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World's Best Diving & Resorts

World's Best Diving & Resorts

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World's Best Diving and Resorts 2011

 

Below is a list of select properties that have participated in 2011 World's Best Diving & Resorts. The staff at Sport Diver has compiled a collection of links to make it easier for you to educate yourself and connect with some incredible locations, properties and diving. So enjoy and be sure to let them know you saw them in The World's Best Diving & Resorts!

 

Caribbean / Atlantic

Bahamas

Bonaire

Cayman Islands

Curacao

Dominica

Puerto Rico

St. Lucia

Trinidad & Tobago

  • Sport Diver Magazine
    Set on 46 secluded acres of lush Caribbean waterfront, the Blue Waters Inn offers access to some of the Caribbean’s best diving. Here are the top 3 reasons to dive with Blue Waters Inn:1. Close to phenomenal dive sitesJump on one of the three of Blue Waters’ covered dive boats to explore many spectacular dives sites just two to five minutes from the hotel’s private dock.  Founded in 1994, the onsite dive shop is just steps from your hotel room and can accommodate divers of all levels, including those wanting to learn to dive for the first time.

Turks & Caicos

US Virgin Islands

Pacific / Indian Ocean

Fiji

  • Sport Diver Magazine
    As some of the most hospitable people in the world, Fijian locals are renowned for hosting massive feasts. But scuba divers will discover Fiji’s biggest banquet is located underwater. With 330 islands embraced by brilliant coral reefs teeming with marine life, Fiji offers a smorgasbord of the world's best diving. Here are three of the most popular items on Fiji’s menu of diving delights.To learn more about everything Fiji has to offer, click here.

United States

Florida Keys

Hawaii

Missouri

  • spddr12_bonne-terre-mine-2.jpg
    National Geographic Adventure named the diving at Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri one of the top 10 adventures in America, and it’s easy to see why. Back in the day, the mine’s deepest reaches were not underwater. A massive pump system stemmed the flow of encroaching groundwater as the miners pushed ever deeper. But when this, the world’s largest lead mine, was all mined out, the pumps were turned off and water trickled in to fill the void. These days, mine owners Doug and Catherine Goergens maintain a constant water level, providing divers with access to their unique underwater vision.

Latin America

Belize

Costa Maya, Mexico

  • spddr12_maya-palms-beach-resort-3.jpg
    The moment guests enter the Maya Palms Beach Resort, they know they’ve arrived somewhere special. As they walk through the grand Mayan Warrior gates, they feel as if they left their lives behind. This tropical hideaway is located on the Mexican Caribbean known as the Costa Maya Riviera. In addition to the virgin exploratory diving on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, guests can enjoy other activities such as shopping, horseback riding and Maya ruins tours. Divers and nondivers alike will love this beautiful eco resort, featuring boutique accommodations.

Cozumel, Mexico

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    Pass through Scuba Club’s arched gateway and you’ve entered a charming Spanish colonial village by the sea. It’s so tranquil and inviting that you might feel you’ve been transported to another time and place. But you’ll find that this is a modern town built with scuba divers in mind. From the drying racks on each terrace to the private pier and custom dive boats, right down to the swinging hammocks under the thatched roof by the water — everything is designed to make life easier for the diver.

Honduras

Southeast Asia

Philippines

  • spddr12_098-turtle bay dive resort.jpg
    Set in landscaped tropical grounds overlooking Moalboal Bay on the island of Cebu, this 23-room boutique resort was designed for divers by a family of divers. The resort has a beautiful house reef, and offers easy access to the famous Pescador Island — sardine shoals, thresher sharks and much more — and to 18 other great dive sites. Chill out between dives at the spa or just relax with a fresh mango juice next to the large lagoon pool. Plus, enjoy gourmet meals in the BayView Restaurant with a wide selection of Asian-fusion dishes plus some traditional favorites.

Liveaboards

Australia

  • spddr12_092-3.jpg
    New for 2012-13 are two far-northern itineraries visiting wrecks and reefs rarely dived. Since 1969, Mike Ball has set the standard in the Australian dive industry with exceptional trips to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Mike Ball offers three-, four- and seven-night expeditions including custom trips such as shark research and minke whale encounters. Spoilsport’s twin hull maximizes comfort, and both novice and adventuresome divers can experience encounters with huge potato cod at Cod Hole and the exhilarating shark feed at North Horn.
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    Taka Dive Adventures has been operating live-aboard dive trips for more than 18 years to Cod Hole, Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea and the Ribbon Reefs. The famous Cod Hole attracts divers from all over the world; when it’s combined with the shark feed at Osprey Reef, it’s a trip of a lifetime. Osprey Reef is one of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. Divers will encounter a diverse range of sharks year-round and pristine soft corals. Each June, July and early August, Taka Dive offers expeditions with dwarf minke whales.

Bahamas

British Virgin Islands

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    Cuan Law, the largest sailing trimaran in the world, is like a luxury inn with a sporting flavor that moves around the beautiful British Virgin Islands. This fine, family-run establishment provides the amenities, food and attentive, friendly service that you would expect. The trimaran’s three hulls give superb stability, and the towering white sails speed it along with no carbon footprint, or the powerful twin diesels can move her fast if the wind dies. Overall, we use about one-quarter the fossil fuel of a power live-aboard.

Chuuk

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    The Truk Odyssey, a purpose-built 132-foot luxury live-aboard yacht, specializes in exploring Chuuk Lagoon’s World War II wrecks. The vessel features six huge staterooms (at 14 feet by 8 feet, some of the largest available on a live-aboard) with en suite bathrooms, two single staterooms and one stateroom with a bunk. The ship has a large entertainment saloon and dining room. The spacious dive deck includes a large camera table, charging station, rinse tanks and a large dive platform.

French Polynesia

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    French Polynesia is a diver’s paradise, where translucent, turquoise lagoons are begging to be explored.  Join the superior dive team on board the M/S Paul Gauguin, designed specifically to navigate these islands; its small size allows you to visit small ports and shallow lagoons, creating countless opportunities to explore. Since its maiden voyage in 1998, the Gauguin has become the longest continually operating year-round luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific. On board, experience an atmosphere that is at once luxurious and relaxed.

Indonesia

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    Explore the majestic underwater world of the Indonesian archipelago, and treat yourself to five-star accommodations along the way. The Arenui boutique live-aboard is a traditional and magnificent phinisi, a classic Indonesian wooden sailing vessel, and a work of art in itself, with its wooden detailing and decorative touches. As you unwind in exceptionally spacious cabins — tastefully furnished with exquisite handicrafts from each of the Indonesian provinces — rest easy knowing the boat used 70 percent recycled wood.