Destinations

The best diving spots in Asia, charted by experts.

From the manta channels of Komodo to the fringing reefs of the Andaman Sea — every destination guide is researched and dived by our editorial team.

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All destination stories

Vivid coral reef garden in Raja Ampat with anthias fish
Indonesia|Expedition

Raja Ampat: The World’s Ultimate Diving Paradise Unveiled

Beyond the edge of the map lies the richest marine biodiversity on Earth. Discover why this remote Indonesian archipelago is the holy grail for serious divers.

JM
Julian Marsh· 12 min read
Whale shark gliding under the surface with a distant diver
Philippines|Marine Life

Gentle Giants: Following the Whale Shark Migration in Donsol

An intimate look at the conservation efforts protecting these majestic seasonal visitors of the Philippines’ richest waters.

MT
Marcus Thorne· 8 min read
Sea turtle gliding above a shallow reef in clear turquoise water
Thailand|Guides

The Complete Guide to Diving in Koh Tao, Thailand

Why this small Gulf of Thailand island became Asia’s certification capital — and the secret dive sites only locals know.

LP
Liam Pierce· 14 min read
Granite boulders and coral garden at Elephant Head Rock, Similan Islands
Thailand|Andaman Sea

The Similan Islands: Thailand's Granite Cathedral Reefs

Eleven uninhabited islands in the Andaman Sea where granite boulders the size of houses meet some of Asia's clearest water and richest pelagic action.

LP
Liam Pierce· 10 min read
Diver descending into deep blue water above Hin Daeng pinnacle
Thailand|Andaman Sea

Koh Lanta & Hin Daeng: Thailand's Pelagic Frontier

Far south of Phuket, two isolated pinnacles rise from the deep Andaman Sea — and bring with them mantas, whale sharks and the strongest soft coral colours in the country.

LP
Liam Pierce· 9 min read
Manta ray cruising over Karang Makassar cleaning station in Komodo
Indonesia|Komodo

Diving Komodo: Where Currents Build the Greatest Reefs in Indonesia

Mantas, sharks, dragons on land and the most nutrient-rich currents in the Coral Triangle. A diver's guide to Indonesia's most dynamic park.

JM
Julian Marsh· 12 min read
Diver next to the encrusted bow of the USS Liberty wreck in Tulamben, Bali
Indonesia|Bali

Diving Bali: From the USS Liberty Wreck to the Mola Mola of Nusa Penida

Beyond the rice paddies and beach clubs lies one of Indonesia's most varied dive scenes — a wartime wreck, black-sand muck and the world's largest bony fish.

JM
Julian Marsh· 11 min read
Schooling jacks above Tubbataha's North Atoll wall
Philippines|Sulu Sea

Tubbataha Reef: The Philippines' Crown Jewel

Open just three months a year and reachable only by liveaboard, Tubbataha is the cleanest, sharkiest and most strictly protected reef in Southeast Asia.

MT
Marcus Thorne· 10 min read
Pelagic thresher shark with elongated tail at Monad Shoal cleaning station
Philippines|Cebu

Malapascua: Daily Thresher Sharks at Monad Shoal

A small island off the northern tip of Cebu where, every dawn, pelagic thresher sharks rise from 200 m to be cleaned in shallow water. Nowhere else on Earth does this.

MT
Marcus Thorne· 9 min read
Aerial view of a Maldivian atoll with turquoise lagoon and outer reef
Maldives|Atolls

Choosing Your Maldives Atoll: North to South, Channel by Channel

Twenty-six atolls, hundreds of channels, and remarkably different diving from north to south. Here is how to pick the right Maldivian itinerary for what you want to see.

ST
Sofia Tan· 11 min read
Manta ray feeding in the lights of a dive boat at night in the Maldives
Maldives|Vaavu Atoll

Night-Time Manta Feeding in the Maldives: Magic at Alimatha

After dark, plankton concentrates around the lights of dive boats — and dozens of mantas come to feed. One of diving's most surreal experiences.

ST
Sofia Tan· 8 min read
Diver above the stepped Yonaguni Monument in southern Japan
Japan|Okinawa

Diving Okinawa & Yonaguni: Subtropical Reefs and the Underwater Monument

Japan's southern islands hide warm reefs, hammerhead schools and the most debated archaeological site in the diving world.

AC
Aria Chen· 10 min read
Volcanic rock arch underwater on the Izu Peninsula coast
Japan|Izu

Diving the Izu Peninsula: Tokyo's Underwater Backyard

Two hours from Shibuya, dramatic volcanic topography, summer hammerheads at Mikomoto and a uniquely Japanese diving culture.

AC
Aria Chen· 9 min read
Healthy hard coral garden in Con Dao National Marine Park, Vietnam
Vietnam|Con Dao

Con Dao: Vietnam's Best-Kept Diving Secret

An archipelago of 16 islands, a national marine park and the country's most pristine reefs — Con Dao is Vietnam's frontier for serious divers.

AC
Aria Chen· 9 min read
Diver above a soft coral reef off Hon Mun island near Nha Trang
Vietnam|Nha Trang

Diving Nha Trang: Vietnam's Accessible Coastal Reefs

Vietnam's most established dive destination — easy boat trips, gentle conditions and the friendliest entry point into Vietnamese diving.

AC
Aria Chen· 8 min read
Wall of barracuda forming a tornado at Barracuda Point, Sipadan
Malaysia|Sabah

Sipadan: Why Malaysia's Tiny Island Stays at the Top of Every List

An oceanic seamount the size of a few football pitches, surrounded by 600 m of blue water and one of the densest concentrations of marine life on Earth.

JM
Julian Marsh· 10 min read
Flamboyant cuttlefish on black sand at Mabul Island, Borneo
Malaysia|Sabah

Mabul: The Macro Capital of Borneo

Sipadan's quiet neighbour is one of Asia's richest muck-diving sites — frogfish, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, all within fin-kicks of the jetty.

JM
Julian Marsh· 9 min read
Tombant vertical de Sipadan plongeant dans le bleu profond
Malaysia|Sabah

Sipadan : pourquoi ce mur sous-marin reste une légende

Un mont sous-marin de quelques hectares cerné par 600 m d'eau bleue — voici ce qui rend Sipadan inégalable parmi les sites de plongée d'Asie.

JM
Julian Marsh· 10 min de lecture
Hippocampe pygmée sur une gorgone aux Perhentian
Malaysia|Perhentian

Perhentian : paradis macro et terrain de jeu des débutants

Eaux chaudes, peu de courant et faune macro étonnante : pourquoi les Perhentian restent le meilleur point d'entrée vers la plongée en Malaisie.

MT
Marcus Thorne· 8 min de lecture
Jardin de coraux mous coloré sur un récif peu profond de Redang
Malaysia|Redang

Redang : la perle de la mer de Chine méridionale

Eaux cristallines, récifs frangeants intacts et faune accessible dès 5 m — Redang est la destination où la plongée malaisienne se redécouvre.

ST
Sofia Tan· 9 min de lecture
Pinacle violet de Hin Muang couvert de coraux mous
Thailand|Andaman

Koh Lanta : la face tranquille de la mer d'Andaman

Hin Daeng, Hin Muang et Koh Haa au départ d'une île encore préservée — Koh Lanta est devenue la base la plus discrète mais la plus complète du sud thaïlandais.

AC
Aria Chen· 9 min de lecture
Coraux mous violets sur Richelieu Rock en pleine eau
Thailand|Similan

Richelieu Rock : le pinacle préféré de Cousteau

Surnommé le plus beau site de Thaïlande, Richelieu Rock concentre requins-baleines saisonniers, bancs de barracudas et coraux mous fluorescents.

JM
Julian Marsh· 10 min de lecture
Nudibranche flamboyant photographié en macro à Anilao
Philippines|Macro

Anilao : la capitale mondiale de la plongée macro

À deux heures de Manille, Anilao concentre une densité de critters inégalée — nudibranches rares, poissons-grenouilles et hippocampes pygmées à chaque immersion.

ER
Elena Rossi· 9 min de lecture
Vue aérienne du lagon d'Apo Reef aux Philippines
Philippines|Expedition

Apo Reef : le plus grand atoll des Philippines

Second plus grand récif contigu du monde après la Grande Barrière, Apo Reef offre tombants vertigineux, requins gris et tortues en croisière depuis Coron.

MT
Marcus Thorne· 10 min de lecture
Récif de coraux durs et bancs de poissons à Okinawa
Japan|Okinawa

Okinawa : la plongée subtropicale du Japon

Coraux durs intacts, raies aigles et tunnels de lumière au large de Kerama — Okinawa révèle un visage tropical méconnu du Japon.

AC
Aria Chen· 9 min de lecture
Banc de requins-marteaux halicornes à Mikomoto
Japan|Izu

Mikomoto : nager au cœur des bancs de requins-marteaux

À 10 km au sud de la péninsule d'Izu, Mikomoto est l'un des rares sites au monde où les bancs de marteaux halicornes croisent à portée de plongée loisir.

JM
Julian Marsh· 10 min de lecture
Bateau de plongée traditionnel au large de Phu Quoc
Vietnam|Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc : la plongée émergente du golfe de Thaïlande

Eaux chaudes toute l'année, récifs accessibles dès le brevet Open Water et formation francophone : Phu Quoc est la nouvelle base sud du Vietnam.

ST
Sofia Tan· 8 min de lecture
Jardin corallien protégé du parc marin de Hon Mun
Vietnam|Nha Trang

Hon Mun : le parc marin protégé de Nha Trang

Premier parc marin du Vietnam, Hon Mun protège plus de 350 espèces de coraux durs. Itinéraires de plongée et règles de visite à respecter.

ER
Elena Rossi· 9 min de lecture
Vue aérienne des îles coralliennes de l'atoll d'Ari
Maldives|Ari

Ari Atoll : à la rencontre des requins-renards et baleines

L'atoll d'Ari concentre les rencontres pélagiques les plus régulières des Maldives — requins-renards, requins-baleines et raies manta sur un seul itinéraire.

JM
Julian Marsh· 10 min de lecture
Requins-nourrices regroupés lors d'une plongée de nuit à Vaavu
Maldives|Vaavu

Vaavu : la légendaire plongée de nuit aux requins

Sur Alimatha Jetty, des dizaines de requins-nourrices et raies pastenagues convergent à la tombée de la nuit — une plongée mythique mais à pratiquer dans l'éthique.

AC
Aria Chen· 9 min de lecture
Poulpe mimétique sur sable noir dans le détroit de Lembeh
Indonesia|Lembeh

Détroit de Lembeh : le berceau du muck diving

Sables noirs volcaniques, poulpes mimétiques et poissons-grenouilles psychédéliques : Lembeh est l'épicentre mondial de la plongée macro insolite.

ER
Elena Rossi· 10 min de lecture
Tombant de corail vierge dans le parc national de Wakatobi
Indonesia|Sulawesi

Wakatobi : les récifs préservés du parc national

Au cœur du Triangle de Corail, Wakatobi conjugue récifs vierges, courants doux et un modèle de tourisme à faible impact — une référence pour la plongée durable.

ST
Sofia Tan· 9 min de lecture

Featured trips & bookable packages

Book directly
Thailand · Andaman Sea

Similan Islands

6-day liveaboard · 2026/2027 season

Granite cathedrals, manta rays at Koh Bon and whale sharks at Richelieu Rock — a private French-speaking cruise out of Phuket with up to 18 dives.

Thailand · Andaman Sea

Koh Lanta

7 days · 6 nights · all-inclusive

A laid-back island base for daily dives at Hin Daeng, Koh Haa, Bida Nok and the Kled Geaw wreck — bohemian beaches, sea-gypsy villages and pelagic encounters.

Thailand · Andaman Sea

Koh Phi Phi

7 days · 6 nights · 2026 trip

Limestone cliffs and turquoise lagoons paired with dives at Bida Nok, Bida Nai, Anemone Reef and Shark Point — perfect for photographers and reef lovers.

Thailand · Tarutao Marine Park

Koh Lipe

Dream diving stay · 2026

Thailand's southernmost frontier — pristine reefs, soft corals, drift dives at Eight Mile Rock and Stonehenge, and a barefoot island that still feels untouched.

Malaysia · Borneo & East Coast

Malaysia diving outing

2026 diving trip

From the legendary Sipadan wall to the macro paradise of Mabul, the green-turtle reefs of Redang and the pristine Perhentian Islands — a curated Malaysia diving journey.

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CMAS · 1-Star Instructor

Become a CMAS 1-Star Diving Instructor

Take the next step in your diving career and earn an internationally recognised CMAS instructor rating with our intensive program in Thailand.

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Pro Instructor · 6 months

Become a Professional Diving Instructor in 6 months

From zero to professional — a full immersive 6-month program in Thailand that turns motivated divers into certified, employable diving instructors.

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