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If you’re not interested in visiting an international destination and are instead looking for a fantastic scuba diving experience right in your own backyard, Florida is a fantastic option. In fact, it has been rated number one for plenty of beginner diving spots in North America for years. here
Some of our favorite locations to visit in Bonaire include: here
With that being said, you’ll likely spend most of your time in the 35-foot diving locations, depending on your level of confidence. Similar to many of the other places on this list, you can also opt to sign up for guided tours for a little extra encouragement. [links]
By far, some of the most popular destinations for starting scuba divers are the British Virgin Islands. What we love the most about the place is that there are also plenty of land activities for the non-divers in your family. However, when you get into the water for the first time, you’ll see exactly what you’ve been missing out.
According to a dive instructor from Cuan Law, Marcus Lyng said that it’s difficult to find diving sites deeper than 80 feet. This is the perfect depth for beginners to navigate through different locations without worrying about going too far below the surface. In addition, you can build your confidence with diving below depths of 30 feet, for example.
More visitors flock to the islands of Hawaii than just about any other dive destination in the world. So, it’s probably no surprise that the region’s operators are highly skilled at training new divers. And with shallow, sheltered reefs such as Maui’s Molokini Crater and easily accessible, purpose-sunk wrecks, including Oahu’s Sea Tiger, there’s no shortage of beginner-friendly options to hook rookies right away.
Here, we present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Best Beginner Scuba Diving category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.
Best Beginner Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
While shore diving on Bonaire is often touted as being as easy as a walk in the park, truthfully, some of its sites are challenging to enter and exit, what with rocky, ironshore bottoms, broken corals and sea urchins clinging to the shore substrate. Beginners will find all the resort house reefs easy — for one, gear lockers and gear setups are either near to or right on the dock, and ladders aid the enter and exit process. Getting in is usually also possible by giant-striding from a dock and then swimming just a few fin kicks to where the reef begins. Try Buddy Reef at Buddy Dive Resort, 18 Palms at Plaza Beach Resort, Bari Reef at Sand Dollar Resort and Calabas at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort. Easy coastal road spots include Windsock, which has one of the few sandy beaches on the island; Oil Slick Leap, where you can giant-stride in and then use a ladder to get out; and Bachelor’s Beach. Novice divers may also be more comfortable doing their dives from a boat with a divemaster, which all the big dive resorts offer. here
Best Beginner Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic more
Why do the Top 100 Readers Choice Awards, now in their 23rd year, still matter to divers? Because these are your picks, based on thousands of votes from the most experienced dive travelers on the planet. Why do they matter to us? Because every month you hear from our editors on what we think matters in the world of dive travel. For the January/February issue of Scuba Diving we get to listen to you, and we’re taking notes.
He’s had students reach for their mask to start the flood-and-clear drill, but instead, start swimming over his head. Juarez is a patient man. Grabbing them by tank, weight belt or whatever else, he pulls them back in line. “It’s sensory overload here in Hawaii with the corals and turtles, so I understand that the hardest thing for students is to concentrate,” he says. He has also certified students in California, where there wasn’t much to see beyond sand, so the process proved quicker. In Hawaii, mid-dive, he wags a finger and pencils a note: skills first, tour second. Back on the boat, Juarez talks conservation. Learning to clear a mask is good, but better is the lesson in protecting that which we’ll love for a lifetime. goscubadivemaui.com [links]
A Key Largo goliath grouper gets a spit-and-polish from cleaner gobies. [links]
Gary Vanhoeck isn’t surprised by all the couples he sees holding hands on the dive boats of Stuart Cove’s operation on Nassau. “I got into this to dive with my wife,” he says. The pair is on staff together at Stuart Cove’s, where they enjoy warm, clear water with visibility averaging 80 feet. more
If you have ADD, Maui is a challenging place to get certified. Green turtles are so numerous that it’s always been part of the predive talk to remind everyone — newbies and otherwise — that touching these charismatic creatures isn’t just poor form, it’s illegal in the 50th state. But Steve Juarez, instructor and one of the owners of Dive Maui, knows the temptation can often prove too great. [links]
The RMS Rhone is the BVI's signature wreck.
A decorator crab scuttles about on a purple tube sponge in the British Virgin Islands.
Plenty of Malaysian sites, like Renggis and Redang Islands off Peninsula Malaysia, cater to both scuba divers and snorkelers. If you’re the only one in your group who has taken the plunge to become dive certified, you can still bring your fellow travelers along to enjoy the underwater world with you. [links]
The famous manta night dive that takes place in Kona, Hawaii is in approximately 40 feet of water making this an easy dive for beginners to have their first big-animal encounter. [links]
The Great Barrier Reef is arguably the most well-known dive site in the world. More than two million people visit the reef each year, many of whom are there to make their first dives ever. The area’s shallow, low-current waters are ideal for finishing certification checkout dives or enjoying your first dive vacation. more
Shallow wrecks can be found dotting the perimeter of St. Lucia, making the island a great introductory spot for wreck diving. Plus, reef sites like Superman’s Flight and Fairyland in the Piton Management Area are oft considered the best on the island, and they can be thoroughly explored within Open Water depth limits. [links]
For budding underwater photographers, there’s no place better than Anilao, Philippines, to sharpen your skills. Along with every reef fish imaginable, you’re sure to find rare macro subjects like nudibranchs and frogfish. And because you’ll be hanging out in the shallows, dives can last exceptionally long, giving you time to perfect your shots.
Year-round warm waters and see-forever visibility make Roatan a top destination for beginner divers. Currents are gentle enough to provide great beginner drift diving. If you’re confident in your buoyancy, sites like Blue Channel off Roatan’s West Bay keep dives exciting with interesting reef formations and plenty of swim-throughs.