As we head into 2025, new diving travel opportunities await, offering exciting destinations and unforgettable scuba experiences for divers of all levels. Whether you're after a family-friendly adventure, remote liveaboard experiences, luxurious beach resorts with incredible house reefs, or something a little different, there's plenty to choose from. From new and exciting locations to hidden gems and long-time favourites, there’s something for everyone in our top diving holiday destinations for 2025.
Magnificent Maldives
The Maldives is an idyllic paradise, both above and below the water. With its crystal-clear waters and beautiful white sandy beaches, it’s no wonder that it’s a destination that features on the bucket list of those looking to relax in luxury. The diving in the Maldives is incredibly diverse, giving you thrilling shark and manta encounters alongside serene dolphin and turtle adventures. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced diver, the Maldives offers a wide range of dive sites suited to all levels.
Diving in the Maldives is an all-year-round activity, with water temperatures remaining a warm 28°C to 30°C throughout the year. Although it is a year-round destination, the diving conditions and marine life are influenced by two main seasons.
The dry northeast monsoon lasts from November to April and is when you will experience the best visibility underwater and calm seas. This is considered the peak season for diving, with an abundance of marine life on offer, from stunning hammerhead, tiger, and reef sharks to graceful whale sharks and manta rays. The quieter southern Maldives dive sites, such as Fuvahmulah Atoll and Addu Atoll are the place to be during this period if you’re interested in encountering the big species.
The wet southwest monsoon lasts from May to November, and this is the best time to see larger pelagics in the central and northern Maldives. While visibility is slightly reduced, the nutrient-rich waters encourage exciting encounters with species such as whale sharks and manta rays at Hanifaru Bay, along with trevally, barracudas, and yellowfin tuna. Turtles can be spotted around the reef edges and coral gardens of Baa Atoll, and if you’re interested in the smaller creatures, the wet season is a great time to spot nudibranchs, mantis shrimp, and octopuses hiding in the coral.
The Maldives is the ideal destination for those seeking exceptional diving and luxurious resorts, offering a perfect blend of amazing marine life, colourful coral reefs, and world-class accommodation. Whether you're exploring the underwater wonders or relaxing in a five-star setting, the Maldives promises an unforgettable experience.
Tantalising Thailand
Thailand is a captivating destination with its rich culture, stunning landscapes, incredible wildlife, and delicious food, as well as world-class diving. Its colourful coral reefs and warm waters are home to a diverse range of marine life, making it an ideal spot for divers of all levels. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced diver, there’s something for everyone. From exploring colourful reefs teeming with tropical fish to encountering majestic creatures like whale sharks and manta rays, Thailand offers an unforgettable diving experience alongside its many other natural and cultural treasures.
Diving in Thailand is amazing all year round, but the best time to dive is during the dry season, from November to April. This period offers calmer waters and better visibility, with water temperatures around 28°C to 30°C, making it the perfect time to explore the Similan Islands and Phi Phi Islands. During the wet season, from May to October, you can still enjoy fantastic diving, especially in the central and northern regions; however, visibility may be slightly reduced.
The Similan Islands are famous for their crystal-clear waters, colourful coral reefs, and rich marine life, including whale sharks and manta rays. Koh Tao is a popular spot for beginner divers, with stunning sites like Chumphon Pinnacle, where you can see turtles, barracudas, and sometimes even a whale shark. The Phi Phi Islands are known for their beautiful coral gardens, home to blacktip reef sharks and a wide range of colourful fish. Richelieu Rock is a top choice for experienced divers, offering the chance to encounter whale sharks, manta rays, and large schools of fish.
Thailand offers a wide range of experiences beyond diving. Explore stunning temples, visit historical sites, or enjoy vibrant street markets in Bangkok, where you can indulge in Thailand's renowned cuisine. Relax on beautiful beaches or enjoy trekking and visit an ethical elephant sanctuary for unique wildlife encounters. Thailand has something for everyone!
Fabulous Fiji
Exciting shark encounters, pristine coral reef systems, diverse underwater landscapes, and rich biodiversity have all earned Fiji its rightful reputation as one of the world’s top dive destinations. With standout dive sites aplenty and the accolade of being the “soft coral capital of the world,” the oceanic treasures awaiting in Fiji’s warm tropical waters promise endless rewards to justify the journey time to get there.
North Fiji boasts some of the most captivating sites in the region, with notable dive spots including Bligh Water, Rainbow Reef, and Namena Marine Reserve. These areas are home to a wealth of dive sites renowned for their diverse ecosystems and spectacular landscapes of delicate coral gardens, sheer reef walls, bommies, current-flushed channels, and exquisite dramatic pinnacles. Expect breathtaking underwater scenery, teeming with a myriad of vibrant fish and colourful corals.
In the south, Beqa Lagoon is famed for its exhilarating encounters with various shark species, including bull sharks, tiger sharks, and reef sharks. Colourful coral reefs are adorned with a stunning array of hard and soft corals, and are home to rays, turtles, eels, octopuses, and several fascinating wrecks, including the MV Salamanda, a former Fijian naval vessel sunk as an artificial reef.
When you’re not submerged in Fiji’s breathtaking underwater world, you are never far from a palm-fringed beach, cascading waterfall, and lush rainforest, making this a destination of outstanding natural beauty both above and beneath the waves.
Thrilling Truk
Whether you’re drawn to the haunting history of wartime wrecks or seeking the thrill of exploring underwater relics, Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon is a must-dive destination for all wreck diving enthusiasts and a highlight of many divers’ adventures.
Located in the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean, Truk is known as the “Wreck Diving Capital of the World,” a title earned due to its world-class collection of remarkably well-preserved World War II shipwrecks. Japanese warships, cargo ships, submarines, and aircraft can all be found resting on the ocean floor, making up the 60 fascinating wartime vessels that offer a unique and surreal glimpse into the past, with each wreck telling its own story.
Truk Lagoon is not just for experienced divers. From shallow wrecks that are accessible to novice divers to deeper sites for experienced technical divers, there’s something for every type of diver. Coupled with excellent visibility exceeding 30 metres, conditions are optimal for relishing both the historical significance and the spectacular underwater scenery.
Whilst the wrecks are remnants of the aftermath of war, marine life here has flourished, and the landscape has given way to a rich and vibrant underwater ecosystem. Beautiful, colourful corals now encrust the wreck surfaces, providing complex habitats and shelter for a myriad of reef fish species, including butterflyfish, angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, and wrasses. Larger species such as groupers, snappers, and barracudas are also frequent visitors to the wrecks, as well as tuna, jacks, sea turtles, and occasionally sharks, including reef sharks and hammerheads.
Truk Lagoon is also a haven for macro photography enthusiasts. Nudibranchs, shrimp, crabs, and other small invertebrates can be found in abundance on the wrecks and surrounding reefs. These smaller creatures add to the diversity and complexity of the ecosystem.
Promising a captivating blend of history, adventure, and natural beauty, Truk is a top destination for divers seeking both historical exploration and vibrant underwater ecosystems.
Beautiful Bonaire
Nestled in the heart of the Caribbean, Bonaire is more than just a quintessential island paradise; for those passionate about underwater discovery, it’s a diver's paradise, renowned for its crystal-clear waters, pristine coral reefs, and spectacular marine life, with the entire coastline designated as a marine park as part of Bonaire’s strong conservation ethos.
One of the most distinctive features of diving in Bonaire is the unparalleled ease of shore diving. The island boasts over 80 marked dive sites accessible directly from the shore. Simply drive to a site, gear up, and step into the water. This freedom allows divers to explore at their own pace, making multiple dives a day without the need for boat schedules. Popular sites like 1000 Steps, Andrea I & II, and Bari Reef offer diverse underwater landscapes just a few steps from the beach.
The waters around Bonaire are a vibrant tapestry of marine biodiversity. Divers frequently encounter colourful reef fish such as parrotfish, angelfish, and butterflyfish. The reefs also provide sanctuary to larger species like barracudas, tarpon, and even the occasional sea turtle or eagle ray. Night dives reveal more elusive nocturnal creatures, including octopuses, lobsters, and moray eels.
Bonaire’s clear, warm waters offer excellent visibility, often exceeding 30 metres. The island’s arid climate means there is minimal runoff to cloud the water, ensuring consistently good diving conditions year-round, with average water temperatures of 25°C to 29°C, making for comfortable diving without the need for thick wetsuits.
Whether you’re seeking a tranquil solo dive or an adventurous exploration of deeper sites, Bonaire offers something for everyone. The island’s warm hospitality, coupled with its stunning underwater landscapes, ensures that your diving trip to Bonaire will be nothing short of extraordinary.
Pack your gear, book your trip, and dive into the wonders of Bonaire. The underwater world awaits!
Paradisical Diving in the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 beautiful islands, rich in cultural experiences and natural wonders. Its incredible location at the apex of the Coral Triangle makes it a standout dive destination, with waters boasting the most unparalleled biodiversity found anywhere else in the world, making it the crème de la crème of underwater life.
With record numbers of marine and coral species, it’s no wonder that the Philippines is home to a paradisical array of world-class dive sites, each offering unique underwater landscapes and experiences, with spectacular colour and vibrant scenery at every glance. Discover over 500 species of coral and more than 2,000 species of marine life in a dream destination that promises a magical underwater world.
Popular dive sites such as Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Apo Reef, and Anilao offer incredible visibility, diverse marine ecosystems, and the chance to encounter species like manta rays, whale sharks, and barracudas.
The Philippines’ underwater realm is unparalleled, with exquisite coral formations, majestic pelagics, dramatic landscapes, thrilling drifts, deep canyons, jaw-dropping swim-throughs, elusive critters, magical macro life, endemic species, and historical wrecks. Combined with its rich culture, warm hospitality, and stunning landscapes above water, the Philippines is a top choice for divers from around the world.
