It’s no secret that you can go scuba diving in hundreds of places around the world. In fact, almost every country has something interesting to offer for scuba divers. Having said that, the type of diving and level of difficulty can differ a lot from place to place. Nearly every place has some dive options for beginning divers, but there are a few specific places that are particularly great for beginning divers.
Who is a beginner diver?
Before we dive into some of the best scuba holiday destinations for beginners, we think it’s important to cover who is considered a “beginner diver” by dive shops and liveaboards. As a rule of thumb, anyone with less than 50 dives is considered a beginner. There are several dive boats and resorts that don’t accept divers with less than 50 dives, even if they already have their second advanced dive certification. They only accept experienced divers because the dive conditions can become challenging, such as heavy surprise currents.
Certifications are a guide to experience. For example, an Open Water diver with 200 dives will be considered far more experienced than an Advanced Open Water diver with 20 dives. However, if you want to make deeper dives surpassing 40 feet depth, you’ll need an advanced certification.
In this article we focus on scuba holiday destinations where you can stay within the limits of an Open Water dive certification (no deeper than 40 feet), places where there is little to no current, and where the water entry/exit is easy.
Best Scuba Holiday Destinations for Beginners
Hawaii, scuba diving on the Big Island
One of the most precious places you can ever scuba dive is the Big Island of Hawaii. Not only is it really easy to reach from mainland USA, it also literally has some of the best diving in the world. Kona, one of the cities on the big island, is famous for the Manta Ray night dive. It’s a night dive that’s suitable for all levels.
You basically sit down (in the sand) at a depth of approximately 16 feet and everyone will shine their dive lights up. This will attracts tons of plankton, the food Manta Rays eat. The Manta’s will follow shortly after, swimming right over your head eating all the plankton. It’s a priceless experience that should be on every scuba diver’s bucket list!
The day diving is just as epic, with a chance for Manta Rays as well as dolphins, sea turtles, and much more. All at shallow depths and if it looks like there’s a lot of current going (which is rare), the dive shop usually just picks a different dive site.
Curious about the creatures you can find in Hawaii? Check out the Hawaii Fish ID card.
Bonaire, shore diving capital of the world
Bonaire is the “Shore Diving Capital of the World”. With over 60 shore diving sites, there are plenty of dive sites perfect for beginning divers. Some dive sites we recommend are Salt Pier, Invisibles, The Lake and Weber’s Joy. All these dive sites have a simple entry/exit, easy navigation and are rarely any kind of current.
In Bonaire, the chances of seeing sea turtles when scuba diving is very high. There’s also a big variety of tropical fish and dolphins, and if you’re really lucky, you might see a Manta Ray cruising by. All dive sites and most common creatures can be found on this Bonaire Fish ID card.
Grand Cayman, amazing coral reefs and stingrays
Famous for its tame stingrays, the Cayman Islands have a lot to offer scuba divers. The most famous dive site is Stingray City. This is where tons of stingrays hang out, looking for food. They are as shallow as 3 feet deep and very friendly.
But besides stingrays, there’s a lot more to discover underwater. For example, check out the USS Kittiwake. It’s a wreck dive site, where a world famous WWII ship lies on the bottom of the ocean. The USS Kittiwake was a submarine rescue ship in World War II. The top of the wreck rests at 15 feet and the bottom at 65 feet, making most of the wreck easily available to Open Water divers.
If you want to check out more of the underwater life in this location, check out the Cayman Islands Fish ID card.
Egypt, some of the best scuba diving in the world
If you like coral, lots of fish and diverse diving, then the Red Sea is an absolute must-visit destination. Especially a liveaboard, a boat where you eat, sleep and dive on, is a great way to discover the Red Sea. There are many liveaboards on the Red Sea and they all sail different routes. The most suitable route for beginning divers is St. Johns/South. This is in the southern part of Egypt’s Red Sea. Relatively shallow dives and beautiful reefs with sea turtles are present, as well as an abundance of tropical fish.
If you prefer to stay in a resort, have a look at Safaga. A small, not so touristy town under Hurghada. Often whale sharks and manta rays are spotted at the famous Panorama Reef.
For more info on the underwater creatures in Egypt, check out this Red Sea Fish ID card.
Beginner dive destinations: Not just for beginners!
When a dive site is suitable for beginners it never means that it’s not fun to dive for experienced divers as well. Quite the opposite. Experienced divers will just as much enjoy and appreciate these hassle-free dive destinations where you don’t need to worry about deep dives or currents. Dives where you just can relax and enjoy all the beauty the ocean has to offer.
Written by: Rianne Poesse
