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Clockwise from top left: Brandon Cole; Jennifer Penner; Matthew Meier; Bruce Shafer; Brandon Cole; Courtesy Buddy Dive Resort

Best Scuba Diving in the World in 2022

These are the dive vacation getaways to have on your radar in 2022, according to *Scuba Diving* magazine readers.
By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On November 12, 2021
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Best Scuba Diving in the World in 2022

For our 2022 survey, we asked readers to evaluate the destinations they’ve visited in the past two years based on several categories. Averaging those totals with the results from the 2021 and 2020 Readers Choice awards resulted in our Best of Readers Choice awards list. For each category, we listed the top destinations that received an excellent score (in order based on number of votes and percentile of score).

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Best Overall

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Mexico
  3. Bay Islands
  4. Belize
  5. Cayman Islands
  6. Bahamas
  7. British Virgin Islands
  8. St. Lucia
  9. Cuba
  10. Puerto Rico

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Palau
  3. Galapagos
  4. Japan
  5. Indonesia
  6. Fiji
  7. Australia
  8. Thailand
  9. Philippines
  10. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. California
  4. British Columbia
  5. North Carolina
  6. Washington
  7. Great Lakes

Big Animals

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bahamas
  2. Belize
  3. Cuba
  4. Costa Rica
  5. Turks and Caicos
  6. Mexico
  7. Bonaire
  8. Cayman Islands
  9. Bay Islands
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Galapagos
  3. Palau
  4. Mexico
  5. Fiji
  6. Indonesia
  7. Australia
  8. Philippines
  9. French Polynesia
  10. Costa Rica

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. North Carolina
  4. California

Macro Life

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Belize
  5. Mexico
  6. Bahamas
  7. Curaçao
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. St. Lucia
  10. Cuba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Philippines
  3. Hawaii
  4. Palau
  5. Fiji
  6. Thailand
  7. Red Sea
  8. Australia
  9. Maldives
  10. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. California
  3. Washington
  4. British Columbia
  5. Florida

Wreck Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Cayman Islands
  2. Bahamas
  3. Bay Islands
  4. Bonaire
  5. Mexico
  6. British Virgin Islands
  7. Aruba
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. St. Lucia
  10. Curaçao

Pacific and Indian

  1. Red Sea
  2. Hawaii
  3. Palau
  4. Australia
  5. Fiji
  6. Philippines
  7. Indonesia
  8. Truk Lagoon
  9. Japan
  10. Thailand

United States and Canada

  1. North Carolina
  2. Great Lakes
  3. Ontario
  4. British Columbia
  5. New York/New Jersey
  6. Florida Keys
  7. Florida

Cave, Cavern and Grotto

Riviera Maya cenote diving

The cenotes of Riviera Maya, Mexico, offer a dive experience like no other.

Jennifer Penner

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Bahamas
  3. Bay Islands
  4. Cayman Islands
  5. Cuba
  6. British Virgin Islands
  7. Belize
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. Curaçao

Pacific and Indian

  1. Palau
  2. Hawaii
  3. Japan
  4. Guam
  5. Australia
  6. Thailand
  7. Galapagos
  8. Fiji
  9. Red Sea
  10. Maldives

United States and Canada

  1. Florida
  2. Great Lakes
  3. Ontario
  4. Florida Keys
  5. California

Shore Diving

fish schooling under Salt Pier

Salt Pier is one of many sites that earned Bonaire first place in Shore Diving.

Jennifer Penner

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Mexico
  5. Curaçao
  6. Bahamas
  7. Belize
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. St. Lucia
  10. Aruba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Red Sea
  3. Australia
  4. Japan
  5. Guam
  6. Indonesia
  7. Fiji
  8. French Polynesia
  9. Malaysia
  10. Philippines

United States and Canada

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Washington
  3. California
  4. British Columbia
  5. Ontario
  6. Great Lakes
  7. Florida

Wall Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Cayman Islands
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Belize
  4. Bonaire
  5. Bahamas
  6. Mexico
  7. Turks and Caicos
  8. Puerto Rico
  9. Cuba
  10. St. Lucia

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Fiji
  3. Palau
  4. French Polynesia
  5. Japan
  6. Hawaii
  7. Philippines
  8. Maldives
  9. Thailand
  10. Galapagos

United States and Canada

  1. British Columbia
  2. California
  3. Washington

Beginner Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Belize
  5. Bahamas
  6. Mexico
  7. Curaçao
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. Aruba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Thailand
  3. Red Sea
  4. Japan
  5. Guam
  6. Malaysia
  7. Philippines
  8. Australia
  9. Fiji
  10. Palau

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. California
  4. Virginia

Advanced Diving

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Mexico
  2. Bonaire
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Bay Islands
  5. Belize
  6. Bahamas
  7. Curaçao
  8. Turks and Caicos
  9. U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. Cuba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Fiji
  3. Palau
  4. Galapagos
  5. Truk Lagoon
  6. Philippines
  7. Mexico
  8. Maldives
  9. Costa Rica
  10. French Polynesia

United States and Canada

  1. Great Lakes
  2. North Carolina
  3. Washington
  4. British Columbia
  5. Massachusetts
  6. California
  7. Florida Keys

Photography

Nippo Maru engine room

Inside the engine room of the Nippo Maru in Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Micronesia.

Pete Mesley

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Cayman Islands
  4. Belize
  5. Bahamas
  6. Mexico
  7. U.S. Virgin Islands
  8. Curaçao
  9. Turks and Caicos
  10. Cuba

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Fiji
  3. Palau
  4. Philippines
  5. Truk Lagoon
  6. Maldives
  7. French Polynesia
  8. Galapagos
  9. Hawaii
  10. Australia

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. California
  3. North Carolina
  4. British Columbia
  5. Great Lakes

Snorkeling

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Bay Islands
  3. Belize
  4. Mexico
  5. Bahamas
  6. Cayman Islands
  7. Curaçao
  8. U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Cuba
  10. St. Lucia

Pacific and Indian

  1. Hawaii
  2. Japan
  3. Guam
  4. Fiji
  5. Red Sea
  6. Thailand
  7. Palau
  8. Indonesia
  9. Australia
  10. Maldives

United States and Canada

  1. Florida Keys
  2. Florida
  3. California

Health of Marine Environment

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bonaire
  2. Cayman Islands
  3. Bay Islands
  4. Belize
  5. Bahamas
  6. St. Lucia
  7. Curaçao
  8. Turks and Caicos
  9. U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. Mexico

Pacific and Indian

  1. Indonesia
  2. Fiji
  3. Palau
  4. Galapagos
  5. Philippines
  6. Costa Rica
  7. French Polynesia
  8. Truk Lagoon
  9. Australia
  10. Mexico

United States and Canada

  1. California
  2. North Carolina
  3. Washington
  4. British Columbia

Best Value

Caribbean and Atlantic

  1. Bay Islands
  2. Mexico
  3. Bonaire
  4. Belize
  5. Bahamas
  6. Cayman Islands
  7. Puerto Rico
  8. Curaçao
  9. Cuba
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands

Pacific and Indian

  1. Philippines
  2. Red Sea
  3. Thailand
  4. Malaysia
  5. Indonesia
  6. Mexico
  7. Fiji
  8. Costa Rica
  9. Palau
  10. Hawaii

United States and Canada

  1. North Carolina
  2. Florida
  3. Florida Keys
  4. Texas
  5. Great Lakes
  6. Washington