Best dive trips for Technical divers

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

• Sardine Run

  advanced

  Annual northward migration of billions of sardines along South Africa's Wild Coast, attracting common dolphins, bronze whalers, dusky sharks, Bryde's whales, and Cape gannets into spectacular bait-ball feeding events.

• Scalloped Hammerhead Schools

  advanced

  Daytime schooling aggregations of scalloped hammerheads at seamounts and current-swept island walls.

• Thresher Shark Cleaning

  advanced

  Dawn dives on Monad Shoal where pelagic threshers ascend from deep water to be cleaned by wrasses.

• Blackwater Diving

  advanced

  Open-ocean night dives over deep water, tethered to a lighted drift line, observing larval and pelagic invertebrates ascending in the diel migration.

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.

• Mares Avanti Quattro Plus Fins

  fins · addon

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

• 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).

• Shearwater Teric Wrist Computer

  computer · addon

  Air-integrated capable, multi-gas tech computer in wristwatch form.

• OrcaTorch D550 Backup Light

  light · addon

  Tiny 1000-lumen AA backup. Every serious diver should carry one.

• BigBlue VL5500P Tech Light

  light · addon

  5500-lumen flood primary for wrecks, caverns, deep tech. Li-ion — check airline rules.

• XS Scuba 6ft Closed-Bottom SMB

  reel-smb · addon

  Closed-bottom holds gas at the surface. Oral-inflate. Required for drift dives.

Plan a trip

Methodology