Best dive destinations for SPS and LPS

[Trailermann]

I plan to go somewhere next year and need some advise. I have only done one dive trip since my recent immersion into reefing. Grand Cayman was beautiful, but the visibility was only about 50 feet (recent stormy weather) and dull staghorn and brains were about the only hard corals. Yeah, also fire corals galore. Tons of sponges.

Now wondering where to dive to see acropora, blastomussa, acan, favites, goniapora, etc. In other words, I want to see WorldWideCoral.com live, in person. Thinking seriously about Palau or somewhere in the South Pacific. Already been to Coral Sea, Borneo, Fiji, Truk in past years.

 

[Paul B]

Keep thinking about the South Pacific. I have dove just about all the Caribbean, all the Hawaiian, almost all the Bahamas but there was nothing like Tahiti. Bora Bora spifically. I am totally spoiled and don't even care to dive the Caribbean any more. The last Caribbean Island I went to I almost fell asleep and I recently dove remote Hawaiian Islands and was totally disapointed as I dove them 44 years ago and they were so much better.
In Tahiti if the water is 120' deep you can see the bottom and it looks like you are going to fall. But if you dive there, you won't want to dive anywhere else.
We went on the Windstar and it is the only ship we take now





You are always surrounded by 15 or 20 sharks. Try to find that in the Caribbean.

 

[LV3]

My wife and I went to Bali last year and had 12 incredible dives. Lots of acros, gonioporas, chalices, you name it. Another great dive spot in the area around Bali is the Northern part of the island at Tulamben, Coral Garden. Next on the wish list for me is Raja Ampat, Indonesia and Tubbataha Reefs in the Philippines.

 

[Mark Derail]

I plan to go somewhere next year and need some advise. I have only done one dive trip since my recent immersion into reefing. Grand Cayman was beautiful, but the visibility was only about 50 feet (recent stormy weather) and dull staghorn and brains were about the only hard corals.

I've been to Cayman Island (Grand), multiple times to Mexico between PDC & Cozumel, and Maui. Maui was the most exotic, but nothing beats floating in the current at 50 feet in the Cozumel current for an hour seeing beautiful corals & fish.

Maui was "work". None of the dives were relax - current, waves, deep, lava tubes. So viz was in the 40-50' range.

My GF also liked Cozumel the best, us being "aged / mature" divers. IOW, easy, slow, relaxed. The dive boat followed us, shallow dive so the air lasts a good long time. I had asked for a larger tank and got it for an extra 20$USD worth every penny. Less tourists also, compared to diving from PDC or the hotels south of there.

Grand Cayman I wasn't impressed as much - other than simplicity. Great places with no need for a boat, just rent your stuff and walk in / swim to the buoy. We did the boat a few times for the sunken ships. The shore dives from Turtle Center or (surfer's) Paradise are easy and inexpensive. Apparently Little Cayman is much nicer for divers.

There's always the Caribbean boat tours, your boat is your hotel, and they move around.

Cheers

 

[Mark Derail]

My wife and I went to Bali last year and had 12 incredible dives. Lots of acros, gonioporas, chalices, you name it. Another great dive spot in the area around Bali is the Northern part of the island at Tulamben, Coral Garden. Next on the wish list for me is Raja Ampat, Indonesia and Tubbataha Reefs in the Philippines.

On our bucket list !! All of those. Also the Great Barrier reef of Australia - hopefully will be diveable in the future (bleaching, new protective measures)...

 

[saltyhog]

For stoney corals like we keep in our tanks I agree with Paul B. Western/southern Pacific...Phillipines is one place on my list.

In the Caribbean all you're going to see is brain corals, a few brown stags, a pale white branching SPS that I've never identified and some encrusting stuff.

Hawaii was almost all stoney corals but mainly encrusting and plating ones. Not many branching SPS.