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Great Scuba Destinations A-Z

by Conrad Blickenstorfer and Carol Cotton

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Many locations described below have buttons that place a marker on the map. You can then zoom into those locations. You can also pan around the world, and perhaps even see the hotel you'll be staying at! If you want to open a separate world map window to look things up,
click here.

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

    A

    • Aeolus -- Morehead City, North Carolina

      • www.olympusdiving.com The 426-foot Aeolus, launched in 1945 as the Turandot and sunk in 1988 as an artificial reef, is a great 90-110 feet wreck dive off the Atlantic Coast. Olympus Dive Center takes charters out everyday, weather permitting. On this wreck you can expect strong currents with good visibility, lots of fish and very friendly Sand Tiger Sharks. They look mean, but they are quite harmless. For the Aeolus story and diving notes, click here.

    • Akumal -- Mexico

      • www.cenotes.com Cave Diving at its best! The World's greatest caves are all over the Yucatan Peninsula. Fresh water over Salt water. Stalactites and Stalagmites abound. Crystal clear waters ranging in depths from 8 feet to 100+ feet. Long bottom times! Cave certification required.

    • AR-320 -- North Carolina

      • www.olympusdiving.com Also known as Clifton Moss Reef, a man-made 50' deep artificial reef off Beaufort Inlet at Fort Macon jetty. It consists of the vessel Novelty, rubble from the Atlantic Beach bridge and plenty of concrete waffles. We've never been there, but the place is made famous in James Rosemond's book Hiding on the Bottom. Not much visibility, but plenty of flounders and other sealife.


    B

    • Bahamas

      • www.bahamasdiving.com or www.unexso.com Look for a wide variety of diving environments all around the Bahamas. From as shallow as a 16 foot deep shipwreck to way beyond recreational limits. The Bahamas offers shark dives, dolphin experiences, wrecks, caves, blue holes, walls, and much, much more!

    • Bikini Atoll - USS Saratoga

      • The Bikini Atoll was used extensively by the US for nuclear tests in the late 1940 and 1950s. The 880 foot long aircraft carrier USS Saratoga was sunk there during a test. It now sits at 190 feet inside the atoll with the bridge being at 40 feet and the deck at 90 feet. The ship was surveyed by the US National Park Service in 1989 and found safe for diving, as the largest divable ship in the world.

    • Bonaire

      • Bonaire dive map Bonaire is most definitely one of the prime dive locations for all levels of diving abilities. Shore diving, boat diving, night diving, deep diving, and more. Every time I go there I always leave wanting more! The map marker points at the Karpata dive site, one of my favorites!

    • Blue Corner -- Palau

      • www.divepalau.com One of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the world. Drift dive to the Corner where two currents merge. Fish galore! Sharks galore! A huge spotted eagle ray hovers above you. A napoleon wrasse named Einstein will come check you out! Look for the huge anemone attached on the very edge of the corner. The clownfish that inhabits that anemone sure does burn the calories!

    • Blue Grotto - Williston, Florida

      • www.divebluegrotto.com Step back thousands of years as you enter this beautiful grotto. Look closely and you will see the limestone walls are covered with fossilized sea biscuits, shells, and other fossils! You must have excellent buoyancy skills to enter the cavern area or the often stunning visibility will diminish drastically. Stay in the bright basin, sit on "Peace Rock at 40 feet, or follow the guide-line loop down to 85-100 feet.


    C

    • Cozumel - Mexico

      • www.diveparadise.com Cozumel is known for all their wonderful drift dives. Warm, crystal clear waters with clearly defined depths are perfect for beginning divers. You will experience walls, reefs, wrecks, swim throughs, and more! Cozumel was hit had in late 2005 by Hurricane Wlma, but has recovered nicely. Map points at roughly the santa Rosa reef. [see info on Cozumel]

    • Catalina Island, California

      • www.optiquatics.com I love diving in the Pacific and the cooler waters around Catalina and the Channel Islands definitely must not be excluded. Throw on a drysuit, hood and gloves and enjoy the diving! Expect to see large critters as well as small. I'd have to say the kelp forests and the Mola Mola's are tied as my favorite attractions.

    • Cayman Brac

      • www.bracreef.com There's a lot of awesome diving around Cayman Brac. The waters are warm and clear and inviting. Throughout this listing you will find dive sites around Cayman Brac. This is an excellent trip for new divers as well as seasoned divers.

    • Chandelier Cave -- Palau

      • www.divepalau.com This is a beautiful underwater cave with three separate chambers. Each chamber has an air pocket with stalagmites. The cave got its name from the beautiful formation that looks like a chandelier on the ceiling in the center chamber. Practically a swim from Sam's Tour at Malakal Harbor.

    • Chaudiere - Porpoise Bay, Vancouver

      • www.porpoisebaycharters.com What an amazing experience! Cal and Ann are wonderful hosts. They offer a full service dive operation along with a bed and breakfast. I was there with a Canadian friend and we had a blast! I thoroughly enjoyed the diving, from shore diving to wreck diving.

    • CoCo View Resort -- Roatan, Honduras

      • www.cocoviewresort.com CoCoView is a diver's resort located on a peninsula off the town of French Harbour on the Honduran Island of Roatan. It's a family owned and operated facility with bungalows, cabanas and beach houses that offers a terrific diving and a wide range of services. From diving certification to photography classes, from buoyancy seminars to ship wrecks and a sunken DC3, from boat dives to shore dives right at the resort, CoCoView has it all!

    • Cooper River - Charleston, South Carolina

      • www.divethecooper.com I absolutely love diving the Cooper River, but it certainly isn't for everyone! It is Blackwater diving at its best, though. Fossils and artifacts can be found, with time and patience. The tidal changes can be severe, so diving times are limited.

    • Coronado Islands - Baja California, Mexico

      • www.waterhorsecharters.com Just an hour's boat ride from San Diego (we recommend Waterhorse Charters with Captain Ryan), this group of four small, uninhabited islands offers wonderful diving with often very decent visibility, and you might even see whales and dolphins on the way. Don't miss "Lobster Shack," a shallow site without lobsters, but with dozens of playful and very curious young sea lions! Water temperature in early October was in the low to mid-60s.

    • Crystal River, Florida

      • www.birdsunderwater.com or www.manateetourusa.com Crystal River offers several nice dive sites. However, the big draw to these waters is snorkeling with Manatees. Kings Bay is an enormous area of the river, often mistaken for a lake. The entire area is spring fed by thousands of fresh water springs. You will have your best chance at seeing Manatees from October to March when the ocean temperature is at its coldest. The manatees come into the springs to stay warm. Please keep in mind that these animals are protected and you must view a video before you will be allowed in the water with them. There are rules and regulations regarding your interaction with these wonderful creatures. I highly recommend booking your Manatee Experience through Birds Underwater or Manatee Tour and Dive. Call early to reserve your space on their boats.

    • Crystal River, Florida -- Catfish Motel

      • Crystal River has many hidden delights. One is what the locals know as the "Catfish Motel," a little cavern in a place where you'd never expect it. It's right off one of the boat docks, maybe 20 feet deep. You go straight down into it and find yourself in a livingroom-sized cavern full of catfish! At night it can be pretty spooky as the motel is below some old timbers from a long defunct pencil factory. Make sure you float a dive flag; the pier owner isn't fond of divers!


    D

    • Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee

      • www.willowgrove.com/diveshop.html Dale Hollow Lake offers a nice weekend getaway for families or groups. Willow Grove offers a dive shop and pontoon boats for rent. Diving in Dale Hollow is good, but the visibility can vary greatly depending on conditions and boat traffic.

    • Darwin Island - Galapagos

      • www.galapagos-aggressor.com/ Definitely one of the most spectacular dive locations I've ever been to! We were there during El Nino, so my experience was not representative for normal conditions there. The water was so warm that many of us were wearing thin suits or even dive skins. Normal conditions around Darwin's Island require a thick wetsuit, hood and gloves, or even a drysuit.

    • Diamond Rock -- Saba

      • www.seasaba.com Definitely one of the prettiest and most alive pinnacles in the Caribbean that I have ever seen (though it gets its name from the white guano, not diamonds)! Maximum depth about 80 feet, tons of critters including huge Southern Stingrays, sharks, corals, fans, and anemones. We were lucky enough to even see the mating ritual of Flying Gurnards! And we left a little something behind on the rock. And check out the Saba Nature Site Newsletter and a listing of all of Saba's dive sites.

    • Devil's Den - Williston, Florida

      • www.devilsden.com Devil's Den was where I got certified many years ago. It holds a special attraction to me and I am often found there certifying students of my own. The place certainly takes you back thousands of years. Fossils are everywhere inside the den. One of the nice features of Devil's Den is the partial enclosure of it. It's not a cave or even a cavern so special training is not required to dive there, though there are penty of nooks and crannies to explore. The water temperature is 72 degrees all year. 50-60 feet deep, depending on water level. Take a look around at the grounds, and enjoy the beautiful flowers. Pet the kitty cats. They are all very friendly and love the attention!


    E

    • Eagles Nest -- Catalina, California

      • www.optiquatics.com A beautiful dive site! We made several dives at this location over the course of a weekend aboard The Peace. We saw harbor seals, an angel shark, scorpion fish, lobsters, garibaldi, and much, much more!

    • Ellie's Reef -- Vancouver Island, Canada

      • www.oceanexplorersdiving.com/ If you've never seen a wolf eel this is the place to go. On this site there's a gigantic, friendly gal named Ellie. I was shooting video and she literally sat in front of my camera for an age! Besides this wonderful wolf eel there is a lot of life here. Cold water, but well worth your time and efforts getting there.

    • Empire Mica, Florida

      • www.pcdivecenter.com/ A wonderful shipwreck, sunk in 1942 by a submarine, off the gulf shores of Florida. You may reach the dive site by other means, but the shortest boat ride is from Port St. Joe. Lots of fish! Angels, arrow crabs, blue damsels, butterflies, jacks, snappers. Lots of schooling fishes, too.

    • Exotica -- Grand Cayman

      • www.oceanfrontiers.com Awesome dive on the South side of Grand Cayman. We saw lots of fish, eels, sharks, stingrays, lobsters, tons of coral and more!

    • Eye of the Needle -- Saba

      • www.seasaba.com Saba is known for her offshore pinnacles. The "Eye of the Needle" rises breathtakingly up from the deep to 90 feet, if you can find it, which requires reasonably calm waters. The deep waters are filled with fishes and turtles. Currents and crystal clear water. Anemones, frogfish, lizardfish, and more. A great location for macro photography as well, so bring a good underwater camera! [All about Saba's dive sites]


    F

    • Fallen Leaf Lake, California

      • Report: Fallen Leaf Lake Fallen Leaf lake is a small lake (about three miles long and a mile wide) a mile or two off Lake Tahoe. The lake level is at 6,300 feet and the scenery is incredible. Park at the lot by the Fallen Leaf store and enter the lake by the boat docks. The drop-off is a steep 45 degrees, so it gets deep very quickly. The water is very clear but the bottom is silty. In September, the water was 67 degrees at the surface, but it got colder quickly. The lake is said to be almost 400 feet deep, so there's plenty of potential here.

    • Fontana Lake, North Carolina

      • www.westernncattractions.com/fontana.htm Fontana Lake is suitable for all types of dive training levels, from beginning divers through Trimix dives. Good diving conditions can range from 10 feet to as deep as 400 feet, depending on location and training level.

    • Folsom Lake, California

      • Folsom Lake website A large (975,000 acre-feet) reservoir lake in a rather picturesque setting. Conrad did his checkout dives there at Brown's Ravine and, due to varying water levels, got to dive over what is a parking lot in the dryer seasons! When the lake was full, we dove to the bottom of the boat ramp at 85 feet. When the lake is low, almost the entire ramp is exposed. Visibility is okay early in the year when the new water comes in from the Sierras, but it's easy to kick up silt. This one's for when you live in Sacramento and have nowhere else to go dive! Map shows the submerged parking lot.


    G

    • Galapagos

      • www.galapagos-aggressor.com/ Galapagos Islands offer a wide range of diving environments. Most noted for the schooling hammerheads, you are likely to see numerous large animals along your journey! There are giant manta rays, spotted eagle rays, golden cow rays, sealions, eels, red lipped batfish ... to name a few!

    • Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta, Georgia

      • www.georgiaaquarium.org The Georgia Aquarium is not only an incredible place to visit, but you can also dive there! The Aquarium offers both snorkeling and scuba dive adventures in its massive 6.3 million gallon tank that's 30 feet deep. We did the dive and it was simply awesome: there are four whale sharks, four manta rays, and literally hundreds of sharks and other large sea creatures. The guided dive is 30 minutes and you'll get to experience swimming with more different sharks than you'll likely see in a lifetime of diving. Well worth the money!

    • Ginnie Springs - High Springs, Florida

      • www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com Ginnie Springs offers something for almost everyone. Gin-clear waters for Openwater Evaluation dives, Caverns and Caves for more advanced training levels, and a wonderful river run that is perfect for a drift dive. In open water areas of the system you should expect to see ultra clear waters, tons of fish and turtles, including tiny freshwater flounders. Quite often one will find its way inside my mask. Ok, I put it there :-)

    • Grand Cayman

      • www.oceanfrontiers.com Grand Cayman offers such wonderfully friendly dives for all skill levels. Many people vacation on Grand Cayman every year in search of great diving destinations. Seven Mile Beach is where the easiest diving is located.


    H

    • Heian Maru -- Truk Lagoon

      • www.bluelagoondiveresort.com The shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon, like the 11,600 tonne Heian Maru, are some of the finest dive sites in the world. Going there is often a trip of a lifetime for a person. Scuba divers are fortunate that we get to enjoy so much more of our planet than landlubbers. All of these wrecks are encrusted with so much coral, sponges, anemones, sea fans, etc. that they are almost unrecognizable as ships!

    • Honduras

      • www.cocoviewresort.com There are many places to stay and dive in Honduras and the Bay Islands, but my personal favorite is CoCoView Resort. A family owned and operated facility, CoCoView offers a wide range of services. From diving certification to photography classes, from buoyancy seminars to ship wrecks, CoCoView has it all!

    • Huron Lake, Michigan

      • www.shipwreckadventures.com Greg Such, owner and captain of Shipwreck Adventures has been a dear friend of mine for quite a few years. We happened to be in the area while he was there with a charter, so he invited us to go along. There are tons of wrecks in all of the Great Lakes, but many are left for future discovery. Greg is doing his share to locate and research them.


    I

    • Immel Quarry, Tennessee

      • www.rheas.mbdc.net This quarry is off-limits to recreational diving. It is used primarily for Trimix training and diving. It is a very large quarry with depths ranging from 130 to 205 feet. Visibility can vary drastically from day to day. For more information on Trimix and all other dive training, please check out my diving alma mater, the website listed above.

    • Isla MIrada Key, Florida

      • I really can't give an accurate account of what typical diving is like here. We were there during lobster season and everything was in a state of total frenzy! We made 21 dives in four days. I can't even tell you how many lobsters we caught! Yes, I'll go back there someday!

    • Isla Mujeres, Mexico

      • Isla Mujeres is a small island about five miles off Cancun. There are ferries between Cancun and the island, and there are some interesting dive sites off the southern point of Isla Mujeres, such as the world-famous underwater museum in just 20 feet of water.


    J

    • Jellyfish Lake -- Palau

      • www.divepalau.com Jellyfish Lake on the island of Eil Malk is actually a wonderful snorkeling experience! I've been there many times and I've never seen anyone haul scuba gear up there (it can be done but requires guidance and a permit), just snorkeling gear. The total experience is well worth the hike! Imagine millions of non-stinging Mastigias and Moon jellies ranging from the size of your little fingernail all the way up to larger than would fit in your hand! The last El Nino diminished the population, so check in advance on what is open.

    • Jocassee Lake, South Carolina

      • www.lakejocassee.com/ Jocassee Lake is actually a reservoir. There have been items put in the lake that are meant as entertainment for scuba divers. An old Japanese Junk surrounded by plastic pink flamingos, to name one. There's a church, a graveyard, and more, I'm sure. An old town was flooded in the making of the lake.


    K

    • Kauai, Hawaii

      • www.seasportdivers.com If you love turtles, this is the place for you. I don't believe I have ever seen so many turtles! We saw sharks, frogfish, all sorts of fish. This island is absolutely breathtaking and the underwater area isn't bad either.


    L

    • Lake Tahoe - Nevada/California

      • Lake Tahoe dive sites The Lake Tahoe area is not only incredibly scenic, the lake itself, 6,230 feet above sea level, is perfect for high altitude diving. The water is almost always crystal-clear with visibility in the 60 foot range and going up to 100 feet. The lake is very deep, almost 1,700 feet, but there is plenty of interesting and relatively shallow diving and there are a good dozen great dive sites. Several have spectacular wall dives. Keep in mind, that Nevada State Law REQUIRES divers to tow a dive flag.

    • Little Cayman - Cayman Islands

      • Little Cayman If you're interested in easy diving in awesome conditions, Little Cayman is for you! The reefs and walls are awesome for macro photography! We saw such creatures as Juvenile Spotted Drums (shown in the pic to the right) on many dives. We were even able to see a few juvenile box fish! With such wonderful conditions, be sure to take your dive computer. If you're not Nitrox certified, this is the perfect example of why you should be. :-) For some of the underwater scenery, see my Cayman Gallery.

    • Loch Low-Minn - Athens, Tennessee

      • www.lochlow-minn.com In 1996, Rick and Stacy Low, purchased the old McMinn County Quarry. They named the resort Loch (Scottish for Lake) Low (Owners last names) Minn (for McMinn County). This quarry has been in Dive Training Magazin a couple of times. There's a lot to see there with more underwater attractions arriving almost daily. The owners live on site and have always taken outstanding care of the grounds and the quarry. (Video by Ted Walker)

    • Los Islotes - Sea of Cortez, Mexico

      • www.solmarv.com This dive site is actually a sea lion rookery. You are also likely to run into an elephant seal if you go there during their mating season. With a lot to see, this location if one of my favorites in the Sea of Cortez.


    M

    • Mantagasm, Socorro

      • www.solmarv.com I really don't know what the name of this dive site is, but Mantagasm is what we called it. My dive buddies and I agree we have never seen a dive site with more friendly giant manta rays! I later learned giant mantas have long term memory, so they would pick their favorite diver, stay with them, and would recognize them again, even a year later! These mantas are more strictly regulated now, but I won't complain. The regulations are a very good idea for those magnificent creatures' safety! For a virtual tour of the magnificent Solmar V, click here.

    • Menagerhea's -- Roatan, Honduras

      • www.cocoviewresort.com A few years ago our group from Rhea's Dive Shop in Maryville, TN, was given the opportunity to dive a brand new dive site off of Roatan. As a result, they were allowed to name the site! It's a beautiful dive site with lots of corals, sea fans, fish, and more! The picture shows the Cocoview Resort and was taken by Charley Carpenter. Yes, it's that beautiful there.

    • Manatee Spring, Chiefland, Florida

      • Manatee Springs State Park Manatee and Catfish Hotel Sink are beautiful fresh water springs, with my personal favorite being Catfish Hotel Sink. Most of the time the spring is covered with duck weed which adds a wonderful effect to your dive. Stepping off into this spring is like diving into pre-historic times. There are pristine waters, huge downed trees, lots of fish, crayfish, turtles, etc. At the bottom of the Catfish Hotel Sink is the entrance to a 500 foot cave that connects to the next basin. Watch for the syphon, and also keep an eye out for alligators. Last time I was there we saw one! The picture is from the bottom, shows the duck weed cover and the water so clear that you can see the trees above! One of my favorites! Make sure to check out their website.

    • Martha's Quarry - Martha, Tennessee

      • www.marthasquarry.com 45 acres of water! This quarry has a lot to see. The buildings are still there: rock crusher, conveyors, pump house, boats, a bus, a forest, and much, much more! Water temperatures can vary drastically depending on the depth, so come prepared!


    • Manta Ridge - Yap

      • www.mymicronesic.com / yap Most definitely worth the long trip around the globe. We saw 18 giant mantas swimming above us as if in formation! They were there to visit a cleaning station. We sat quietly and motionless on the bottom and watched in total awe.

    • Minnewanka Lake - Banff, Alberta, Canada

      • http://www.minnewankaboattours.com This was a fun dive! We wore drystuits, had to climb down huge boulders wearing double tanks, etc. A high altitude lake, so considerations had to be made to make the dive. We only made one dive there that day since I was flying home the following afternoon. For a full description of Lake Minnewanka and its dive sites click here.


    N

    • Naharon Cave -- Akumal, Mexico

      • www.cenotes.com This was a more advanced cave dive. We made a traverse from the entrance of one cave system, all the way through it, into another cave system and out its entrance! Stage bottles were needed, as the dive took well over two hours to complete. Seeing the incredible formations and being awed by the sheer size of the rooms will definitely live in my memory forever.

    • Mi'il Channel -- Yap

      • www.mymicronesia.com/yap I've been to this site several times. It's a great place to see eagle rays and giant manta rays. On my last visit there, my dive buddy and I deviated from the dive plan a little. We made a remarkable discovery ... a new dive site! We didn't see any giant mantas, but there were tons of jacks, huge schools of spotted eagle rays, a school of baby sharks, an enormous section of purple soft corals, a titon trigger nesting ground, and much more!

    • Ngeerchong Coral Gardens -- Yap

      • www.mymicronesia.com/yap The amount of fish and coral at this site is phenomenal! Tabletop corals were enormous there, and there are tons of them. A definite must see.

    • Ni' ihau Arches, Hawaii

      • www.seasportdivers.com Very nice dive site! Very nice underwater arches, tons of fish, and lots of shells! The crossing can be a bit rough, but it's worth it.


    O

    • Orange Canyon -- Grand Cayman

      • www.oceanfrontiers.com This is one of my most favorite dives of Grand Cayman! And it is appropriately named with all of the orange corals. If you like tons of fish, corals and fans, Orange Canyon is definitely a must see!

    • Ole Blue -- Bonaire

      • www.bmp.org/dive_and_tour_map.html Wow! What a terrific dive with a huge abundance of fish, corals, and sea fans. Do this one from shore or by boat, but by all means, just do it!

    • Oriskany artificial reef -- off Pensacola, FL

      • http://www.divemightyo.com/ The 888-foot long aircraft carrier Oriskany was sunk in 2006 to become the largest artificial reef ever and a dive attraction. Recreational divers can hover at 120-130 feet looking down; technical divers find it a terrific overhead environment training site.


    P

    • Palau

    • Peleliu Wall -- Palau

      • www.divepalau.com This is a wonderful dive site with lots to see! The currents can be tricky, so be sure to go and stay with a guide and enjoy the ride!

    • Punta Gorda - Sea of Cortez

    • Punta Sur -- Cozumel

      • http://www.aquasafari.com/maps/puntasur.html Off the South point of the island is one of the world's most spectacular site sites. This advanced dive begins at depths of 90 feet, takes you into the 130s, and drops to the abyss. Much of your time can be spent inside the reef, exploring the many caves, caverns and overhangs that make up this magnificent site. Make special arrangements with your dive operator as Punta Sur is not on their regular weekly schedules! [See an overview map of Cozumel]


    Q

    • Quintana Roo -- Mexico

      • www.cenotes.com Quintana Roo is actually a county on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The reason I listed it (besides the obvious reason of needing a dive site beginning with "Q") is that the whole area is littered with underwater caves! To not mention that would be a great injustice to the area. Please remember to stay out of all overhead environments unless you are properly trained and well equipped for the dive. Also read Mexico Cave Diving.


    R

    • Rainbow River - Dunellon, Florida

      • Rainbox Springs State Park A beautiful drift dive in an ultra clear spring-fed river, a five mile stretch of running water starting with a spring and ending where it enters Withlacoochee River! This is a highly protected area! You will not see any litter, just fish, turtles, beautiful plants, birds, and super clear water as you undulate and maneouver through a wondrous up-and-down (3-25 feet) underwater landscape of seagrass, channels and dunes! The temperature year round is 72 degrees and it's best to start at the K.P. Hole Park.

    • Rappel -- Bonaire

      • Map of Bonaire dive sites Another of Bonaire's 60+ official dive sites along the west side of the island, and most definitely one of my most favorite wall dives ever! There is so much life on that wall that it's almost beyond comprehension!

    • Roca Partida

      • www.solmarv.com Sometimes this dive site is visited during a trip to San Benedicto and Socorro Islands aboard the Solmar V. Sometimes it's not. It is about 85 miles west of San Benedicto, and weather plays the biggest part in that decision. We were extremely lucky. Not only did we get to dive there, but on one trip the seas were calm enough that we were able to moor there and dive for two days! Roca Partida means divided rock. This rock juts out of the water with a maximum depth of 200 feet. New divers must constantly be aware of their depth, as it is easy to get lost in the moment. With an abundance of Giant Manta rays circling you, a plethora of sharks, fishes and turtles, it's easy to lose track of time and depth! Most dives there I dropped down to 60+ feet to look for sharks, then remained at 30 feet and shallower for the remainder of my dive so that I could hang out with the magnificent mantas!

    • Rubicon Wall, Lake Tahoe, CA

      • Description of Rubicon wall dive Rubicon Point is a wall dive off D.L. Bliss State Park just north of Emerald Bay off Highway 89 on the southwest side of Lake Tahoe, elevation 6230 feet. There are diverse areas of shallow to deep water. The wall dive is located at Rubicon Point and is considered by many as the most breathtaking dive site in the entire Sierra. Vertical drops extend to well over 800 feet and proper buoyancy control is imperative. The Rubicon Point wall is located south of Calawee Beach (see map) after a 150-yard surface swim to the right. Surface water temperature in the summer is 66-68 degrees. At 110 feet we encountered 48 degrees in late July.


    S

    • Saba

      • www.seasaba.com A very small island that looks like something out of Jurassic Park or King Kong, Saba is an interesting place to dive and to visit. Saba is known for spectacular pinnacle dives with current. Every dive was filled with life. It's always wonderful to see a truly healthy ocean. We were there on the live-aboard Caribbean Explorer II. See Saba dive site map.

    • San Benedicto

      • www.solmarv.com Ok, this is my favorite dive destination. Too bad it's 250 miles off the Pacific coast of Mexico hard to get to and takes forever to travel there! If you want to see giant manta rays, sharks, hammerhead sharks, even humpback whales and possibly even whale sharks, this is the place to be! For a virtual tour of the magnificent Solmar V live-aboard that takes you there, click here.

    • San Francisco Maru -- Truk Lagoon

      • www.bluelagoondiveresort.com Most definitely a dive worth being trained in decompression procedures to go see! This wreck sits in 200+ feet of crystal clear blue water, with much to see shallower that 175 feet. On the deck of this ship expect to see a tank, mines, trucks, and much more!

    • Saskatchewan -- Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada

      • www.bcdiving.com One of the most impressive shipwrecks I have seen outside of Truk Lagoon! Two totally different diving environments, so I will not compare the two. We made four dives on this wreck and did not come close to seeing it all! My dive buddy and I were set up in drysuits with double tanks, stage bottles and oxygen for decompression, so we were able to stay down a long time and see a lot. Not everyone on the boat with us was set up as we were, but they were aware that their surface interval time would be extended.

    • Sea of Cortez -- Midriff islands

      • http://www.rociodelmarliveaboard.com The 110-foot Rocio Del Mar liveaboard is the perfect way to explore the remote, uninhabited Midriff islands in the Sea of Cortez. We swam with whale sharks, dolphins and sea lions, saw incredible macro life, and enjoyed the stark, romantic beauty of those remote, uninhabited islands. Stops included Angel island, Salsipuedes island, and San Pedro Martir. [See full review of the Rocio Del Mar]

    • Sea of Cortez -- South

      • www.solmarv.com As mentioned above, we were supposed to be going to Socorro, but due to the season's first hurricane, we went to the Sea of Cortez instead and I had no regrets. I loved it! There's great diving with lots to see.

    • Ship Rock - Santa Barbara, California

      • www.optiquatics.com This dive is definitely worth mentioning. Lots of beautiful kelp, lots of fish, and two Mola Molas! We discovered that they head out there to be cleaned. What a wonderful surprise!

    • Sinks - Great Smoky Mountains Nat' Park, Tennessee

      • http://www.smokyphotos.com/photo67.htm One of my favorite local dive sites. The Sinks have been thought to be "bottomless," but I can tell you that is totally untrue. We have spent many hours in the Sinks and can assure you it's only 17 feet deep at its deepest stop!

    • Socorro

      • www.solmarv.com I cannot say enough about Socorro, the largest of the four islands that make up the Islas Revillagigedos off the Pacific coast of Mexico. It is most definitely one of my favorite places on earth to go dive! The first time I went we were fortunate enough to see 30 to 50 humpback whales every day. For a virtual tour of the magnificent Solmar V, click here. You've not been diving until you have felt a humpback whale echo-locate you!

    • St. Kitts

      • http://www.prodiversstkitts.com/Dive.html A wonderful 65 square mile island with 35,000 population that's part of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. We were there in 2009 on the Caribbean Explorer II. Nice wreck dives (River Taw, Corinthean, etc.) One of my favorite dive sites here is Coral Gardens. The site is on the west side of the Monkeys where the shallow shoals start sloping into the deep blue of the sea. Lots of hard and soft corals in great condition and you'll find some of the bigger fish here. See St. Kitts dive sites.

    • Statia

      • www.divestatia.com Statia is commonly knowm as St. Eustatius, Netherland Antilles. If you are looking for unspoiled Caribbean charm and premier diving, this is the island for you! On the west side of the island, near Lowertown, divers and snorkelers alike can explore partially sunken warehouses and the old city wall just a short swim from the shore. There are many shipwrecks here which were laid to rest over 200 years ago. They are now completely corralized but still offer a chance to find an undiscovered piece of history such as a cannonball, clay pipe or even one of the famed blue glass trading beads that were said to be used to purchase Manhattan. And check out the Golden Rock Divers PADI 5-Star facility! Sadly, on our 2010 live-aboard trip with the Caribbean Explorer II, Statia was no longer on the itinerary.


    T

    • Theo -- Bahamas

      • www.unexso.com A very nice non-penetration dive of 230-foot wreck sunk 1982 and sitting at 100 feet. Lots to see here, including a giant green moray eel!

    • Three Sisters Spring - Crystal River, FL

      • www.birdsunderwater.com If you swim with the Manatees in Crystal River, make sure you get to snorkel or dive the Three Sisters spring area. The water is crystal clear, there are spring boils, you can still see the remnants of Jacques Cousteau's Manatee observation project, and you may even see Manatees in the wintertime. Book a Manatee tour with birdsunderwater.com and they'll take you there.

    • Tibbetts -- 356 Wreck - Cayman Brac

      • www.cyamanbrac.com I've been on this wreck a few times, but not in almost a decade. The first time I was there was six weeks after the wreck was sent to her final resting place. Within 45 minutes of her sinking, small creatures were already seeking shelter and making their new homes. A year later I returned. A lot had changed. I plan on going back there in September, so watch for updates!

    • Truk Lagoon

      • www.bluelagoondiveresort.com www.thorfinn.com www.trukodessey.com There is so much to say about this wonderful lagoon. So much that I can't even condense it all. Our group was fortunate enough to hear a young woman translate her grandfather's recollection of what had happened 52 years before, when he was there as a young man on a ship in the military. He lost a lot of friends during that battle. His memory was very clear. He told us of planes and ships and where he remembered seeing them for the last time as they disappeared under the sea. We were fortunate to see them and record them through means of video and photography equipment specifically designed for underwater use.


    U

    • Ulong Channel -- Palau

      • www.trip-n-tour.com Another one of my most favorite wall and drift dive sites with table corals! I could dive there every day and see different critters, but one thing is a constant ... sharks! There are so many sharks there, it must be sort of a major highway for them. Giant lionfish line the walls, anemones, triggers, and corals, making for a very colorful place. The current can be pretty strong.

    • U -- 352 -- North Carolina

      • www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/U352/U352.HTML Another great dive site offshore of Morehead City, NC. This is the wreck of a submarine, the U-352. We were there on the 60th Anniversary of her sinking. A beautiful dive, but also one that is often difficult to get to due to conditions.


    V

    • Valley of the Rays -- Yap

      • www.trip-n-tour.com As the name implies, these are surge channels through the reef, and we saw lots of giant manta rays who come there for feeding and cleaning. If you've not figured it out buy now, I love them! They are so peaceful, so curious, to graceful, so awesome! I hope that sometime during your scuba diving career you get to experience them firsthand!

    • Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

      • www.divingbccanada.com/ Vancouver Island is as beautiful below the surface as it is above. We toured the entire island and picked dive sites along the way. Not all of the dive operators were cooperative in accommodating our technical diving needs, but most of them were phenomenal!

    • Vertical Awareness -- Hawaii

      • www.seasportdivers.com Sheer dropoffs, totally vertical walls, schools of angels, moorish idols, butterflies -- all seemingly on a mission. Look up and you might see a monk seal. Beautiful dive!


    W

    • West Caicos

      • Turks & Caicos Tourism site West Caicos is a flat, uninhabited island that's about ten miles long and part of the Turks & Caicos islands in the Caribbeans. You can reach the dozen or so West Caicos divesites via diveboat from Provo or, better yet, onboard one of the live-aboard vessels crusing the area, such as the highly recommended Turks & Caicos Explorer II. West Caicos has spectacular wall dives and this is also a great place to see wild sharks! We saw literally dozens of reef sharks and also blacktips, nursesharks and silkies.

    • Wilderness Wall -- Cayman Brac

      • www.bracreef.com Beautiful wall dive. Lots of fish, corals, sea fans. I don't know of a bad dive site in the Caymans. Conditions have always been wonderful when I've been there.

    • Wolf Island - Galapagos

      • www.galapagos-aggressor.com/ What a wonderful place to dive! We saw tons of hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, manta rays, marble rays, turtles, puffers, eels, slipper lobsters, and way too much to mention. I highly recommend going to the Galapagos Islands.

      Wye - Townsend, Tennessee

      • A shallow little dive in a very clear river right off Tennessee Route 337 (Smoky Mountains Highway) where it intersects Cades Cove Road, but often fun and relaxing. For me, it's a great, easy dive site to get to after a long day at work. Located just inside the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Townsend, Tennessee, this dive site is only ten feet deep. Depending on the season, the temperatures vary from upper 40s to just over 70 degrees. This is a prime dive site for seeing Hellbenders.


    X

    • Xel Ha Cave - Mexico

      • Xel-Ha Mayan Cave system The Mayan world was upside down. Heaven was below ground in an"underworld" of caves, guarded by fantastic beasts and gods. The religious beliefs of the ancient Mayas always represented a sort of cyclic duality which was explained to them by nature itself. Caves had a very significant importance in their culture because they were considered to be a portal of communication with their gods, a characteristic true of many ancient Mesoamerican cultures.


    Y

    • Yamagiri Maru -- Truk Lagoon

      • www.bluelagoondiveresort.com This dive site is filled with huge vibrant hot pink anemones, octopus, squid, porcupine fish and lots more. Makes for a phenomenal night dive.

    • Yap

      • www.mymicronesia.com/yap/ Yap is known their giant manta rays. We were able to see a large number of mantas, other large rays, and a vast variety of other fish. If you're looking for a secluded place to go and dive, this is your place! for a map and description of Yap's dive sites, click here.

    • Yukon (wreck)

      • The HMCS Yukon The wreck of the 366-foot Canadian destroyer HMCS Yukon rest at about 105 feet in the usually fairly cold waters (50-60F) off the coast of San Diego. Extensively prepared for divers, the Yukon is an impressive dive, though visibility varies and can be poor. Lots of giant white anemones and bright-red strawberry anemones. There are three mooring lines. We recommend Waterhorse Charters to dive the wreck of the Yukon and other San Diego dive destinations (see their dock location).


    Z

    • Zacaton - Tamaulipas, Mexico

      • DepthX Project -- Unless you want to set a world deep diving record, do not dive here! The Sistema Zacaton is the world's deepest cave, where Jim Bowden reached 925 feet in 1994 (and Sheck Exley died during the same exploration) and a NASA robot touched bottom at 1046 feet in the spring of 2007. See 3D map animations and the science of the Zacaton NASA/DepthX project.

    • Zero -- Truk Lagoon

      • www.bluelagoondiveresort.com Among the many wrecks that are scattered along the ocean floor of Truk Lagoon are a few planes as well as ships. Betty Bombers and Zero's are among them. We were able to dive a wide variety of sites during the week we were there. I strongly recommend combining a week at Truk Lagoon, a week at Palau, and at least four days at Yap. It is a long journey, so you might as well make it worth your while.

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Thoughts on Scuba
Is Lake Tahoe still clear?
When it rains on a dive trip
Diving logistics
Treasure Hunter
Virtual dive operations
Bad Air!
Sea of Cortez -- the Rocio Del Mar
Whale sharks in the wild
Diving the Revillagigedos: Mantas!
Milestones
About prescription dive masks
Diving the Georgia Aquarium
Compatibility and underwater photographers
New (and lighter) gear
Las Islas Coronado
Hoi An Hoard
Back to Roatan
California Channel Islands
Experimenting with dive gear
Drift diving in Cozumel
Fallen Leaf Lake, CA
Sharks, finally
The Liveaboard Experience
Florida: A great dive trip for less
Can you dive a parking lot?
Diving "Wreck Alley"
Picking the right dive suit
Getting started with dry suits
Going back to Roatan
Diving Mary's Place
Prince Albert and Green Blood
First ocean dive
Diving Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe
Diving at altitude revisited
Full Face Mask
Quarry Diving in Tennessee
A disturbing book on freediving
Mark Fyvie (1972-2008)
The Florida Springs
The submersible Rinspeed sQuba car
Dive Computer Blues
Pony bottles - good or bad?
The Oceanic Datamask
Another advancd NAUI class
Nitrogen Narcosis
Watching "The Deep" (1977) again
Less Dive Time for NAUI Divers?
Taking a handheld computer underwater
Nitrox Certified!
Thoughts about Nitrox
Lifetime warranty
The Folsom Outhouse
Diving Rubicon Wall, Lake Tahoe
Diving Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe
Diving as a means for terrorism?
Body fat, body composition, and diving
Underwater cameras without cases
Missed Scuba Show 2007!
The Pegasus Thruster
Pool Session
Refreshers
Allergies!!!
Dual-hose regulators
Don't Eat Me!
Cousteau Perfection
Being a Good Dive Buddy
Diving Safety
February Dive Trip!
Can alligators get you?
Scuba and Fitness
Mapping diving sites
Caves and Caverns
Of C-Cards
Rebreathers
More on Scuba books
NAUI Advanced Certification
Underwater Photography
What classes don't teach
What to do between dives
NAUI Advanced Classes
Haunted Night Dive!
Back from Little Cayman
Diving with critters
Altitude Certified!
Struggling after certification
Finding a new dive shop
Dive shop went under!
Advice on buying dive gear
PADI certified!
First open water dive
A night at the Wye
The PADI approach
First breath underwater