Best Luxury Diving Holidays in the World

Luxury diving is about what happens before and after the dive

A great dive is only part of a great diving holiday. You also care about how long it takes to reach the site, how well the operator is run, what the boat is like, whether the resort understands divers and what you can do when you are not underwater.

That is why island destinations work so well. The water is close, the accommodation can be exceptional and the entire day can revolve around the sea.

The Maldives: reef life with resort comfort

The Maldives is an obvious contender for a luxury dive holiday because reef environments are built into the geography of the destination. Fuvahmulah, for example, is promoted by Visit Maldives for pelagic diving and biodiversity, including encounters with several shark species.

The important distinction is that the best diving holiday is not automatically the most expensive resort. Look for a strong dive centre, good boat logistics, appropriate guide-to-guest ratios and access to the sites that match your interests.

French Polynesia: lagoons and marine life

Moorea illustrates why French Polynesia works so well underwater. Tahiti Tourisme describes clear lagoon environments, coral ecosystems and marine life including rays, turtles and sharks.

The landscape above water matters too. Diving beside dramatic mountains and returning to a lagoon-facing property gives the trip a sense of place that is hard to reproduce elsewhere.

Also on the shortlist

• Fiji: soft-coral reefs, walls and channel dives across several regions.
• The Philippines: wrecks, macro, sardine shoals and protected atolls in one country.
• The Seychelles: granite reef structures, turtles and calm transitional-month seas.
• Mozambique: marine megafauna and private-island lodges.
• Fernando de Noronha: clear water inside a protected marine park.

How to choose a dive destination

Make a short list based on marine life first. Then check water conditions, visibility, seasonality, diving experience required, shore versus boat diving, and the quality of local operators.

Finally, ask yourself whether you want to dive every day. A luxury dive trip should leave room for the rest of the destination. Some of the best memories happen between dives.