Best dive trips for Advanced Open Water

Locations that fit your level

• Ogasawara

  Japan · 2 sites

  Warm-season access lines up with dolphin, pelagic and blue-water diving.

• Ningaloo Reef

  Australia · 8 sites

  Whale shark season and clear reef diving generally peak in late autumn to winter.

• Jardines de la Reina

  Cuba · 3 sites

  Main liveaboard window outside the peak storm season.

• Silver Bank

  Dominican Republic · 1 sites

  Peak humpback interaction season in the North Atlantic.

• Ari Atoll

  Maldives · 5 sites

  Classic manta and whale shark season with drier weather and stronger visibility.

• North Male Atoll

  Maldives · 3 sites

  Reliable dry-season diving with clear channels and consistent reef action.

• Raja Ampat

  Indonesia · 16 sites

  Peak conditions for biodiversity, calmer seas and strong wide-angle diving.

• Komodo National Park

  Indonesia · 9 sites

  Long main season with good visibility, manta encounters and liveaboard conditions.

• Tulamben

  Indonesia · 5 sites

  Popular wreck and macro season with calmer dry-season conditions.

• Bunaken

  Indonesia · 5 sites

  Best wall and turtle diving generally aligns with drier months and better visibility.

• Apo Reef

  Philippines · 6 sites

  Dry-season window generally offers better crossings and cleaner water.

• Moalboal

  Philippines · 3 sites

  Sardine run and reef diving usually shine during the drier part of the year.

What you’ll typically see at this level

• Great White Cage Diving

  beginner

  Surface-cage encounters with white sharks at established aggregation sites. Non-decompression, no certification required at most operators.

• Whale Shark Aggregations

  beginner

  Predictable seasonal aggregations of the world's largest fish, typically at plankton or fish-spawning hotspots.

• Manta Ray Cleaning Stations

  intermediate

  Reliable cleaning-station encounters where mantas hover for wrasse and butterflyfish cleaners.

• Mobula Ray Aggregations

  intermediate

  Vast schools of Munk's devil rays moving through the Sea of Cortez, with leaping displays at the surface.

• Mass Coral Spawning

  intermediate

  Synchronized broadcast spawning of stony corals, typically a few nights after a full moon in late spring or summer.

• Mandarin Fish Dusk Spawning

  beginner

  Daily dusk mating ascents of mandarin fish above rubble patches, observable on a single short shallow dive.

• Giant Australian Cuttlefish Aggregation

  beginner

  Annual breeding aggregation of giant cuttlefish in the shallow waters of upper Spencer Gulf, with elaborate male display and mating behavior.

Recommended gear

• Cressi F1 Frameless Mask

  mask · basic

  Your window underwater. Seals against your face so you can see without water getting in your eyes.

• ScubaPro Go Travel Fins

  fins · basic

  Foot blades that turn leg kicks into forward motion underwater.

• Mares Avanti Quattro Plus Fins

  fins · addon

  Power fins for current diving (Galápagos, Komodo, Socorro). Heavier but worth it where current matters.

• Cressi Isla 5mm Dive Boots

  boots · addon

  5mm zip boots for open-heel fins. Solid mid-price warmth.

• Bare Reactive 3mm Full Wetsuit

  wetsuit · basic

  An insulating neoprene suit that traps a thin layer of water against your skin to keep you warm.

• Bare Reactive 5mm Full Wetsuit

  wetsuit · addon

  Thicker suit for cool water — Socorro, Galápagos, Cocos. Same line as the 3mm. Add when sites dip below 75°F.

• Fourth Element Argonaut Drysuit

  drysuit · addon

  Trilaminate drysuit for cold-water diving (Silfra, BC, UK).

• ScubaPro Hydros Pro BCD

  bcd · basic

  A vest that holds your tank and inflates or deflates to control your buoyancy at depth.

Plan a trip

Methodology