Top Dive Resorts Worldwide: Bluewater Travel's Expert Picks
Top-Rated Dive Sites Across the Globe - Personnel Recommendations
Choosing the ideal dive resort for your next scuba vacation is essential, as it can make or break your journey. The experts at Bluewater Travel have compiled a list of the world's best dive resorts, having extensive knowledge of resorts in premiere dive destinations, backed by first-hand experience.
Are you unsure about your destination? Discover our list of the best dive destinations worldwide. Looking for a liveaboard experience? Consult our list of favorite liveaboards.
The World's Finest Dive Resorts to Explore
Feel free to select a destination or scroll down to read the entire list.
- Mimpi Resort Menjangan, Bali, Indonesia
- Atmosphere Resort & Spa, Dumaguete, Philippines
- Volivoli Beach Resort, Fiji
- Sorido Bay Resort, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
- Magic Oceans Dive Resort, Bohol, Philippines
- Presidente InterContinental Resort and Spa, Cozumel, Mexico
- Misool Resort, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
- Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines
- Delfins Beach Resort, Bonaire
- Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia
Mimpi Resort Menjangan, Bali, Indonesia
Located along Bali's northwest coast, Mimpi Resort Menjangan offers a family-run resort nestled in a private inlet, providing easy access to the finest dive sites in the region. Luxurious accommodations and an extensive grounds provide a peaceful and well-maintained setting, making it an excellent choice for divers and non-divers alike.
Diving at Menjangan is remarkable, with healthy reefs and an abundance of macro species for critter hunters. Mimpi Dive Centre provides a dedicated, experienced team, well-maintained equipment, and a strong commitment to quality, ensuring safety as their top priority.
Best for: Macro enthusiasts, coral wall lovers, and those with non-diving partners seeking a peaceful escape.
Atmosphere Resort & Spa, Dumaguete, Philippines
With its private beachfront location on the island of Negros Oriental, the Atmosphere Resort & Spa offers luxury accommodations, three swimming pools, a blissful spa, and a range of family-friendly activities. Elegantly styled suites and apartments offer modern amenities, private terraces, and tropical garden views, while others cater to guests with private pools.
Dumaguete offers world-class diving, featuring excellent macro diving, rare critters, and exceptional wide-angle opportunities at Apo Island. The resort's dive center houses private dive equipment storage spaces, with guides skilled in spotting even the smallest macro.
Best for: Families or groups of divers and non-divers keen to experience a diverse range of exceptional diving.
Volivoli Beach Resort, Fiji
Overlooking the surrounding sea and mountains, Volivoli Beach Resort is the quintessential Fijian diving paradise. Each room offers an ocean view, with modern premium villas catering especially to couples. The resort's three beachfront bars and extensive menu ensure a memorable dining experience.
Volivoli is home to some of the best soft coral diving globally, with its proximity to Vatu-I-Ra Passage providing access to exceptional shark diving and world-renowned sites like Mellow Yellow and Black Magic Mountain. Ra Divers, a long-established center in Fiji, offers expertise in the Bligh Waters.
Best for: Couples seeking a fantastic holiday with extraordinary diving.
Sorido Bay Resort, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Situated on Kri Island's tropical jungle, Sorido Bay Resort exudes personalized service and famous Indonesian hospitality, emphasizing its dedication to local roots. Spacious and luxurious cabins boast splendid views of Dampier Strait and contemporary amenities that belie their remote surroundings. The resort's passion for conservation makes it the perfect getaway for wildlife enthusiasts and divers alike.
Located next to the most diverse marine ecosystem in the world, Sorido Bay offers a unique knowledge of the local area, developed through conservation and community activities with the Papuan people. The marine environment is incredibly healthy, boasting exceptional biodiversity and stunning scenic beauty.
The resort also features a computer lab for photo and video editing and a well-stocked marine life library.
Best for: Wildlife enthusiasts and luxury lovers.
Magic Oceans Dive Resort, Bohol, Philippines
Tucked away on the verdant island of Bohol, Magic Oceans Dive Resort offers a secluded sanctuary surrounded by rocky walls, fruit trees, and tropical flowers. Deluxe cottages sport touches of traditional decor and spacious terraces, while the poolside restaurant and new spa facility cater to non-divers and divers seeking relaxation.
with nearly 10 miles of coastline offering a variety of diving and marine life, the diving options are virtually limitless. The resort's large dive center offers dedicated camera facilities and ample space for each customer to store and hang their equipment.
Best for: A fully immersive getaway.
Presidente InterContinental Resort & Spa, Cozumel, Mexico
Unique among Cozumel resorts, the Presidente provides tailored experiences exclusively for discerning divers. Its modern design, exceptional food, and attentive staff make it a standout destination for those seeking a more sophisticated diving vacation. Set on a half-mile of private white sand beach, luxurious rooms with private balconies or terraces ensure tranquility and comfort.
The resort's in-house dive center, Scuba Du, places a strong emphasis on safety and quality, with many years of experience exploring Cozumel's renowned dive sites. Divers will find eagle rays in the winter months, reef sharks in the summer, and turtles and nurse sharks all year round.
Best for: A luxury break featuring exceptional diving without extended travel distances.
Misool Resort, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Built entirely of reclaimed timber, Misool Resort offers unmatched privacy and exclusivity in a tropical hideaway. Located on remote private islands, the resort's eco-friendly villas display traditional styles and offer stunning views of the Dampier Strait.
To say the resort is beautiful is an understatement, with its emerald blue lagoon and overwater bungalows creating paradise on earth. As the only dive resort in the area, Misool Resort enjoys exclusive access to southern Raja Ampat's untouched reefs, adorned with wildly colorful soft corals, expansive hard coral gardens, massive gorgonian sea fans, and diverse reef life. The dive center is well-suited for photographers and videographers.
Best for: Visitors with an environmental conscience seeking a remote tropical haven.
Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines
Nestled in a tropical oceanside setting, Crystal Blue Resort provides a finer quality of lodging that offers effortless access to Anilao's excellent scuba diving and underwater photography opportunities. What guests love about this resort is the staff's attentiveness, always eager to lend a helping hand. Luxurious facilities, delicious buffet-style food, and a strong focus on diving and photography make Crystal Blue Resort a hidden gem.
Crystal Blue Resort is centrally located in front of Arthur's Rock Marine Sanctuary, considered one of the best muck-diving locations in the world. The resort's valet-style approach means divers need not handle their gear; the crew will have it ready for each dive.
Best for: Photography enthusiasts where everything is tailored towards diving.
Delfins Beach Resort, Bonaire
Situated amid tropical gardens on Bonaire's west coast, Delfins Beach Resort offers luxury accommodations with a laid-back Caribbean vibe and easy access to the island's acclaimed shore diving. High-end, spacious apartments, many with ocean views, are equipped with modern fittings and private terraces. The resort boasts Bonair's largest swimming pool and a trendy beach and pool bar, perfect for post-dive relaxation.
Delfins' in-house dive center, Dive Friends Bonaire, is the island's primary diving operator, seamlessly combining a relaxed approach with exceptional service. A private pier grants customers direct access to fantastic shore diving right off the beach.
Best for: Seeking a high-end, relaxed vacation with excellent shore diving.
Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia
A hidden tropical paradise, Wakatobi Dive Resort is renowned as one of the world's leading dive resorts. Excellent service, quaint beach-side bungalows, and a tranquil ambiance combine for an exceptional all-inclusive experience.
As soon as you arrive by charter plane, the entire experience feels like a dream. Located right next to the exceptional reefs of Wakatobi Marine Park, the dive center offers a wide range of equipment, expert support, and access to some of the most diverse diving locations in the world. The price tag reflects the unparalleled experience.
Best for: Those seeking luxury, top-notch service, and extraordinary diving.
- Bluewater Travel's expert picks for the world's best dive resorts include multiple options in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, such as Misool Resort and Sorido Bay Resort, offering unique and stunning underwater landscapes for diving enthusiasts.
- Mimpi Resort Menjangan in Bali, Indonesia, is a family-run resort that provides easy access to some of the finest dive sites in the region, making it an excellent choice for both divers and non-divers seeking a peaceful vacation.
- For those seeking a memorable dining experience alongside exceptional diving, Volivoli Beach Resort in Fiji offers a picturesque location with three beachfront bars and an extensive menu.
- Atmosphere Resort & Spa in Dumaguete, Philippines, offers a luxurious setting with private beachfront access, modern amenities, and a strong emphasis on family-friendly activities, making it an ideal destination for groups with diverse interests.
- Delfins Beach Resort in Bonaire offers luxury apartments with ocean views, a large swimming pool, and a trendy beach and pool bar, in addition to providing easy access to shore diving and diving services from Dive Friends Bonaire.
- The Presidente InterContinental Resort & Spa in Cozumel, Mexico, caters to discerning divers with tailored experiences, modern design, exceptional food, and a strong focus on safety and quality at its in-house dive center, Scuba Du.
- Magic Oceans Dive Resort in Bohol, Philippines, provides a secluded sanctuary surrounded by diverse diving opportunities, with luxurious cottages, a poolside restaurant, and a new spa facility catering to both divers and non-divers seeking relaxation.
