Most Underrated Dive Destinations

[openmindOW]

North Carolina. NC's drawback is the fairly long boat rides.

 

[divengolf]

Puget Sound. British Columbia gets a fair amount of magazine attention, but we have most of the things they have, and we can see them all from shore . . . There's a dive site in Seattle that's directly across from the downtown skyline, where I have seen seven Giant Pacific Octopuses on one dive. Get out of the water, clean up a bit, and have dinner in the city -- where else can you do that?

Lynne,

What range of bottom temps do you encounter?

Thanks.

Harry

 

[nielsent]

One of the best dives I have ever done, and probably one of the most little known dives out there, is at the Columbia River, outside of Castlegar, British Columbia. I was there in January and did a drift dive through the river looking for white sturgeon, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. I was very lucky to see several small ones on my second dive, and one sturgeon that was easily 9 feet long, and possibly longer.

Furthermore, Kootenay lake is one place where there is also a lot of good diving that is relatively unheard of, including one of the more elusive deep wrecks, the SS City of Ainsworth, a paddle wheel steamship sitting upright on the bottom in 365 feet of water at ~5000 feet altitude!

 

[Mossman]

San Benito islands, Mexico. Guadalupe cage "diving" gets all the press (and most of the boats) due to the white shark infestation, but scuba in the nearby San Benitos is excellent.

 

[Dhboner]

South coast of the Dominican Republic. Great vis and warm water. Healthy reefs and CHEAP all-inclusive accomodations!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am always surprised to learn how few divers have dove Hawaii, especially Maui, Kona and Molokai. The Kona manta ray night dive is epic, as is the Molokai hammerhead shark dive, the shore diving in Maui, and of course, the Cathedrals off Lanai. There are even better spots there, but I am keeping those to myself.
DivemasterDennis

I thought Maui, if anything, was overrated ... and expensive!

Kona ... I won a five-day diving trip there last year. Never took it ... too many other places I'd rather go.

I guess it's really a matter of personal preference.

Underrated to me means someplace nobody ever hears about ... Tazmania would probably make that list for me. I've heard that the diving in Northern Taz is pretty darn nice ... especially on the western side ... but nobody ever talks about it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Lynne,

What range of bottom temps do you encounter?

Thanks.

Harry

Low 40's to mid-50's depending on time of year ... right now it's 51 F ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Rhone Man]

In the Caribbean, Saba does fly under the radar, but the real unknown gem is Martinique. Because it filled with nasty French speaking people whose websites don't show up on English search engines, most people are blissfully unaware of the historic wreck diving available there.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

One of the best dives I have ever done, and probably one of the most little known dives out there, is at the Columbia River, outside of Castlegar, British Columbia. I was there in January and did a drift dive through the river looking for white sturgeon, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. I was very lucky to see several small ones on my second dive, and one sturgeon that was easily 9 feet long, and possibly longer.

Furthermore, Kootenay lake is one place where there is also a lot of good diving that is relatively unheard of, including one of the more elusive deep wrecks, the SS City of Ainsworth, a paddle wheel steamship sitting upright on the bottom in 365 feet of water at ~5000 feet altitude!

Wow, I didn't realize the sturgeon made it that far upriver. I've seen two at the dive site Lynne was mentioning ... one just a few weeks ago. They were little ones though ... maybe only 5 feet or so.

Dang things look prehistoric ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Togalive]

California's extreme northern coast between Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg, especially in Salt Point State Park. People tend to not dive it because conditions can be extremely rough and the waters around there are ridiculously "sharky" (GW's) compared to other areas of California, but get 300-600+ yards offshore on a nice day and you are looking at some of the best diving in the world hands down. The 40-45F temps, along with the most beautifully "wild" and blue water you will ever see will blow your mind. Also, while out there you can get uncharacteristically good vis (20-30ft vs normal 0-15ft), knowing that your diving in the GW's backyard adds a whole new aspect to the experience! If anyone's interested, I can provide detailed info on dive sites!