Our survey asked readers to evaluate dive destinations they’ve traveled to in the past two years across several categories. Below we’ve listed the top destinations that were rated excellent by survey respondents (in order based on number of votes and percentile of score). For each category, we listed the top destinations that received an excellent score (in order based on number of votes and percentile of score).

Jump to the best places for...

• Big Animals Encounters
• Macro Life
• Wreck Diving
• Cave, Cavern and Grotto Diving
• Shore Diving
• Wall Diving
• Beginner Diving
• Advanced Diving
• Photography
• Snorkeling
• Health of Marine Environment
• Value

Best Overall

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Mexico
2. St. Lucia
3. Curaçao
4. Bonaire
5. Bahamas
6. Bay Islands
7. Aruba
8. Cayman Islands
9. Belize
10. U.S. Virgin Islands
11. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

1. Thailand
2. Indonesia
3. Hawaii
4. Galapagos
5. Philippines
6. Costa Rica
7. Mexico
8. Fiji
9. French Polynesia
10. Red Sea
11. Maldives

United States and Canada

1. Florida Keys
2. Washington
3. Florida
4. North Carolina
5. Great Lakes
6. New York/New Jersey
7. Texas

Big Animals

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bahamas
2. Belize
3. Turks and Caicos
4. Mexico
5. Cayman Islands
6. Bay Islands
7. U.S. Virgin Islands
8. Bonaire
9. Aruba
10. St. Lucia
11. Curaçao

Pacific and Indian

1. Galapagos
2. Maldives
3. French Polynesia
4. Costa Rica
5. Mexico
6. Indonesia
7. Hawaii
8. Fiji
9. Philippines
10. Red Sea
11. Australia
12. Thailand

United States and Canada

1. North Carolina
2. Florida
3. Florida Keys
4. California
5. Washington
6. New York/New Jersey
7. Great Lakes

Macro Life

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. Bay Islands
3. St. Lucia
4. Mexico
5. Curaçao
6. Bahamas
7. Cayman Islands
8. Belize
9. Turks and Caicos
10. Aruba
11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

1. Indonesia
2. Philippines
3. Fiji
4. Red Sea
5. Hawaii
6. Maldives
7. Galapagos
8. Thailand
9. French Polynesia
10. Costa Rica
11. Mexico

United States and Canada

1. British Columbia
2. Texas
3. Washington
4. California
5. Florida Keys
6. Florida
7. North Carolina
8. Great Lakes

Wreck Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Aruba
2. Cayman Islands
3. Bahamas
4. Bay Islands
5. St. Lucia
6. Curaçao
7. Bonaire
8. U.S. Virgin Islands
9. Mexico
10. Turks and Caicos
11. Belize

Pacific and Indian

1. Red Sea
2. Hawaii
3. Philippines
4. Mexico
5. Indonesia
6. Maldives
7. Fiji

United States and Canada

1. North Carolina
2. Great Lakes
3. Florida Keys
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. California

Cave, Cavern and Grotto

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Mexico
2. Bahamas
3. Cayman Islands
4. Turks and Caicos
5. Bay Islands
6. Bonaire

Pacific and Indian

1. Hawaii
2. Philippines
3. Mexico
4. Indonesia

United States and Canada

1. Florida
2. California
3. Florida Keys

Shore Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. Curaçao
3. Bay Islands
4. U.S. Virgin Islands
5. Cayman Islands
6. Mexico
7. Bahamas
8. Belize
9. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

1. Philippines
2. Hawaii
3. Indonesia
4. Fiji
5. Mexico

United States and Canada

1. Washington
2. California
3. Florida
4. Great Lakes
5. Florida Keys

Wall Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Mexico
2. Cayman Islands
3. Bay Islands
4. Bahamas
5. Belize
6. Turks and Caicos
7. Bonaire
8. St. Lucia
9. Curaçao
10. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

1. Fiji
2. Indonesia
3. Maldives
4. Philippines
5. Red Sea
6. Galapagos
7. Mexico
8. Costa Rica
9. French Polynesia
10. Hawaii

United States and Canada

1. British Columbia
2. Washington
3. California
4. Florida
5. Florida Keys

Beginner Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. Bay Islands
3. Bahamas
4. Curaçao
5. Aruba
6. U.S. Virgin Islands
7. St. Lucia
8. Cayman Islands
9. Belize
10. Mexico
11. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

1. Hawaii
2. Philippines
3. Thailand
4. Fiji
5. French Polynesia
6. Red Sea
7. Indonesia
8. Mexico
9. Maldives
10. Costa Rica
11. Galapagos

United States and Canada

1. Florida Keys
2. Florida
3. Washington
4. California
5. Great Lakes
6. North Carolina
7. Texas

Advanced Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Mexico
2. Bonaire
3. Belize
4. Bay Islands
5. Cayman Islands
6. Bahamas
7. Curaçao
8. St. Lucia
9. Turks and Caicos
10. Aruba
11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

1. Galapagos
2. Indonesia
3. Maldives
4. Philippines
5. French Polynesia
6. Fiji
7. Red Sea
8. Thailand
9. Costa Rica
10. Hawaii
11. Mexico

United States and Canada

1. North Carolina
2. British Columbia
3. New York/New Jersey
4. Great Lakes
5. California
6. Texas
7. Florida
8. Washington
9. Florida Keys

Photography

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. Mexico
3. Bahamas
4. Cayman Islands
5. Bay Islands
6. Curaçao
7. Belize
8. Turks and Caicos
9. St. Lucia
10. Aruba
11. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

1. Galapagos
2. Philippines
3. Indonesia
4. Fiji
5. Maldives
6. French Polynesia
7. Red Sea
8. Mexico
9. Thailand
10. Hawaii
11. Costa Rica

United States and Canada

1. Florida Keys
2. California
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Florida
6. Washington
7. Great Lakes

Snorkeling

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. St. Lucia
3. Curaçao
4. Bahamas
5. U.S. Virgin Islands
6. Belize
7. Mexico
8. Bay Islands
9. Cayman Islands
10. Turks and Caicos

Pacific and Indian

1. Hawaii
2. Fiji
3. Philippines
4. French Polynesia
5. Indonesia
6. Maldives
7. Red Sea
8. Mexico
9. Galapagos
10. Costa Rica

United States and Canada

1. Florida Keys
2. Florida
3. California
4. Washington
5. Great Lakes
6. North Carolina

Health of Marine Environment

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Bonaire
2. Curaçao
3. St. Lucia
4. Belize
5. Mexico
6. Cayman Islands
7. Bahamas
8. Bay Islands
9. Turks and Caicos
10. U.S. Virgin Islands
11. Aruba

Pacific and Indian

1. Galapagos
2. Indonesia
3. Philippines
4. Fiji
5. French Polynesia
6. Red Sea
7. Costa Rica
8. Maldives
9. Mexico
10. Thailand
11. Hawaii

United States and Canada

1. British Columbia
2. Texas
3. California
4. Washington
5. North Carolina
6. Florida Keys
7. Florida
8. Great Lakes

Best Value

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Mexico
2. Bay Islands
3. Bahamas
4. Curaçao
5. Bonaire
6. Belize
7. Cayman Islands
8. U.S. Virgin Islands
9. Aruba
10. Turks and Caicos
11. St. Lucia

Pacific and Indian

1. Thailand
2. Philippines
3. Red Sea
4. Indonesia
5. Mexico
6. Fiji
7. Costa Rica
8. Maldives
9. Hawaii
10. Galapagos
11. French Polynesia

United States and Canada

1. Washington
2. North Carolina
3. Great Lakes
4. Florida
5. California
6. Texas
7. Florida Keys