World's Best Diving & Resorts 2012

With 333 guest rooms and suites, Breezes Resort Spa and Casino is Curaçao’s largest vacation property, as well as its only super-inclusive resort. Given its convenient location just two miles from Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage site, adventurers can opt for off-property excursions and explore the island’s historical, business and cultural capital. On property, guests can unwind on pristine white-sand beaches, take a free introductory scuba-diving course, fly high with trapeze lessons and much more.

The Fort Young Hotel is nestled on the waterfront overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The hotel houses 71 guest rooms, all equipped with air conditioning, ceiling fans, cable TV, balcony, minifridge, and tea and coffee stations. There are also two restaurants and two bars offering local and -international culinary experiences.

Where emerald peaks of El Yunque National -Rainforest slope gently toward the Atlantic on Puerto Rico’s fabled northeast coast, Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico invites you to experience our signature “Red Glove Service” as you discover the island at its most enchanting, both above and below the water.

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.

Grand Turk, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, lies just 575 miles southeast of Miami. The combination of an unspoiled island, spectacular wall diving and Oasis Divers’ professionalism, along with Osprey Beach Hotel’s down-to-earth friendliness and high-end amenities, will have you planning your return before the last dive ends.

Bolongo Bay is the place to experience the island’s most popular offerings — poolside dining at the Lobster Grille, high-energy fun at Iggies Beach Bar & Grill, sailing on our 53-foot Heavenly Days catamaran or discovering the wonders below with St. Thomas Diving Club, a Five Star PADI Center. Bolongo offers the Caribbean’s most refreshing all-inclusive plan with a la carte dining, premium cocktails, lobster and filet mignon. Room-only rates are available; dive packages can be added to either plan.

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.

For more than 33 years, Captain Slate and his crew at Atlantis Dive Center have been showing divers the best of the Florida Keys.www.captainslate.comcaptainslate@captainslate.com

Wild yet sophisticated, Maui is an island of paradoxes. The rugged upcountry is home to paniolo — Hawaiian cowboys — and to five-star dining. During the day, go refined — golf, yoga, spas — or turn up the adrenaline with surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, kite surfing, paragliding, zip-lining or mountain biking.

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.

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.

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.

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.