Bucket List dive

[firebirdude]

Anywhere in the world. What would be your ultimate reef dive location? And why? Or if you've already done it, what was it? We're talking reef/coral locations here.

I realize it's going to be a matter of opinion. Hence the discussion.

 

[mike61289]

Great Barrier Reef obviously. Lately I've also been looking into Hawaii, Red Sea, Black Sea, and the Lembeh Strait.

I just went diving for the first time last year in Turks and Caicos and it was amazing! I dived everyday that I was there and loved it!

 

[ace_92101]

There aren't that many left on my list. For those that I've already checked off the list, I'd include at the top the Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea, Fiji and the Red Sea. The Coral Sea has amazing visibility and coral growth. The live aboard I went with would refund the trip if the visibility fell below 100 feet. Gin clear water with amazing coral coverage and diversity. Fiji for the soft coral. The Red Sea for the fish and ovrerall diving.

For ones I haven't done yet, I'd include three. The Maldives for the overall great diving/stilt hotel experience. When I get the time, I want to take the United Airlines "Island Hopper" across the Marshall Islands/Palau. The last one isn't known for great diving, but I've always been interested in diving there. Ascension Island.

 

[firebirdude]

There aren't that many left on my list. For those that I've already checked off the list, I'd include at the top the Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea, Fiji and the Red Sea. The Coral Sea has amazing visibility and coral growth. The live aboard I went with would refund the trip if the visibility fell below 100 feet. Gin clear water with amazing coral coverage and diversity. Fiji for the soft coral.

What spots specifically/where did you stay? I stayed in Townsville and did the John brewer reef area. Not sure if it was just where I was taken, but I was pretty disappointed.

To say Great Barrier Reef isn't specific... at all. It's 130,000+ square miles.

 

[ace_92101]

What spots specifically/where did you stay? I stayed in Townsville and did the John brewer reef area. Not sure if it was just where I was taken, but I was pretty disappointed.

To say Great Barrier Reef isn't specific... at all. It's 130,000+ square miles.

I stayed in several locations in Queensland, including Cairns and Townsville. I liked Cairns a lot more. I dove a liveabord, so northern GBR including Cod Hole, Ribbons Reef and Osprey Reef.

 

[iReef1234]

I dove at the GBR 2 years ago and it was amazing. I actually liked snorkeling better; I wasn't rushed and could see the small cool things.

The boat ride was 1.5 hours to the reef, so maybe if you didn't take that long the reef wasn't in as good of shape. Oz is having some problems maintaining the GBR as a marine park/reserve.

 

[snorvich]

What turns you on? Large animals? Bizarre animals? Coral? colors?

 

[myaerica]

I would recommend the raja ampat.

 

[ScubaSteveZ]

Bonaire is hopefully the next off the list for me. That is the only place my local dive shop talks about

 

[Deinonych]

GBR, Fiji, Komodo and Andaman Sea (Thailand) immediately come to mind. We're hoping to scratch Fiji off the list later this year. I've heard great things about St. Lucia in the Caribbean as well.

 

[G_Sanab922]

When I get the time, I want to take the United Airlines "Island Hopper" across the Marshall Islands/Palau. The last one isn't known for great diving, but I've always been interested in diving there. Ascension Island.

Thanks for mentioning this. I'm going to look into it.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Fiji is/was on our bucket list. We're going for a week of diving this year for our 10 year anniversary. On my bucket list still is the Galapagos Islands and Papau New Guinea.

Our favorite spot for diving is Palau (we've done 3 trips there over the years). I'd rank Palau as the best diving location I've been to.

I've dove GBR Australia (Cairns, Cod Hole, etc.), Similan Islands, Thailand, Belize, Roatan, Cabo San Lucas, Cayman Islands, Palau, Guam, Maldives, Maui, Lanai, and all over California.

 

[Deinonych]

Fiji is/was on our bucket list. We're going for a week of diving this year for our 10 year anniversary.

Nice. We're going for our 25th. Where are you planning to stay? We're leaning toward Savusavu.

 

[icy1155]

For a bucket list dive I'd have to say Kingman Reef.

 

[solidcore]

palau, or east end grand cayman

 

[Speckled Grouper]

We have dove
GBR, Liveaboard to Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole etc
QLD, Keppel Bay
Papua New Guinea, Kimbe Bay
Indo, Raja Ampat, Komodo, Bali, Wakatobi
Kosrae
Marshall Islands
Guam
Kiribati
Fiji, Bligh Waters
Hawaii, Kona, Oahu
Maldives
Belize
Curacao
Bonaire
Dominican Republic

Trips this year:

Wakatobi in January

Cozumel in July

December....Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Rangiroa....

Favorites are Papua New Guinea, Komodo and Fiji

 

[solidcore]

wow, what a contrast

Wakatobi in January

Cozumel in July


Ive done Palau, Maui on the pacific side but still like the Caribbean.

 

[travis9791]

Papau New guinne would top the list for me.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

wow, what a contrast

Wakatobi in January

Cozumel in July


Ive done Palau, Maui on the pacific side but still like the Caribbean.

The diving in Cozumel will actually be secondary this time. We are also going to Cancun to snorkel with the Whalesharks!

Palau is on the bucketlist for sure....

 

[Speckled Grouper]

Papau New guinne would top the list for me.

Papua New Guinea cannot be described by words. Lobos the size of a Bus, Bubble Coral the size of a Semi. Hairy Mushroom Mountains....Acros with half inch polyp extensions....and all of that in bathtub warm water...INSANE!