Santa Rosa Reef, Mona Island, Tent Reef and 1000 Steps in top five
The Caribbean has long attracted adventurers to its clear waters and technicolor underwater world, and today, it remains one of the most popular scuba diving destinations on the planet. From wreck dives to plummeting walls, there's a dive for just about everyone in this sun-kissed region.
Bianca C Grenada
The Bianca C, a 600-foot cruise liner nicknamed the Titanic of the Caribbean, sunk in 1961 and remains upright beneath the water. Divers who visit the wreck often spot eagle rays, moray eels, nurse sharks, barracuda and even schools of Atlantic spadefish. Photo courtesy of Grenada Tourism Authority
Santa Rosa Reef Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel's Santa Rosa Reef is part of the Great Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest coral reef on the planet. A popular spot for sighting sea turtles, the reef also provides a home for sponges, French grunts, groupers, turtles, angelfish and even the occasional green moray eel. Photo courtesy of Roberto LIebig / Flickr
Mona Island Puerto Rico
Sometimes called the Galapagos of Puerto Rico, Mona Island boasts an impressive biodiversity both above and below the surface of the water (some of the clearest in Puerto Rico). Horizontal visibility often exceeds 200 feet – the perfect conditions for spotting turtles, marlins, whales, dolphins and some of the island's 60 reef-dwelling species. Photo courtesy of NOAA Restoration Center, Erik Zobrist
Tent Reef Saba
Just west of Saba's Fort Bay harbor lies Tent Reef, a rock ledge 13 feet below the surface that gets progressively deeper until it turns into a sheer wall. By day divers might spot large snapper or colorful sponges, but it's also a popular night dive site thanks to visits from turtles, octopus and spiny lobster. Photo courtesy of Saba Tourism
1000 Steps Bonaire
One of Bonaire's most popular shore dives gets its name from the 64 steps leading down to the entry point that purportedly feel like 1000 on the way back up. Just offshore, clusters of star coral have formed pagoda-like formations found in few other places on the planet, where divers might spot hawksbill turtles, manta rays and even the occasional whale shark. Photo courtesy of Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble / Flickr
CJ's Drop Off Utila, Honduras
Utila has no shortage of stellar dive sites, but one of the best is CJ's Drop Off, a steep wall plunging 140 feet below the surface. With endless ocean to one side and a colorful reef to the other, divers can spot sea turtles, moray eels, barracudas and spotted eagle rays. Photo courtesy of iStock / Matt_Potenski
Mary's Place Roatan, Honduras
Mary's Place, one of Roatan's most famous dive sites, provides a habitat for all sorts of marine critters – including coral, sponge and lots of seahorses. Photo courtesy of iStock / BrianLasenby
Hilma Hooker Bonaire
One of the world's top wreck dives, the Hilma Hooker lies 60 to 99 feet below the surface of the water near a double reef system in Bonaire. Accessible by boat or from shore, the site showcases a relatively young artificial reef, giving divers an idea of just how long it takes coral to recover from damage. Photo courtesy of Patrick Briggs / Flickr
Wreck of the RMS Rhone British Virgin Islands
It'll take at least two dives to fully explore the wreck of the Rhone in the British Virgin Islands, but it's well worth the effort. Descending down toward the ghostly ship, divers can see schools of Sennets, grunts and barracuda. The hull is covered in orange cup corals. Photo courtesy of iStock photo
The Wall Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
The Grand Turk Wall sits not far from the island's west coast. A brief boat ride brings divers to one of the best wall dives in the tropical Atlantic, where visibility often exceeds 100 feet and the reef "architecture" features overhangs, tunnels, archways and pinnacles. Photo courtesy of stokes rx / Flickr
The top 10 winners in the category Best Caribbean Dive Site are as follows:
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Melanie Reffes and Kristin Valette (PADI Worldwide) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of Caribbean travel and diving.
Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com , she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog ' The Caribbean Romance Report' on MarryCaribbean.com. When she she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Melanie Reffes
Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com , she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog ' The Caribbean Romance Report' on MarryCaribbean.com. When she she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Kristin Valette-Wirth
Kristin Valette-Wirth is the Chief Marketing &... Read More
Kristin Valette-Wirth is the Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), the world’s largest recreational diver training organization with more than 6,600 dive centers and resorts and 137,000 professional members worldwide. She is responsible for setting the direction for the PADI brand in the global marketplace, implementing marketing programs to attract non-divers and divers into PADI’s scuba diver and freediver training programs, acquiring and retaining individual, dive center and resort members, and developing effective campaigns to inspire people to explore the underwater world through PADI Travel. She is also responsible for determining and leading the strategic direction of the company and overseeing key business development opportunities. A passionate advocate for ocean conservation, Valette-Wirth oversees PADI’s mission to be a force for good and is a 20-year Board Member of the Project AWARE Foundation. With more than 26 years in the scuba diving industry, including several years managing a dive center in Santa Barbara, California, an MBA in Marketing, and a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, Valette-Wirth brings a unique combination of experience and passion for diving.
Kristin Valette-Wirth
Kristin Valette-Wirth is the Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), the world’s largest recreational diver training organization with more than 6,600 dive centers and resorts and 137,000 professional members worldwide. She is responsible for setting the direction for the PADI brand in the global marketplace, implementing marketing programs to attract non-divers and divers into PADI’s scuba diver and freediver training programs, acquiring and retaining individual, dive center and resort members, and developing effective campaigns to inspire people to explore the underwater world through PADI Travel. She is also responsible for determining and leading the strategic direction of the company and overseeing key business development opportunities. A passionate advocate for ocean conservation, Valette-Wirth oversees PADI’s mission to be a force for good and is a 20-year Board Member of the Project AWARE Foundation. With more than 26 years in the scuba diving industry, including several years managing a dive center in Santa Barbara, California, an MBA in Marketing, and a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, Valette-Wirth brings a unique combination of experience and passion for diving.
