In this edition of Ask A Travel Expert, Terry Ward tackles taking dive trips with nondivers, COVID vaccines and liveaboards, and traveling with intention.

Q: What are some of the best dive destinations to visit with a nondiving travel buddy?

A: My husband just got certified (finally!), but I remember when this was a worry. I reached out to Jenny Collister, president of Reef & Rainforest Dive & Adventure Travel, for her best ideas on where to go with a nondiver in tow. “I usually ask a whole pile of questions when helping book trips like this,” she says. Assuming the nondiver enjoys things like snorkeling, relaxing at a resort and cultural adventures, she says she points to Fiji, Bali, French Polynesia and Belize as top destinations for satisfying everyone.

“Fiji has great snorkeling, with all the soft corals, and you can visit a village, go to a local market with a resort chef, go horseback riding and even white-water rafting,” Collister says. The Indonesian island province of Bali also has more than enough to keep both divers and nondivers busy. “You can even separate for a few days while the diver spends time at a dedicated dive resort and the other person heads to a yoga retreat.” For a partner who loves pampering, Collister says, there’s no place like French Polynesia. Here, divers are drawn to atolls such as Rangiroa and Fakarava, which are all about sharks, sharks, sharks. Closer to home, Belize has great diving at Blue Hole and Glover’s Reef alongside adventure and cultural opportunities like birding, white-water rafting and immersing yourself in Mayan history, she says.

Q: Are liveaboards requiring vaccines to book a berth, and do they help with COVID-19 testing required to return home?
A: Hoping to book a liveaboard myself this year, I reached out to Kelly Donovan of PADI Travel for her advice. She said none of PADI’s dive partners is currently requiring COVID-19 vaccines to travel to their resorts, dive centers or liveaboards. “Many liveaboards or dive resorts are now able to offer COVID-19 testing at their location or in port, or at least to assist in arranging testing at nearby clinics or hospitals if on-site testing is not an option,” she says. PADI Travel’s team of scuba travel experts can help divers with specific logistics for testing options at any resort or liveaboard they plan to dive with, Donovan says.

Q: How can I travel with more purpose as a diver?
A: You can always do better, not only as a diver but as a traveler too, whether that’s by supporting local and family-run businesses when it comes to where you sleep and eat or remembering to bring your reusable water bottle on the boat. I spent much of this spring in Baja California Sur, Mexico, diving around La Paz and Cabo San Lucas in the glorious Sea of Cortez, where I was thrilled to find conservation-minded course options like the Whale Defender specialty course from shops like Dive Ninja Expeditions. “As we get ready for worldwide travel once again, please remember to support those dive shops in small communities that are in so much need of your help and support,” says James Curtiss, owner of the Cortez Club, a PADI Five Star Dive Resort in La Paz. “They are so often the first to contribute to their own local communities with beach and reef cleanups or as financial supporters of local conservation programs,” he says.