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Scuba Diving Magazine's 2017 Readers Choice Awards

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On November 7, 2016
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Scuba Diving Magazine's 2017 Readers Choice Awards

Each year, we ask our readers to vote for their favorite dive operators, liveaboards, dive sites and more to bring our Gold List to life. The winners below were chosen by popular vote (regardless of location) and ranked based on their category.

Jump to Category

Best Dive Operators

Best Liveaboards

Best Dive Sites

Best Dive Resorts

Best Wreck Dives

Best Shore Dives

Best Animal Encounters

Most Unusual Dive Sites


Best Dive Operators

When you're scuba diving at a new destination, the experience is only as good as the dive operation, instructor or divemaster who is guiding you through the ocean. Here are the 20 best scuba diving operators, as voted by the readers of Scuba Diving magazine.

Scuba Diving Kids Sea Camp Palau

Sam's Tours Palau hosted a Kid's Sea Camp.

Courtesy Sam's Tours Palau
Scuba Diving Cruise Cayman Aggressor Liveaboard

Scuba Diving magazine readers voted the Cayman Aggressor IV cruise ship as one of the best liveaboards in the world.

Courtesy Aggressor
Scuba Diving Cenotes Mexico

Our readers voted Mexico's famous cenotes among the best places in the world to dive.

Shutterstock
  1. Palancar Reef, Cozumel, Mexico

  2. Alice in Wonderland, Bonaire

  3. Mary’s Place, Roatan, Bay Islands

  4. Bond Wrecks, Nassau, Bahamas

  5. Barracuda Reef, Cozumel, Mexico

  6. Devil’s Grotto, Grand Cayman

  7. Cathedrals, Lanai, Hawaii

  8. Something Special, Bonaire

  9. Bari Reef, Bonaire

  10. Cenote Dos Ojos, Playa del Carmen, Mexico


Best Dive Resorts

Wakatobi Dive Resort Indonesia

Wakatobi Dive Resort in Sulawesi, Indonesia, was rated by Scuba Diving magazine readers as one of the best resorts for scuba diving in the 2017 Gold List awards.

Courtesy Wakatobi Dive Resort
Scuba Diving Cayman Islands Wreck

The Capt. Keith Tibbetts wreck in Cayman Brac was one of our reader favorites for best wreck diving in the world.

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  1. Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida

  2. USS Kittiwake, Grand Cayman

  3. Duane, Key Largo, Florida

  4. C-53, Cozumel, Mexico

  5. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Key West, Florida

  6. Capt. Keith Tibbetts, Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands

  7. Ray of Hope, Nassau, Bahamas

  8. Fujikawa Maru, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia

  9. U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina

  10. Corsair, Oahu, Hawaii


Best Shore Dives

Bonaire Scuba Diving

It's no surprise that Bonaire's many shore dives helped it earn multiple wins with our readers.

David Benz
  1. 1,000 Steps, Bonaire

  2. CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

  3. Bonegi Beach, Solomon Islands

  4. Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman

  5. Buddy Dive House Reef, Bonaire


Most Unusual Dive Sites

Scuba Diving Key Largo Christ of the Abyss

Scuba Diving magazine readers voted Christ of the Abyss (a dive site in Key Largo, Florida) as one of the most unusual dives in the world.

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  1. Great Blue Hole, Belize

  2. Devil’s Throat, Cozumel, Mexico

  3. Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida

  4. Chac Mool Cenote, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

  5. Chandelier Cave, Palau


Best Night Dives

Pelagic Magic Night Dive Hawaii

The Pelagic Magic night dive in Kona, Hawaii, is a reader favorite for most unusual dives in the world.

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  1. Manta Night Dive, Kona, Hawaii

  2. Salt Pier, Bonaire

  3. Coco View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

  4. Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

  5. Pelagic Magic, Kona, Hawaii


Best Animal Encounters

Shark Scuba Diving Bahamas

Scuba diving with Caribbean reef sharks in Nassau, Bahamas, was voted by our readers as one of the best big animal encounters in the world.

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  1. Whale Sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

  2. West Indian Manatees, Crystal River, Florida

  3. Sand Tiger Sharks, North Carolina

  4. Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nassau, Bahamas

  5. Tiger and Bull Sharks, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji