10 Suba Diving Destinations for Thrill-Seekers
We now offer diving packages in more than 30 countries, right across the globe. Use our world map to locate a destination that’s suitable for you.
We have some of the world’s best diving destinations lined up for you, including – Komodo and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, Palau, Maldives, the Red Sea, the Philippines, Sipadan Island in Malaysia, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Cocos in Costa Rica, Galapagos in Ecuador, Socorro and the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, and the Blue Hole in Belize.
Other spectacular liveaboard dive tour locations include the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Djibouti, French Polynesia and Micronesia.
Liveaboard Diving Charters
Let Us Help You Choose Your Next Adventure!
Looking to venture to the far flung corners of the underwater world to explore the world’s best dive destinations? Seeking the best value liveaboards around? You have found them!
Many of these destinations are explored by the famous Aggressor fleet of liveaboards.
You can find all dive boat schedules, prices and trip information through our search feature – the most extensive liveaboard departure information you will find anywhere!
Most of our customers use this feature to find the boats they are looking for.
Our diving cruises are categorised by price so you can quickly identify what is best for you, whether it’s great value deals for the cost-conscious or top-of-the-range deluxe dive charters.
You can also see last minute special offers (grab them while they last!) and early bird discounts, if you are planning in advance.
We only promote those liveaboards that we know can give you good service and value-for-money – we have many years of first-hand experience!
Dive The World is the No. 1 online authority on dive travel and we have helped many thousands of divers just like you since 2002.
We know these destinations and dive safari boats well.
We have the most extensive range of staff trip reports available – over 100 warts and all first-hand accounts of our diving experiences worldwide.
When you book with us you can be sure you will get reliable advice and recommendations… and the liveaboard choice that is right for you. Why take the risk of booking elsewhere? Stick with the experts.
Liveaboard Trip Options
Liveaboard charters allow you to tour the world’s top scuba locations without the need to endure long boat rides.
You can explore remote sites without the hassle of other divers, or slip into the calm morning sea at popular locations before the day-trippers get there.
Exploring the Best Suba Diving Destinations
Australia
Liveaboard Trips to Australia: Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea | Cairns Outer Barrier Reef
Stretching over 2,600 km and comprising roughly 900 islands and nearly 3,000 individual reefs, spread out over more than 340,000 km², you won’t find many to argue with you if want to call the Great Barrier Reef “diving heaven”.
With substantial distances between the shore and the dive sites, Australian liveaboards are the only way to experience the pick of the Great Barrier Reef.
From the pinnacle of luxury to the best value for money, how you choose to spend your time between diving pristine coral, witnessing frenzied shark feeds or feeding giant cod by hand, is entirely up to you.
The Great Barrier Reef, blessed with year-round warm water and favourable sea conditions, is the perfect scuba destination, no matter where you fly in from or when you want to go .
The Bahamas
Diving cruises in Grand Bahama, the Exumas and Bimini
During your 1-2 week Bahamas liveaboard cruise you will encounter many species of turtles, eagle rays, seahorses, dolphins and sharks in large numbers, including the legendary tiger sharks of Grand Bahama.
There are spectacular walls, intact wrecks, thriving coral reefs and pinnacles.
Routes include the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park – one of the world’s most successful marine parks with its waters being full of life – Nassau, Grand Bahama and Bimini .
Belize
Liveaboard cruises on the:: Belize Barrier Reef and Blue Hole
Boasting one of the Caribbean’s finest range of dive sites, a huge barrier reef, excellent visibility, tropical islands and remote atolls, Belize is a dream liveaboard destination.
The longest stretch of barrier reef in the western hemisphere is home to a variety of sites where life proliferates.
You can expect atolls with sites like the famous Blue Hole and drop-offs where big pelagics lurk in the open ocean.
With dive sites spread far apart like this, liveaboard charters are the ideal choice to see all that this destination has to offer.
To taste the Caribbean at its best, believe in Belize .
Cayman Islands
Liveaboards in the Caymans
Week long dive tours of one of the Caribbean’s top scuba destinations, all year round.
Come and explore the steep walls, the enchanting ship wrecks and colourful coral gardens of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The islands are quite far apart so a dive cruise is the best option .
Cocos
Liveaboard diving safaris to: Cocos Island
A mere speck in the Pacific Ocean is the oasis of life called Cocos Island. Part of Costa Rica, this little gem is surrounded by a phenomenal amount and variety of marine life.
If you are fortunate enough to ever dive here you will witness awe-inspiring schools of hammerhead sharks, various species of rays, silvertip and blacktip sharks and a dazzling parade of reef fish.
Cocos Island is remote, uninhabited and largely untouched. In our crowded world, only remote sites like Cocos can present such pristine conditions.
If you have dived in various other places and feel you have earned your stripes, then maybe it is time to take on the big one .
Dominican Republic
Humpback whale safaris
The Silver Bank is a marine sanctuary, north of the Dominican Republic which provides a safe wintering haven for the entire North Atlantic Humpback Whale population.
They gather there from January through April by the thousand to court, mate, calve, and rear their young.
The banks offer safety and protection to females and their calves until the young are strong enough to make the trip back to the north eastern U.S. coast.
This sanctuary is one of 3 places in the world where humans can swim and snorkel among the whales on week-long cruises between January and April each year.
Fiji
Liveaboard tours of the : Fiji Islands
For many the only way to see the best diving in Fiji is from the comfort of one of the excellent boats that explore the Koro Sea and Bligh Water.
You can choose a short adventure cruise (including diving and much more) or luxury liveaboard diving charters for a week or more.
You will never forget the beautiful scenery above and below water, nor the wonderful Fijian hospitality during your South Pacific adventure .
Galapagos
Galapagos Islands dive liveaboards | Galapagos nature & wildlife cruises (non-diving)
No tour will capture the imagination or has as much historical significance as one to the Galapagos Islands.
Remote and unspoilt volcanic islands rise from the depths to provide home to a dizzying assortment of life in the sea, on land and in the air.
A week long cruise around the finest diving and snorkelling sites of the Galapagos is something of a privilege, even for the most experienced scuba diver.
Unforgettable natural beauty awaits you here where bio-diversity and endemism abound.
A liveaboard trip of a lifetime promises fascinating land visits and incredible underwater encounters, liberally sprinkled with pioneering atmosphere .
Hawaii
7 night cruises of the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, all year round.
This is your opportunity to night dive with mantas, come face-to-face with pelagic sharks, explore the lava tubes and underwater craters for endemic marine species, listen to songs of nearby humpback whales.
It’s all here at this isolated Pacific outpost .
Honduras
Dive cruises in the Bay Islands
Roatan and Utila represent the best of Honduras in terms of scuba diving.
Forget about booking complicated resort itineraries across multiple islands, simply join a one week safari and enjoy it all from the comfort of your onboard liveaboard cabin .
Indonesia
Liveaboards in:: Indonesia to:: Komodo Island | Raja Ampat | Banda Sea | Cenderawasih Bay | Triton Bay | Flores/Alor | Wakatobi | Transit Trips
A dive charter among the richest and most bio-diverse regions on earth must be the best way to explore Indonesia.
The Komodo National Park, Raja Ampat and Banda Islands trips aboard luxury boats will see you enjoying peace, comfort and the wonders of nature, above and below the waves.
Combine your safari with an excursion on land to see the famed Komodo dragons.
Liveaboards in Sulawesi offer the chance to sample the full range of the incredible diversity found in the waters surrounding this amazing island .
Malaysia
Liveaboard charters in:: Malaysia to:: Sipadan | Malay Peninsula
Sitting at the heart of south-east Asia, Malaysia has some excellent destinations which present wonderful scuba diving opportunities.
You can join short trips to visit the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia or tour around the South China Sea and dive at renowned places like Layang Layang.
There is even a liveaboard at the legendary Sipadan, which is a great option for maximising your time underwater at this little gem of an island .
The Maldives
Liveaboard trips in the:: Maldives Islands to: Central Atolls | Outer Atolls
With over 1,000 islands and 26 coral atolls spread over this vast and remote corner of the Indian Ocean, a 1 week diving cruise is surely the best way to explore this tropical region, famous for its big schools of fish.
Liveaboards range from 5 star luxury to the surprisingly affordable, in this archetypal dive safari destination .
Marshall Islands
Bikini Atoll tec-diving expeditions
The infamous nuclear test site from the 1950s, Bikini Atoll, is now open to tech-divers on 1-2 week charters.
This far flung corner of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean is a unique diving paradise.
With its staggering collection of battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers and submarines, Bikini is quite possibly the number one wreck diving destination on the planet.
Not only this, but its isolation over the past 70 years have created a breath-taking marine world with superb coral reefs and plenty of marine life.
Mexico
Liveaboard tours on the Mexican Pacific Coast to:: Socorro | Sea of Cortez | Guadalupe
Liveaboard diving in Mexico is for those who love the big stuff! Sharks, whales, manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins, sea lions … scuba logs here read like a “Who’s who” of marine mega fauna.
World famous sites like the Socorro Islands are considered Mexico’s version of Galapagos, with many even considering it superior! Guadalupe Island, with its clear water, is among the world’s premier great white shark cage diving destinations where life long memories are made.
The Sea of Cortez was described by Cousteau as the ‘Aquarium of the World’ .
Myanmar
Liveaboard expeditions in the:: Mergui Archipelago
Diving charters to Burma Banks and in the Mergui Archipelago are voyages of discovery.
There are now quite a range of price options for liveaboards in Burma.
The promise of sharks and manta rays is high in the minds of visitors but perhaps the true romance of diving here lies in the solitude and spirit of adventure that cruising around these remote islands engenders .
Oman
The Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman promise the chance of encounters with some giants of the sea – whale sharks, humpback and sperm whales, dolphins, manta rays, mola mola, mackerel and tuna.
More than 1,000 different species of fish and shellfish thrive in the marine protection afforded here.
7 night liveaboard cruises operate to 2 distinct and remote regions of Oman – the Daymaniyat and Hallinyat islands; 10 night cruises cover both areas .
Palau
Liveaboard expeditions of the:: Palau Islands
This collection of small islands in the Pacific Ocean represents one of the best liveaboard charter destinations on Earth.
Here you can expect a lot of sharks and meaty pelagics hanging in the currents, manta rays galore at cleaning stations, WWII wrecks and pristine reefs.
Such density of marine life coupled with often incredible visibility make Palau a wide-angled photography paradise.
You will learn about Palau’s fascinating war history and get the experience the bizarre thrill of snorkelling in the world-famous and sting-free Jellyfish Lake .
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, a land lost in time, filled with unchartered forests, unique flora and fauna, ancient tribes, and world class diving.
The world’s second largest island, PNG is located in the Coral Triangle and surrounded by 3 bodies of water – the Bismarck, Coral and Solomon seas – that flow through and enrich the highly diverse marine environment.
Join a cruise and dive on remote reefs, sea mounts, walls, sea grass beds, and wrecks.
The Philippines
Dive expeditions in the Philippines
The Philippines has a rich a varied underwater world and a range of diving cruises to match.
The most sought-after are the week long liveaboard safaris out to Tubbataha in the Sulu Sea from March to June, or the 10-12 night transit trips that visit here and the Central Visayas.
The Visayas are a major attraction themselves and you can dive here on 6-12 night tours to encounter thresher and whale sharks, and possibly hammerheads and huge schools of reef fish.
Elsewhere you can explore the amazing macro life in Anilao and Mimaropa on 6 or 7 night trips, or join a short tour of the incredible world class wrecks of Coron and the fast paced action at Apo Reef.
The Red Sea
Liveaboards in the: Red Sea to:: Sinai Peninsula | Southern Red Sea
Sparkling amidst the surrounding deserts is the extraordinary expanse of water that is the Red Sea, with its vast natural riches, many of them endemic, making it a popular place for all grades of scuba diver.
The southern Red Sea has some of the most amazing diving in the region and there many routes to choose from – Brothers, Elphinstone, Daedalus, St. John’s.
With many incredible wrecks such as the world-famous Thistlegorm, and legendary sites like Ras Mohammed, the Sinai Peninsula is a region that many liveaboards explore all year round.
Saba and St. Kitts
Dive safaris in Saba & St Kitts
The northeast Caribbean offers divers a unique 1 week cruise that includes diving in 2 countries and the opportunity to visit 3 islands (Saba, St. Kitts and St. Maarten)!
The weather, water temperatures and visibility are remarkably consistent year round and are amenable to comfortable recreational diving.
This is the ideal destination to experience a variety of dive sites and marine life.
These include, walls, wrecks and unusual geological structures such as underwater lava flows.
You can expect to see schools of blue tangs, goatfish, parrotfish, Nassau grouper, horse-eye jacks, turtles, and of course sharks – the most frequent being nurse, black-tip and grey reef sharks .
Solomon Islands
Off the beaten track yet only a short flight from Australia, if you’re serious about exploring a little visited region of the most bio-diverse marine region of Earth, then the Solomon Islands has to be for you.
Join these 1-2 week charters, diving World War 2 wrecks, reefs, lagoons, caverns and walls, encountering sharks, mantas and huge shoals of fish, not forgetting its wondrous macro creatures.
There are also occasional transit trips to Papua New Guinea that are hugely in demand so plan early!
Thailand
Liveaboard charters in:: Thailand to:: Similan Islands | Hin Daeng-Hin Muang
For some time liveaboard trips up the west coast of Thailand have been considered one of the best dive vacations available, and with good cause.
They are unrivalled in terms of value-for-money, and cruising around the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock is a must-do for any semi-serious diver, as the beauty of the sites is matched only by the warmth and hospitality of the Thais .
Truk
Diving charters in Chuuk Lagoon
7-10 night tours of this world famous World War II wreck destination.
Over 60 Japanese wrecks are packed in to the lagoon, from cargo vessels to airplanes and a submarine.
You will find many historical artefacts as well as war paraphernalia, including aircraft wings, tanks, trucks, guns, torpedo shells, gas masks and ammunition.
The wrecks are covered in coral and the lagoon itself is surrounded by a reef with pinnacles and channels where reef sharks and pelagic fish roam.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Dive cruises in Turks & Caicos
7 and 10 dive charters of Providenciales, West Caicos and French Cay. This Caribbean nation is one of the hot spots for shark encounters – nurse, hammerhead, Caribbean reef and tiger sharks.
Other great reasons to visit include the excellent visibility, vibrant reefs, some of the deepest walls in the Caribbean, and seasonal humpback whales.
Despite the depth of the walls, these safaris are suitable for divers of all experience levels .
Other destinations where we offer diving safaris include: Andaman Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, Micronesia and more.
Diving Resorts and Day Trips
The World’s Best Dive Packages
If you’re planning a scuba diving vacation based on land where you can return to the comfort of your room every day, look no further.
Trust the No. 1 authority on dive travel to recommend the best dive resort and daytrip packages for you.
There’s something to suit everyone’s taste and pocket. And you can be sure that whatever option you go for:
Dive The World has over 100 first hand staff trip reports online.
We offer daily scuba excursions, both with and without accommodation.
You can choose from top-of-the-range dive resorts to more simple lodgings. Or just book your day trips with us if you plan to arrange your own accommodation.
Our resort options also cover the full range of experiences, from PADI dive courses and easy conditions for the less experienced, to shark infested seas, rip-roaring currents, and technical wrecks for hardcore divers.
And here are 8 Great Reasons to: book your next trip with Dive The World, including free diving insurance for new customers, and how your booking helps our efforts to protect the underwater world.
Top Resort Options
Find the best dive trip to fit your needs :
Australia
Scuba boat day trips on Cairns’ Great Barrier Reef
If you don’t have time for a short liveaboard cruise to explore the superior riches of the Coral Sea and the more remote sections of the Great Barrier Reef, yet still want a quick sample of this world famous dive location, why not take a daytrip out of Cairns to discover its Outer Barrier Reef.
See the turtles, reef sharks, dolphins, groupers, wrasse, and many other marine creatures that have made this area legendary….
Belize
Dive resorts in Ambergris Caye | Turneffe Atoll
Dive boat day trips from Ambergris Caye
The 2 choices we have for vacation stays in Belize are very different.
Turneffe Reef consists of only a few small island resorts amongst the mangroves so no late night parties here to distract you from some great drift diving, plenty of pelagic encounters, and exceptionally rich waters right on your doorstep.
Ambergris Caye is quite lively with plenty of activities for the non-diver and some high quality dive sites with a great variety of species just a short boat ride away …
Costa Rica
Scuba diving day trips to Bat Islands | Caño Island | Las Catalinas
The Pacific coast of Costa Rica has some of the most exciting day trip diving around.
Tamarindo is the launch point for trips to the Bat Islands, famed for its bull shark encounters.
Uvita is where you want to be to visit Caño Island to see whales, mantas, dolphins.
Potrero is your port of call for handy day trips to Las Catalinas to find reef sharks and giant Pacific manta rays …
Egypt
Diving daytrip boats from Sharm El Sheikh | Hurghada | Marsa Alam
The Red Sea is without doubt the most popular resort diving destination in the world, at least for Europeans.
Very affordable and high quality dives in relative proximity to Europe, and warm to hot weather all year round, have lead to Egypt’s incredible popularity.
Now you can take a diving package in the Sinai Peninsula to visit the famous sites of Sharm El Sheikh such as the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran, dive in Hurghada on day tours to its own famous Abu Nuhas wrecks and Dolphin Reef, or visit the more remote and adventurous dive Mecca of Marsa Alam in search of search sharks, dugongs and dolphins…
Fiji
Resort stays in Viti Levu | Kadavu | Taveuni | Beqa Island
Scuba day trip boats from Viti Levu (Pacific Harbour | Rakiraki | Nadi)
The Fiji islands offer fantastic but very different scuba experiences so be sure you know the difference between a 5 Star resort in Taveuni and the simple, eco-friendly hideaways of Kadavu.
The diving also differs greatly: Shark feeding in Viti Levu is very different from the currents and blooming soft corals of Taveuni or the rugged reefs of Kadavu. So choose your vacation well and enjoy the best dives in the South Pacific!
Indonesia
Dive resorts in Raja Ampat | Sulawesi | Resort stays or daytrips in Mainland Bali
Daily dive boat trips from Lembongan Island (Bali) | Komodo | Manado
Considered by many experienced divers to be the best scuba destination in the world, Indonesia is at the heart of the planet’s marine bio-diversity.
And what better way to explore it than from the comfort of one of its best resorts?
Choose between Bali’s north or east coast, the remote and incredible Raja Ampat, or a top dive resort in Sulawesi where the people of Manado and the Lembeh Strait are privileged to have this amazing array of sea-life right on their doorsteps .
Malaysia
Dive resorts in Sipadan | Layang Layang | Lankayan
Daily scuba boat trips from Semporna | Kota Kinabalu
Striding confidently up the “Best Dive Destinations” list is Malaysia whose reputation for great value diving vacations continues to grow.
Borneo is where it is really happening and some of the world’s best diving is to be found in the waters around Sipadan and Layang Layang, where there is something for everyone, from incredible macro-life to schools of hammerhead sharks and legions of manta rays.
The range of resorts available, from luxury chalets on top of the water to budget backpack-style accommodation, is also sure to please.
The Maldives
Resort stays in North Male | Raa Atoll
The Maldives has some of the best and most accessible dive sites in the world for encounters with large marine creatures such as manta rays and whale sharks, which are commonly seen.
But this Indian Ocean chain of atolls has so much more, with plentiful sharks and huge schools of fish, all set amongst an idyllic tropical paradise .
Palau
Daily dive trips in Palau and Peleliu
If you prefer to stay on land than to take a dive cruise, you can take day trips out of Koror to discover the very best dive sites of Palau, including the famous wrecks of Peleliu.
See reef sharks, mantas, huge schools of fish, and the incredible marine diversity that are the hallmark of this conservation paradise.
Thailand
Scuba day trips from Phuket | Khao Lak | Phi Phi Islands | Ao Nang Beach – Krabi | Koh Samui
A firm favourite with scuba divers over the past few decades, Thailand has refined the art of taking care of its tourists and now has some of the best day trip diving around.
From the ever popular Phuket and Koh Tao to the peaceful and spectacularly beautiful Krabi coastline across Phang Nga Bay.
The people of Thailand, its culture and interesting activities, and its spectacular underwater charms combine to make it one of the world’s best destinations for divers, their partners and family vacations .
PADI Diving Courses
Scuba Lessons with Dive The World
Thinking about learning to dive? Then you’re close to opening up the doors to a whole new world of fun and adventure.
Dive The World can be your passport to a lifetime of amazing experiences.
Take your steps up the scuba qualification ladder with the No. 1 authority in the world of diving.
You’ll get a clear idea of which class to take by reading the details on the full range of PADI recreational dive and snorkelling courses below.
Dive The World is not affiliated with PADI, or SSI, or CMAS or any other training agency; we simply want to find the right course provider for you.
Most people know the PADI name and we can help you locate the best PADI-affiliated dive center.
Learning to dive the PADI way
We offer instruction courses and programmes at a 5 Star Dive Centre in Phuket – Thailand, as well as throughout Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Egypt/Red Sea, Fiji, Belize and the Maldives.
Perhaps you already have a dive certification and want to take that next step up the ladder.
One thing is sure, the more you learn, the more you can relax and enjoy yourself underwater!
In only a few short, fun-filled days you can add another string to your bow and obtain that PADI scuba diving qualification you always dreamt about.
Next time you go on a dive vacation you, like thousands of Dive The World students, can produce your new card with pride.
PADI Dive Classes!
• Discover Scuba Diving : Introduction lesson – non-license
• Scuba Diver: Pre-entry level – intermediate license
• Open Water Diver :Full diving certification
• Adventure Diver : Stepping stone to Advanced
• Advanced Open Water Diver : Licensed to dive to 30 metres
• Emergency First Response: Medical training programme
• Rescue Diver : Learn how to help your dive buddy
• Divemaster: Change your life…Go Pro!
PADI specialty courses on which to hone your scuba skills:
• Master Scuba Diver • Boat Diver
• Cavern Diver • Coral Reef Conservation
• Deep Diver • Dive Propulsion Vehicle
• Drift Diver • Enriched Air Nitrox
• Equipment Specialist • Fish Identification
• Multilevel and Dive Computer • Night Diver
• Peak Performance Buoyancy • Project AWARE
• Re-breather Drager Dolphin • Re-breather Drager Ray
• Underwater Naturalist • Underwater Navigator
• Underwater Photographer • Underwater Search and Recovery
• Underwater Videographer • Wreck Diver
Diving Certification Specifics
Dive The World can arrange lessons in several exciting destinations:
• Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, Krabi, Koh Tao and Koh Samui in Thailand
• Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam in Egypt
• Mabul, Semporna and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia
• Cairns Great Barrier Reef in Australia
• Bali, Manado and Raja Ampat in Indonesia
• Taveuni and Viti Levu in Fiji
• Ambergris Caye in Belize
• North Male and Raa Atoll in the Maldives
