Best Dive Destinations for Underwater Photography

Best Dive Destinations
By Scott Gietler

The best dive destinations in the world can deliver big fish, beautiful corals, or tiny critters. In this dive destination guide, I strive to deliver unbiased and accurate information about the kind of experience you will have at the top diving destinations around the world, and also at some of the lesser known ones. I personally edit and check each article to make sure you are getting the best possible information on each destination. New dive locations are being added at regular intervals. In today's world of advertiser and money driven content, I hope you appreciate this fresh content - Scott.

 

 

Dive Destination Guides by Location

Featuring over 35 of the best scuba diving destinations in the world for underwater photography.

 

North America

best diving destinations channel islands

 

Diving Channel Islands, California

Rich reefs, kelp forests, and sea lions off the coast of Southern California 

 

best dive destinations catalina

Diving Catalina Island, California

Giant kelp forests, Black Sea Bass, Garibaldi. Only a 1 hour boat ride from Los Angeles 

 

 

diving the pacific northwest and british columbia

 

Diving the Pacific Northwest

Rich life in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia

 

 

diving Kona, Hawaii

 

Diving Kona, Hawaii

Sharks, Turtles, Mantas on a beautiful island.

 

 

 

 

Caribbean & Central America

diving Cozumel, Mexico

 

Diving Cozumel, Mexico

Drift diving past huge sponges, turtles and eagle rays - and a good value too.

 

 

 

diving socorro islands, Mexico

 

Diving Socorro Islands, Mexico

Friendly Mantas, sharks, dolphins, and whales await you

 

 

diving guadalupe island with great white sharks

 

Diving Guadalupe Island, Mexico

Cage diving with Great white sharks, a thrilling adventure

 

 

diving Bonaire

 

Diving Bonaire

Easy shore diving, lots of fish to photograph

 

 

diving Belize

 

 

Diving Belize

Caribbean diving, colorful sponges on the edge of the rain forest

 

diving curacao

 

Diving Curacao

Charming curacao is becoming an alternate to Bonaire

 

 

diving saint vincent island

 

Diving Saint Vincent

Best critter diving in the Caribbean

 

 

 

diving with humpback whales at silver bank

 

Diving Silver Bank, Dominican Republic

Swimming with Humpback Whales

 

 

Diving Dominican Republic

All the diving the doesn't involve swimming with humpbacks

 

 

diving la paz, baja, mexico

 

Diving La Paz, Baja, Mexico

Expect the unexpected. A Manta, hammerhead, tuna or whale shark can appear.

 

 

 

Cabo

 

Diving Cabo San Lucas & Cabo Pulmo

Pelagics, schools of fish, hammerheads & more where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez.

 

 

 

Lower Central & South America

diving galapagos islands

Diving Galapagos Islands

Whale sharks, Hammerhead sharks and unique endemic life such as the Giant Tortoise make this a trip you will never forget. 

 

 

 

diving cocos island

 

Diving Cocos and Malpelo Islands

Cocos and Malpelo are truly the "Islands of the Sharks" - Hammerheads, Silkies and more 

 

 

 

Malpelo: A Must for Big Fish Photographers

Dive a unique Eastern Pacific island with Hammerheads, Mantas and Pelagics

 

 

 

Indonesia

Wakatobi

 

Diving Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Featuring fantastic world-class diving and amazing macro and wide-angle opportunites

 

 

 

diving bali

 

Diving Bali, Indonesia

Wrecks, muck, schools of fish, reefs and a great culture make Bali a gem for diving 

 

 

diving raja ampat

 

Diving Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Remote and hard to get to, but it has Indonesia's best diving.

 

 

 

diving lembeh strait

 

Diving Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Muck Diving at it's finest, with a never-ending selection of rare and strange critters in black sand

 

 

 

diving bunaken island, indonesia

 

Diving Bunaken Island, Indonesia

Bunaken delivers walls, reefs, corals and big fish

 

 

diving siladen island

 

Diving Siladen Island, Indonesia

Next to Bunaken, Siladen Island offers a private base for beautiful shallow reefs and corals

 

Interested in diving Indonesia?

Check out the following resources from our sister company Bluewater Travel

Best Diving in Indonesia - Top 10 | Liveaboards in Indonesia | Dive Resorts in Indonesia

 

 

Southeast Asia (excluding Indonesia)

diving Anilao, batangas

 

Diving Anilao, Phillipines

Incredible critter and nudibranch diving that brings people back again and again

 

 

diving dumaguete

 

Diving Dumaguete, Philippines

Good muck diving with a nice selection of resorts and Apo island nearby.

 

See also: Best Diving in the Philippines - Top 9

 

diving sipadan island

 

Diving Sipadan, Malaysia

Turtles, Jacks, Reef sharks and Barracudas make Sipadan very popular.

 

 

 

diving png, papua new guinea

 

Diving Papua New Guinea (PNG)

One of last places in the world to be explored, some consider PNG the best diving in Asia.

 

 

diving vietnam

 

Diving Vietnam

Diving in this popular tourist destination is just starting to become more well-known.

 

 

 

 

 

diving Hanifaru bay, Maldives

 

Diving Hanifaru Bay, Maldives

If you hit it right, there is Manta and Whale shark action like nowhere else

 

 

 

 

Pacific Ocean

diving fiji

 

Diving Fiji

Soft coral capital of the world, and home to a great shark dive. 

 

 

diving Palau, micronesia

 

Diving Palau

Sharks, some big fish and good topside excursions make Palau a popular destination.

 

 

diving truk lagoon

 

Diving Truk Lagoon

Truk has more shipwrecks than you count, in clear water with lots of soft coral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

diving solomon islands

 

Diving Solomon Islands

Solomon Island's is a remote destination that pleases everyone with it's rich reefs, soft corals great diversity and plentiful fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diving Tonga for Humpback Whales

Have an unforgettable experience with Humpback whales, and then dive Tonga's reefs in crystal clear water.

 

 

 

Australia / New Zealand

diving Adelaide, Australia

 

Diving Adelaide, Australia

Easy shore dives, piers filled with fish and Leafy Sea Dragons

 

 

diving milford sound, new zealand

 

Diving Milford Sound, New Zealand

Exotic black coral and the most beautiful country in the world awaits you

 

 

 

Exotic Locales

diving antarctica with leopard seals

 

Diving Antarctica

Once in a lifetime trip with Penguins, Leopard seals and Glaciers 

 

 

 

The Middle East

diving the red sea

 

Diving the Red Sea

The best diving is in Southern Egypt- check out Marsa Shagra.

 

 

Europe

Diving the White Sea

Diving the White Sea, Russia

A unique experience of underwater photography while ice diving.

 

 

 

 

 

Let us Book Your Dive Trip

Support the Underwater Photography Guide by by booking your next dive trip with the experts at Bluewater Travel.  Run by divers for divers, we can book your dream dive trip for the lowest cost available - you'll never pay more, and often much less. Email us at bookings@bluewaterdivetravel.com or visit us at www.BluewaterDiveTravel.com.

 

 

Write for the Underwater Photography Guide

Are you Interested in writing more about a current dive destination or new diving destination? Or contributing underwater photographs? Then simply contact us.

 

Best scuba diving destinations by Category

 

Pelagics          Corals & Reef Diving

Wrecks          Caribbean         Muck Diving

Exotic Underwater Locations     SouthEast Asia

       Whales                    Sharks

Big Animals

 

Further Reading

Best Dive Destinations for Underwater Photography
Scott Gietler
Best Dive Destinations

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