Discover our comprehensive list of liveaboard destinations, complete with overviews, so you can pick the perfect spot for your next liveaboard holiday!
Explore fiji
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La Paz Trip Report 2025
Mexico
Read all about Bluewater Travel’s November 2025 La Paz photography workshop offered a week of unforgettable underwater experiences.
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AgnesA
Best Liveaboard Destinations for Beginner Scuba Divers
Thailand
Liveaboards can seem daunting if you've never been on one, and even more so to newer divers. We've rounded up the best liveaboard destinations suitable for beginner scuba divers, with options ranging from the nearby Caribbean to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Read on to find the best liveaboard destination for you!
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Travel Editor
Best Diving in Indonesia - Top 10
Indonesia
Looking for the best diving in Indonesia? We've dived around the country and picked our favorites. Here is our list of top 10 dive areas in Indonesia!
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Chris H
Bluewater Travel's 50 Amazing Adventures
French Polynesia
Join us as we explore unique destinations around the world. Each video showcases a recent dive adventure with a Bluewater team member, customer, or a Travel with Bluewater group in an exotic location!
Looking to start your scuba diving journey in the Caribbean? This guide highlights the region’s best beginner-friendly dive sites—calm waters, vibrant marine life, and easy access make them perfect for first-time divers.
Popular for its warm water and marine biodiversity, Asia is home to some of the best liveaboard destinations in the world. Whether you wish to explore the heart of the Coral Triangle on liveaboards in Indonesia and the Philippines or add a trip to the Similan Islands during a holiday in Thailand, we’ve got you covered.
Indonesia liveaboards are plentiful, covering a variety of unique routes throughout the archipelago. Known for some of the best diving in the world, liveaboards in Indonesia are an incredible experience not to be missed. Aside from the most popular Raja Ampat and Komodo, itineraries explore more remote areas such as Banda, the Forgotten Islands, Alor, and more.
Also known as the “Four Kings,” this bucket list destination in Indonesia is best visited by liveaboard to experience the most remote dive areas. Raja Ampat has a huge variety of liveaboard vessels and itineraries to choose from, from budget and mid-range to luxury. Sensational coral reefs and marine life, ranging from pygmy seahorses to wobbegong sharks, are some of the highlights.
Komodo is another destination popular for liveaboard diving in Indonesia, within easy reach of major international airports. Boats range from budget to luxury and offer itineraries ranging from 2 to 11 nights, making it an easy destination to fit into your holiday. Thrilling currents, manta rays, and the prehistoric Komodo Dragon make this a unique liveaboard experience.
With some of the best scuba diving in the world, the Philippines offers liveaboards year-round in several of its popular diving areas. Vessels focus on Tubbataha Reef during its very short diving season and explore other regions throughout the balance of the year. Expect healthy coral reefs teeming with fish, muck diving to spot rare critters, shark encounters, and more!
Divers visiting this popular tourist destination can enjoy Thailand liveaboard diving to the famous Similan Islands from October through mid-May or a short trip around the Phi Phi islands in the off-season. The famous dive sites in this region are known for interesting topography, coral reefs, schooling fish, and possible manta and whale shark sightings.
Malaysia, a stunning liveaboard destination, enchants divers with its vibrant coral reefs, diverse marine life, and captivating underwater landscapes. From the crystal-clear waters of Sipadan to the wrecks of Peninsular Malaysia, it offers an unparalleled diving experience for enthusiasts seeking adventure beneath the waves.
Home to some of the most remote dive destinations in the world, Micronesia and the South Pacific have plenty of unique liveaboard options for divers ranging in experience from beginner to advanced technical divers.
A popular destination in the South Pacific, diving from a liveaboard in Fiji is a great way to explore the region’s dive sites. Year-round itineraries of 7-10 nights take divers to experience Bligh Water’s exciting variety of sites, including walls, underwater pinnacles, and reefs. Expect marine life encounters with macro critters, an array of reef fish, and even sharks.
A picturesque paradise above and below the water, French Polynesia liveaboard diving is an unforgettable experience. With itineraries ranging from 7-18 nights, divers can experience the exhilarating warm water currents with excellent visibility. Enjoy encounters with a variety of shark species, rays, barracudas, groupers, and more.
Explore this beautiful archipelago via one of the various Palau liveaboards to maximize your time spent underwater. Itineraries of 7-10 nights are available on mid-range to luxury vessels. Palau diving includes thrilling drift dives, coral walls, wrecks, and more. For a truly unforgettable experience, book a spawning trip to see thousands of bumphead parrot fish or snapper.
Also called PNG, divers can explore many areas of this Coral Triangle paradise during a 7–11-night itinerary aboard a Papua New Guinea liveaboard. With several options available for year-round liveaboard diving, expect vessels to explore an area bountiful with marine life, including macro critters, pelagic sharks and fish, and a variety of wrecks.
Explore this remote area on a Solomon Islands liveaboard to discover a plethora of wrecks, caves, pristine coral reefs, and some of the finest marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle. There are only two liveaboards in this less-visited region, which means fewer divers in the water and dive sites in nearly untouched conditions.
Head to Micronesia's wreck diving hotspot, Truk (or Chuuk) Lagoon, where history is well-documented underwater. There are liveaboard and floating hotel options in Truk, allowing you different options to explore the area. Expect to see wrecks hosting a variety of corals, fish, sharks, eels, and macro life, including nudibranchs, shrimps, and crabs.
The expansive Indian Ocean region is home to one of the most popular liveaboard destinations in the world: The Maldives. A spectacular series of atolls known for turquoise water, white sand beaches, and some exceptional diving, this destination belongs on every liveaboard diver’s must-visit list.
Liveaboards in the Maldives operate year-round and there are plenty of options catering to all budgets. Itineraries typically cover the Central Atolls over the course of a week, with dive sites offering great visibility, pelagic encounters, exciting drift dives, and spectacular topside scenery.
A region best known for the Red Sea, the Middle East and North Africa liveaboards operate out of Egypt, Oman, and Sudan. The area is rich with topside cultural excursions and a wide variety of dive experiences.
Liveaboards in the Red Sea are numerous and suitable for every budget, offering year-round itineraries out of several ports. Explore the reefs and wrecks in the northern area, including the famous SS Thistlegorm, Dunraven, and Giannis D. Visit the deep south to experience more challenging diving around Brothers, Daedelus, and Elphinstone reefs and encounter a variety of sharks in the strong currents.
Primarily a liveaboard destination, the dive sites visited by Sudan liveaboards are less crowded than those in Egypt. Typical itineraries range in duration from 4 to 14 nights and may depart from Egypt or Sudan. Encounter sharks, schooling tuna and barracuda, healthy corals, and some deep dive and wreck sites perfect for experienced divers.
With one liveaboard offering week-long itineraries to explore its calm water, Oman is the perfect place for beginners to experience liveaboard diving. Expect a variety of hard and soft corals and numerous species of dolphins, whales, rays, and sharks.
This world-renowned region is home to “the big stuff,” and several locations deserve a spot on every diver’s bucket list. Diving in this area can be challenging and best suited for experienced divers comfortable in strong currents.
Explore the most famous marine habitat in the world aboard a Galapagos liveaboard and experience truly unforgettable wildlife encounters both underwater and topside. Typical itineraries are 7 nights and are offered year-round. This region is suitable for advanced divers comfortable in currents and challenging conditions. Enjoy a variety of rare animals, including marine iguanas, schooling hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, Galapagos giant tortoises, and blue-footed booby.
Costa Rica’s best diving destination is only reachable by Cocos Island liveaboards, which offer 7-10-night itineraries for year-round encounters with a variety of fascinating marine life. There are no coral reefs, rather the diving is in blue water with strong currents and is for experienced divers only. Expect to see exciting bucket list animals, including scalloped hammerheads, dolphins, silky sharks, wahoo, tuna, and more.
Some of Mexico’s most exciting diving is available on Socorro liveaboards, where divers can encounter plenty of large animals. Most liveaboards in the Socorro Islands run 8-9-night itineraries and operate from November to May, with a variety of options to suit various budgets. Experience diving with giant manta rays, dolphins, whales, whale sharks, and huge schools of fish.
A diving hotspot on Mexico's west coast, the Sea of Cortez is a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to a wide variety of endemic species and many migratory visitors. Sea of Cortez liveaboards offer itineraries ranging from 5 to 12 nights and pricing to suit different budgets. Expect to see giant schools of fish, coral reefs, whale sharks, bull sharks, and even seasonal humpback whales.
Known for calm, clear waters and beautiful beaches, the Caribbean is an excellent vacation spot for divers of all experience levels. Each Caribbean liveaboard destination offers unique and varied diving to suit all interests.
Explore this beautiful archipelago via a Bahamas liveaboard to experience the best of its underwater world. There are a variety of liveaboards in the Bahamas, from budget to luxury, offering itineraries of 6-14 nights. The Bahamas is one of the top shark diving destinations in the world, with possible encounters including tiger sharks, oceanic whitetips, and great hammerheads.
Liveaboards in Belize are an excellent way to experience the country’s unique coastline and incredible reef system. There are few liveaboard options in Belize, so it’s best to book well in advance. Exciting possible marine life sightings include eagle rays, nurse sharks, barracudas, grouper, and even whale sharks if you’re lucky.
Jardines de la Reina National Park is an underwater paradise only reachable by Cuba liveaboards. This highly protected area is in an unmatched pristine condition, and few get to dive it, as limited permits are issued each year. Experience diving coral reefs as we expect them to have looked thousands of years ago: teeming with fish and covered in healthy corals, a robust shark population, and incredible visibility.
A popular resort diving destination, Roatan liveaboards are a great way to see the best diving around all three Bay Islands of Honduras. Adding a liveaboard to your Roatan resort stay will enable you to explore the reef gardens around Cayos Cochinos, Utila’s seamounts, and Roatan’s impressive walls.
A popular year-round diving destination, Turks and Caicos liveaboards take divers to the area’s best dive sites, including some of the most incredible wall dives in the Caribbean. Discover a variety of marine life, such as elephant ear sponges, eagle rays, reef sharks, and a variety of fish during weeklong itineraries suitable for divers of all experience levels.
It may be cold, but it is absolutely worth it for the unique liveaboard snorkeling expeditions offered in northern Norway. Combine it with a trip to Iceland, a bucket list cold water diving destination with land-based dive operators.
A spectacular Arctic adventure unlike any other is offered by a Norway liveaboard: viewing, swimming, and snorkeling with orcas. Learn about these majestic marine mammals from onboard experts while discovering their behaviors through safe surface and in-water interactions with huge congregations of orcas.
Home to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, Australia has long been a popular scuba diving destination. There are plenty of excellent diving options around its massive coastline, and avid divers should consider including an Australian liveaboard during their holiday.
Discover one of the planet’s most recognized reef systems on a Great Barrier Reef liveaboard to see the unspoiled dive sites further from the mainland. Year-round itineraries of 3-7 nights take divers to the breathtaking outer reefs to see healthy corals teeming with fish, eagle rays, manta rays, turtles, a variety of sharks, and, in the right season, dwarf minke whales.
Experience the thrill of witnessing majestic predators in their natural habitat with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, the pioneers of cage diving. With access to the white sharks at Neptune Islands and both surface and ocean floor cages, these 2-5 ultimate bucket list dive trips include snorkeling with sea lions and spectacular scenery.
Liveaboards in Antarctica take visitors on an unforgettable journey across the Drake Passage to icy landscapes supporting a unique polar ecosystem. The diving is frigid and only suitable for experienced drysuit divers; however, these expeditions are just as thrilling for non-divers. Explore icebergs and glaciers to discover fascinating wildlife, such as leopard seals, endemic birds, and a variety of penguins.
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Travel Editor
Fakarava Grouper Spawning Trip Report 2025
French Polynesia
Read about Bluewater's unforgettable Summer 2025 Fakarava Grouper Spawn Trip—an exhilarating adventure featuring shark-filled drifts, rare grouper spawning events, and pristine Polynesian reef diving led by Mark B. Hatter!
Article
Adam Lucia
Best Places to Swim or Dive with Whale Sharks: Our Top 6
Socorro Islands
Article
Travel Editor
Cozumel Trip Report 2025
Mexico
Bluewater Travel’s 2025 Cozumel Photo Workshop at Iberostar featured vibrant reefs, warm water, and expert photo instruction, with highlights including splendid toadfish, turtles, and sharks.
