The 9 Best Places Around the World to Learn to Scuba Dive
Scuba diving is one of the best ways to explore the oceans of our planet, but where are the best places around the world to learn to scuba dive?
Unlike swimming or snorkeling, scuba diving allows you to explore underwater for longer and at greater depths, getting you closer to marine wildlife and environments. Instead of constantly needing to resurface to breathe, using scuba gear allows you to become one with the underwater world, coming face-to-face with schools of fish, sea turtles, sharks, and much more. And if you want to study marine biology or other nautical sciences, it’s an essential tool of the trade.
Unlike swimming or snorkeling, though, for your own safety, you need to be certified in order to go scuba diving.
As part of completing a scuba certification course — like PADI or SSI — beginners need to practice their new diving skills in a safe, controlled water environment. Having sailed all over the world and taught thousands of students how to scuba dive, ActionQuest staff know all the best spots around the globe where beginner divers can get their feet wet (pun intended) and put their new scuba diving skills to the test.
Where is the best place to learn to scuba dive?
Roughly 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, meaning there are literally thousands of places to go scuba diving, in both saltwater and fresh water. But some spots are better than others, especially for beginners. “It doesn’t really matter where you are,” says ActionQuest Executive Director Mike Meighan. “You’re looking more at the environmental conditions for a beginner to learn to dive.”
Good beginner dive sites should be shallow with calm, clear waters, allowing divers to see and swim safely without worrying about strong currents. Since the point of scuba diving is to explore the underwater world, they should also have things to see and discover, be it coral reefs or underwater environments with abundant marine life or shipwrecks. Learning to scuba dive is also easier in warm water.
“Diving literally opens up a whole new world!” says ActionQuest diving instructor Mackenzie Cornell. “You feel like you’re flying and can hang out with so many cool creatures. It’s such a rewarding experience.”
“At [first], the idea of breathing underwater may appear scary,” adds PADI Course Director Dan Sherwood. “But once you experience how calming it is, diving will provide you with an adventure and outlet for the most magical experiences this world can offer.”
The 9 best dive sites around the world for learning scuba diving
1. Bali, Indonesia
With its year-round warm waters, clear visibility, and wealth of marine life, Bali is a fantastic place for open-water training dives. As a popular diving destination, there are plenty of dive shops offering dive gear, training, and excursions, and you’ll find a good mix of well-known sites and hidden gems to explore with your dive buddies.
Some dive sites, like Tulamben, offer the chance to see shipwrecks and underwater statues, while others like the Raja Ampat archipelago are home to incredible coral reefs and marine wildlife. Sherwood recommends the Nusa Islands off the southeast coast of Bali. “I have so many amazing memories there. It was the first place I saw a Manta cleaning station (Manta Point) and I was fortunate enough to see a Great White Shark in the wild at Crystal Bay.”
Another Indonesia dive spot that Sherwood swears by is the Gili Islands. “The safety standards are high, the visibility is usually high, and the dive schools all have training swimming pools just off the beach,” he says, adding that the islands “tend to have small to medium currents which teach new divers the importance of control, trim, and buoyancy right at the start of their learning adventure.”
2. The Galapagos
From sea lions to sea turtles to swimming iguanas, diving in the Galapagos Islands brings you face-to-face with some of the most unique marine wildlife on the planet. However, due to colder waters and strong currents, not everywhere in the Galapagos is suitable for beginner divers. Sheltered areas like Camaño Islet, Santa Fe, North Seymour, and Kicker Rock are some good spots for beginner scuba training.
3. Sail Rock, Thailand
Divers have tons of spots to choose from around this Southeast Asian country, but Cornell says that Sail Rock is her favorite place to dive in the world. “It’s a pinnacle 1-2 hours from all the nearby islands and there’s just so much life on it,” she raves. “Whale sharks, schools of 100s of thousands of fish, nudibranchs, and everything in between.” Plus, warm waters with good visibility allow for year-round diving.
4. The British Virgin Islands (BVI)
Overall, the Caribbean is hailed as a fantastic place for learning diving skills. But Mike especially recommends the British Virgin Islands as their small size makes it easier to dive into a range of different environments within a short span of time.
5. The Maldives
Made up of over a thousand small islands surrounded by shallow waters brimming with sea life, the Maldives’ warm, calm oceans make for excellent year-round diving. It’s an especially good place to swim among manta rays, leopard sharks, and reef sharks.
6. Australia
Learning to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef? What could be cooler than that? From surfing to swimming, Australians love spending time in the warm waters encircling their continent, and scuba diving is no different. The Great Barrier Reef is far from the only beginner-friendly place to dive in these parts, but it’s one of the coolest, offering sheltered, still waters in which to marvel at this epic feat of nature.
7. Mexico
With coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, learning to scuba dive in Mexico comes with chances to dive among manta rays and sea lions on the Pacific side or swim along with schools of fish past underwater wrecks in the Caribbean. Cozumel and Cancun are two popular spots on the Caribbean coast, and Socorro Island is a remote but great option in the Pacific. Diving in Mexico also gives you the chance to try freshwater diving in cenotes on the Yucatan Peninsula.
8. The Red Sea
With its warm waters, vibrant coral reefs, and incredible visibility, the Red Sea is a top destination for learning to scuba dive. Home to some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, this sea offers breathtaking underwater landscapes teeming with colorful fish, sharks, and even dolphins. Egypt’s coastline, particularly around Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, is a favorite for new divers, with calm conditions and an abundance of shallow reefs to explore. For those looking for a mix of adventure and history, the Red Sea is also home to famous wrecks like the Thistlegorm, a World War II cargo ship now covered in marine life.
9. Costa Rica
Costa Rica has a well-deserved reputation as a natural paradise, and that extends to its oceans. With Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, you have the choice to dive among whales and mantas in the Pacific or marvel at the colorful abundance of the Caribbean’s coral reefs and marine wildlife. The Gulf of Papagayo is a popular beginner-friendly spot.
Frequently asked questions about scuba diving
Is scuba diving hard to learn?
Scuba diving isn’t necessarily hard, but it can be intimidating. You’re learning a new skill, after all, and aspects of it will feel really unfamiliar and strange at first. But with supportive, encouraging teachers, you’ll get the hang of it and quickly discover why so many people love this sport. “The more you dive, the more comfortable you get,” says Cornell. “If it feels weird to start, that’s totally normal – you’re breathing underwater! But the more you do it, the easier and more natural it becomes.”
What is the best place for a beginner scuba diver to learn?
As you saw above, there are tons of places around the world where you can learn how to scuba dive. But before you even head to open-water environments, you start by training in pools, helping you learn the basics in a controlled environment.
How long does it take to learn scuba diving?
In-person scuba certification courses for open-water diving usually take 3-5 days. Another option is to complete an online course first, which takes about eight hours, and then finish the practical, in-person training at a dive shop, dive center, or while taking part in a program like Seamester. The second option is usually most popular for vacationers and travelers, as you spend less time sitting in a room studying and can get to the fun part faster.
Which is the better scuba diving certification: PADI, NAUI or SSI?
There are three main organizations in the United States that provide scuba certifications: the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), and Scuba Schools International (SSI). All three follow standards set by the World Recreational Scuba Training Council and are recognized and accepted at dive centers around the world, so the question of which to choose comes down more to personal choice. The main difference is that SSI and NAUI courses are generally a bit cheaper, but as the better-known organization, PADI certification can carry more prestige.
Ready to start your scuba diving adventure with ActionQuest?
Gain your PADI dive certification and explore underwater worlds around the globe while on a ActionQuest sailing program, where our expert dive instructors teach you all the fundamentals of scuba diving while you learn all about the marine environments you're discovering along the way.
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- No experience necessary
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About The Author – Jo Meighan
As a retired PADI scuba instructor, Jo hung up her fins in 2002 to become ActionQuest’s Chief Financial Officer, bringing over 25 years of dedicated experience to the team. Beyond her professional role, Jo is also a proud mother of two high school graduates. She has extensive experience in researching and planning overseas travel programs for her children, combining her professional expertise with personal passion to ensure enriching experiences for her family.
