World's Best Diving & Resorts 2013

If the little island of Tobago is diving’s best kept secret, then Blue Waters Inn is the very heart of that secret. Nestled in its own exquisite bay on the island’s north coast, it is surrounded by phenomenal dive sites. The resort is aptly named, and this is evident from the first breathtaking glimpse of Batteaux Bay. Every room faces the ocean for a view of the water and guests have their choice of suites, kitchen efficiencies and standard rooms. 

With 341 rooms and suites, Sunscape Curaçao Resort, Spa and Casino is one of Curaçao’s largest vacation properties, as well as its only all-inclusive resort. Given its location just two miles from Willemstad, adventurers can opt for off-property excursions and explore the island’s historical, business and cultural capital.

Dive into more than 58 different sites throughout the U.S. Virgin islands. Reached by beach or boat, these reefs and wrecks offer a diverse range of dive experiences.

If there is one island that summons up all the romance of the South Pacific as a tropical paradise, it is Tahiti. It's been that way for more than two centuries, since the island's charms (including its free-spirited women) helped spark the mutiny on the Bounty. Today the international airport in Tahiti's capital of Papeete is the gateway to all of French Polynesia.

National Geographic Adventure named the diving at Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri — explored and filmed by Jacques Cousteau — one of the top 10 adventures in America. 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 deeper. But when the world’s largest lead mine was closed, the pumps were turned off and water trickled in to fill the void.

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.

Located along the southern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Olympus Dive Center is ideally situated to offer exploration of the many shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. One of them, the world-renowned WWII German U-Boat U-352, rests in 115 feet of clear Gulf Stream water.

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.