We Know Because We Go! | Book with a 5-Star Team,| Trusted by 10,000+ Divers
Discover our top recommended destinations for scuba diving in December. Experience the incredible biodiversity of Raja Ampat, search for tiny macro critters in Anilao, and explore the renowned shipwrecks in Truk Lagoon. Whatever your preferences, we'll build your dream dive trip in December!
Explore raja-ampat-area

Article
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!

Article
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!

Article
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!

Article
Chris H
Beginner’s Guide to Swimming with Whales & Whale Sharks
Worldwide
Swimming with whales or whale sharks is a breathtaking, bucket-list experience—and yes, it's accessible even to beginners! This guide will prepare you with everything you need to know before jumping in.
December is a popular time to travel, with school holidays and colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere. Where are the best places to scuba dive in December? There are plenty of options, but many destinations are crowded and expensive during the holiday season. Our travel experts have come up with our recommendations of the top three places to scuba dive in December to give you some ideas of where you can experience some incredible diving over the holidays.
Are you ready to plan your December diving trip? Read on to learn more about our top 3 destinations to dive in December.
Raja Ampat is one of the best places to scuba dive in December to experience the diving at the peak of its season. Liveaboards flock to Raja Ampat from October to May, but we especially love diving this region in December. The seas are typically calm, and the weather is generally warm with some sporadic rain showers to cool things down. Visibility is often excellent, although it can be poor with green-hued water; remember that murkier conditions bring nutrients, and nutrients bring marine life!

The marine life in Raja Ampat is always exceptional, with vibrant hard and soft corals teeming with fish, plenty of reef sharks, brilliant sea fans dotted with pygmy seahorses, and fascinating wobbegong and epaulette sharks. With good reason, it has maintained a spot on our list of the best diving destinations for many years.



There are plenty of liveaboard and resort options in Raja Ampat. To experience the best of the area, we recommend a longer liveaboard trip that covers both Misool and Dampier. For more information, read our full guide to diving Raja Ampat and read about our incredible group trip to Raja Ampat in December/January 2024.
Check out our video series, "50 Amazing Adventures", featuring Raja Ampat in Episode 1 and new episodes coming weekly.
Interested in diving Raja Ampat in December? Join our next trips:
11 Night Spectacular Biodiversity Raja Photo Workshop 2024| Dec 9 - 20, 2024 | From $6,300
OR view the availability of some of the best liveaboards in Raja Ampat and book online at the best price!
Another place with the best scuba diving in December is the muck diving mecca of Anilao in the Philippines. We love to visit Anilao in December to experience its sensational night dives at the Pier, blackwater diving, and muck diving at an affordable price. Easy to reach from Manila, Anilao is a delight for macro lovers and earned the top spot on our list of the best macro photography destinations. The monsoon season has ended, and the water hasnt yet cooled down in December, creating excellent conditions.

Expect regular sightings of nudibranchs, pipefish, frogfish, pygmy seahorses, and a huge variety of shrimps and crabs. Anilao is also home to some of the most sought-after critters in the sea, including Bobbit worms, stargazers, bobtail squid, paper nautilus, blue ring octopus, and mimic octopus.



Stay at one of Anilaos excellent dive resorts, but note that diving is the predominant activity in this area, so if youre traveling with non-divers, you might consider a different destination in the Philippines, such as Dumaguete. Learn more about diving Anilao in our complete guide and discover why our group trips are great for solo travelers.
Interested in diving Anilao in December? Join our next trips:
Anilao Philippines Ultimate Photo Workshop December 2024| Dec 1 - 8, 2024 | From $1,809
Anilao Philippines Ultimate Photo Workshop December 2025| Dec 7 - 14, 2025 | From $1,999
Anilao Philippines Ultimate Photo Workshop December 2026| Dec 6 - 13, 2026 | From $1,999
OR discover our favorite resorts in the Philippines and book online at the best price!
Wreck lovers can head to Micronesias Truk Lagoon (aka Chuuk Lagoon) for some of the best diving in December. Rejoice at the sheer density of high-quality wrecks in this region used as a Japanese naval base during World War II. December is the start of the dry season, and visibility can exceed 80 feet, making it an excellent time to visit Truk. With its tropical climate, the water temperatures in Truk are warm year-round and provide a welcome respite from Northern Hemisphere winters.

Explore a variety of wrecks, including submarines, airplanes, destroyers, and cargo ships. These wartime relics provide an eerie glimpse into the past, with many wrecks housing intact cargo and instruments of daily life. With prolonged exposure to the sea, these wrecks take on new life as they become coral reefs home to various marine species.



It can be somewhat challenging to visit Truk, so to make the most of your experience, we recommend diving from one of the liveaboards that service the region. Liveaboards in Truk Lagoon offer itineraries that visit the finest wrecks, coral pinnacles, and channels where you can see schooling pelagics. Discover more about diving in Truk Lagoon through our comprehensive guide to Truk Lagoon dive travel.
While we recommend Raja Ampat, Anilao, and Truk Lagoon as our top three, there are abundant other incredible destinations to dive in December, including Socorro, Puerto Galera, Maldives, and many more. We understand that best is subjective and divers have different preferences. Contact our travel advisors to discuss what the best means to you so we can customize your best dive trip in December.
Interested in planning a dive trip in March? Find some inspiration for destinations to dive in March.
Bluewater Travel can book you on a liveaboard or resort in Raja Ampat, Anilao, Truk Lagoon, and 40+ other destinations in the world for the same cost or less than booking any other way. We know the diving, seasons, boats, and cabins and when to go better than anyone else!
Email us or write to us in the live chat box to book a resort, liveaboard, or a Dive with Bluewater trip!
Visit our sister websites, Bluewater Photo and the Underwater Photography Guide, for additional resources:

Article
ChrisH
Beginner Dive Sites in the Caribbean
Worldwide
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.













Article
Chris H
10 Best Snorkeling Destinations in the World
Philippines
Exploring the underwater world doesn't always require scuba certification or bulky gear as snorkeling provides a simple and equally stunning way to experience marine life in its natural environment. Snorkeling travel is booming in 2025, with high demand for liveaboard snorkel options in the Maldives and Raja Ampat. We've added more itinerary flexibility to help travellers access remote reefs with shallow, clear-water drop-offs.

Article
Adam Lucia
Best Places to Swim or Dive with Whale Sharks: Our Top 6
Socorro Islands

Article
Travel Editor
Dumaguete Trip Report 2025
Philippines
Read about Bluewater Travel's 7-day underwater photo workshop to Dumaguete, highlighting vibrant marine life, standout dive sites, and memorable underwater photography experiences.