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2011 Top 100 Gold List

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On December 21, 2010
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2011 Top 100 Gold List

The Top 100 Gold List of operators, resorts, liveaboards, experiences (such as best wall, shore and artificial-reef sites), beach bars, topside attractions and more was determined on a “popularity contest” basis. Rankings are based on the total number of responses regardless of category. Don’t see your favorite site, operator or topside activity? Visit www.scubadiving.com/top100 and vote for next year’s Gold List and Top 100 winners.

  1. Best Wall Dive - Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman
  2. Best Dive - Blue Corner, Palau
  3. Best 24/7 Diving - Bonaire
  4. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - Continental
  5. Best Live-Aboard - Cayman Aggressor IV
  6. Best Dive Resort - Anthony’s Key
  7. Best Wall Dive - Santa Rosa, Cozumel
  8. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Spiegel Grove
  9. Best Animal Encounter - Whale sharks, Gladden Spit, Belize
  10. Best Night Life - San Miguel, Cozumel
  11. Best Night Life - Key West
  12. Best Dive Operation - Stuart Cove's
  13. Best Beach - 7 Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
  14. Best Night Dive - Kona Manta
  15. Best Bar - Carlos & Charlie’s, Cozumel
  16. Best Bar - Domino Club, St. Croix
  17. Most Unusual Dive - Au naturel
  18. Best Dive Site - London Bridge, Tobago
  19. Best Dive Site - Darwin’s Arch, Galapagos
  20. Best Animal Encounter - Hammerheads, Cocos
  21. Best Marine Park - Bonaire
  22. Best Marine Park - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
  23. Best Topside Attraction - Mayan Ruins, Riviera Maya
  24. Best Live-Aboard - Star Dancer, Papua New Guinea
  25. Most Romantic - Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia
  26. Best Dive Operation - Ocean Encounters, Curaçao
  27. Best Dive Operation - Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire
  28. Best Live-Aboard - Truk Odyssey, Truk
  29. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - Singapore Airlines
  30. Best Animal Encounter - Stingray City
  31. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - American Airlines
  32. Best Dive Site - Gran Cenotes
  33. Best 24/7 Diving - Wakatobi
  34. Best Live-Aboard - Galapagos Aggressor I and II
  35. Best Animal Encounter - Mantas, Yap
  36. Best Dive Operation - Sam’s Tours, Palau
  37. Best Animal Encounter - Sea lions, Channel Islands
  38. Best Dive Site - Liberty Wreck, Bali
  39. Best Animal Encounter - Cod Hole, Great Barrier Reef
  40. Best Marine Park - Bunaken, Indonesia
  41. Best Wall Dive - Browning Wall, British Columbia
  42. Best Live-Aboard - Paradise Dancer
  43. Best Dive Operation - Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman
  44. Best Wall Dive - Palancar, Cozumel
  45. Best Beach Bar - Da Conch Shack, Provo
  46. Best Dive Site - SS Thistlegorm, Red Sea
  47. Best Wall Dive - North Wall, Grand Cayman
  48. Best Live-Aboard - Kona Aggressor
  49. Best Wall Dive - Great White Wall, Fiji
  50. Best Dive Site - Breakwater, Monterey
  51. Best Dive Site - Superior Producer, Curaçao
  52. Best Dive Operation - Sunset House, Grand Cayman
  53. Best Dive Site - Pixie Pinnacle, Great Barrier Reef
  54. Best Live-Aboard - Mike Ball's Spoilsport
  55. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Hermes, Bermuda
  56. Best Dive Site - Cocoa Thila, Maldives
  57. Most Unusual Dive - Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri
  58. Best Beach Bar - Treetanic, Utila
  59. Best Dive Site - Hilma Hooker, Bonaire
  60. Best Marine Park - Flower Garden Banks, Texas
  61. Best Dive Site - Molokini Crater, Hawaii
  62. Best Animal Encounter - Shark Feeds, Bahamas
  63. Best Animal Encounter - Jellyfish Lake, Palau
  64. Best Shore Dive - Place of Refuge, Hawaii
  65. Best Live-Aboard - Belize Aggressor III
  66. Best Shore Dive - Basura, Anilao, Philippines
  67. Best Animal Encounter - Sand tiger sharks, Papoose, North Carolina
  68. Best Live-Aboard - Taka
  69. Best Animal Encounter - Dolphins, Roatán
  70. Best Dive Site - Yongala, Australia
  71. Best Wall Dive - The Dropoff, Sipadan, Malaysia
  72. Best Animal Encounter - Great white shark, Baja California
  73. Best Wall Dive - West End Wall, Roatan
  74. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Yukon, San Diego
  75. Best Dive Site - Cannibal Rock, Komodo, Indonesia
  76. Most Unusual Dive - Champagne, Dominica
  77. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - There isn’t one!
  78. Best Animal Encounter - Manatees, Crystal River
  79. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Oriskany, Florida
  80. Best Dive Site - Fujikawa Maru
  81. Best Night Dive - Flashlight Fish, Pacific Gas, PNG
  82. Best Animal Encounter - Mimic octopus, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  83. Best Dive Site - Bianca C, Grenada
  84. Most Unusual Dive - Chandelier Cave, Palau
  85. Best Wall Dive - Lekuan, Indonesia
  86. Best Dive Operation - Dive Locker, Panama City
  87. Best Beach Bar - Bomba Shack, Tortola
  88. Most Unusual Dive - Silfra Fissure, Iceland
  89. Most Romantic - Sandals, St. Lucia
  90. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - USS Vandenberg
  91. Most Unusual Dive - The Passage, Raja Ampat
  92. Best Shore Dive - President Coolidge, Vanuatu
  93. Best Live-Aboard - Komodo Dancer
  94. Best Animal Encounter - Frogfish, Bonaire
  95. Best Night Dive - Maaya Thila, Maldives
  96. Most Unusual Dive Site - Noonachuk Rapids, BC
  97. Most Unusual Dive Site - Seaventures, Malaysia
  98. Best Resort - Scuba Seraya, Bali
  99. Most Unusual Dive - Not fit for print!
  100. Best Topside Attraction - Santa Cruz, Galapagos

The Top 100 Gold List of operators, resorts, liveaboards, experiences (such as best wall, shore and artificial-reef sites), beach bars, topside attractions and more was determined on a “popularity contest” basis. Rankings are based on the total number of responses regardless of category. Don’t see your favorite site, operator or topside activity? Visit www.scubadiving.com/top100 and vote for next year’s Gold List and Top 100 winners.

  1. Best Wall Dive - Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman
  2. Best Dive - Blue Corner, Palau
  3. Best 24/7 Diving - Bonaire
  4. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - Continental
  5. Best Live-Aboard - Cayman Aggressor IV
  6. Best Dive Resort - Anthony’s Key
  7. Best Wall Dive - Santa Rosa, Cozumel
  8. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Spiegel Grove
  9. Best Animal Encounter - Whale sharks, Gladden Spit, Belize
  10. Best Night Life - San Miguel, Cozumel
  11. Best Night Life - Key West
  12. Best Dive Operation - Stuart Cove's
  13. Best Beach - 7 Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
  14. Best Night Dive - Kona Manta
  15. Best Bar - Carlos & Charlie’s, Cozumel
  16. Best Bar - Domino Club, St. Croix
  17. Most Unusual Dive - Au naturel
  18. Best Dive Site - London Bridge, Tobago
  19. Best Dive Site - Darwin’s Arch, Galapagos
  20. Best Animal Encounter - Hammerheads, Cocos
  21. Best Marine Park - Bonaire
  22. Best Marine Park - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
  23. Best Topside Attraction - Mayan Ruins, Riviera Maya
  24. Best Live-Aboard - Star Dancer, Papua New Guinea
  25. Most Romantic - Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia
  26. Best Dive Operation - Ocean Encounters, Curaçao
  27. Best Dive Operation - Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire
  28. Best Live-Aboard - Truk Odyssey, Truk
  29. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - Singapore Airlines
  30. Best Animal Encounter - Stingray City
  31. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - American Airlines
  32. Best Dive Site - Gran Cenotes
  33. Best 24/7 Diving - Wakatobi
  34. Best Live-Aboard - Galapagos Aggressor I and II
  35. Best Animal Encounter - Mantas, Yap
  36. Best Dive Operation - Sam’s Tours, Palau
  37. Best Animal Encounter - Sea lions, Channel Islands
  38. Best Dive Site - Liberty Wreck, Bali
  39. Best Animal Encounter - Cod Hole, Great Barrier Reef
  40. Best Marine Park - Bunaken, Indonesia
  41. Best Wall Dive - Browning Wall, British Columbia
  42. Best Live-Aboard - Paradise Dancer
  43. Best Dive Operation - Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman
  44. Best Wall Dive - Palancar, Cozumel
  45. Best Beach Bar - Da Conch Shack, Provo
  46. Best Dive Site - SS Thistlegorm, Red Sea
  47. Best Wall Dive - North Wall, Grand Cayman
  48. Best Live-Aboard - Kona Aggressor
  49. Best Wall Dive - Great White Wall, Fiji
  50. Best Dive Site - Breakwater, Monterey
  51. Best Dive Site - Superior Producer, Curaçao
  52. Best Dive Operation - Sunset House, Grand Cayman
  53. Best Dive Site - Pixie Pinnacle, Great Barrier Reef
  54. Best Live-Aboard - Mike Ball's Spoilsport
  55. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Hermes, Bermuda
  56. Best Dive Site - Cocoa Thila, Maldives
  57. Most Unusual Dive - Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri
  58. Best Beach Bar - Treetanic, Utila
  59. Best Dive Site - Hilma Hooker, Bonaire
  60. Best Marine Park - Flower Garden Banks, Texas
  61. Best Dive Site - Molokini Crater, Hawaii
  62. Best Animal Encounter - Shark Feeds, Bahamas
  63. Best Animal Encounter - Jellyfish Lake, Palau
  64. Best Shore Dive - Place of Refuge, Hawaii
  65. Best Live-Aboard - Belize Aggressor III
  66. Best Shore Dive - Basura, Anilao, Philippines
  67. Best Animal Encounter - Sand tiger sharks, Papoose, North Carolina
  68. Best Live-Aboard - Taka
  69. Best Animal Encounter - Dolphins, Roatán
  70. Best Dive Site - Yongala, Australia
  71. Best Wall Dive - The Dropoff, Sipadan, Malaysia
  72. Best Animal Encounter - Great white shark, Baja California
  73. Best Wall Dive - West End Wall, Roatan
  74. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Yukon, San Diego
  75. Best Dive Site - Cannibal Rock, Komodo, Indonesia
  76. Most Unusual Dive - Champagne, Dominica
  77. Most Diver-Friendly Airline - There isn’t one!
  78. Best Animal Encounter - Manatees, Crystal River
  79. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - Oriskany, Florida
  80. Best Dive Site - Fujikawa Maru
  81. Best Night Dive - Flashlight Fish, Pacific Gas, PNG
  82. Best Animal Encounter - Mimic octopus, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  83. Best Dive Site - Bianca C, Grenada
  84. Most Unusual Dive - Chandelier Cave, Palau
  85. Best Wall Dive - Lekuan, Indonesia
  86. Best Dive Operation - Dive Locker, Panama City
  87. Best Beach Bar - Bomba Shack, Tortola
  88. Most Unusual Dive - Silfra Fissure, Iceland
  89. Most Romantic - Sandals, St. Lucia
  90. Best Purpose-Sunk Wreck - USS Vandenberg
  91. Most Unusual Dive - The Passage, Raja Ampat
  92. Best Shore Dive - President Coolidge, Vanuatu
  93. Best Live-Aboard - Komodo Dancer
  94. Best Animal Encounter - Frogfish, Bonaire
  95. Best Night Dive - Maaya Thila, Maldives
  96. Most Unusual Dive Site - Noonachuk Rapids, BC
  97. Most Unusual Dive Site - Seaventures, Malaysia
  98. Best Resort - Scuba Seraya, Bali
  99. Most Unusual Dive - Not fit for print!
  100. Best Topside Attraction - Santa Cruz, Galapagos