Opinions on destinations for coral/micro life diving?

[treylane]

My husband and I are intermediate-level, nitrox-when-we-can-get-it divers. We've dived (dove?) various parts of the caribbean, baja california, and california, but we want to kick it up a notch and leave the americas behind for our next dive trip. Indonesia, Thailand, Red Sea, all the other places I'm forgetting, it's all on the table.

We're looking for:
a) Somewhere that we can get good dives either right at the resort's doorstep, or on day-trip boats. We may try spending a few days on a liveaboard, but the bulk of our trip we'll be sleeping on solid ground.
b) Mostly we're interested in seeing coral, smallish colorful fish, and whatever crazy creatures we can find hiding in crevices day and night. We'll be toying around with some macro photography gear.

Good food always improves a trip! We're not fussy about accomodations - a "barely-acceptable" room and great diving is better than a 5-star hotel and clueless guides.

 

[Doc]

My new favorite place outside of the Caribbean is Atlantis Philippines (Batangas).

Hits every one of your requirements, does it cheaply, and the Hotel and food are far & away above most any other dive centered resort.

 

[japan-diver]

Here in Okinawa we have tremendous coral diversity and all kinds of macro life - over 100 species of nudi's right off the beach, bobtail squid, blue ring octos, flamboyant cuttlefish and much more. Day boats and beaching available to keep you diving all day.

 

[Damselfish]

I would second the Phillipines.

 

[treylane]

Aha! Ok, maybe a photo works better than an explanation. I want to see THIS. I'm sure it's a stock photo, but this looks like heaven to me. Soft corals, hard corals, anemones, clownfish, anthias, damsels, younameit:

 

[pezgrande]

Philippines is your answer, really inexpensive and great macro critters. I dove just outside of Manilla and it was great

 

[japan-diver]

That photo could be our house reef in Okinawa.

 

[ColoDale]

Fiji - soft and hard corals, tons of fish, blue ribbon and spotted eels, clams, a few sharks, octopus, etc. The photo you posted was what we saw (Taveuni area) regularly. I have a few photos in my gallery of the Fiji trip to compare. I suspect it may be more expensive than the Phillipines but depends on where you stay. Fiji is less expensive than French Polynesia.

 

[jon@scubatony.com]

In the way of easy to get to, amazing sea-life and coral dives, you can't beat Cozumel. Hands down the best diving in the western hemisphere. If you're looking farther away, I hear the Gilly Islands are top notch.