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2014 Reader's Choice Awards: Scuba Diving Top 100 Gold List

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On January 13, 2014
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2014 Reader's Choice Awards: Scuba Diving Top 100 Gold List


Top 100 Gold List

Jon Cornforth

Looking for the best of the best? This is the Top 100 Gold List of operators, resorts, live-aboards, underwater experiences (i.e., best big-animal encounters, shore dives and wrecks), dive bars and more, determined on a popularity contest basis. Rankings are based on the total number of responses, regardless of category.

1. Best 24/7 Dive Destination: Bonaire

2. Best Dive Site: Darwin's Arch, Galapagos

3. Best Drift Dive: Palancar Deep, Cozumel

4. Best Dive Site: Roca Partida, Socorro Islands, Mexico

5. Best Wreck Dive: USS Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida Keys

6. Best 24/7 Dive Destination: Roatan, Bay Islands

7. Best Animal Encounter: Schooling hammerheads, Galapagos

8. Best Drift Dive: Ulong Channel, Palau

9. Best Animal Encounter: Stuart Cove's Shark Dive, New Providence Island, Bahamas

10.Best Wreck Dive: San Francisco Maru, Truk Lagoon

11. Best Night Dive: Jack's Diving Locker Pelagic Magic, Big Island, Hawaii

12. Best Live-Aboard: Galapagos Aggressor

13.Best Wreck Dive: USS Kittiwake, Grand Cayman

14. Best Wall Dive: Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands

15. Best Wall Dive: Molokini Back Wall, Maui, Hawaii

16. Best Dive Resort: Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire

17. Best Dive Site: E6, Bligh Water, Fiji

18. Best Wall Dive: Barracuda Point, Sipadan, Malaysia

19. Best Marine Park: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

20. Best Dive Operation: Scuba Shack, Maui, Hawaii

21. Best Night Dive: RMS Rhone, British Virgin Islands

22. Best Night Life: Key West, Florida Keys

23. Best Oil Rig Dive: Eureka Rig, Long Beach, California

24. Best Live-aboard: Palau Aggressor II

25. Best Dive Site: Stonehenge, South Andaman Sea, Thailand

26. Best Beach: Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

27. Best Wreck Dive: Superior Producer, Curaçao

28. Best Drift Dive: L'Anse Chemin, Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

29. Best Dive Resort: Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

30. Best Live-Aboard: Turks & Caicos Aggressor II

31. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Antarctic Islands

32. Best Live-Aboard: Truk Odyssey

33. Best Shore Dive: Liberty, Bali, Indonesia

34. Best Marine Park: Bonaire National Marine Park

35. Best Wreck Dive: Cristobal Colon, Bermuda

36. Best Live-Aboard: Aqua Cat, Bahamas

37. Best Wall Dive: Half Moon Caye Wall, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize

38. Best Animal Encounter: Sea lions, Los Islotes, La Paz, Mexico

39. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Riviera Maya Cave Systems, Mexico

40. Best Live-Aboard: Arenui, Indonesia

41. Best Dive Operation: Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

42. Best Wall Dive: Ngemelis Wall, Palau

43. Best Wreck Dive: Bianca C, Grenada

44. Best Animal Encounter: Manta Sandy, Raja Ampat, Indonesia

45. Best Wreck Dive: LuLu, Gulf Shores, Alabama

46. Most Family-Friendly Dive Experience: Anthony’s Key Resort’s Dolphin Encounter, Roatan

47. Best Night Dive: Lighthouse, Malapascua, Philippines

48. Most Romantic Dive Destination: Hawaiian Islands

49. Best Night Dive: Samurai Wharf, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

50. Best Wall Dive: Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico

51. Best Dive Operator: Fun Baja, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

52. Best Wreck Dive: U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina

53. Best Beach: Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

54. Best Live-Aboard: Mike Ball's Spoilsport, Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

55. Best Wall Dive: Cane Bay Wall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

56. Best Live-Aboard: Sun Dancer II, Belize

57. Best Drift Diving: Goofnuw Channel, Yap

58. Best Dive Operator: Unexso, Grand Bahama

59. Best Wreck Dive: USS Oriskany, Pensacola, Florida

60. Best Animal Encounter: Manatees, Crystal River, Florida

61. Best Bar: Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

62. Best Dive Operator: Sam's Tours, Palau

63. Best Drift Dive: Kamikaze Cut, Tobago

64. Best Barrier Reef: Great Barrier Reef, Australia

65. Most Family-Friendly Dive Experience: Kids Sea Camp

66. Best Wreck Dive: Cedarville, Mackinac Straits Underwater Preserve, Michigan

67. Best Night Life: Bali, Indonesia

68. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Silfra Crack, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

69. Best Drift Dive: Tumakohua Pass, Fakarava, French Polynesia

70. Best Shore Dive: CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

71. Most Romantic Dive Destination: Fiji

72. Best Wreck Dive: Numidia, Big Brother Island, Red Sea

73. Best Bar: My Bar, Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

74. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Sardine Run, South Africa

**75. Best Animal Encounter: **Humpback whales, Dominican Republic

76. Best Beach: Tulum Riviera Maya, Mexico

77. Best Beach: Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii

78. Best Surface Interval: Watching the sun set, Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

79. Best Marine Park: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, California

80. Best Barrier Reef: Belize Barrier Reef

81. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Peacock Springs Cave System, Luraville, Florida

82. Best Wall Dive: Browning Pass Wall, British Columbia

83. Best Shore Dive: Point Lobos, Carmel, California

84. Best Surface Interval: Looking for whale sharks, Utila, Bay Islands

85. Best Animal Encounter: Stingray City, Grand Cayman

86. Best Shore Dive: Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Florida

87. Best Drift Diving: Nakwakto Rapids, British Columbia, Canada

88. Best Live-Aboard: Valentina, Sea of Cortez, Mexico

89. Best Bar: Thirsty Turtle Beach Bar & Grill, Roatan

90. Best Surface Interval: Hiking to waterfalls, Dominica

91. Best Bar: Caribbean Club, Key Largo, Florida

92. Best Wreck Dive: Mohawk, Sanibel, Florida

93. Best 24/7 Destination: Utila, Bay Islands

94. Best Night Life: Full Moon Party, Phi Phi Don, Thailand

95. Best Night Dive: Arborek Jetty, Raja Ampat, Indonesia

96. Best Restaurant with a View: Don Diego, Sandos Finisterra Resort, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

97. Best Off-Gassing Road Trip: Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico

98. Best Marine Park: Gardens of the Queen, Cuba

99. Best Swimming Pool: Laguna Beach Resort, Utila, Bay Islands

100. Best Animal Encounter: Hammerheads, El Bajo, Sea of Cortez

best scuba diving destinations

Top 100 Gold List of operators, resorts, liveaboards and underwater experiences of 2014.

Jon Cornforth

Looking for the best of the best? This is the Top 100 Gold List of operators, resorts, live-aboards, underwater experiences (i.e., best big-animal encounters, shore dives and wrecks), dive bars and more, determined on a popularity contest basis. Rankings are based on the total number of responses, regardless of category.

1. Best 24/7 Dive Destination: Bonaire

2. Best Dive Site: Darwin's Arch, Galapagos

3. Best Drift Dive: Palancar Deep, Cozumel

4. Best Dive Site: Roca Partida, Socorro Islands, Mexico

5. Best Wreck Dive: USS Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida Keys

6. Best 24/7 Dive Destination: Roatan, Bay Islands

7. Best Animal Encounter: Schooling hammerheads, Galapagos

8. Best Drift Dive: Ulong Channel, Palau

9. Best Animal Encounter: Stuart Cove's Shark Dive, New Providence Island, Bahamas

10.Best Wreck Dive: San Francisco Maru, Truk Lagoon

11. Best Night Dive: Jack's Diving Locker Pelagic Magic, Big Island, Hawaii

12. Best Live-Aboard: Galapagos Aggressor

13.Best Wreck Dive: USS Kittiwake, Grand Cayman

14. Best Wall Dive: Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands

15. Best Wall Dive: Molokini Back Wall, Maui, Hawaii

16. Best Dive Resort: Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire

17. Best Dive Site: E6, Bligh Water, Fiji

18. Best Wall Dive: Barracuda Point, Sipadan, Malaysia

19. Best Marine Park: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

20. Best Dive Operation: Scuba Shack, Maui, Hawaii

21. Best Night Dive: RMS Rhone, British Virgin Islands

22. Best Night Life: Key West, Florida Keys

23. Best Oil Rig Dive: Eureka Rig, Long Beach, California

24. Best Live-aboard: Palau Aggressor II

25. Best Dive Site: Stonehenge, South Andaman Sea, Thailand

26. Best Beach: Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

27. Best Wreck Dive: Superior Producer, Curaçao

28. Best Drift Dive: L'Anse Chemin, Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

29. Best Dive Resort: Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

30. Best Live-Aboard: Turks & Caicos Aggressor II

31. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Antarctic Islands

32. Best Live-Aboard: Truk Odyssey

33. Best Shore Dive: Liberty, Bali, Indonesia

34. Best Marine Park: Bonaire National Marine Park

35. Best Wreck Dive: Cristobal Colon, Bermuda

36. Best Live-Aboard: Aqua Cat, Bahamas

37. Best Wall Dive: Half Moon Caye Wall, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize

38. Best Animal Encounter: Sea lions, Los Islotes, La Paz, Mexico

39. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Riviera Maya Cave Systems, Mexico

40. Best Live-Aboard: Arenui, Indonesia

41. Best Dive Operation: Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

42. Best Wall Dive: Ngemelis Wall, Palau

43. Best Wreck Dive: Bianca C, Grenada

44. Best Animal Encounter: Manta Sandy, Raja Ampat, Indonesia

45. Best Wreck Dive: LuLu, Gulf Shores, Alabama

46. Most Family-Friendly Dive Experience: Anthony’s Key Resort’s Dolphin Encounter, Roatan

47. Best Night Dive: Lighthouse, Malapascua, Philippines

48. Most Romantic Dive Destination: Hawaiian Islands

49. Best Night Dive: Samurai Wharf, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

50. Best Wall Dive: Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel, Mexico

51. Best Dive Operator: Fun Baja, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

52. Best Wreck Dive: U-352, Morehead City, North Carolina

53. Best Beach: Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

54. Best Live-Aboard: Mike Ball's Spoilsport, Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

55. Best Wall Dive: Cane Bay Wall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

56. Best Live-Aboard: Sun Dancer II, Belize

57. Best Drift Diving: Goofnuw Channel, Yap

58. Best Dive Operator: Unexso, Grand Bahama

59. Best Wreck Dive: USS Oriskany, Pensacola, Florida

60. Best Animal Encounter: Manatees, Crystal River, Florida

61. Best Bar: Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

62. Best Dive Operator: Sam's Tours, Palau

63. Best Drift Dive: Kamikaze Cut, Tobago

64. Best Barrier Reef: Great Barrier Reef, Australia

65. Most Family-Friendly Dive Experience: Kids Sea Camp

66. Best Wreck Dive: Cedarville, Mackinac Straits Underwater Preserve, Michigan

67. Best Night Life: Bali, Indonesia

68. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Silfra Crack, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

69. Best Drift Dive: Tumakohua Pass, Fakarava, French Polynesia

70. Best Shore Dive: CoCo View Wall, Roatan, Bay Islands

71. Most Romantic Dive Destination: Fiji

72. Best Wreck Dive: Numidia, Big Brother Island, Red Sea

73. Best Bar: My Bar, Sunset House, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

74. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Sardine Run, South Africa

75. Best Animal Encounter: Humpback whales, Dominican Republic

76. Best Beach: Tulum Riviera Maya, Mexico

77. Best Beach: Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii

78. Best Surface Interval: Watching the sun set, Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

79. Best Marine Park: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, California

80. Best Barrier Reef: Belize Barrier Reef

81. Best Push-the-Limits Diving: Peacock Springs Cave System, Luraville, Florida

82. Best Wall Dive: Browning Pass Wall, British Columbia

83. Best Shore Dive: Point Lobos, Carmel, California

84. Best Surface Interval: Looking for whale sharks, Utila, Bay Islands

85. Best Animal Encounter: Stingray City, Grand Cayman

86. Best Shore Dive: Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Florida

87. Best Drift Diving: Nakwakto Rapids, British Columbia, Canada

88. Best Live-Aboard: Valentina, Sea of Cortez, Mexico

89. Best Bar: Thirsty Turtle Beach Bar & Grill, Roatan

90. Best Surface Interval: Hiking to waterfalls, Dominica

91. Best Bar: Caribbean Club, Key Largo, Florida

92. Best Wreck Dive: Mohawk, Sanibel, Florida

93. Best 24/7 Destination: Utila, Bay Islands

94. Best Night Life: Full Moon Party, Phi Phi Don, Thailand

95. Best Night Dive: Arborek Jetty, Raja Ampat, Indonesia

96. Best Restaurant with a View: Don Diego, Sandos Finisterra Resort, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

97. Best Off-Gassing Road Trip: Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico

98. Best Marine Park: Gardens of the Queen, Cuba

99. Best Swimming Pool: Laguna Beach Resort, Utila, Bay Islands

100. Best Animal Encounter: Hammerheads, El Bajo, Sea of Cortez