100 Best Scuba Diving Sites, Operators, Destinations and More
Top 100 Readers Choice Awards: Gold List
At the beginning of every year, Scuba Diving magazine sends a survey to our print and digital subscribers to find out where they love to scuba dive — among many other questions. The Top 100 Gold list is the compilation of reader votes for the best dive sites, dive operators, liveaboards, big-animal encounters and more, regardless of location. We are proud to present the list that you — our readers — brought to life!
![Underwater Photo Wall Diving](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2014/files/_images/201405/fiji-coral-shutterstock_61503103.jpg?itok=R2Rnefxb)
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Best Wall Dives
#1 Palancar Deep, Cozumel, Mexico
#2 Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
#3 Molokini Crater Back Wall, Maui, Hawaii
#4 Blue Corner, Palau
#5 Half Moon Caye, Lighthouse Reef, Belize
#6 Big Tunnels, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#7 Mary’s Place, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#8 Amphitheater, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
#9 Cane Bay Wall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
![Underwater Photo Diver in Devil's Grotto Cayman Islands](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/scuba-cayman_shutterstock_19389.jpg?itok=Q0OwZhlt)
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Best Dive Sites
#10 Cathedrals, Lanai, Hawaii
#11 Devil’s Grotto, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#12 Something Special, Bonaire
#13 Cenote Dos Ojos, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
#14 Eagle Ray Pass, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#15 Darwin’s Arch, Galapagos
#16 Cod Hole, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
#17 Great White Wall, Fiji
#18 Farnsworth Bank, Catalina Island, California
![Thistlegorm Wreck Red Sea Egypt Trucks Underwater](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/scu-thistlegorm-red-sea-web-gl.jpg?itok=Qp9ilSST)
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Best Wreck Diving
#19 Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida
#20 Kittiwake, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#21 Fujikawa Maru, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
#22 El Aguila, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#23 Oriskany, Pensacola, Florida
#24 Corsair, Oahu, Hawaii
#25 U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina
#26 Thistlegorm, Red Sea, Egypt
#27 Liberty, Bali, Indonesia
![scuba diver in kelp forest underwater photo california](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/images/2016/01/scu-california-kelp-gl-shutterstock.jpg?itok=H64wda53)
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Best Shore Dives
#28 CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#29 Alice in Wonderland, Bonaire
#30 Buddy’s Reef, Bonaire
#31 Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Florida
#32 Avalon Underwater Park, Catalina Island, California
#33 La Jolla Cove, San Diego, California
#34 Mala Wharf, Maui, Hawaii
#35 Sharks Cove, Oahu, Hawaii
#36 Lighthouse Point Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
![Underwater Photo Diver in Cenote in Mexico](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/scuba-rivieramaya_shutterstock_204921463.jpg?itok=RQRDZUMY)
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Most Unusual Dive Sites
#37 Great Blue Hole, Belize
#38 Devil’s Throat, Cozumel, Mexico
#39 Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida
#40 1,000 Steps, Bonaire
#41 Jellyfish Lake, Palau
#42 Cenote Chac Mool, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
#43 Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri
#44 Pelagic Magic, Kona, Hawaii
#45 Washing Machine, Exuma, Bahamas
![Underwater Photo Manta Night Dive Kona Hawaii](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2013/files/_images/201311/shutterstock_95184658_0.jpg?itok=6pdhsJYC)
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Best Night Dives
#46 Manta Ray Night Dive, Kona, Hawaii
#47 Davis Reef, Key Largo, Florida
#48 Bari Reef, Bonaire
#49 Bailey’s Key, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#50 Sunset House Resort Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#51 Frederiksted Pier, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
#52 Shark Ray Alley, Ambergris Caye, Belize
#53 Fluorescent Night Dive, Koh Tao, Thailand
#54 Coral Spawning Dives, East End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
![Snorkeler with Whale Shark Underwater Photo](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/images/2015/12/shutterstock_77005684.jpg?itok=FGKm9GwA)
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Best Big Animal Encounters
#55 Whale Sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
#56 Manatees, Crystal River, Florida
#57 Sand Tiger Sharks, North Carolina
#58 Caribbean Reef Sharks, Shark Arena, New Providence, Bahamas
#59 Spinner Dolphins and Humpback Whales, Maui, Hawaii
#60 California Sea Lions, Santa Cruz Island, California
#61 Hammerhead Sharks, Galapagos
#62 Frogfish, Bari Reef, Bonaire
#63 Whitetip Reef and Blacktip Reef Sharks, Beqa, Fiji
#64 Pacific Manta Rays, Ulong Channel, Palau
![Best Wall Diving Palau](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/scubadiving-best-wall-dives-palau.jpg?itok=ndgGLg4Z)
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Best Beaches
#65 Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#66 Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
#67 Tulum, Mexico
#68 Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
#69 Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
#70 The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
#71 West Bay Beach, Roatan, Bay Islands
#72 Destin, Florida
#73 Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia
![Belize Aggressor Liveaboard Dive Vacations](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/belizeaggressor_0340.jpg?itok=7YF_YWFW)
Aggressor Fleet & Dancer Fleet
Best Liveaboards
#74 Galapagos Aggressor III
#75 Aqua Cat, Bahamas
#76 Cayman Aggressor IV
#77 Arenui, Indonesia
#78 Belize Aggressor III
#79 Spoilsport, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
#80 Odyssey Adventures/Truk Odyssey, Micronesia
#81 Turks and Caicos Aggressor II
#82 Maldives Aggressor
![giant stride at Orange Bowl](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/images/2015/10/benz_coveshootstuart-and-liz_giantstrideorangebowl.jpg?itok=9M7TiSYZ)
David Benz
Best Dive Operators
#83 Buddy Dive Bonaire
#84 Reef Divers, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
#85 [Jack’s Diving Locker], Kona, Hawaii
#86 Stuart Cove’s, New Providence, Bahamas
#87 Ocean Divers, Key Largo, Florida
#88 Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#89 Sam’s Tours Palau
#90 Amigos Del Mar, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
#91 Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico
![Best Dive Resorts Sunset House Cayman Islands](https://www.scubadiving.com/sites/scubadiving.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2013/files/_images/201308/sunset_house_overview_facing_north-1.jpg?itok=HM56pBx4)
Sunset House
Best Dive Resorts
#92 Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
#93 Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#94 Scuba Club Cozumel, Mexico
#95 CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
#96 Little Cayman Beach Resort, Cayman Islands
#97 Turneffe Island Resort, Belize
#98 Deep Blue Resort, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras
#99 Beqa Lagoon Resort, Fiji
#100 Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
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