A Diver’s Hot List
by Gabrielle Warncke, Luxury Travel Advisor
Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water, and hidden beneath the waves lies a boundless seascape so drastically different than any land-based habitat. Spectacular coral reefs, shipwrecks, and colorful sea creatures of all shapes and sizes come together in a fascinating, alien-like world. In my eleven years as a certified scuba diver, I’ve had the good fortune of experiencing some of the most incredible dive locations on the planet. Each site offers a unique, vast environment to explore.
When I first started diving I worked on developing my skills in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Hawaii. To reach that goal, my favorite locations were:
St Lucia: Excellent drift diving, especially down near the marine park and Piton Mountains.
Cayman Islands: Great wall diving with extreme drop-offs, shipwrecks, and a wide variety of corals and sealife.
Grenada Highlights: A mix of dive sites, but a favorite deep dive is the Bianca C. shipwreck. The underwater sculpture park is a fun, shallow dive.
Cozumel: Rewarding drift diving for new and experienced divers alike. Warm waters, great visibility, vibrant colors, and healthy sealife.
Kona, Hawaii: A night dive here is a must! The mantas’ ballet-like movements are absolutely mesmerizing. The best night manta dive (as well as snorkel) I’ve ever done.
As my skills and confidence grew, I spread my fins to explore more remote destinations that offer some of the most untouched and unbelievable underwater adventures:
Maldives:
I did a mixture of land-based diving and liveaboard dive boat diving. This offered rich diversity in the types of sites I was able to explore, including pinnacles and walls. If you are lucky, you may swim with mantas and whale sharks!
Fiji:
Because there are so many distinct, worthwhile dive sites, Fiji is my top choice for a combination of a liveaboard experience followed by a land-based stay. Not to be missed: the White Wall off the coast of Taveuni, and hanging out in Shark Alley!
Indonesia:
Prior to the pandemic, I made numerous trips to this part of the world to dive. Wakatobi, Raja Ampat, and Komodo have become preferred destinations of mine. The healthy diversity provides so much to see- sealife thrives in every direction. I’ve seen many “firsts” in these waters, including a Mola Mola, a guitar shark, a wobbegong shark, and a wide variety of macro creatures.
Papua New Guinea:
One of the most difficult to get to, but one of the most culturally interesting. Fun facts: they speak 85 different languages here, and cannibalism still exists in some remote areas of the country! As for diving, it’s so remote you rarely see another boat, and, occasionally, you are greeted on your return to the surface by local children in canoes hoping to trade local fruits and vegetables for things like soap.
Socorro Islands:
This location is a bit more challenging, as the currents here are quite strong. GPS trackers are attached to your BC to ensure safety. It’s also a full 24 hours by liveaboard from Cabo, which can be tough for those prone to seasickness. Favorite dive sites: Roca Partida and The Boiler.
South Pass, Fakarava, French Polynesia:
The pass between the lagoon and the open ocean is teeming with sealife and coral. It’s a fantastic drift, but sometimes fast-moving. Note: Dive operators require you to have a minimum of 50 dives logged to explore this pass because of the current’s strength.
Up Next in 2022 (Hopefully): Roatan, Honduras, and Palau!
