Diving has been a passion of mine for as long as I’ve loved to travel. Often times, I use scuba diving as an excuse to travel, and plan my trips around the places I want to dive. There are still so many places on my “diving bucket list.”

So, in no particular order, here are a few of my favorites I’ve been able to check off the list. Sorry for the poor photos in advance… I still haven’t mastered underwater GoPro photography…

MJ at 16 years old after her first real dive.

The Bahamas

The Bahamas is where I was first introduced to scuba diving, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. When I was 16, my mom suggested the idea to me before we left for our family vacation to Grand Bahama. She always wanted to try it, and I always loved the ocean, so it was an easy pitch.

We both started our PADI Open Water before leaving, so we completed all the theory and written work before arriving. That way we could maximize our time underwater. We started our first day with some pool exercises, and went straight to the ocean for an afternoon dive. The following two days we completed our course on fun dives in the ocean. I saw my first green sea turtle, and it was absolutely massive. I’ll never forget it.

Best for: crystal clear visibility, turtles, reef sharks

Dive with: Reef Oasis Dive Club

Our crew heading out to conduct fish surveys off the tip of Borneo.

Malaysian Borneo

When I was 18, I took a summer volunteer trip to Malaysia to join a reef conservation project called Tropical Research And Conservation Center, or TRACC. This program is an amazing way to advance your diving or biology career while also making a real difference. I spent four weeks volunteering while also completing both my Advanced Open Water course, and my Rescue Diver course. All the while, I was helping conduct fish and reef surveys, and helping construct an artificial reef.

Borneo is located in the western Pacific, in what’s known as the Coral Triangle. This area among Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste is estimated to have the most coral biodiversity in the world, making it the perfect place to spend time underwater. At the time, TRACC was temporarily relocated to the northern tip of Borneo, but normally operates on Pom Pom Island off the coast of Semporna in northeastern Borneo.

Best for: fish and coral biodiversity, warm water

Dive with: TRACC

Before our morning dive in the Similan Islands.

Similan Islands, Thailand

The Similan Islands are part of a national park off the western coast of southern Thailand, near the Phuket region. We visited on a live-aboard for two days/one night, packing in a total of six dives at various sites across the archipelago. The area is known for the dramatic underwater landscapes. Think giant underwater cliffs, crazy rock formations, and big endless slopes into the deep.

Best for: underwater landscapes, coral gardens, tropical fish, and possibility of manta rays and whale sharks from Nov-May.

Dive with: South Siam Divers

Outer Great Barrier Reef

Yeah yeah, everyone says the Great Barrier Reef is the best place for diving. I don’t disagree, but I wouldn’t say it’s THE best. But it’s definitely up there. My best advice: splurge on a live-aboard and get yourself to the outer reef. It’s in much better condition, you get to spend more time underwater, you have the opportunity to go for a night dive, and you’ll have a better experience.

The Great Barrier Reef is everything people say it is. It’s very stereotypical diving, think: amazing corals, colorful fish, lots of turtles, and big bommies (underwater pinnacles), but hey, it’s fun. It’s definitely a world to behold, and an undeniable bucket list item for newbies and long-time divers.

Best for: endless coral gardens, colorful fish, good shallow diving

Dive with: Pro Dive

Cruising through the Poor Knights Islands off the North Island, New Zealand.

Poor Knights, New Zealand

Brave souls only. These waters off the North Island are very cold, and require thick wet suit diving. The Poor Knights Islands were born from ancient volcanic activity, and hold deep spiritual and traditional value to the native Maori culture. The area is protected as part of a marine reserve, and is pending UNESCO World Heritage status.

The unique underwater currents provide an influx of nutrients to the cold waters, resulting in extraordinary marine life. There are caves, chimneys, crevasses, cliffs, tunnels, overhangs, walls, archways and endless opportunities to explore the underwater world at the Poor Knights. Everything from fish to rays to eels and seals, this dive site is easily one of the most unique and memorable experiences I’ve had. Plus, diving the Poor Knights earns you major kudos in the diving world.

Best for: nudibranchs, rays, fish, colorful macro life and unique landscapes

Dive with: Dive! Tutukaka

MJ and Conor surfacing after a dive at Sail Rock (behind them).

Sail Rock, Thailand

If you’ve ever wanted to see whale sharks, this is the place. This little rock jutting out of the ocean between the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao is one of the world’s most iconic dive sites. You can spend all day spiraling around the rock and getting lost in the sea life. Ask your dive guide to take you through the chimney!

If you’re lucky, a whale shark might come along. They’re super friendly and usually stay for awhile as long as you don’t disturb them. Scientists aren’t sure why they come, or where they go after, but hopefully you’ll be there when they pass by.

Best for: whale sharks, schools of fish

Dive with: Reefer’s Dive Resort

A dolphin making an appearance before diving under Navy Pier.

Navy Pier, Western Australia

Navy Pier is an elusive bucket list kind of dive site. Navy Pier is exactly what it sounds like: a dive site under a restricted military pier. Only one dive shop has access to it, and they only go twice a week.

After building the pier, marine life swarmed and set up shop. The beams are covered in corals and macro life, giant sea turtles chill on the sandy bottom, and dolphins love to swim by. There’s even a resident “Big Friendly Grouper,” and it’s literally the biggest grouper I’ve ever seen in my life.

If you’re there during whale shark season, Dive Ningaloo can take you out to their namesake Ningaloo Reef for a chance to see some whale sharks or maybe even manta rays between March and September. Alternatively, the opposite season is turtle mating season! So we also went snorkeling with giant turtles during our surface interval. Like literally over 50 turtles in a shallow bay. Amazing.

Best for: unique landscape, schools of fish, turtles, the biggest grouper ever

Dive with: Dive Ningaloo

Coron, The Philippines

If adventure diving is your thing, you need to plan a trip to Coron ASAP. In 1944, a squadron of 24 Helldivers bombed and sunk a fleet of Japanese war vessels. Now, they’re an ominous playground for daring divers in Coron Bay. We went with Sea Dive Coron, and they were phenomenal. One day we got to go out on a small dive boat all by ourselves. Plus, they have a hotel literally ON the marina.

The wrecks range from 20-40 meters deep, making them extremely technical dives. Unless you’re advanced or above, you won’t be able to penetrate some of the wrecks. But if you’re an experienced diver, man oh man are these wrecks unreal. The narrow tunnels and portholes make you feel like you’re in a real life spy movie. I’ll never forget what it was like to emerge from a wreck out of the axis of a massive 3-story propellor. Plus, the lightless cargo holds are the darkest dark I’ve ever experienced in my life. Darker than your eyes closed. The blackest of darkness that can even exist.

Genuinely, some of the coolest, most badass diving I’ve ever done. I’ll definitely be going back. Check out our previous blog post about it.

Best for: adventure wreck diving

Dive with: Sea Dive Coron

Diving with manta rays in Komodo Park, Indonesia.

Komodo Island, Indonesia

You’ve probably heard of Komodo Island because of the dragons. But did you know that it’s part of a massive marine park full of aquatic life? Plus, one of my favorite dive sites in the whole entire world: Manta Point. You can imagine why. We literally spent the whole entire dive sat on the sandy bottom at maybe 10 meters just watching mantas swim around a cleaning station. Unreal.

There are tons of other great sites around the marine park as well: great shallow coral gardens, sandy flats with rays and pipefish, and unique drift dives with beautiful sloping gardens. Turtles too!

Best for: manta rays, shallow corals, drift dives

Dive with: Dive Komodo

Beqa Lagoon, Fiji

Beqa Lagoon was a fun experience for me, because the dive shop I went with let me tag along on a staff day. So it was me and a handful of other local divers, which meant they picked all their favorite spots. Sadly, the shop doesn’t exist anymore, but I have great memories of that day.

One of the spots we went do was called Sea Fan Valley, and it felt like I was in a dream. Giant fans and swim throughs, and loads of coral and macro life. I wish I could tell you to go see it for yourself, but now it’s a place I can only keep to myself.