Diving gets a bad rap for being a pricey passion, but you don’t need to blow your budget on your next big dive trip. Here are some of the best budget-friendly dive destinations that won’t leave a hole in your (wetsuit) pocket.
Bonaire
Bonaire is part of the Dutch Antilles and is one of the best Caribbean islands off the beaten path. Joined with Aruba and Curacao to make up the ABC Islands, Bonaire is easily accessible from the U.S. and Europe, and is affordable compared to some other more mainstream Caribbean destinations.
The island is popular for shore diving and is considered a dream for divers looking to experience some of the best shore diving on a budget. You can rent a cheap pick-up truck at the airport, load your tanks in the back, and set off along the road, stopping at yellow painted stones that mark each shore dive. You can easily join some boat dives to the tiny, uninhabited Klein Bonaire venture to almost 2,000 feet in a 3-man scientific submersible.
The reefs in Bonaire are electric in color, thick with life and rich in variety. In other words, it’s a diver’s dream.
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Riviera Maya, Mexico
From Cancun to Tulum, Mexico’s Riviera Maya spans a massive area. The region is known for its caves and caverns and is diverse enough for beginner and experienced divers to enjoy. Playa del Carmen offers drift dives with loggerhead sea turtles year-round and bull shark dives in the winter. The island of Cozumel is a 45-minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen and is legendary for swift currents carrying divers along sheer walls. Once you’re here, you can choose from a wide variety of accommodations, from all-inclusive hotels to small, scuba-centric guesthouses.
What’s more, Riviera Maya provides divers with many non-diving activities when you’re out of the water, like ziplining, ATV tours, underground cave tours, archaeological sites and more.
Philippines
The island chain in the Philippines delivers incredible diving at an affordable price. From sightings and swims with whale sharks off the island of Cebu, to Tubbataha Reef off Palawan Island, the destination is hailed for diversity. Experience schooling barracuda and giant Pacific mantas to macro oddities such as pygmy seahorses and ornate ghost pipefish.
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Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is a direct flight from more than a dozen major U.S. cities, and deals are always popping up with major carriers. Off Nassau, divers can drop in at the 200-foot Ray of Hope wreck, part of what’s known as the Shark Arena. The wreck sits at the edge of a wall, allowing visitors to check off shark, wreck and wall diving with one tank. And since divers rarely travel for only one dive, the Bahamas has more than 30 sites for you to discover.
Florida Keys
Having one of the highest concentrations of diver shops per square mile helps keep competition high and prices down in the famous Florida Keys, which also is in proximity to one of the world’s largest coral reef systems. Key Largo’s impressive menu of wrecks, including the USS Spiegel Grove, makes the Keys one of the most reasonably priced dive destinations in the United States.
Koh Tao, Thailand
Thailand is known for its relatively low cost of travel, especially for backpackers, but the diving can be pricey, especially in the more touristy areas. So, forego the land-based dive centers and head to sea. Liveaboards trips can be found at very reasonable prices, especially in the off-season, and these will take you to dive sites that few other budget divers go to.
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