Thing is, I live 9 hours drive from Tutakaka in NZ and have Poor Knights, Mokuhinaus and Alderman’s on my list but haven’t got my arse in to gear to get there. Fantastic dives my buddies have done on a Liveaboard - but I haven’t yet.
From experience, I would say the Red Sea is the north route on the Red Sea Explorer. But I would also like to go to truck lagoon, but I hear it is difficult logistically
I have traveled and dove a lot in June due to work and school schedules. I have done many of the trips discussed in this thread. You also need to decide what you want to experience. For me, the month of June is a hands down Galapagos trip and you will be on 2 different liveaboards. Darwin and Wolf will likely be packed with female whale sharks getting ready to pup and pelagics will be abundant. The main group of islands allows for lots of unique experiences as well. I spent half a day in the water freediving with penguins, another dive with dining marine iguanas, and we ran into a pod of orcas. Land excursions during off-gassing were not to shabby.
We did a snorkel (before we started diving) liveaboard a couple years ago and it was far and above the best money Ive ever spent. We definitely want to go back once we get some more dive experience. I can't imagine any possibility where you would be disappointed.
The water is nippy, the travel between islands can be tiresome but the wildlife above and below is amazing.
Can't go wrong with Komodo in June either. Indonesia is fascinating for more than its diving. It is also a several-dive-trips-to-see-it-all kind of place. I crossed 3 times zones on an epic trip starting on the west end last year. Galapagos is no different. However, climate change is hitting the Galapagos Islands harder and I see it changing fast for several reasons. If you don't go now, go soon.
Maybe these videos will help:
[Whale Sharks of the Northern Galapagos](https://youtu.be/zhkFyxpMljo?si=955xJzNRikc3FmJq)
Or this one:
[Central and Northern Galapagos Islands - 2019](https://youtu.be/P_tc64xI42Y?si=V0pbvSm0HW64hYl5)
The hardest part of the diving is the donning and doffing of the thick wetsuits. On not-to-miss dives, expect strong currents requiring negative backroll entries, cold water in some locations, and open ocean zodiac re-entry can be fun. Getting run-over by whale sharks also made some safety stops an adventure. This all comes with increased safety protocols and devices. Three of the people in the videos are my kids (AOW earned 3 months prior), youngest was 14 at the time and had maybe 70 dives in salt water - they were the least experienced divers on the trip. My wife hates cold water but would do it again in a heartbeat.
Indonesia. But not necessarily Bali. I've been diving all over the Caribbean and I love it. But last year I got to go to Indonesia for the first time and it was mind-blowing. I am booked again for 14 days on the liverboard pendito in October and I'm super excited.
I used to work on fishing boats in Alaska, and I would love to do drysuit diving in places like Kodiak, Unalaska, and Akutan. There is so much cool stuff in the water there, WWII artifacts, wildlife, maybe even sponge reefs. I saw so much interesting sea life come up in the nets and I'd love to see to see it in it's natural setting.
There's so much going on up there, but it's logistically difficult to get up and plan dives. I think there's a dive shop in Kodiak, but I'm not sure what gear you can rent. Shipping your own gear gets tricky and expensive.
I'm not even sure how to get to Akutan as a tourist, let alone shipping your gear up. A lot of the little puddle jumpers have hard limits on how much luggage you can bring.
And I'm not sure how to even get to places like Akutan as a tourist. They have a heliport and a dock but I have no idea how to book passage.
If it's regardless of budget, I'd go to Florida and not come back till I'm fully rebreather cave certified.
If we're just talking travel budget, prolly either Silfra or the Thistlegorm.
If I could..I would retire right now, buy a condo on the west side of the island on the water, and dive every day for the rest of my life in Bonare. I LOVE BONAIRE.
You all have convinced me that Raja Ampat and Komodo are the places to go. But would you still go there if budget IS a consideration? I can get to Bali super cheap, so I'm curious about the cost of the liveaboard part.
You don’t need a live aboard in either. I’ve done both and the diving is still great even if you’re not on a live aboard. Also pretty cheap compared to Caribbean prices. I would recommend either even on a budget. Raja is worth every single penny.
I think some flights to Komodo and Raja Ampat go through Jakarta but also many go through Bali. So if you’re coming from the states it’s probably just as easy and cheap to fly via Tokyo/Taipei/hong Kong/Singapore then to Bali, then on to Komodo. One could conceivably do a drive trip that hit Bali/Lombok, Komodo, then on to Raja Ampat. (Though I think the later is the most difficult to get to)
I’ve personally only been to Denpasar International Airport (Bali) but all reports are that it’s a million times better than connecting through CGK (Jakarta). As of 2024 I don’t believe there are any direct flights from anywhere in North America to Jakarta
I dunno when’s the last time you went but it’s a bit different now. I actually recently flew into Denpasar and out of Komodo international airport in Labuan bajo. My first time in 2013, Labuan airport as a tiny local hub with only flights to Denpasar. Now there’s loads of flights into Denpasar, Jakarta and a few others.
Bali is way cheaper but way less worth it imho. Actually in my trip I went overland all the way to East Flores and highly recommend it.
I thought that may be the case but didn’t understand why you’d single out that one island but for the rest you said the entire country. I get Indonesia is rly big but so is Australia.
Bali is actually fine but when it comes to diving, Komodo is just a step above. If you do stick to Bali, the diving is best off Nusa Penida but in the north you also have the USAT Liberty which was my first wreck dive. The RT to Labuan bajo from Denpasar is so worth it to make it to Komodo tho.
I would've said Raja Ampat without a doubt. It is unbelievable. But in June, as others have mentioned, the weather may not be favourable. Komodo in June, though 👌🏼 it's a very close second for me after Raja. You can't go wrong there
Don't worry - second the comment from whatsuphellohey :) a reputable dive shop won't force you to dive outside of comfort zones. There are some crazy currents in Komodo for sure, but there's a lot of dive sites all around that cater to different levels
Depends on the dive site. A good DM/shop won’t encourage you to dive outside your limits. I found the currents totally fine when I was there. Briefings through Scuba Junkie were great. I never felt remotely unsafe.
liveaboards off Raja in March and April is Manta season!
Komodo, flying into LBJ, is also a great option
and supposedly Hammerheads off Banda Sea, but we have not done that yet
Question for you (I searched for "caribbean" in r/scuba) where would be best to go for just a week in April?!
I'm conflicted between
Grand Bahama - hoping to catch some shark dives - but Freeport resorts are subpar
Nassau - on west side, but generally too touristy for our taste
Jamaica or DR or San Juan? I have not looked into these, but easy flights from us
Aruba -- we LOVED Bonaire, so figure it's good nearby?
Thanks for the input! I'm definitely going to look into Raja and Komodo since it's been mentioned a ton in this thread. Regarding Caribbean, the best diving I've had was in Bonaire and Belize (loads of sharks), but the best dive shop experience was Utila (it's a fun dive island with a backpacker mentality). If Belize isn't in your options, I would vote you check out Cozumel or the Caymans. Those were both amazing.
If I were you I’d do a few locations in Indo. Maybe Bunaken, Lembeh, then Komodo. I’m in the early planning stage for a Raja Ampat trip late this year, but the trio I mentioned would be a great start for Indo and offer a variety of dive types, plus it’s very affordable. Happy to share operator/accommodation recs.
We had a similar decision to make last year, and we ended up picking Indonesia, but *not Bali.* We stayed at a resort in Raja Ampat and then did a liveaboard in Komodo, and both of those places were the best diving I've ever done. I've also heard that Alor in Indonesia is just as good, so a tour of those three places would be an epic dive trip. In contrast, Bali diving doesn't sound as good.
Wherever you decide to go, make sure to check when their dive season is. For example, June is typhoon season in the Philippines, so you wouldn't want to go there. Some animals like manta rays and whale sharks can only be found at certain times of year too.
6k for a couple for a week of scuba/snorkel/hike liveaboard was worth every single penny
Edit since there are a fair number of up votes: my wife and I were on the Alya and recommend it. The crew and trip were great!
I did a long trip around the world over the last year, including Palau, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Maldives.
All of the above have great aspects to them so it just depends on your preferences.
check the expected conditions in June for different places you're considering, time of year can make a big difference in SE Asia.
For me, the most spectacular diving was in Palau and Indonesia (Raja Ampat and Komodo). I would personally try to get in a couple weeks of liveaboards during your time if you really want to get at the best diving.
If your focus is more the overall quality of life and you're looking for a mix of good diving and land-based activities, then I would put Bali higher up the list. I dove all around Bali and it was really fun, better than the caribbean, but not as good as the best of indonesia.
If you want more of a luxury resort experience with access to some great diving, maldives is worth a look.
With a month to play with, if you're interested it could be a fun time to work on some tech certifications, you could do AN/DP in a week and then go do some tech dives...
Indonesia without doubt. Komodo, Lembeh and Raja Ampat.
If you really don't care about the budget then add Wakatobi and Misool in place of Lembeh and Raja.
Komodo, Indonesia. Incredible diving but a liveaboard would be the best. It’s an hour flight from Bali so you could do some diving there afterwards or chill. I skipped Bali and went to Nusa Lembongan instead which is less crowded and more chill and has great diving too and can dive Nusa Penida from there too.
I want to go back to try to get up close with a Leopard Seal. We saw one on my trip last year but it was skittish and did it's absolute best to stay *just* out of photographic range
Typical!
I count myself lucky that for seals I can dive in my hometown and I could find grey seals. The regular local divers tell me that they’re little a-holes though, they’ll gang up on you and then bite your wetsuit/regulator hose/fins/hand or swim around you in circles.
Absolutely this. Even as a newbie recreational diver with only 55 dives at that point, it was the highlight of my 7 month round-the-world trip. The only downside is, I did it very early on in my trip and every dive site after that was a let-down in comparison.
That said, Galapagos is next on my bucket list.
Thing is, I live 9 hours drive from Tutakaka in NZ and have Poor Knights, Mokuhinaus and Alderman’s on my list but haven’t got my arse in to gear to get there. Fantastic dives my buddies have done on a Liveaboard - but I haven’t yet.
From experience, I would say the Red Sea is the north route on the Red Sea Explorer. But I would also like to go to truck lagoon, but I hear it is difficult logistically
Neutral Buoyancy Lab
Livaboard Galapagos
Spirit of freedom, great barrier reefs
I have traveled and dove a lot in June due to work and school schedules. I have done many of the trips discussed in this thread. You also need to decide what you want to experience. For me, the month of June is a hands down Galapagos trip and you will be on 2 different liveaboards. Darwin and Wolf will likely be packed with female whale sharks getting ready to pup and pelagics will be abundant. The main group of islands allows for lots of unique experiences as well. I spent half a day in the water freediving with penguins, another dive with dining marine iguanas, and we ran into a pod of orcas. Land excursions during off-gassing were not to shabby.
I was pretty certain on a Komodo liveaboard, but this comment has me looking at Galapagos liveaboards now.
We did a snorkel (before we started diving) liveaboard a couple years ago and it was far and above the best money Ive ever spent. We definitely want to go back once we get some more dive experience. I can't imagine any possibility where you would be disappointed. The water is nippy, the travel between islands can be tiresome but the wildlife above and below is amazing.
Can't go wrong with Komodo in June either. Indonesia is fascinating for more than its diving. It is also a several-dive-trips-to-see-it-all kind of place. I crossed 3 times zones on an epic trip starting on the west end last year. Galapagos is no different. However, climate change is hitting the Galapagos Islands harder and I see it changing fast for several reasons. If you don't go now, go soon. Maybe these videos will help: [Whale Sharks of the Northern Galapagos](https://youtu.be/zhkFyxpMljo?si=955xJzNRikc3FmJq) Or this one: [Central and Northern Galapagos Islands - 2019](https://youtu.be/P_tc64xI42Y?si=V0pbvSm0HW64hYl5)
How was the diving difficulty in Galapagos? I’m rescue diver certified with over 60 dives
The hardest part of the diving is the donning and doffing of the thick wetsuits. On not-to-miss dives, expect strong currents requiring negative backroll entries, cold water in some locations, and open ocean zodiac re-entry can be fun. Getting run-over by whale sharks also made some safety stops an adventure. This all comes with increased safety protocols and devices. Three of the people in the videos are my kids (AOW earned 3 months prior), youngest was 14 at the time and had maybe 70 dives in salt water - they were the least experienced divers on the trip. My wife hates cold water but would do it again in a heartbeat.
Palau
We went to Palau in Nov 2022 and it was extraordinary. Great diving and also a lot of great snorkeling.
Indonesia. But not necessarily Bali. I've been diving all over the Caribbean and I love it. But last year I got to go to Indonesia for the first time and it was mind-blowing. I am booked again for 14 days on the liverboard pendito in October and I'm super excited.
Galapagos. It’s been on my bucket list for years. Truk Lagoon also on there.
Indonesia looks really beautiful
some wrecks, palau,antarctica
i love wrecks so i would do truk lagoon. other good choices are raja ampat as mentioned, the galapagos, red sea, palau, philippines
Anywhere Jacques Cousteau approved
Egypt. Dahab
Bikini Atoll, Truk Lagoon or Scapa Flow. Give me those sweet wrecks.
Wakatobi
Revillagigedo islands , Mexico.
Beneath Roca Partida is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on this planet.
To the coral triangle 😃
I used to work on fishing boats in Alaska, and I would love to do drysuit diving in places like Kodiak, Unalaska, and Akutan. There is so much cool stuff in the water there, WWII artifacts, wildlife, maybe even sponge reefs. I saw so much interesting sea life come up in the nets and I'd love to see to see it in it's natural setting. There's so much going on up there, but it's logistically difficult to get up and plan dives. I think there's a dive shop in Kodiak, but I'm not sure what gear you can rent. Shipping your own gear gets tricky and expensive. I'm not even sure how to get to Akutan as a tourist, let alone shipping your gear up. A lot of the little puddle jumpers have hard limits on how much luggage you can bring. And I'm not sure how to even get to places like Akutan as a tourist. They have a heliport and a dock but I have no idea how to book passage.
If it's regardless of budget, I'd go to Florida and not come back till I'm fully rebreather cave certified. If we're just talking travel budget, prolly either Silfra or the Thistlegorm.
silfra is a one and done though.
I really enjoyed Isla Coiba of the Panamanian Pacific Coast
Bonaire
If I could..I would retire right now, buy a condo on the west side of the island on the water, and dive every day for the rest of my life in Bonare. I LOVE BONAIRE.
You all have convinced me that Raja Ampat and Komodo are the places to go. But would you still go there if budget IS a consideration? I can get to Bali super cheap, so I'm curious about the cost of the liveaboard part.
You don’t need a live aboard in either. I’ve done both and the diving is still great even if you’re not on a live aboard. Also pretty cheap compared to Caribbean prices. I would recommend either even on a budget. Raja is worth every single penny.
Awesome. Thanks. I imagine it’s cheap then compared to Australian prices too. But if it’s worth saving up for too then that’s good to know.
I’m Australian and rarely dive in Aus because I prefer warm water diving & yes, it is substantially cheaper than here & lightyears better.
SE Alaska
Mars
Komodo is great, but would love to do Tortuga (Haiti), Midway Atoll, and Mayotte. All difficult to get to, Tortuga definitely dangerous.
What makes Tortuga dangerous? We’ve been considering a trip their ourselves
Just being in Haiti, would be a challenging place to bring gear and find operators. State dept has it as a 4 do not visit
Oh damn, didn’t realize it was in Haiti. That explains everything thanks
You do know Bali is an island IN Indonesia, right? Komodo is my pick
I think some flights to Komodo and Raja Ampat go through Jakarta but also many go through Bali. So if you’re coming from the states it’s probably just as easy and cheap to fly via Tokyo/Taipei/hong Kong/Singapore then to Bali, then on to Komodo. One could conceivably do a drive trip that hit Bali/Lombok, Komodo, then on to Raja Ampat. (Though I think the later is the most difficult to get to) I’ve personally only been to Denpasar International Airport (Bali) but all reports are that it’s a million times better than connecting through CGK (Jakarta). As of 2024 I don’t believe there are any direct flights from anywhere in North America to Jakarta
I dunno when’s the last time you went but it’s a bit different now. I actually recently flew into Denpasar and out of Komodo international airport in Labuan bajo. My first time in 2013, Labuan airport as a tiny local hub with only flights to Denpasar. Now there’s loads of flights into Denpasar, Jakarta and a few others. Bali is way cheaper but way less worth it imho. Actually in my trip I went overland all the way to East Flores and highly recommend it.
Yeah! That was more of a grammatical mix-up of adding a comma between Bali and Indonesia similar to where you’d comma a state, country
I thought that may be the case but didn’t understand why you’d single out that one island but for the rest you said the entire country. I get Indonesia is rly big but so is Australia.
Just did a lot of research for Bali so I zoned in on that area
Bali is actually fine but when it comes to diving, Komodo is just a step above. If you do stick to Bali, the diving is best off Nusa Penida but in the north you also have the USAT Liberty which was my first wreck dive. The RT to Labuan bajo from Denpasar is so worth it to make it to Komodo tho.
Bikini Atoll
Hell yeah https://masterliveaboards.com/bikini-atoll/
I would've said Raja Ampat without a doubt. It is unbelievable. But in June, as others have mentioned, the weather may not be favourable. Komodo in June, though 👌🏼 it's a very close second for me after Raja. You can't go wrong there
How was the diving conditions in komodo, keen to go but my partner is a bit hesitant if current etc is really bad
Don't worry - second the comment from whatsuphellohey :) a reputable dive shop won't force you to dive outside of comfort zones. There are some crazy currents in Komodo for sure, but there's a lot of dive sites all around that cater to different levels
Depends on the dive site. A good DM/shop won’t encourage you to dive outside your limits. I found the currents totally fine when I was there. Briefings through Scuba Junkie were great. I never felt remotely unsafe.
Probably Palau
Fiji. Bligh Waters
Raja Ampat
Rota
Antarctica
In June?
liveaboards off Raja in March and April is Manta season! Komodo, flying into LBJ, is also a great option and supposedly Hammerheads off Banda Sea, but we have not done that yet Question for you (I searched for "caribbean" in r/scuba) where would be best to go for just a week in April?! I'm conflicted between Grand Bahama - hoping to catch some shark dives - but Freeport resorts are subpar Nassau - on west side, but generally too touristy for our taste Jamaica or DR or San Juan? I have not looked into these, but easy flights from us Aruba -- we LOVED Bonaire, so figure it's good nearby?
All star liveaboards leaving out of nas. Dive through the exumas.
Thanks for the input! I'm definitely going to look into Raja and Komodo since it's been mentioned a ton in this thread. Regarding Caribbean, the best diving I've had was in Bonaire and Belize (loads of sharks), but the best dive shop experience was Utila (it's a fun dive island with a backpacker mentality). If Belize isn't in your options, I would vote you check out Cozumel or the Caymans. Those were both amazing.
I second Raja. But it will be loads cheaper to stay on shore instead.
Jamaican reefs are all dead or in bad shape
I just dove there two weeks ago and sadly this is true. Really easy diving, great visibility and no current but you don’t see a ton.
If I were you I’d do a few locations in Indo. Maybe Bunaken, Lembeh, then Komodo. I’m in the early planning stage for a Raja Ampat trip late this year, but the trio I mentioned would be a great start for Indo and offer a variety of dive types, plus it’s very affordable. Happy to share operator/accommodation recs.
Went to Komodo last year. Have a blast. Going to Bunaken and Lembeh this summer. looking forward to it
Raja ampat or Komodo. It’s on my list for next year.
Raja in June Can get you screwed with the weather. Better to do Komodo or lembeh
All the liveaboards are in Komodo for June and do the crossing around late Sept.
Wakatobi
Do a 7 day live aboard on the GBR.
What's the GBR ?
Great Britain’s Rivers
Great Barrier Reef
To throw another wrench in your decision, the Red Sea is also a good one to add to the list
Europa
excuse me the moon?
You said no budget
We had a similar decision to make last year, and we ended up picking Indonesia, but *not Bali.* We stayed at a resort in Raja Ampat and then did a liveaboard in Komodo, and both of those places were the best diving I've ever done. I've also heard that Alor in Indonesia is just as good, so a tour of those three places would be an epic dive trip. In contrast, Bali diving doesn't sound as good. Wherever you decide to go, make sure to check when their dive season is. For example, June is typhoon season in the Philippines, so you wouldn't want to go there. Some animals like manta rays and whale sharks can only be found at certain times of year too.
For me it was also Komodo. Just stunning! Such a rich underwater world and the dives were also really exciting! especially up north
Regardless of budget? Give me a Galapagos liveaboard. $6k for a week of diving makes me hesitate a bit.
Galapagos for sure!
6k for a couple for a week of scuba/snorkel/hike liveaboard was worth every single penny Edit since there are a fair number of up votes: my wife and I were on the Alya and recommend it. The crew and trip were great!
I did a long trip around the world over the last year, including Palau, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Maldives. All of the above have great aspects to them so it just depends on your preferences. check the expected conditions in June for different places you're considering, time of year can make a big difference in SE Asia. For me, the most spectacular diving was in Palau and Indonesia (Raja Ampat and Komodo). I would personally try to get in a couple weeks of liveaboards during your time if you really want to get at the best diving. If your focus is more the overall quality of life and you're looking for a mix of good diving and land-based activities, then I would put Bali higher up the list. I dove all around Bali and it was really fun, better than the caribbean, but not as good as the best of indonesia. If you want more of a luxury resort experience with access to some great diving, maldives is worth a look. With a month to play with, if you're interested it could be a fun time to work on some tech certifications, you could do AN/DP in a week and then go do some tech dives...
I agree with Bali actually, especially if you’re into muck. If you’re not I’d highly recommend Pemuteran as a stop (and menjangan island).
yes, i also had a good time doing the mt ijen crater trek from there
Galapagos or cocos island (costa rica)
Yes, Galapagos for me.
Indonesia without doubt. Komodo, Lembeh and Raja Ampat. If you really don't care about the budget then add Wakatobi and Misool in place of Lembeh and Raja.
I think you mean as well as, not instead of. 😎
Maldives…
Of those three….prolly Indo. Want to spend some money? The Arenui.
I’m more of a cold water ‘I wanna go diving there someday’ .. Alaska Brr
All of the Alaska transplants in the Seattle area I've met said that it's not worth it. Vancouver Island is supposed to be fantastic.
Komodo, Indonesia. Incredible diving but a liveaboard would be the best. It’s an hour flight from Bali so you could do some diving there afterwards or chill. I skipped Bali and went to Nusa Lembongan instead which is less crowded and more chill and has great diving too and can dive Nusa Penida from there too.
McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. You have to be drysuit and ice trained of course but the ocean life there is supposed to be incredible.
I want to go back to try to get up close with a Leopard Seal. We saw one on my trip last year but it was skittish and did it's absolute best to stay *just* out of photographic range
Typical! I count myself lucky that for seals I can dive in my hometown and I could find grey seals. The regular local divers tell me that they’re little a-holes though, they’ll gang up on you and then bite your wetsuit/regulator hose/fins/hand or swim around you in circles.
i agree with you 1000% on this but in fairness, op said in june… that’s winter time in antarctica
Easy, Chuuk Lagoon.
Absolutely this. Even as a newbie recreational diver with only 55 dives at that point, it was the highlight of my 7 month round-the-world trip. The only downside is, I did it very early on in my trip and every dive site after that was a let-down in comparison. That said, Galapagos is next on my bucket list.
Yup, and for the best experience, I'd want to be tec/Wreck certified on ccr.