Skip to main content
x

5 Best Places For Macro Scuba Diving In The Pacific & Indian Oceans — 2017 Readers Choice Awards

By Brooke Morton | Updated On January 11, 2017
Share This Article :

5 Best Places For Macro Scuba Diving In The Pacific & Indian Oceans — 2017 Readers Choice Awards

Our annual Top 100 Readers Choice Awards are based on your real-world dives, and they let us take that journey right along with you.

Since 1994, we’ve been presenting our ­readers’ picks for the best diving in the world in our annual Top 100 Readers Choice Awards. It’s a feature that we love to put together, because we consider the results of our annual Top 100 survey a way for magazine readers, fans and online followers to share their most ­remarkable moments ­underwater. Below you'll find the winning destinations in the Best Macro Scuba Diving Category in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

How the Winners are Chosen:

Thousands of Scuba ­Diving subscribers and online users rated their experiences at dive destinations in a ­variety of categories on a scale from 1 to 5. Final scores are an average of the numerical scores awarded. A minimum number of ­responses was required for a destination to be included in these ratings.


clownfish in french polynesia

An anemonefish, common throughout the Pacific.

Yann Hubert

1. French Polynesia

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: The rainy season lasts from November to April; trade winds help keep conditions drier and cooler the rest of the year.
Average Water Temperature: From the high 70s to the mid-80s, depending on the season. Don’t forget the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere.
Average Visibility: Consistently exceeds 100 feet.

2. Indonesia

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: The dry season runs May through September, the wet season November through March, and expect hot and humid conditions year-round.
Average Water Temperature: Typically in the low to mid-80Fs, though cold upwellings can reduce water temps in some areas.
Average Visibility: Highly variable, but normally 50 to 100 feet in the most popular dive areas.

3. Philippines

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: Generally, the best time to dive the Philippines is December through June. Temps typically range from the mid-60Fs to the 90Fs. It's almost always hot but tends to be less humid from March through June.
Average Water Temperature: Ranges from high 70Fs to mid-80Fs.
Average Visibility: Ranges from 75 to 100 feet in Batangas, 75 to 125 feet in Bohol, 50 to 100 feet in Boracay, 75 to 125 feet in Cebu, 50 to 100 feet in Mindoro and 50 to 100 feet in Palawan.

4. Malaysia

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: Due its close proximity to the equator, Malaysia is typically hot and humid year-round. The dry season spans from March through November and you can expect heavy rains December through February.
Average Water Temperature: The water temperature remains in the low to mid-80s throughout the year.
Average Visibility: In popular diving areas like Sipadan and Layang Layang there is little much current so visibility can range from 50 feet to greater than 100 feet.

5. Palau

Best Macro Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: Tropical and humid year-round. Daytime temperatures are typically in the mid-to high 80s.
Average Water Temperature: Consistently in the high 70s to mid-80s all year. Average Visibility: It is not uncommon to experience vis greater than 100 feet, however weather conditions can affect the visibility.


5 Best Places for Macro Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic