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Soft Coral Arch Palau

Kids Sea Camp Micronesia

Bonaire

Best Macro Diving in the Caribbean and Atlantic

Think you have to book a flight to Indo to see exotic nudis, seahorses and frogfish by the handful? That ticket might be considerably less expensive than you think, for North American divers, if you aim for the island of Bonaire instead. Decades of institutionalized protection and loving management of its pristine reefs have helped to preserve an environment where nearly 400 species have been documented, most of it the small stuff beloved by underwater photographers. Looking to capture a particular subject in a specific situation? Bonaire also offers the ultimate freedom to plan your own dives 24/7, instead of waiting for the dive boat or competing with other photographers looking for the same stuff you are. Many of its resorts’ house reefs are literally alive with critters, so you don’t even have to crank up your rental truck — just fall off the dock and start shooting. — Mary Frances Emmons

Bonaire

Macro finds include teardrop craps in this Caribbean Island.

Bonaire

Tiny squat shrimp are often found by sharp-eyed divers in Bonaire.

Bonaire

Macro photographers love Bonaire’s critters like this spotted eel.

Bonaire

These crazy critters are not glow sticks, but bearded fireworms shot under blue light at night.

Bonaire

Gobies find shelter in colorful tube sponges.

Indonesia

Best Macro Diving in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Sure, Lembeh Strait is the world’s epicenter of macro div- ing, with enough crazy critters — hirsute frogfish, microscopic seahorses, kaleidoscopic nudibranchs and more — to fill a logbook, but don’t overlook the enchanted islands of Komodo, Bali and Wakatobi. With their eagle-eyed guides, you might not need a magnifying glass to find it all, but you will need more logbooks. — David Espinosa

British Columbia

Best Macro Diving in North America

Decorated warbonnets, grunt sculpins and candystripe shrimp are just a few highlights to spotlight while shooting in Canada’s westernmost province. Browning Passage, a legendary site near Port Hardy, hides so many macro treasures the challenge is not finding cool subjects but deciding which ones to skip and save for the next tank. So many pictures to make, not enough bottom time. — Brandon Cole

British Columbia

Nudibranchs are a favorite of macro photographers; this Hermissenda is praying on stinging hydroids.

Cayman Islands

Best Underwater Photography in Caribbean and Atlantic

It’s no coincidence that Grand Cayman is home to several photo pros, and is a favorite classroom for a handful of shutter-snapping instructors. Clear skies with consistent sunlight, plus the Caribbean’s famous visibility, grant a reliable baseline, letting you focus on the good stuff — adjusting settings to capture a tarpon just as the silversides all turn, sparkling. — Brooke Morton

British Columbia

Best Underwater Photography in North America

Photographers can improve their portfolios in BC’s cool, marine-populated waters. There’s a wealth of colorful photo subjects, and many animals grow to epic proportions: giant plumose anemones, playful Steller sea lions, and the eight-tentacled crowd favorite, Enteroctopus dofleini, aka the giant Pacific octopus. Don a drysuit to ignore the cold, and focus instead on creating award-winning images. — Brandon Cole

Indonesia

Best Underwater Photography in Pacific and Indian Oceans

The problem isn’t deciding what lenses to pack for your trip to Indo, but which one to bring on each dive. If you take a macro down to shoot pygmy seahorses, you’ll regret not having the fisheye for the massive mantas. You don’t just need a second camera system — you need a buddy/porter to carry a third and fourth. — David Espinosa

Palau

Best Wall Dives in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Palau’s world-class wall dives, with sites such as Blue Corner, Siaes Wall and Peleliu Wall, attract more species to its Pacific waters than just divers. Sharks — whitetip, gray reef, silky, bull, whale and tiger — cruise the Micronesian archipelago’s plunging, current-swept cliffs by the hundreds, along with other exciting marine life, including Napoleon wrasse, dogtooth tuna and spotted eagle rays. — Eric Michael

Cayman Islands

Best Wall Dives in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean

Careful: That vertiginous feeling is addictive. That killer Cayman combo of sheer walls — especially at places like Mixing Bowl on Little Cayman — and unparalleled viz creates an environment where anything feels possible. Good news, it is. Encountering wall regulars like Nassau grouper and green sea turtles is a divers’ high in itself, but when factors align for magic in the form of a passing dolphin or hammerhead, it’s another high all together. — Brooke Morton

Washington

Best Wall Dives in North America

Walls have it all — abundant marine life, drama and challenging profiles. And Washington has walls. Two stellar sites are Day Island Wall near Tacoma, which hosts wolf eels and octopus at depths between 25 and 100 feet, and Long Island in the San Juan Islands. Spanning depths between 70 and 120 feet, the Long Island wall is famous for its stunning strawberry anemones and is best dived during slack before ebb. — Brandon Cole