The Healthiest Underwater Environments Around the World
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.
Here, we proudly present the No. 1 ranking destinations in the Healthiest Marine Environment category of the awards. The full list of winning destinations is below.
ShutterstockCayman Islands
It works for crops and reefs: The Cayman Islands’ creation of 365 moored sites not only ensures guests never want for variety, but also that reefs stay healthy. By rotating the most-oft visited sites, no single spot suffers prolonged stress. Instead, all receive re-growth time. This forward-thinking system is just one reason these islands remain a top favorite thriving marine environments. — Brooke Morton
Caribbean and Atlantic
ShutterstockBritish Columbia
BC’s nutrient-packed waters nourish an astonishing collection of marine life large and small, from whales to snails, seals to shrimp. The environment is thriving and diving habitats diverse. Divers explore protected fjords and storm-lashed islets, swaying kelp forests and mysterious shipwrecks, invertebrate plastered rocky reefs and exhilarating sheer walls in this untrampled ocean wilderness. — Brandon Cole
North America
ShutterstockIndonesia
It’s not enough for Indonesia to have one of the healthiest marine environments on Earth (Raja Ampat), it’s gotta have ‘em all. Take your pick of exotic destinations like Bali, Banda, Komodo, Manado, Lembeh and everywhere in between, and you’re guaranteed outrageous reefs packed with even more outrageous amounts of marine life. — David Espinosa
