Reader Rankings: Top 10 Beginner Scuba Diving Sites
Where did you fall in love with scuba diving? These 10 dive sites are perfectly suited for new divers and a whole lot of fun.
These rankings are part of our 2017 World's Best Platinum Awards, a readers survey. For more on the survey and method, click here.
TOP 10 BEGINNER DIVES
| Dive Site | Results |
|---|---|
| Palancar Gardens, Cozumel, Mexico | 21.37% |
| Buddy's Reef, Bonaire | 17.34% |
| Stingray City, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | 13.17% |
| Christ of the Deep, Key Largo, Florida | 12% |
| Pickles Reef, Key Largo, Florida | 10.07% |
| Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii | 9.33% |
| Sunset House Reef, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | 8.29% |
| Something Special, Bonaire | 7.31% |
| Anse Chastenet Reef, St. Lucia | 5.48% |
| Amphitheater, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos | 5.11% |
The Top 3
Palancar Gardens | Cozumel, Mexico
Divers explore Cozumel's Palancar Gardens
Kadu Pinheiro
A great option for anyone just certified or even just scuba curious, this reef at 30 feet previews Cozumel’s coming attractions. Even at this shallow depth, the reef — with coral heads the size of Volkswagen Beetles as well as a rainbow of red rope sponges, orange barrel sponges, yellow tube sponges and purple sea fans — opens up with sand chutes and other swim-throughs, giving divers the chance to practice buoyancy in tight quarters and experience the high of entering a tunnel through the corals, exiting in the blue overlooking the wall.
Readers quotes
Plus, this site nearly guarantees sightings of green turtles, as well as green moray eels, scorpionfish and schooling snapper. Although it’s rare, the endemic splendid toadfish, a whiskered, pancake-faced bottom dweller known for its loud croaking mating call, can also be spotted by divers.
Buddy’s Reef | Bonaire
A frogfish off the coast of Bonaire
Tim's Images Underwater/Alamy
Entry to this shore dive, right where the ocean meets the edge of Buddy Dive Resort, couldn’t be easier — with choice of ladder or giant-stride. And with a steady stream of divers dropping in, word of the exact whereabouts of frogfish and seahorses is quickly spread, making critter-finding a snap.
Christ of the Deep | Key Largo, Florida
The Christ of the Deep statue in Florida
iStockphoto
Easily Florida’s most photographed underwater attraction, this 8½-foot statue at a depth of 15 feet honors the first scuba diver who lost his life under the sea. But this site isn’t just about the bronze — it sits amid John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where lobsters and schooling French grunts abound.