Planning a trip to one of these dive hotspots? Here’s what you need to know. Featuring insight from locals, tips for timing seasonal experiences, and the scoop on favorite dive sites, as well as some lesser-known sites you’ll want on your radar too.

Maldives

Under the Radar
Lesser-known sites located in Raa Atoll are best accessed via liveaboard, says Jamaica Mielenczuk, of luxury liveaboard operator Scubaspa Maldives. Here divers find themselves astonished by unique topography such as thilas (coral pinnacles), canyons, swim-throughs and massive overhangs. And if channel dives are your favorite, be sure to make it to southern Huvadhoo Atoll: “Diving the deep Villingili Kandu is an opportunity to observe large quantities of pelagic sharks and rays,” Mielenczuk says.

The Classic Dive
Jenna LaBranche, of PADI Travel, says not to miss the Fish Head dive site on North Ari Atoll. “It’s one of the best dives I did in the Maldives, with tons of fish on a giant coral head,” she says. The site sits in front of a channel, with good currents bringing in lots of larger animals too. “We saw tons of reef sharks as well as a lot of little stuff hiding in the coral reef.”

Dive Report
“The ocean is amazing at the moment, and the diving has been the best in years,” says Lea Roth, a PADI dive instructor at Blue In Maldives in North Male atoll. “The corals at our house reef recovered so much due to fewer travelers last year, and we had more time to invest in our coral restoration project, which is thriving.”

Plan a Trip
July to November sees the world’s largest congregation of manta rays streaming into Hanifaru Bay on Baa Atoll. “The whole atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and renders colorful pinnacles—such as Dhonfanu Thila and Nelivaru Haa—with frequent appearances by sea turtles, reef sharks and eagle rays,” says Mielenczuk. Both Scubaspa and Four Seasons Explorer offer summertime liveaboard manta trips to the area.

Second-Time Visitor
Most divers gravitate toward liveaboard trips on their first visit to the Maldives, says PADI instructor Ahmed Mujthaba, of Mujavaz Scuba and Travels, who is originally from South Male Atoll. But he recommends staying on a local island, such as Thulusdhoo in North Male Atoll or Guraidhoo, Maafushi and Gulhi in South Male Atoll, and diving from a land-based dive shop when you return. “One can visit local eateries and have experiences with locals much like in the Caribbean,” he says.

Bay Islands

Under the Radar
Peter Hughes, of Anthony’s Key Resort on Roatan, says not to miss the shark dive on the south side of the island at Coxen Hole. “There are usually between 10 and 15 Caribbean reef sharks. It’s a dive you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” he says. The site is reserved for advanced divers since there’s usually current to navigate and the bottom is 70 to 80 feet down. Anthony’s Key arranges weekly dives here through Waihuka Dive Center.

The Classic Dive
Head to the island of Guanaja for one of the Bay Islands’ marquee dives at Black Rock Canyon. “How many places have a dive site in less than 40 feet of water that is almost entirely weaving through a maze of tunnels formed by ancient volcanic action?” says Carol Bradovchak, of Villa on Dunbar Rock and sister resort Cabañas on Clark’s Cay. A new Roatan Ferry service now links Roatan with Guanaja (1½ hours) aboard a 52-foot catamaran, making it easier than ever to arrive and dive.

Dive Report
“We’ve been stoked lately to be surrounded by seahorses,” says Natalie Shuman, owner of Sun Divers Roatan. Bearded toadfish, a variety of nudibranchs and even dolphins between dives have also made Roatan a fun place to dive right now, she says.

Plan a Trip
Coral spawning is worth scheduling your Bay Islands travel around. “The branching staghorn and elkhorn corals spawn a few days after the full moon in August, while other massive corals—like the brains and star corals—spawn after the full moon in September,” says Jennifer Keck, education and research coordinator for the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. August is also silversides season, Shuman says—a massive spawning event that sees the silvery fish packed into every canyon and crack.

Second-Time Visitor
On moonless nights, put off happy hour in lieu of a night dive to see the fascinating “string of pearls” phenomenon in the waters here. “The bioluminescent show is really the mating calling card of a microscopic crustacean called an ostracod,” explains Shuman. The result is an underwater light show that very few divers ever get to see.

Bahamas

Under the Radar
Most divers come to Bimini to dive with large sharks during the winter months and the resident spotted dolphins that become more accessible and playful from July to September, says Neal Watson, of Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center. But set your sights on some of Bimini’s lesser-known dive sites too, he suggests, including the wall drift dives at offshore sites like Nodules or Krispy Kreme. “With nutrient-rich Gulf Stream waters feeding the vibrant coral, these world-class wall dives rival anything you’d see in Cozumel,” Watson says.

The Classic Dive
Nassau is a busy place. But all that noise fades away underwater when you head out with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas for New Providence’s classic dive adventure: the two-tank Shark Diving Adventure Trip. Caribbean reef sharks converge at sites just offshore by the scores, and it’s a thrill to kneel in the sand at the Arena or the Runway to watch them.

Dive Report
“Diving in Andros continues to be effortless and wonderful,” says Jeffrey Birch, of Small Hope Bay Lodge. “Lately, we’ve had wonderful visibility. The corals are all doing well, and we’ve seen a 14-foot hammerhead several times,” he says.

Plan a Trip
Bahamas Dive Week has keen divers and dive ambassadors beelining it for Freeport on Grand Bahama and Nassau’s Paradise Island this month (May 22–28, 2022) for an event that mixes Bahamian culture and food with diving. If you miss Bahamas Dive Week but want to plan your own fun-filled trip, target Tiger Beach on Grand Bahama from October through January, when tiger sharks arrive in their greatest numbers.

Second-Time Visitor
With some 700 islands and more than 2,400 cays spread across roughly 100,000 square miles of ocean, there’s much more to the Bahamas beyond popular islands like New Providence, Bimini and Grand Bahama. Watson recommends seeking out more remote islands, such as San Salvador, where you can see scalloped hammerheads in winter.