Every year, thousands of divers book their dive holidays with ZuBlu and explore some of the world’s most remarkable dive destinations. Looking at where our guests are travelling in 2026 offers a snapshot of the places that have captured divers’ imaginations - from remote liveaboard expeditions to luxury resort stays in iconic dive destinations.
The common thread among these destinations is the quality of their diving. Some are known for extraordinary biodiversity and pristine reefs, others for encounters with sharks, manta rays and other big pelagics, and many combine exceptional diving with unique landscapes, fascinating cultures or memorable activities above water. But all reliably offer exceptional underwater experiences.
So if you’re planning a dive holiday and wondering where other divers are heading this year, these are the destinations that ZuBlu’s guests are traveling to in 2026 — and the reasons why they remain among the most exciting places to dive.
Indonesia
Indonesia sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle and offers some of the richest marine biodiversity anywhere on the planet. From vibrant coral reefs and macro life to pelagic encounters and remote island exploration, the country’s vast archipelago offers scuba divers and extraordinary experience, above and below the waves.
Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat is widely regarded as the most biodiverse marine region on Earth. Located in West Papua, the area encompasses hundreds of islands surrounded by vibrant coral reefs.
Best explored during the high season from October to April, divers visit Raja Ampat for its remarkable biodiversity, marine life encounters and spectacular reef systems. In fact, the region offers an incredible variety of dive sites, from calm lagoons and manta ray cleaning stations, to current-swept channels filled with schooling fish.
Visitors can explore Raja Ampat either onboard a liveaboard or from a boutique dive resort hidden among the islands, each providing access to the richest reefs in the Coral Triangle.
What ZuBlu's guests love about Raja Ampat - stunning reefs, manta rays, prolific marine life, incredible island landscapes.
Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park remains one of Indonesia’s most popular dive destinations, simply because it offers some of Indonesia’s most exciting diving. Strong tidal currents sweep past the islands, bringing nutrients that support thriving coral reefs and abundant marine life, and providing the ideal conditions for some rip-roaring dives!
Divers are drawn to Komodo for its exhilarating drift dives, regular encounters with manta rays and dramatic underwater landscapes. Sites such as Batu Bolong and Castle Rock are famous for colourful reefs and large schools of fish, while sheltered bays in the south provide exceptional macro diving.
During the high season from April to October, visitors can choose from a fleet of liveaboards or stay at one of the dive resorts around Labuan Bajo and the central islands. Liveaboards are ideal for exploring more of the park in a single trip, while resorts suit those that are happy with day trips or prefer to relax on the beach when they’re not diving.
What ZuBlu's guests love about Komodo - manta rays, exciting drift dives, beautiful reefs, land excursions.
North Sulawesi
Sulawesi continues to attract divers that are drawn by its diversity of underwater experiences, from world-class muck diving in Lembeh Strait to the vibrant reefs of the Bunaken National park and Bangka and Gangga Islands. Lembeh’s black sand slopes hide an array of critters including frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish and rare octopus, while Bunaken and Bangka offer a striking contrast with colourful coral walls, vibrant reefs, schooling fish and turtles galore.
Most divers choose to stay in a resort in North Sulawesi, staying at one of a range of beach resorts and luxury properties offering easy access to nearby dive sites. You can even combine a a stay in itineraries combine multiple areas, allowing divers to experience both macro and wide-angle diving in a single trip.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Sulawesi - diversity of dive sites, turtles, muck diving, walls and reefs.
The Banda Sea
The Banda Sea is one of Indonesia’s more remote destinations, and is popular amongst more experienced divers looking for plenty of exciting diving, as the area is known for seasonal hammerhead encounters, stunning reefs and historic islands to explore.
Because of the vast distances involved, the Banda Sea can only be explored onboard a liveaboard, often part of longer crossing itineraries as liveaboards head to Raja Ampat for the season, typically between September and November when conditions are at their best.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the Banda Sea - remote islands, hammerhead sharks, beautiful reefs, land excursions.
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Maldives
The Maldives remains one of the world’s most iconic dive destinations, known for its coral atolls, clear water and encounters with sharks, manta rays and whale sharks.
The Deep South
The Deep South of the Maldives offers some of the country’s most exhilarating shark diving, alongside beautiful reefs to explore. The region has continued to grow in popularity among experienced divers seeking more challenging diving, and trips to atolls such as Huvadhoo and Fuvahmulah, known for their guaranteed encounters with tiger sharks and other species, remain high up on the ‘hit list’ of many divers.
Liveaboards are the preferred way to explore the Deep South, operating between January and April when conditions are at their best. However, with the growing number of resorts in Huvadhoo, divers also have the opportunity to explore all that this vast atoll has to offer from a resort.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the Deep South - big shark species, channel dives, healthy reefs.
The Central Atolls
The central atolls offer the classic Maldives diving experience, combining colourful reefs with regular encounters with larger marine life, including whale sharks and manta rays. Thanks to their accessibility, variety of dive sites and marine life, and wide choice of accommodation, the central atolls remain hugely popular amongst ZuBlu’s guests.
This region offers both resort and liveaboard options, and is ideal for mixed diver and non-diver groups, first-time visitors to the Maldives, and less-experienced divers. Luxury resorts with excellent house reefs are particularly popular, while liveaboards allow divers to explore multiple atolls in a single trip.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the central atolls - manta rays, whale sharks, diversity of dive sites, ease of access.
Philippines
The Philippines is renowned for its biodiversity, macro life and colourful coral reefs. With thousands of islands and diverse marine habitats, the country offers something for every type of diver.
Dauin and Dumaguete
The Dauin coastline in Dumaguete is widely regarded as one of the world’s top destinations for macro diving, with volcanic black sand slopes hiding an extraordinary range of critters. Divers regularly encounter frogfish, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and a huge variety of nudibranchs, while nearby Apo Island offers pretty coral reefs and frequent turtle encounters.
Beachfront dive resorts offer easy access to shore sites as well as nearby islands, but a few liveaboards also visit the areas as part of Southern Visayas itineraries. The combination of excellent diving, good accessibility and exceptional resorts means the area is very popular amongst both dedicated photographers and more casual divers.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Dauin and Dumaguete - muck diving, turtles, offshore reefs, ease of access.
Malapascua
Malapascua Island remains firmly on many divers’ bucket lists thanks to its reliable thresher shark encounters. Early morning dives at Monad Shoal provide one of the few opportunities in the world to see these spectacular sharks on a daily basis.
Beyond the thresher sharks, the island offers colourful reefs, interesting macro life and a relaxed island atmosphere that appeals to many divers. Malapascua also offers a range of comfortable dive resorts, ideal for those seeking an island0-based dive holiday while several liveaboards also visit the island as part of itineraries in the Central Visayas.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Malapascua - thresher sharks, diversity of dive sites, beaches and island life.
Tubbataha Reefs
Accessible only by liveaboard between March and June, the Tubbataha Reefs remains one of Southeast Asia’s most sought-after dive trips. Its remote location in the Sulu Sea has helped preserve its pristine reefs, large schools of fish and frequent shark and manta encounters.
Limited permits and a short operating season mean spaces are highly sought - and they get books dup well in advance. Most divers book a year or more ahead divers to secure a space on one of the liveaboards operating during the season.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Tubbataha - remote dive sites, big species, schooling fish.
The Pacific
The Pacific Ocean contains some of the world’s most iconic dive destinations, known for dramatic underwater landscapes and encounters with large pelagic species.
Socorro, Mexico
Socorro Island remains one of the most sought-after liveaboard destinations in 2026, particularly among experienced divers looking for reliable big animal encounters. Located around 250 miles off Mexico’s Pacific coast, the Revillagigedo Archipelago - of which Socorro is a part - is renowned for encounters with giant oceanic manta rays, schooling hammerheads, and silky sharks, plus dolphins and seasonal humpback whales.
The islands’ remote location and protected status mean liveaboards are the only way to dive here, with trips typically running between November and May when sea conditions are at their best. The combination of incredible diving and limited spaces means demand is always high, and most divers book at least a year in advance.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Socorro - oceanic manta rays, sharks, dolphins, remote dive sites.
Galapagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands continue to rank among the most booked dive destinations for 2026, particularly amongst experienced divers seeking encounters with big pelagic species. Schools of hammerheads, Galápagos sharks, manta rays, whale sharks during the season, and marine iguanas are all on the cards, adding up to what can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime dive trip.
The only way to visit the famed Wolf and Darwin Islands is onboard a liveaboard, as part of week-long itineraries that also visit the central islands. Like other similar destinations, limited spaces and high demand mean trips often sell out well in advance, especially during peak seasons for whale sharks and schooling hammerheads.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the Galapagos Islands - whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, diversity of species, remote dive sites.
Palau
Palau continues to rank among the Pacific’s most iconic dive destinations, with continuous demand from scuba divers seeking shark encounters, drift dives and healthy reefs. Famed sites such as Blue Corner and German Channel offer divers the chances to encounter reef sharks, manta rays and large schools of fish, as well as witnessing unique spawning events.
Most divers explore Palau by liveaboard to maximise the number of dives they make on a single trip, although resorts also offer dive packages and are popular for longer stays.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Palau - schooling fish, sharks, beautiful reefs, beautiful island scenery.
Vitu Levu, Fiji
Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island, offers a wide range of diving, but most divers are drawn by the chance of shark encounters and the reefs. The Pacific Harbour area is particularly well known for its shark dives, while other parts of the island provide exciting reef diving suited to a wide range of experience levels.
A range of established dive resorts and beachfront properties make Viti Levu a convenient and versatile option for divers travelling to Fiji.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Viti Levu - sharks, beautiful reefs, plenty of other activities.
Taveuni. Fiji
Taveuni continues to attract divers looking to explore the spectacularly-colourful reefs of the Somosomo area, particularly the Rainbow Reef and Great White Wall. Plus the island’s relaxed pace and scenic setting make it ideal for aresort-based dive getaway.
A selection of boutique and luxury dive resorts provide easy access to the region’s most celebrated sites, with conditions generally best between April and October.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about Taveuni - stunning reefs, island scenery and culture.
The Red Sea
The Red Sea offers clear water, colourful coral reefs and a wide range of dive sites, from offshore islands to historic wrecks.
Northern Red Sea
The Northern Red Sea remains one of the most accessible and reliable dive destinations in 2026. Its combination of vibrant reefs, historic wrecks and range of liveaboards and resorts continues to attract both first-timers and more experienced divers.
Classic itineraries include the Ras Muhammad and famous wrecks such as the SS Thistlegorm, while others head east to the Straits of Tiran in search of hammerhead sharks. Liveaboards operate year-round, with peak conditions typically in spring and autumn, and guests can also choose from a selection of resorts around Sharm El Sheik and Dahab.
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the Northern Red Sea - wrecks, schooling fish, beautiful reefs.
Central Red Sea
The Central Red Sea is particularly popular with divers looking to explore the area’s beautiful coastal reefs and offshore islands, as well as encounter sharks such as the iconic oceanic whitetip.
Liveaboard are the most popular way to explore this region, with itineraries that visit Daedalus, Elphinstone and the Brothers Islands, or head further south to Fury Shoal, Rocky and Zabargad. Resorts are also a popular choice, with serval desert camps offering guests the chance to dive stunning coastal reefs and nearby offshore islands while staying in their very own bedouin-styled camp!
What ZuBlu’s guests love about the central Red Sea - beautiful coastal reefs, offshore dive sites, sharks.
What divers look for when choosing a dive destination
Divers choose a travel destination for a variety of reasons, but timing is often one of the most important. Conditions change throughout the year, and planning a trip around the best season can make a significant difference. ZuBlu’s travel team can help divers identify the right destination at the ideal time to enjoy the best possible conditions and marine life encounters.
Marine biodiversity is another major draw. Destinations such as Indonesia and the Philippines are renowned for their extraordinary coral reefs and remarkable variety of marine species, making them a favourite for divers who want to explore some of the most vibrant underwater ecosystems on the planet.
For others, the main attraction is encounters with larger marine life. Places like the Galápagos, Socorro and parts of the Maldives are famous for sharks, manta rays and other pelagic species that gather around remote islands and oceanic reefs.
Accessibility and the type of diving available can also influence a diver’s choice. Some destinations are best explored by liveaboard, allowing divers to reach remote reefs and offshore islands, while others offer excellent resort-based diving with easy access to world-class dive sites.
Together, these factors help explain why the destinations below continue to attract divers from around the world.
Planning your dive travels for 2026
These destinations offer a snapshot of the most popular dive destinations in 2026 - as chosen by ZuBlu’s guests. From the extraordinary biodiversity of Raja Ampat and the macro life of the Philippines to the shark encounters of the Maldives and the legendary pelagic action of the Galápagos and Socorro, these destinations share an ability to deliver memorable diving year after year.
Whether you’re looking for a liveaboard expedition, a resort-based dive holiday or a combination of both, ZuBlu’s team can help you identify the best options based on your experience level, travel plans and marine life wish list.
