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Asia-Pacific 
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
West Papua · Indonesia★ 4.9
The most biodiverse reefs on earth, soft-coral gardens, drifting mantas and walls so alive they look painted.
Best forBiodiversity
TypeReef · drift
SeasonOct–Apr
The reefs, walls, wrecks and big-animal encounters worth booking a whole trip around, ranked, with the season and what waits below the surface.
Some dives are worth crossing oceans for. We ranked the planet’s great underwater destinations by sheer wow, from coral gardens to shark-filled blue water.
Asia-Pacific The most biodiverse reefs on earth, soft-coral gardens, drifting mantas and walls so alive they look painted.
Oceania The world’s largest reef system, from the Ribbon Reefs to the Cod Hole’s giant potato cod.
Asia An oceanic sea-mount swirling with turtles, reef sharks and tornado-like barracuda schools.
Americas A 124m sapphire sinkhole of ancient stalactites and circling reef sharks.
Middle East Warm, clear water over coral walls and legendary WWII wrecks like the Thistlegorm.
Americas Hammerhead and whale-shark encounters in cold, wild current, plus diving marine iguanas.
Oceania Blue Corner’s electric drifts and the surreal, stingless Jellyfish Lake.
Americas Effortless, vivid drift diving along a healthy stretch of Caribbean reef.
Asia Manta cleaning stations, channel drifts and night dives beside whale sharks.
Europe Snorkel or dive between two continental plates in glacial, glass-clear water.
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