Beyond the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns & Port Douglas)

1. Taveuni & Rainbow ReefFijiBest Apr–OctGood in the same months (All year)Also sharks, macro life, big schoolsSame kind of diving: reefs, drift dives, walls84match
2. Fakarava & RangiroaFrench PolynesiaBest Jun–JulGood in the same months (All year)Also sharks, whales, raysSame kind of diving: reefs, drift dives, walls83match
3. Ningaloo ReefAustraliaBest Mar–OctGood in the same months (All year)Also sharks, whales, turtlesSame kind of diving: muck diving74match
4. OahuUnited StatesBest May–OctGood in the same months (All year)Also sharks, macro life, raysSame kind of diving: reefs73match
5. PalauBest Dec–AprGood in the same months (Oct–May)Also sharks, macro life, raysSame kind of diving: drift dives, walls73match
6. Poor Knights IslandsNew ZealandBest Dec–AprGood in the same months (All year)Also macro life, rays, big schoolsSame kind of diving: reefs70match

How we match: share of the good months in common (up to 25 points), same region (25), marine life seen regularly (20), kinds of diving (15), how many sites suit Open Water divers (10) and water temperature (5). We only suggest destinations in the same region of the world that share at least one kind of diving, and that are not among the busiest dive hubs we identified from dive volumes, dive-centre counts and marine-park visitor numbers.