If you’re an advanced diver looking to take improve your scuba diving skills to the next level, there are a few dive sites you should consider. These are some of the best places to go for big animal encounters and other unforgettable experiences.
The first on the list is Gordon Rocks, located in the Galapagos Islands. This is a dream location for big ocean fans with shoals of hammerhead sharks and other pelagic superstars spotted in abundance.
- Gordon Rocks
Gordon Rocks is one of the best scuba diving sites for advanced divers in the Galapagos. Located near the east coast of Santa Cruz Island, this eroded crater is the home of the world-famous hammerhead sharks.
This site is also known for its many endemic species and marine life, including Pacific green sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, eagle rays, barracudas, golden cownose rays, mobula rays, white tip reef sharks, and mola mola sunfish. The strong currents at Gordon Rocks make it a popular spot for hammerhead shark schools, and white and black tip reef sharks are common sights too.
It is also a great spot for sea turtles, as well as groupers, batfish, and tropical fish. Visibility is usually excellent, with temperatures ranging from 18-26 degrees Celsius or 64-78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another fantastic scuba diving site in the Galapagos is Tijeretas Hill, off San Cristobal Island. Here, you can enjoy great visibility, while meeting playful sea lions.
Aside from meeting these beautiful creatures, this dive also offers a cleaning station, a sea of starfish, and a variety of other species. You might even spot hammerhead sharks, blue and gold snappers, king angelfish, razor surgeonfish, and more.
If you haven’t already done it, you should definitely do Gordon Rocks. You’ll never regret it!
- Manta Ray Night Dive
Manta ray night dives and snorkeling trips are an amazing experience for anyone visiting Hawaii. They offer an unforgettable view of these gentle giants, who can grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh over 1,600 pounds. Their wingspan is as long as your arm, and they have no stingers or bites.
When the sun goes down, manta rays come to feed on microscopic plankton floating in the ocean. They do incredible acrobatics as they open their mouths wide to filter the plankton from the water. They then glide in close to snorkelers and divers, and this is one of the most unique marine wildlife experiences available.
There are two sites in the area for scuba diving with the manta rays: Garden Eel Cove and Keahou Point. Both are popular, but Garden Eel Cove is the preferred site because it has a safer bottom topography and protection from ocean swells.
Another reason why this location is so popular is that there are fewer other people at this spot, so the odds of seeing manta rays are higher here. This can be a big selling point, and is why this spot is often recommended by tour operators for their guests.
Aside from the obvious benefit of seeing manta rays, it’s also an amazing opportunity to see some of the other marine creatures that are in the area. You’ll be able to watch ctenophores, bobtail squid and more!
In addition to taking the dive and snorkel, you’ll have a chance to go out with a scuba instructor and learn more about manta rays. They can teach you about their lifecycle and how they survive. You can even ask them about their feeding habits and how to interact with the rays safely!
- Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock is one of the world’s top scuba diving sites and an almost mandatory inclusion on every liveaboard diving itinerary in Thailand that visits the Similan Islands or Surin Islands. The site consists of a horse-shoe shaped pinnacle which is surrounded by smaller jutting rocks.
This massive rock formation abounds with marine life, and each inch has been colonized by soft corals, anemones, barrel sponges and sea fans. It’s a wonderland for photographers and divers alike. Whale sharks and manta rays are often spotted here, as well as big groupers, barracudas and even trevallies.
Aside from being a huge attraction for divers, Richelieu Rock is also a popular site for snorkelers. It offers a large number of macro species, such as porcelain crabs, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish.
The best time to visit Richelieu Rock is between December and April. This is when the seas are most calm and the weather conditions are most likely to be favorable.
If you want to see the whale sharks in action, a liveaboard is your best bet. These gentle giants are known to frequent the region to feed on the nutrient-rich planktonic blooms that occur here.
Richelieu Rock is one of the most popular Thailand dive destinations for scuba divers, as it offers some of the best views of the gentle giants in the sea. These filter feeders average 20 tonnes and can reach an impressive 5.5 to 10 meters in length.
As a result of its remote location, Richelieu Rock attracts a wide range of marine life. The shifting tidal currents here create upwellings of plankton which provides a food source for small and large fish alike. As a result, the area is home to millions of creatures.
- Liberty Wreck
The USAT Liberty Wreck is one of the world’s most well-known and popular wreck dive sites. This massive 120-metre cargo ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 and beached on the coast of Bali near Tulamben.
The hull of the Liberty is now completely covered in coral, with a great variety of fish living amongst its remains. This makes the USAT Liberty a perfect place for snorkelers and divers of all levels.
Biologists estimate that more than 400 species of fish live on the Liberty. This is a remarkable number for a small site, especially considering that most of these are pelagic species such as Mola-Molas, Manta Rays and Whalesharks.
Located only about 30 metres from the shore, the Liberty wreck is an easily accessible wreck and offers a range of diving experiences for all levels. It’s the ideal first dive for beginners and is a good introduction to the sport, or for more experienced divers, it can be explored as part of a logged open water course.
It’s also worth noting that the USAT Liberty is a protected site and divers are encouraged to respect this. There are also plans in place to help ensure the preservation of this wreck.
A dive on the USAT Liberty will take you down to about 25 meters and you’ll have a chance to explore some of the upper decks where you can see some fallen superstructure and a stern gun that is still intact. You’ll also be able to check out some of the boilers and toilets that still sit on top of the wreck.
The Liberty wreck is a favourite amongst divers and the sheltered, protected conditions make it one of the easiest wrecks in the world to dive. The visibility is usually between 15 and 20 metres and the currents here are not too strong, making it easy for both beginners and experienced divers.
- Manta Bay
Manta Bay is a rocky section of Nusa Penida’s coastline, where reef manta rays measuring up to five metres are often spotted chasing plankton pushed into the bay from deeper waters. In this spot, you can expect to see a variety of critters that live in symbiosis with the mantas.
While a sighting of a manta is never guaranteed, many tourists have experienced this unforgettable moment on their Manta Bay Nusa Penida trip. Some may even get lucky enough to witness a group of mantas passing through the bay.
The Manta Bay Nusa Penida Snorkeling tour is an excellent way to experience this amazing sea life without having to worry about your safety. This is also a great option for people who don’t want to dive, but still want to see the marine life up close.
There are various tours and activities available at Manta Bay Resort, including snorkelling, kayaking and island tours. The hotel also has an infinity pool and the Taro Leaf Spa, which is a perfect place to relax after a day of diving.
This is a dedicated dive resort designed by divers and built for them, with 28 beautifully refurbished rooms featuring air conditioning, satellite TV, in-room fridges and VCRs. The onsite dive centre, Yap Divers, offers PADI & SSI courses from entry level through to divemaster, Mares equipment rental, morning & afternoon two tank dives to either the manta sites or the reefs and night dives upon request.
This scuba dive destination is also home to one of the world’s most famous manta ray night dives, where you’ll be treated to a display of graceful rays swimming with their mouths open in a dance that looks like they’re about to touch you. There’s no better way to experience these magnificent creatures than on a Manta Bay night dive.