Reefs, walls, wrecks and big animals
Island Scuba Diving Around the World
Island scuba diving puts you on a small piece of land surrounded by deep water, so the reef starts close to shore and the drop-off is often a short boat ride away. This guide walks through the island regions divers travel to most, what each one is known for, and how to plan the trip.
Five island regions
Where island divers go
Each region has its own water temperature, seasons and signature dives. Start with the one that matches the diving you want, then read the island-by-island notes on its page.
Why islands
What makes island diving different
Most of the world's best-known dive sites sit off islands, and that is no accident. An island is the top of a mountain, a volcano or an old reef that rises from deep water. Coral grows in the sunlit shallows around it, the slope below drops into open ocean, and currents that sweep past bring food for fish, rays and sharks. On a continent you may need a long boat ride to reach clean, deep water. On a small island it can start a few fin kicks from the beach.
Islands also tend to be protected. Many of the places on this site are marine parks or reserves: the Bonaire National Marine Park dates from 1979, Komodo National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Palau made its waters a shark sanctuary in 2009. Protection usually means more fish, healthier coral and rules for divers, such as park fees, no gloves, or a cap on how many people dive a site each day.
The trade-off is logistics. Getting to a remote island can mean two or three flights, small planes with strict baggage limits, or a week on a liveaboard boat. Weather matters more, too, because a small island has nowhere to hide from a storm. Our island dive trip planning guide covers seasons, flights, liveaboards and the gear worth packing, and how Isla Scuba writes its guides explains where our information comes from.
Pick an island by the diving you want
Rather than chasing a "best island" list, start with the kind of dive that excites you. Most islands are strong at one or two of these and average at the rest.
Walls and drop-offs
Vertical reef that falls past recreational depth. Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall, Grand Turk and Palau's Blue Corner are classic examples.
Shore diving
Walk in from the beach whenever you like. Bonaire and Curaçao are built around it, and so is Tulamben in Bali.
Big animals
Mantas, whale sharks, hammerheads and schooling sharks. Think the Maldives, Yap, the Galápagos and French Polynesia's passes.
Wrecks
Chuuk Lagoon's Japanese fleet, Coron in the Philippines, the SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu and Scapa Flow in Orkney.
Macro and muck
Tiny, strange creatures on sand and rubble. Lembeh Strait and Anilao are the names photographers know.
Drift diving
Let the current carry you along the reef. Cozumel's gentle drifts and Komodo's fast channels sit at opposite ends of the scale.
Learning to dive
Islands that suit new divers
Calm, warm and shallow water makes the first dives easier, and some islands have all three. Bonaire and Curaçao have sheltered west coasts with reefs a short swim from shore. Grand Cayman has easy reefs and a large choice of dive centers. Utila in Honduras and Koh Tao in Thailand are known for training thousands of new divers a year.
Our guide to the best islands for beginner divers explains what to look for, how an Open Water course works and which conditions are best left until you have more dives in your log.
Before you book
Timing an island dive trip
Seasons decide more than anything else. The Atlantic hurricane season, which also covers the Caribbean, runs from June 1 to November 30. The Maldives are driest from roughly December to April. Thailand's Similan Islands close for the southwest monsoon from about mid-May to mid-October, and Tubbataha in the Philippines can only be reached by liveaboard from about mid-March to mid-June.
Plan your last dive well before your flight home, too. Divers Alert Network guidance is a minimum surface interval of 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after several dives a day or several days of diving.
Read the trip planning guideQuestions
Island scuba diving FAQ
Do I need to be certified to dive on an island trip?
You need a certification such as PADI or SSI Open Water to dive with a dive center on your own. If you are not certified, most island dive centers offer a supervised try dive (PADI calls it Discover Scuba Diving) or a full Open Water course during your stay.
Which island region has the warmest water?
The Caribbean, the Coral Triangle in Southeast Asia, the tropical Pacific and the Maldives all stay warm all year. The Atlantic islands on this site, such as the Canaries and the Azores, are noticeably cooler, and most divers wear a thicker wetsuit there.
Is a liveaboard better than staying on the island?
A liveaboard reaches remote sites, such as Tubbataha, Darwin and Wolf in the Galápagos, or the outer reefs of Raja Ampat, and fits in more dives a day. Staying on the island is cheaper, more flexible and better for non-diving partners. Our trip planning guide compares the two.
Can I fly between islands right after diving?
Treat a flight between islands like any other flight. Divers Alert Network suggests waiting at least 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after repetitive or multi-day diving, so plan dive-free days around inter-island flights.
Not sure where to start?
Begin with the Caribbean if you want short flights and easy diving, or the Coral Triangle if you want the most marine life anywhere.