scuba diving vacations

The hottest dive spots — from the Caribbean to the Pacific — to beat the cold-weather blues!

Where three bodies of water converge, expect off-the-charts biodiversity — in this 7,000- island archipelago that forms the northern end of the Coral Triangle, the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea and Celebes Sea meet to support 2,000 marine species.

There are a few places in the world that require studying a tidal chart when planning the day’s diving, but perhaps nowhere else with as much South Pacific romantic beauty as the islands of French Polynesia. High tide brings you elbow-to-fin with sharks, dolphins, tunas and other hunters when you try “pass diving,” a signature Tahitian experience. Fly like Superman through the small inlets funneling into lagoon pools. This is shark diving at its finest: Encounter gray reef, silvertip, silky, whitetip reef, blacktip reef, milk, lemon, great hammerhead and tiger sharks.

 Overlooking Moalboal Bay and nestled in a tropical, lush setting on the island of Cebu, this 27-room boutique resort — listed in Top 10 Diving Hotels Worldwide — was designed for divers by a family of divers.