India
Known for big populations, Bollywood, business outsourcing and a fanatical cricket following, India is quickly gaining a reputation for diving. While a trip to the world's second most populous nation isn't complete without a hajj to the Taj Mahal, dive opportunities abound along India's 8000-kilometres/5000-mile coastline–especially if you want to learn to dive with PADI while you're there. Head underwater and you'll find a country just as diverse and intriguing as its topside culture.

Indonesia  
Positioned between the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, Indonesia is at the epicentre of marine biodiversity. Although the world’s largest archipelago is comprised of more than 17,000 islands, most of the country’s 235 million people, live on just five - Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.

The area has exhilarating drift diving, extensive reef diving, fantastic night diving, unique muck diving and breathtaking steep walls. Tec diving addicts can get their fix from the deep trenches while wreck fanatics will be satiated with the abundance of World War II relics. The country is also a paradise for underwater photographers as more than 600 coral species of coral and over 3000 fish species make their homes on Indonesian reefs. 

Maldives  
In the open ocean near the reefs, you're likely to spot the pelagic animals - including manta rays, eagle rays, tuna and a variety of sharks (including whale sharks) - that frequent the Maldives. But, for many, the shallows are where they find the best action. The clear, bright water plays host to massive amounts of sweet lips, parrotfish, groupers, snappers as well as the frequent turtles and moray eels. It's an ideal dive environment - especially for underwater photographers.

Malaysia 
Although it might be considered a hidden gem in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is a jewel not to be missed. This 330,000 square kilometre/127,000 square mile nation is divided into two parts — Peninsular Malaysia, which projects from the southern end of Thailand and Malaysian Borneo, which encompasses the northern quarter of the world’s third-largest island. The dive opportunities here are rivaled only by the nation's cultural diversity and range from sun-soaked sandy flats teeming with tropicals, to low-vis muck diving that will blow your mind, to electric deep water diving that’ll put you mask to fin with some amazing pelagics.

Philippines 
With 7,107 islands (covering a land area of 299,746 square kilometers/115,739 square miles) and a coastline twice the length of the United States, the Philippines can legitimately be called Asia's beach capital. With a tropical climate, warm water, long and white sandy beaches, nearly 40,000 square kilometres/15,444 square miles of coral reefs, mind-blowingly beautiful flora and fauna, (including many endemic species) - the area is truly a diver's paradise.

Thailand 
At the heart of Southeast Asia is the "Land of a Thousand Smiles", a country proud of its ability to keep its unique culture intact. It has become a tourism powerhouse in Southeast Asia for good reason. In addition to smiles, Thailand offers length after length of sweet beaches, lush rainforests, exhilarating cultural attractions and prolific reefs. With more than 1931 kilometres/1200 miles of coast, divers can choose from two oceans -- the Gulf of Thailand in the Pacific and the Andaman Sea in the Indian. Take your pick from a bevy of dive profiles, too -- fringing reefs, deep drop-offs, wrecks, walls, caverns, tunnels, pinnacles or open ocean seamounts.

United Arab Emirates
Despite it's long coastline, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has only recently started to attract dive travelers. Encompassing the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, which separates the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman, the UAE - especially Dubai - has long been known as a retail-therapy and duty-free destination, rather than an sporting attraction.

Egypt 
With beautiful coral, millions of fish, fantastic visibility, sheltered reefs, towers, pinnacles, walls, coral gardens and wrecks, the Red Sea offers great scuba diving adventures. 

Mozambique
Mozambique, located on Africa’s southeast coast, has more than 2000 kilometres/1250 miles of coastline bathed by the southerly flowing Aghulhas Current. Some of the best of this, from a diver’s point of view, is served by a thriving recreational scuba diving community catering to divers of all tastes whether they’re looking for a simple tent in a beach camp or a luxurious spa and resort.

South Africa 
Capping the southern tip of the sprawling continent of Africa is a diverse, multicultural nation with a 2735-kilometer/1700-mile coastline on two oceans. South Africa’s waters beckon divers to enter its wild and wooly realm. The dive experience here is as varied as its people – running the gamut from big sharks to throngs of tiny sardines. You’ll find tropical reefs in the northeast and temperate rocky reefs in the west. Generally speaking, it’s not for the faint of heart — some of the best diving here involves colder water, strong currents and launching from the surf — bring your appetite for adventure.

Tanzania
True dive enthusiasts are geography experts at heart. That's because the world’s best scuba diving locations sometimes reads like a who’s who of exotic global locations — Palau, Roatan, Cocos. Many nondivers have likely heard of them but probably can't pin down their location like your average hardcore diver. Tanzania is one of those places … most people know it’s in East Africa, sure, but after that, it's likely that the imagination takes over when destinations like Zanzibar and Dar-es-Salaam are mentioned. As perhaps one of the longest continually inhabited places on Earth, Tanzania is a land of extremes, from the Serengeti to the sea. It boasts the highest (Mt. Kilimanjaro) and lowest (Lake Tanganyika) points on the continent. But, more importantly for divers, it’s bounded on all sides by water - the Indian Ocean to the east, and the great lakes of Africa to the northwest, west and southwest - Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi. But enough of the imagining — it's time to experience it for yourself.

The Red Sea  
Sometimes called the Egyptian Riviera, the coastal area runs from the Israeli border at Taba around the Sinai Peninsula through  Sharm el Sheik to the Suez and south along Egypt’s eastern coast to the border with Sudan. Each area tempts divers in its own way, but only the area from El Gouna through Hurghada and Safaga combines the Red Sea’s delights (including spectacular reefs and wrecks), with a proximity to world famous heritage sites such as Luxor and Cairo. 

Florida
Florida’s diverse dive offerings run the gamut from fresh water to salt water and cave diving to drift diving. The state of Florida offers more shipwrecks than many countries!  Florida pretty much has it all and the best part? You can dive it.

Florida Keys
The Keys arc gently southwest for more than 200 kilometres/125 miles from the southern tip of Florida. A tropical coral archipelago, replete with palm trees, sandy beaches and shipwrecks, they try valiantly to keep the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic.

Hawaii
Separated from any major landmass by thousands of kilometers/miles of open ocean, Hawai'i is one of the remote places in the world and a favorite stopover for large migrating creatures such as humpback whales and whale sharks. Not only that, one-third of the marine life you'll encounter diving in the Hawai'ian Islands isn't found anywhere else. Manta rays, sea turtles and spinner dolphins also all call Hawai’i home.

New Zealand
New Zealand has a wide variety of dive conditions that range from subtropical in the north to temperate in the south. Regarding weather, warm sunny summers are followed by mild wet winters. Average air temperatures in summer (November to February) are 10-18 degrees Celsius/50-65 degrees Fahrenheit while winter (June – August) sees 3-10 degrees across the whole country.

Queensland - The Great Barrier Reef
When people say they want to dive Australia, what they usually mean is that they want to dive Queensland's Great Barrier Reef— the world’s largest and healthiest coral reef system. To put it in perspective, the Great Barrier Reef would cover an area about the same size as the United Kingdom, half the size of Texas, USA or the length of the entire Japanese island chain. In Australia, it stretches from Tropical North Queensland in the north right down to Bundaberg in the south. At approximately 135,000 square miles in size, the Great Barrier Reef is the only living structure on earth that can be seen from outer space. 

Croatia 
Kvarner's underwater world is known for amazing wall dives and beautiful gorgonian coral reefs. The craggy coastline and relatively shallow water with a muddy bottom can result in poor visibility, but the underwater world's variety of plants and animal makes this garden extremely rich. 

Cyprus
Likely named for its most famous daughter, Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty) and also called Kypron in ancient Greek, Cyprus is nestled in the Northeast corner of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. From simple, sandy-bottom dives for beginners, to excellent enriched air diving on the Zenobia, one of Europe’s most famous wreck dives, the island's diving offers something for everyone. Water temperatures range from 16°-27° Celsius/ 60°-80° Fahrenheit, which provides one of the longest dive seasons in the Mediterranean. Plus, the area boast great visibility - 20-35+ metres/65-115+ feet - nearly all year. 

Greek Islands
Advanced civilization, democracy, the Olympic Games, western philosophy and literature and some of world’s most impressive myths and ancient gods originated among the peninsula and 1400 islands of Greece. Looking to protect the history of that rich heritage, diving - until 2006 - was significantly restricted to keep people from plundering the artifacts littering the seafloor throughout the country. Now that the regulation has eased, a huge swath of dive sites is now open for diving.   

Italian Islands
It’s the birthplace of the Renaissance, a mecca of design, art, architecture, fashion, romance and cuisine. It’s proudly perched on the interface between the Old World and the new wave. But Italy, projecting into the Mediterranean Sea like a long haute-couture boot, also tempts divers with an extremely long coastline, myriad islands and warm, clear water inviting you to slip beneath the surface. What are you waiting for? Go now!  

Malta
On a map of the Mediterranean Sea, if you let your eye fall to the center – just South of Italy’s heel and to the West of the Mediterranean’s heart, you will find an enchanting archipelago comprising Malta, Gozo, and Comino, along with the smaller, uninhabited islands of Cominotto, Filfla and St.Paul. As is typically in the Mediterranean, Malta really has only two seasons - a hot, dry summer and a short, cool winter. The summer season runs from a windy April to a milder October, with average high temperatures on the year of 21° C/71° F. Average low temperatures, however, only drop to 9° C/49° F in January and February.  

Spain
Nearly surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean, Spain offers a wonderful array of dive options. A combination of cold and warm water attracts a large variety of aquatic life and there are numerous points of interest, including marine reserves, in various locations throughout the territory. Over the next several years, the number of protected areas is set to increase and include areas like Islas Medas, Cabo de Palos, Cabo de Gata and the coastal waters stretching 40 kilometres/25 miles from Lloret de Mar to the Cap de Begur.

Belize

Located between Mexico and Guatemala on Central America’s Caribbean coast, Belize is the perfect destination for adventure, relaxation, romance and exploration. With more than 400 islands, white sandy beaches, the longest unbroken barrier reef in the western hemisphere and a 298-kilometers/185-miles of coastline, Belize is a world-class scuba diving destination. When you’re not diving with nurse sharks or exploring ancient temples and caves, you can embrace this mixture of ancient civilizations, African traditions, British colonial influences and Mestizo lifestyles.  

Honduras

The Bay Islands are located approximately 1350 kilometres/840 miles southwest of Miami and 48 kilometres/30 miles off the Honduran coast. Consisting of seven islands and 50 small cayes, they stretch for 113 kilometres/70 miles in a northeasterly arc and are part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef - the second largest living reef in the world. The prolific waters off of these islands feature vibrant coral, colorful tropical fish, large sponges and the chance for encounters with large pelagic animals such as manta rays, sea turtles and whale sharks.

Dominican Republic 

The Dominican Republic (or "the DR" as it is frequently called) a mountainous, lush country that comprises the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola, has been a popular Caribbean escape since Christopher Columbus first set foot on its shores in 1492. With nine distinct ecological regions, the island attracts hikers, cavers, birders, culture hounds, and from December to April the famed offshore region of the Silver Bank fills with the haunting melody of whalesong, as humpack whales come to calve. 

Bahamas
The Bahamas are an archipelago of 700 islands covering 259,000 square kilometres/100,000 square miles throughout the Western Atlantic ocean that offer a complete range of dive adventures including pristine and healthy coral reefs, vertical walls, wrecks, tunnels, caverns and blue holes. The waters are amazingly clear and boast 30-metre/100-foot visibility, lush coral reefs and abundant marine life. Plus, the subtropical climate provides approximately 340 sunny days each year. And, probably more important to divers, the dive conditions are impressive year-round.

Cayman Islands
Known for its amazing wall dives, beautiful coral reefs and visibility that often reaches more than 30 metres/100 feet, the Cayman Islands offer some of the best scuba diving in the Caribbean.

Cozumel
Located 16 kilometres/10 miles off Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, the island of Cozumel is one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the Caribbean. Cozumel has all the ingredients for a great getaway: friendly locals, good food, lively nightspots, towering coral formations, warm water, great underwater visibility and white sandy beaches. Plus, the peaceful currents mean serene drift dives at most sites.

Lesser Antilles
The small islands forming the Lesser Antilles hem in the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea, stretching from the United States Virgin Islands just off Puerto Rico down to South America. Like fuzzy emerald green dollops set amongst a sapphire blue sea, the islands offer some truly authentic Caribbean travel experiences and some of the region’s best diving. Your choices are as varied as the islands’ peoples, places, sights and sounds. Sometimes, Lesser is more.
 
Riviera Maya
Once a collection of small fishing villages, the portion of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula containing the Riviera Maya and island of Cozumel has evolved into one of the Caribbean's most popular, dynamic tourist destinations. It offers the perfect mix of dive opportunities, cultural experiences, shopping and adventure. It's enough to satisfy the most hardcore diver and landlubber alike.

Trinidad and Tobago
The 300-kilometre/116-square mile Caribbean island of Tobago offers many experiences for the discriminating diver. Just north of Venezuela and south of Grenada, this modest island is home to just over 50,000 people. But, its small size belies its reputation for big diving. With dive sites for every experience level, the healthy reefs feature both hard and soft coral – especially the area’s signature underwater sight of the world’s largest brain coral, which measures 4 by 5 metres/12 by 16 feet. But it isn’t just the reefs that will drive divers to distraction, as the mobile marine life is also varied and abundant.

Turks and Caicos
The alluring turquoise waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands feature a vast, thriving coral reef ecosystem. Whether you’re looking for breathtaking walls or dive wrecks, tropical diving in the Turks and Caicos is both accessible and impressive.