5 Best Places to Dive in the Pacific & Indian Ocean - 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 Overall Scuba Diving in the Pacific and Indian oceans, offering a magical glimpse at your next dive vacation.

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.

1. French Polynesia

Best Overall Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Sure, over-water bungalows don’t hurt — but it’s the sharks, whales and pass dives that earn these 118 South Pacific islands and atolls top honors. Lemon, blacktip reef, gray reef and whitetip sharks are year-round regulars and, in June and July, humpback whales check in to mate and give birth. Thrilling as these encounters are, the biggest adrenaline rush is riding the incoming tide, known as pass diving. In places such as Rangiroa’s Tiputa Pass, and on Fakarava’s Tetamanu, divers shoot through a narrow cut to the lagoon’s interior alongside a mix of apex species that can include great hammerhead, tiger and bull sharks, and dolphins.

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 Temp: 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 Overall 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 Temp: 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. Hawaii

Best Overall Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Although each Hawaiian island is unique on it’s own — our readers agree that Hawaii as a whole is a destination that cannot be overlooked.

Dive Conditions
Weather: Warm, with cooling trade winds. Temperatures vary little year-round, averaging 68 to 83, with September tending to be the warmest month.
Average Water Temp: Expect mid- to high 70s in winter and spring, low 80s in summer and fall.
Average Visibility: Tends to be excellent, often above 100 feet. However this varies from each Hawaiian island.

4. Philippines

Best Overall 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 Temp: 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.

5. Thailand

Best Overall Diving in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Dive Conditions
Weather: Tropical and humid during most of the year. The southern region of Thailand has only two seasons -- wet and the dry. These seasons do not run at the same time on both the east and west side of the peninsular. On the west coast, the southwest monsoon brings rain and often heavy storms from April through to October, while on the east coast the most rain falls between September and December.
Average Water Temp: In the Andaman Sea, water temperatures are usually warm, ranging from 79 to 84 degrees. In the Gulf of Thailand, water temps are in the low to mid-80s, with the warmest conditions during May and June. February through September is generally the best time for diving in Thailand.
Average Visibility: Water clarity varies from less than 20 feet to 150 feet or more, depending on the season. Most liveaboards stop operating here from June through October, the southwest monsoon season, when vis can be excellent but the seas can be rough. In the Gulf of Thailand, vis is not as good because of freshwater runoff, plankton and water circulation.

Looking for more?

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