Module 11

Dive Sites Atlas

A curated catalogue of recreational scuba's most important sites — with depth, conditions, certification level required, marine life and conservation status.

Sites in catalogue

Regions

UNESCO sites

Marine protected

Caribbean & Atlantic

Site	Country	Type	Cert	Max	Best season	Highlight
Belize Blue Hole UNESCO	Belize	Cavern	Advanced	40 m	Mar–Jun	Iconic karst sinkhole; stalactites at 35–40m
Bloody Bay Wall	Cayman Islands	Wall	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Vertical wall starting at 6m, plunging to 1,800m
Bonaire — 1000 Steps / Salt Pier MPA	Caribbean Netherlands	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Self-reliant shore-diving culture; entire coastline a marine park since 1979
Cenotes (Dos Ojos, The Pit, Angelita)	Mexico	Cavern	Cavern	30 m	Year-round	Crystalline freshwater; halocline; light beams, cave tech access
Channel Islands	USA	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Aug–Oct	Giant kelp forests; sea lions, garibaldi
Cozumel — Palancar / Santa Rosa Wall MPA	Mexico	Drift	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Effortless drift diving; eagle rays, splendid toadfish (endemic)
Crystal River	USA	Reef	Open Water	5 m	Nov–Mar	West Indian manatee winter aggregation
Lighthouse & Glover's Reef UNESCO	Belize	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	One of only four atolls in the western hemisphere
Malta & Gozo — Blue Hole / Inland Sea	Malta	Cavern	Open Water	40 m	May–Oct	Limestone geology, scuttled wrecks, year-round mild conditions
Roatan — Bay Islands	Honduras	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Mesoamerican Barrier Reef; affordable Caribbean diving
Stingray City	Cayman Islands	Reef	Open Water	4 m	Year-round	Wild southern stingrays; entry-level interaction site
Tiger Beach	Bahamas	Pelagic	Advanced	10 m	Oct–Jan	Reliable tiger shark interactions; lemon and reef sharks
USS Spiegel Grove	USA	Wreck	Advanced	40 m	Year-round	One of the largest artificial reefs in the world

Indo-Pacific

Site	Country	Type	Cert	Max	Best season	Highlight
Anilao	Philippines	Muck	Open Water	20 m	Nov–May	Macro paradise — nudibranchs, octopus, blue-ringed octopus
Apo Reef MPA	Philippines	Reef	Advanced	30 m	Nov–Jun	Second-largest contiguous reef in the world
Bunaken National Park MPA	Indonesia	Wall	Open Water	40 m	Apr–Nov	Vertical walls and clear water — one of the original underwater national parks
Coron Wrecks	Philippines	Wreck	Advanced	40 m	Nov–Jun	WWII Japanese fleet; multiple penetrable wrecks
Great Barrier Reef — Cod Hole / Ribbon Reefs UNESCO	Australia	Reef	Open Water	20 m	Jun–Oct	Potato cod, minke whales (seasonal)
Komodo UNESCO	Indonesia	Drift	Advanced	30 m	Apr–Nov	Strong currents; mantas, sharks, big schools
Layang Layang	Malaysia	Wall	Advanced	40 m	Apr–Aug	Hammerhead aggregations; remote atoll
Lembeh Strait	Indonesia	Muck	Open Water	20 m	Year-round	World capital of muck diving — mimic octopus, mandarin fish, frogfish
Malapascua — Monad Shoal	Philippines	Pinnacle	Advanced	30 m	Year-round dawn dives	Reliable thresher shark sightings — one of few sites in the world
Ningaloo Reef UNESCO	Australia	Reef	Open Water	20 m	Mar–Aug	Whale shark aggregations; humpback whales Jul–Oct
Palau — Blue Corner MPA	Palau	Drift	Advanced	30 m	Year-round, peak Mar–Apr	Hook-in dive; reef shark walls, schooling barracuda
Raja Ampat MPA	Indonesia	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Oct–Apr	Highest marine biodiversity on the planet — 1,500+ fish, 600+ coral species
Richelieu Rock	Thailand	Pinnacle	Advanced	30 m	Feb–May	Whale sharks; one of Cousteau's listed favourites
Similan Islands MPA	Thailand	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Nov–Apr	Granite boulder swimthroughs, manta rays, whale sharks
Sipadan permit-only	Malaysia	Wall	Advanced	40 m	Apr–Dec	Permit-only (120/day); barracuda tornado, turtle migrations
SS Yongala	Australia	Wreck	Advanced	30 m	Apr–Nov	Often ranked the world's best wreck dive; protected, no penetration
Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon	Micronesia	Wreck	Advanced	40 m	Year-round	WWII Japanese fleet — most extensive wreck-diving site in the world
Tubbataha Reefs UNESCO	Philippines	Reef	Advanced	30 m	Mar–Jun only	UNESCO World Heritage; sharks on every dive; access window 3 months a year
USS Liberty Wreck (Tulamben)	Indonesia	Wreck	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	WWII wreck; shore-accessible; macro and large-fish mix
Walindi / Milne Bay	Papua New Guinea	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Pristine reefs; macro and pelagic mix
Yap	Micronesia	Pinnacle	Open Water	25 m	Dec–Apr	Manta rays at cleaning stations year-round

Pacific & Cold-water

Site	Country	Type	Cert	Max	Best season	Highlight
Beqa Lagoon	Fiji	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Year-round	Bull sharks at scheduled feeds; cultural protocols matter
Big Island Manta Night Dive	USA (Hawaii)	Reef	Open Water	15 m	Year-round	Pacific manta rays feed on plankton attracted by lights
Cocos Island UNESCO	Costa Rica	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Jun–Nov	Hammerhead aggregations; tigers; UNESCO; liveaboard-only
Fakarava South Pass UNESCO	French Polynesia	Drift	Advanced	30 m	Jun–Oct	700+ grey reef sharks at the wall — UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Galapagos — Darwin & Wolf UNESCO	Ecuador	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Jun–Nov	Hammerhead schools, whale sharks (Jun–Nov), oceanic biodiversity
Isla Mujeres	Mexico	Pelagic	Open Water	5 m	May–Sep	Whale shark aggregation — one of the largest in the world
Molokini Crater MPA	USA (Hawaii)	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Apr–Oct	Sunken volcano caldera; clear water, accessible
Rainbow Reef — Somosomo	Fiji	Reef	Open Water	25 m	Apr–Oct	Soft coral capital of the world
Saltstraumen	Norway	Drift	Advanced	30 m	Jun–Sep	World's strongest tidal current; only diveable on slack tide
Silfra	Iceland	Cavern	Open Water	18 m	Year-round	Dive between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates; 2°C; 100m visibility
Socorro Islands UNESCO	Mexico	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Nov–May	Giant Pacific manta rays approach divers; humpbacks Jan–Apr

Red Sea & Indian Ocean

Site	Country	Type	Cert	Max	Best season	Highlight
Aliwal Shoal	South Africa	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Year-round	Tiger sharks, ragged-tooths, sardine run (Jun–Jul)
Brothers Islands MPA	Egypt	Wall	Advanced	40 m	Apr–Oct	Sharks (oceanic whitetips, hammerheads, threshers), Numidia & Aida wrecks
Daedalus Reef	Egypt	Wall	Advanced	40 m	Apr–Oct	Schooling hammerheads in summer
Elphinstone Reef	Egypt	Wall	Advanced	40 m	Apr–Oct	Oceanic whitetips Oct–Dec; sheer walls
Fuvahmulah	Maldives	Pelagic	Advanced	30 m	Year-round	Tiger sharks year-round, threshers seasonally
Hanifaru Bay UNESCO	Maldives	Drift	Open Water	15 m	May–Nov	Manta + whale shark feeding aggregations — UNESCO Biosphere
Maaya Thila	Maldives	Pinnacle	Advanced	30 m	Year-round	Famous night dive; sleeping reef sharks, hunting moray eels
Ras Mohammed National Park MPA	Egypt	Wall	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Anemone city, shark and yolanda reef — iconic Sinai diving
Sodwana Bay	South Africa	Reef	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Largest fringing reef in southern Africa; ragged-tooth sharks Jun–Sep
SS Thistlegorm	Egypt	Wreck	Advanced	30 m	Year-round	WWII supply ship; trucks, motorcycles, locomotives still on deck
Tofo	Mozambique	Pelagic	Open Water	30 m	Year-round	Whale sharks year-round; manta cleaning stations
Trincomalee	Sri Lanka	Pelagic	Open Water	20 m	Mar–Aug	Blue whale aggregations; some of the largest individuals on earth

Sites flagged Advanced are explicitly outside Open Water Diver training limits per ISO 24801-2. The Atlas is curated by working divemasters in each country — entries carry a named owner who is responsible for accuracy.