The World’s Finest Destinations for Newbie Scuba Divers

There’s something about that very first genuine dive journey that simply can’t be topped– the undersea world takes its hold on you and never ever releases. For those who wish to stick with the sport, it helps to obtain accredited or fine-tune abilities in a destination where the benefits– big critters, fascinating macro life, lush reefs– surpass the difficulties, which are hopefully few. Warm water, zero-to-mild currents and excellent presence sweeten the offer. These locations deliver on all this and more.

FLORIDA

Rainbows and Sea Cows: A 90-minute drive north of Tampa brings you to the town of Crystal River, house to a collection of springs where manatees gather every winter, producing an opportunity for in-water watching that was named a Readers Option Finest Big-Animal Dive. In this same location lies Rainbow River, a swift-moving dive that’s a fun rush in the middle of bluegill fish, alligator garfish, turtles and sea turf. And, at 20 feet deep, even snorkelers can stay on the surface without feeling far from the group.

Shallow Goals: The reefs in the Florida Keys all start at 30 feet or shallower, producing an all-encompassing destination where families or groups of friends with varying experience can delight in a site such as Key Largo’s Molasses Reef all together. Throughout the Keys, the rewards are shallow, consisting of 25-foot-deep Sombrero Reef off Marathon and Eastern Dry Rocks at 35 feet off Secret West.

Coast Thing: The east coast is coast-dive friendly, including the perennial favorite Blue Heron Bridge, called a Readers Choice finest coast dive. Drop in to experience nudibranchs, seahorses, flying gurnards, and more that produce the weirdest and most vibrant neighborhood in the state, second only to the Halloween celebrants of Secret West.

Clear-Headed: The Gulf Stream sweeps the reefs of Florida, from Key West to Jupiter, clean of debris. For brand-new scuba divers, there’s a comfort in diving amid excellent presence, permitting a view of the bottom upon entry, or of the mooring line toward dive’s end.

BONAIRE

In Da Home: In Bonaire, home reefs come requirement. Actions from Buddy Dive Resort’s welcome desk, newbies can ease down a ladder or jump from the dock, swim less than a minute, and dive with frogfish, seahorses and more, all at around 15 feet.

The Shallow End: Bonaire’s dive websites are located on the leeward side of the island, so big waves aren’t a part of the entry procedure. Even much better, 57 of the 85 named websites are coast entry, allowing newbies to ease their way in along a gradual slope.

Neighborhood of Specialists: Nearly everybody on Bonaire is there for scuba. Need to your inflator valve offer you problem while getting ready, the next folks arriving can likely assist. And, come happy hour, talk often causes buoyancy and best practices.

HAWAII

One-track mind: The difficulty of keeping neutral buoyancy while swimming through the lava-formed tunnels and arches at sites such as Tunnels Reef and First Cathedral is fun for any diver, and has the bonus offer of enhancing a newbie’s skill set quickly.

Night Bright: Couple of moments pack more wow underwater than the manta night dive of Kona, and it’s a nighttime experience open-water scuba divers can have thanks to the site’s depth of 38 feet.

Well-Versed: Since Hawaii calls to families and couples, dive instructors often deal with new scuba divers or those whose abilities require polishing. The dive teams here certify open-water scuba divers and offer refresher courses routinely.

Readers Option Regional Winners

1. Florida
2. California
3. Washington

1. Hawaii
2. GBR/Queensland
3. Philippines
4. Thailand
5. Fiji

1. Bonaire
2. Cayman Islands
3. Bahamas
4. Roatan
5. USVI

What is Readers Option? More than 3,000 Diving readers rate their experiences in our yearly study, scoring destinations in a variety of categories. Winners are chosen through balanced scores.

Readers Option Winners

The very best operators, resorts and liveaboards to obtain you this experience in these locations, as chosen by readers.

How are winners chosen? Each year, readers elect their favorite operators, resorts and liveaboards, which are picked by popular vote and ranked by category.