richard.

 

[Mike]

I would have thought Miley Cyrus would have simply assigned this task to one of her assistants.

 

[Darnold9999]

Well I am fairly sure that the OP just gave his priorities and was hoping the non-biased users on SB could give him some advice based on the preferences listed. I dont see the need for a sarcastic answer...

I don't see that response as sarcastic at all.


By and large the "best" diving is far from population centres as a great diving location close to a large number of people will get a large number of divers - and the marine environment will be stressed by that large population. Same with exciting things to do - those things attract vacationers and vacation divers.

The best diving I have done was either far from population centres - Raja Ampat for example - or near population centres where there is pretty much nothing else to do but dive, and the interesting critters are not edible - Lembeh for example. If you have lots of people and lots to do for vacationers you get lots of vacation divers - Cozumel for example.

To the OP you could try the Great Barrier Reef. The diving from Cairns, Port Douglas and Brisbane is pretty good. Better the further you get from the population centres. The close in spots get LOTS of vacation divers.


Bali is another option. The diving is pretty good (better than any Carribean destination I have been to), the culture interesting, and lots of things to do on the island. Lots of vacation divers however.

Thailand would be another choice. Not spectacular diving, but again pretty good diving from what I remember and lots to do on land.

I am heading to the Philippines shortly - out on a liveaboard so a long way from large populations, but I understand there are locations that are closer in that might have what you are looking for.

 

[drrich2]

Does your 'something exciting to do besides diving and eating out' have to be spread out over the week, or would you be open to diving a few days straight, then doing non-diving land excursions for awhile?

I ask because for example with Belize you might book some land excursions for non-diving days.

To get a sense of what there is to do at Caribbean destinations, you can hit Trip Advisor, or Royal Caribbean's cruising web site and see what Excursions the ship line offers at that stop. Some things I've done over the years in the Caribbean:

1.) Dolphin interactions in Anguila and Grand Cayman.

2.) Visited the turtle farm in Grand Cayman.

3.) Jungle tour with Mayan ruins in Belize; also involved a boat trip up the New River, where we saw bats and crocodiles.

4.) Rain forest tours in St. Lucia and Dominican Republic (also ATV tour in DR).

5.) Parasailing in Labadee, Haiti.

6.) My wife tried a Segway in Puerto Rico. We did a bus tour and visited the old Spanish fort there.

7.) Snorkeling with sea turtles in Barbados.

Richard.

 

[Damselfish]

Well I am fairly sure that the OP just gave his priorities and was hoping the non-biased users on SB could give him some advice based on the preferences listed. I dont see the need for a sarcastic answer...

My post was not sarcastic in any way, unless you are just looking for sarcasm. And what I said about priorities was part of a comment about why lists aren't all that useful.