December is an ideal time to wrap up the year with a dive trip—or kick off your holiday travels underwater. With dry seasons beginning in some regions and peak marine encounters in others, the options are plentiful. From tropical classics to unique seasonal highlights, here are five destinations perfect for a December scuba diving adventure.
Looking for other months? See our full 2026 Scuba Travel Calendar.
Cayman Islands: A Winter Respite With Thrills Aplenty
Dive Highlights: Wrecks, Shore Diving, Boat Dives
Jennifer PennerAn eel hides among coral on Grand Cayman’s Doc Polson wreck.
All three Cayman Islands are legendary for unbeatable underwater visibility, and in December, little to no rain, minimal plankton blooms and calm seas converge to create days where visibility records could easily be broken.
On Little Cayman, the least populated of the three islands, December’s flatter waters make for more comfortable boat rides around the western tip of the island to Bloody Bay Marine Park. This destination gives guests impressive wall dives all year long, but December’s dives might be the most memorable. A hundred feet of visibility means divers see farther, laying eyes on more Caribbean reef sharks, Nassau grouper and tarpon. December is the start of the dry season and it’s also the peak of the tourist season, and with more visitors comes the opportunity for operators to run several boats each day, better grouping visitors by skill set.
Dive Cayman Brac in December, and you get the same calm seas and stellar visibility. It just might be the best month to explore the Captain Keith Tibbetts. This 330-foot wreck sits on the north shore—the windward side, exposed to bigger seas. December’s ideal conditions make for more relaxing boat journeys and surface intervals. For newer divers, that can set the stage to help establish more in-water confidence. For all divers, it’s a more pleasant experience that doesn’t drain energy—perfect for the holiday season, when most travelers want to pack in afternoon adventures, celebratory dinners and, of course, more diving the following day. —Brooke Morton
Operators: Clearly Cayman Dive Resorts; Ocean Frontiers; Sunset House
Related Reading: A Scuba Diver's Guide to Cayman Islands
Maldives: Calm Seas and Bucket-List Animals
Dive Highlights: Boat Dives and Liveaboard Options, Big Animals, Photo Opps
Felipe BarrioA manta glides past a coral reef—and curious divers—in the Maldives.
The Maldives has two main seasons, or monsoons: December marks the northeast monsoon—the dry season, with calmer seas and greater visibility. For divers sensitive to rough seas, these months allow for easy, stress-free trips with more energy focused on fun.
As the winds and seasons switch, so do the marine life patterns. Reef mantas are on the move, migrating from Hanifaru Bay in the Baa Atoll in the northern part of the Maldives. These highly intelligent fish show a large degree of site fidelity, with many staying local to the Maldives. Some travel to other countries in the Indian Ocean, but many will stay nearby. They head toward the central and southern atolls, such as Lhaviyani, Noonu, and Raa, giving liveaboard divers and other travelers more opportunities for sightings across a wider number of reefs. —Brooke Morton
Operators: Scubaspa; Aggressor Liveaboards
Related Reading: Five Tips for a Great Scuba Diving Trip to the Maldives
Mexico: Eagle Rays in Cozumel
Dive Highlights: Boat Dives, Big Animals, Aggregations
Bayazed/ShutterstockNovember is one of the best months to encounter spotted eagle rays off Cozumel.
Spotted eagle rays fly over the Mesoamerican Reef year-round, but cool, nutrient-rich currents bring droves of them through the waters of Cozumel from December to March.
These majestic elasmobranchs are often found in shallow waters, so they can be a treat to see even for beginner divers at sites like Villa Blanca and Tormentos reefs. Advanced divers can go deeper, searching for spots at the fittingly named Eagle Ray Wall, also known as Cantarell. This current-heavy site in northern Coz is known for attracting 30 or more rays at once. —Melissa Smith
Operators: Aldora Divers; Dive Paradise; Dive with Martin; Pro Dive International
Related Reading: Your Eco-Friendly Guide for a Cozumel Scuba Diving Trip
Antarctica: Expedition to the Bottom of the World
Dive Highlights: Cold Water, Photo Opps, Big Animals, Liveaboard Diving, Macro Life
Andrea Izzotti/ShutterstockAntarctic waters are surprisingly colorful, dotted with wildlife such as cushion sea stars.
December is peak season for ice diving, with plenty of sunlight and the chance to see young penguins; leopard and fur seals; sea lions; and even orcas, humpbacks and minke whales traversing the frosty environment.
And big animals are just the cherry on top. The Southern Ocean is home to more life than you might imagine—enormous sponges and anemones, walls of kelp, jellyfish, sea cucumbers and sea stars bring pops of color to the turquoise-gray wilderness.
Set all of this to the soundtrack of popping, fizzing and groaning icebergs, and you get the adventure of a lifetime. —Melissa Smith
Operators: Oceanwide Expeditions
Related Reading: Diving with Leopard Seals in Antarctica
Fiji: South Pacific Shark Connection
Dive Highlights: Big Animals, Photo Opps, Aggregations
Tobias FriedrichBull sharks and tiger sharks swirl in Beqa.
There’s nothing like kneeling in the sand for 45 minutes to an hour to realize that water temperatures indeed matter.
December in Fiji is the start of summer, and the water warms to 82 to 84 degrees. Visibility clears to between 60 and 100 feet. This makes for primetime viewing at the Apex Arena, home to the famous shark dive, where eight species of shark reliably show. That swirl of fins includes tiger, bull, gray, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, nurse and lemons.
The number of sharks is enough to wow anyone, but so is the mere presence of tiger sharks. They are big (up to 18 feet), move slowly and make eye contact—and that moment of meeting their gaze is so impactful that you won’t want the dive to ever end. —Brooke Morton
Operators: Beqa Lagoon Resort
Related Reading: Rediscovering Fiji Through the Eyes of a Gen Z Diver
Where to Dive Next Month
The Cayman Islands, Maldives, Mexico, Antarctica and Fiji are five of the best scuba diving destinations in December. Traveling at a different time? Click below to see dive trip recommendations for other months.
