20 Best Scuba Dives in the World for Underwater Adventures
One of the most stunning, adventurous and blessed experiences you can undertake is scuba diving. Swimming through the crystal blue waters amidst the enchanting underwater kingdom with all the colourful flora and fauna waddling away inside the sea is one hell of an experience. The sport requires serious guts and gumption but rewards them with a truly unique appreciation of the ocean.
Are you tempted to explore the beauty of the seas? If you are, here's enlisted the Best Scuba Dives in the World which will treat you to unforgettable experiences!
1. Barracuda Point, Sipadan Island
SourceStanding out as one of the best dive sites in the world, Barracuda's point in Malaysia is a spectacular point and currently the most bustling scuba diving spots. This largely unexplored dive site houses a diverse variety of reef fish, and nudibranchs of all shapes and colours, spiny lobsters tucked into small crevices, and the occasional green or hawksbill turtle on larger shelves of the sea. Barracudas tend to be much shallower at around 40 ft. deep into the waterbody. Once you get there, stand at the bottom and enjoy the splendid view till the air supplies permit.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
2. Blue Corner Wall, Palau
SourceThe Blue Corner Wall is a must-dive spot of the world in Palau, Oceania. The visibility is exceptional on almost any day of the year, averaging 16m on an outgoing tide. The dive spot is 26ft deep offering a blue hole experience with an array of shark species, fish families, corals and caverns. The dive at Blue corner brims with adrenaline as divers are expected to experience variable currents which can change direction at any point. It's all about challenging yourself and making the most of it at the Blue corner wall.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
3. Yongala, Australia
SourceWhat makes this one of the Best Scuba Dives in the World is that it bears the most intact shipwreck in the world. It sounds scary but is certainly amusing. The marine life, aquatic bodies, reefs, and species are sure to thrill you to the core. The dive here takes you to the wreck within 30 minutes, thus nearing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. This one is particularly for the history aficionados who love to excavate untouched sites of the world. The dive will stun you as it promises the most magnificent underwater view at the Yongala site.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
4. Thistlegorm, Egyptian Red Sea
SourceEgypt's Thistlegorm Wreck dive site is like a dive into history! At Thistlegorm, one can witness the relics and submerged artefacts of the World War 2 shipwreck located towards the North of Red Sea in the Strait of Guba. This location also includes tanks, army trucks, jeeps, motorbikes, rifles, and various spare parts for planes and cars. The deepest point at 104 ft has great visibility which is sometimes distorted by the currents. Historical junkies should head to Thistlegorm's dive wreck!
Difficulty Level: Advanced
5. Shark and Yolanda Reef, Egyptian Red Sea
SourceThe Shark and Yolanda reef is an excellent dive spot which makes it essential to hire a guide. At Shark and Yolanda, you start with an encounter with the ochre desert rocks. On embarking on your dive, you can experience over 50 m of visibility, especially during winters. The shark reef of the dive will never disappoint you. You are bound to witness a group of tuna, moray eels, jackfish, turtles, napoleon fish, eagle rays which frequent the sea all year-round. At times, dolphins inside swarms of fusilier fish are also a sight to catch. Sounds thrilling, right?
Difficulty Level: Advanced
6. Manta Ray Night Dive, Hawaii
SourceThe Night Ray Night Dive is one of the rare and best scuba dives in the world where you can experience diving post dusk. Imagine the thrill of diving into a sea full of life in darkness with a great number of microscopic plankton present, upon which the number of manta rays in the water varies. The splendid views in the ocean are a sight to behold. The sea life includes garden eels, Hawaiian turkey fish, and Heller's barracuda. This terrifyingly, adventurous scuba experience is definitely exhilarating.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
7. Great Blue Hole, Belize
SourceThe Great Blue Hole makes for a magnificent dive spot as it is a giant marine sinkhole near the lighthouse reef in Belize. Visually it looks stunning, and as you excavate deep down 40ft, the thrill grows ten folds. This location makes for a great night dive spot as well. If you're lucky, you will be able to descend past 10-15 Carribean shark reefs which is a major underwater attraction in the blue hole. The great hole also offers caving expeditions in the water, which requires some serious grit to undertake.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
8. USAT Liberty, Bali 1
SourceNamed after the USAT shipwreck, this site has made it to the list due to the 120-meter boat lying in the pristine blue waters. The region hardly experiences any currents, but it's renowned for the submerged cargo boat of World War II. The marine life that you would witness here includes reef fish, bumphead parrotfish, potato cod, and even turtles. It's beautiful and breathtaking. The site makes for a moderate dive, and you can visit this site literally four times within a day and still be in awe of it.
If you don't dive at the world's beach destination, you'll be missing out on one of the Best Scuba Dives in the World. Richelieu Rock is noted for whale sharks liveaboard safari, manta rays, great macro life, its diverse marine life, schooling fish and big pelagics. The deep-sea dwellings of the nutrient-rich water make for a great diving destination where plankton-blooms attract vast schools of fish, most notably, the biggest of all that you can witness. It's spine chilling but worth all the thrill!
At Cape Kri, you would be able to witness the maximum number of underwater species in just one dive. With different currents meeting at the tip of the Kri island, the spot has laid forth a plethora of fauna and flora including different kinds of sharks, schools of fish, enchanting coral diversity and much more. A dive at Cape Kri will never disappoint you. You can simply reach the bottom and enjoy the pace of marine life.
Have a thing for turtles? Dive at Riviera Maya as you'll find a zillion of turtles swimming around you. The particular zone at Riviera Maya is a turtle alley, carrying massive currents that would push you further to excavate the sea life. The exotic site has a variety of fish species giving you an incredible marine view. The region also offers caves, sinkholes and a vast network of underground rivers to explore. It holds the second largest reef in the world.
Difficulty Level: Moderate
12. Galapagos Islands
SourceLocated off the western coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos Islands are both a national park and a marine reserve. It is a diver's paradise! The maximum depth goes to 70ft here. Numerous shark species, turtles, sea lions greet you at the Galapagos. Most sites have high visibility and cold currents, but a few difficult sites bear low visibility making it more adventurous. But that doesn't prevent an ambitious diver from exploring Galapagos, which is one of the Best Scuba Dives in the World.
Who hasn't heard about diving at the barrier reef located off the coast of Queensland? One of the greatest natural wonders, the reef makes for an unimaginable site with spellbinding coral reefs for diving. It houses breathtaking marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays. One can dive 60 meters deep into the Coral Sea. It bears no sign of bleaching and holds big pelagic fish like Barracudas, Giant trevallies, Giant Groupers and Dogtooth Tunas in abundance.
Difficulty Level: Advanced
14. Blue Heron Bridge - Riviera Beach, Florida, USA
SourceThe Blue Heron Bridge was labelled the best dive site in the world in 2013 by PADI's Sports Diver magazine and for a good reason. Despite being only 20 feet at its deepest point, the bridge still features a lot of aquatic fauna that is extremely rare and some which cannot even be seen anywhere else in the world. The best part though is, you can dive at the Blue Heron Bridge no matter how bad the weather. This is made possible due to its location in the protected Lake Worth Lagoon. Go for this dive if you want to witness some exquisite sights of sea life unique to this particular location.
SourceThe signature experience here is water-skiing tied to a tree. The experience is best defined as scary hence making it not only adventurous but also one of the Best Scuba Dives in the World. The Nakwakto Rapids is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the strongest currents. This dive is not for the faint-hearted and requires a considerable amount of skill and experience to execute. Any diver going into Turret Rock will no doubt be facing the strongest of currents. There is absolutely no room for error.
16. USS Vandenberg - Key West, Florida Keys, USA
SourceThere are few things more exciting in this world than exploring a sunken vessel. The USS Vandenberg was laid to rest in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in May 2009. The vessel serves as a giant playground for those who love underwater exploration. The vessel is the second-largest deliberately placed artificial reef in the world, and the reef is still under development. It must also be kept in mind that, while the Vandenberg is relatively accessible, the ship is still very complex, almost maze-like to explore from within. The currents too are quite strong, and divers are advised to stay within the limits of their experience.
17. Point Lobos - Carmel, California
SourceThe diving in Point Lobos National Park is limited to just 15 diving groups per day. This ensures that the coral reefs and all the underwater wildlife remain in pristine condition, natural and untouched. The divers go deep into the water, battling against kelp forest, beneath which light and shadow wage war to establish supremacy. It's stunning scenery. And that's putting it lightly. This is one of the most unfeigned diving experiences you can enjoy. Anyone diving at Point Lobos, is truly lucky, in life.
SourceSnorkelling in the Isla Mujeres is a chance to swim amongst whale sharks, and no, they won't eat you up. There are specific seasons of the year where snorkelling into the water is allowed, and no boats can be seen at sea other than during this period. Also, no scuba diving is allowed, snorkelling is all you get. But, that is more than enough. When you're in the water, surrounded by hundreds of whale sharks from all directions, this excitement alone makes it one of the Best Scuba Dives in the World.
19. Palancar Horseshoe - Cozumel, Mexico
SourcePalancar is a frequent legend among divers, and it's one dive that most seasoned divers go to at least once a year. The reason? Guaranteed views of amazing coral reefs in a variety of colours and then the divers drop into the huge horseshoe-shaped amphitheatre, saying hi to the resident green moray eel on the way. Yeah, that's how it gets its name. You can go as deep as you want and make this an advanced dive. The corals and sponges are something that'll make you want to keep coming back for more.
20. Blackish Point - Utila, Bay Islands
SourceBlackish Point in Utila is probably the place you'll find yourself at if you're at the Bay islands for diving. Why? Because the island is known for diving, in fact, diving is so embedded into the local culture that you can say it's a part of Utila's DNA. The blackish point gets its name from the volcanic rocks that form a parallel wall to the shore. The first 25 feet is filled with beautiful, soft corals. Drop deeper, and you'll encounter a light current, around 65 feet below sea level, which makes for a thoroughly relaxing drift dive. It's a natural spa, UNDERWATER! Also, keep an eye out for 'Old Tom', Utila's unofficial mascot masquerading as a white shark. Have you dived at any of these spots for the best scuba dives in the world? Do you wish to take up this exhilarating experience? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
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