Most Underrated Dive Destinations

[vladimir]

Rockaway beach in New York. It got its own tropical fish environment, brought there courtesy of the gulf stream. Disregard the cold water, limited visibility, having to trek through people's backyard and getting robbed while walking down the street fully geared.

I have dived Rockaway Beach and if it gets a half a star somewhere then it might just be overrated.

I probed about her favourite dive spots and one she mentioned was Saba.

I think Saba is also not underrated, in the opposite sense--I have heard nothing but glowing reviews. Perhaps it doesn't get as much attention as a lot of Caribbean destinations because it's not as accessible.

The Philippines.

I think the Philippines is starting to get the attention it deserves. There was a recent issue of Undercurrent devoted to it. My first two trips there were pleasant, but I think Philippines diving will continue to suffer by comparison to Indonesia's.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Okay, I have to call BS on this one--I have dived Rockaway Beach and if it gets a half a star somewhere then it might be overrated.

I think Saba is also not underrated, in the opposite sense--I have heard nothing but glowing reviews. Perhaps it doesn't get as much attention as a lot of Caribbean destinations because it's not as accessible.

Rockaway, even if it is rated at one star, would mean it is vastly underrated. Thus its real rating is from 2x as good (from a 1/2 perceived rating) to infinitely times better (from a perceived 0 star rating).

Saba is just hard to get to. Its dive is interesting, but I am not sure people would go back over and over again. Given it is more volcanic rocks and less coral.

 

[Ste Wart]

Albany, Western Australia

Welcome to Dive Locker Albany

Great skipper (big Uwe). Amazing dives sites. The HMAS Perth and Cheynes III. Seals, weedy sea-dragons, huge granite formations.

Can't say enough about this place.

 

[pjohnson]

South Florida is ok, but I miss diving the wrecks off LI. The Tower, uss San Diego the Oregon, U-853, the Stolt, Arundo and even the Iberia and Lizzie. The list of great wrecks goes on and on. It's not for everyone, but I loved that part of my diving career.

 

[Frosty]

Here In NZ everybody raves about the Poor Knights. Yet in the same gulf stream and diveing as good is the Mokahinous

 

[DivemasterDennis]

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

 

[nolatom]

Good old Pensacola & Orange Beach.

 

[fjpatrum]

I've been lucky enough to do some really fun dives in my short career. I don't that I'd call the Kona Manta Ray dive underrated, but it's probably not nearly as well frequented as the Caribbean dive options. It was well worth the glowing reviews it got, though. I'd recommend it to anyone, even someone on their first or second dive post OW (like I was).

Blue Heron Bridge I could dive for 20 years and still be amazed by, I think. I saw so much life there in the 55 minutes we were down that I was baffled. What's more is I didn't even see but a fraction of what is there. Next time I'm even close to that place (like several hours drive) I'll be doing a dive there. Similarly there are a lot of shallow beach dives in Southern Florida that really warrant more attention, in my opinion.

 

[Banyan]

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

I've been lucky enough to do some really fun dives in my short career. I don't that I'd call the Kona Manta Ray dive underrated, but it's probably not nearly as well frequented as the Caribbean dive options. It was well worth the glowing reviews it got, though. I'd recommend it to anyone, even someone on their first or second dive post OW (like I was).

Thirding the Kona manta dive. I had never even heard of it until I decided to wander over to the Big Island for a brief dive vacation. One diver beforehand made sure that everyone on the boat knew that he had just had awesome dives in Indonesia with mantas, and the dive we were about to do was going to be inferior to his awesome dives. (Yes, one of those type.) He surfaced nearly speechless with awe after 20+ mantas showed up for the show.

One of the two best manta experiences I've had, the other being on Guam - which probably is underrated itself because it's passed over in favor of the admittedly spectacular diving available at nearby islands.

 

[mathauck0814]

Sydney Harbor and the surrounding waters were very good diving, but most folks that go to Oz probably give it a miss and head for GBR...