Top 5 Places to Learn to Scuba Dive

Scuba diving is one of the most popular tourist activities in the world. Every year, approximately 1 million licenses are applied for and issued for scuba diving instruction and underwater excursions. No wonder this sport lets you explore the hidden world: coral reefs, multiple colorful fishes and seaweed, mysterious caves, shipwreck sites, and so on. 

However, the thrilling experience has its challenges as well. Many people are afraid to go deep underwater for fear of equipment wreckage, disorientation, attack by ocean predators, etc. Those fears are not groundless as, indeed, entering a world where you may be short of breath should be done with the utmost caution.

Consider the following factors if you are going scuba diving for the first time:

• Licensed and experienced provider. Even if you plan to dive on your own in the future, the first attempts are better to be made with an experienced instructor. That’ll let you adhere to safety rules and enjoy the dive fully. 
• No big depth. When you dive for the first time, it’s reassuring to know you can get to the surface quickly even without assistance. 
• Calm water. Although deep in the ocean, it’s usually calm, the wavy upper layers of water can be disorienting. Prefer the place with the calm, almost still water. 
• Warm climate. Although the underwater world of the Norwegian fjords is fascinating, the cold temperature introduces many challenges such as additional equipment, a costume, and a short dive time. For your first dip, it’s best to choose a hot climate. 

Below, you’ll find 5 places that fully correspond to the listed conditions. They also offer a wide range of flora and fauna species and will leave you wanting more!

Bonaire

 

This small island in the Caribbean Sea is consistently ranked as one of the best diving destinations in the world. It is located close to Venezuela and belongs to the Netherlands. The weather here is sunny and hot year-round. The picturesque reefs that extend deep into the sea can be found along the shallow coast. You can begin diving at a comfortable depth and progress to more extreme locations if you wish. The underwater world is rich in diversity and color, with large turtles, numerous fish species, and small multicolored corals, to name a few. On Bonaire, there is almost no current, and the water is always clear. 

North Malé Atoll

A part of the Malé Atoll on the Maldives, this location is teeming with diving sites. For the most part, the water here is calm and transparent, and it is warm all year. Here, you can train to scuba dive in the still water of multiple lagoons or go drift diving between the reefs. The site is home to numerous live corals that form colorful underwater gardens, small caves, and bustling fishes. Here, you can also meet various sharks, including a nurse shark, a reef shark, a tiger shark, and many others. Once you get used to the equipment and techniques of diving, you can take a boat trip to a bigger depth and explore one of the shipwreck sites that dot the Maldives.

Great Barrier Reef 

This reef off the coast of North-Eastern Australia is home to the world’s largest coral colony. The corals spread for 1,500 miles and provide numerous diving sites fit for both beginners and experienced divers. The place is praised for its abundance of fish, including parrotfishes, clown fishes, giant stingrays, and many others. Four different turtle species can be found here, two of which are endangered. Coral species of various sizes and colors can be found here as well. Beginner divers will appreciate the lagoon area, where the water is usually calm and free of strong currents and winds.

Dahab 

Dahab, a small recreational area in Egypt, is known around the world for its unique underwater relief and diversity of diving sites. The water here is highly transparent, and the majority of diving excursions are performed close to the coast. Beginner divers can start with trial diving by simply walking into the water from the beach. Dahab’s reef is teeming with fish, colorful corals of various sizes and shapes, and morays. There’s a special diving site called Moray Garden, where these eerie animals are especially large.

Koh Phi Phi

One of the popular tourist spots in Thailand, Koh Phi Phi, offers calm currents and high water transparency, together with the relatively shallow relief. If you’re lucky enough to visit during the season, you might get to see a whale shark. However, there are multiple small shark species jerking between the intrinsic underwater caverns as well. The karst rocks provide multiple opportunities to see an unusually shaped coral or a colorful sponge coral, swim next to the moray, or take a breathtaking trip along the underwater tunnels.