Monad Shoal
Malapascua, Philippines
A plateau where thresher sharks rise at dawn to visit cleaning stations.
- Advanced
- Pinnacle
- Bull sharks
Blue water and big animal dives
Pelagic dives for sharks, mantas and schooling fish. 31 dive sites, each with its depth and the level we recommend.
Highlights
Princess Alice Bank (Banco Princesa Alice)
Azores, Portugal
Offshore seamount 3 hours from Pico/Faial, rising to about 35 m, known for devil rays and visibility up to 40 m.
- Experienced
- Pinnacle
- Mobula rays
Tiger Beach
Bahamas
Kneel on shallow sand about 20 miles off West End to watch tiger sharks, some females up to 4.5 m long, alongside lemon sharks.
- Advanced
- Pelagic
- Bull sharks
Daedalus Reef
Marsa Alam & the Brothers, Egypt
Lighthouse reef 80 km off Marsa Alam, only reached by liveaboard, where schooling hammerheads gather, especially in summer.
- Advanced
- Drift
- Manta rays
Dollabarat
Azores, Portugal
- Experienced
- Drift
- Manta rays
Los Islotes
La Paz & Sea of Cortez, Mexico
- Open Water
- Pelagic
- Sea lions
Drift
down to 35 m
Castle Rock
Komodo, Indonesia
North Komodo site where grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks cruise the blue alongside big schools of giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and barracuda.
- Advanced
- Grey reef sharks
Pelagic
down to 60 m
Formigas North
Azores, Portugal
Remote reefs north of the Formigas Islets, a marine reserve where large migratory pelagics such as tunas, wahoos and barracudas pass.
- Experienced
- Mobula rays
Wreck
down to 60 m
Ilhéus das Formigas
Azores, Portugal
Remote islets marine reserve with the Olympia wreck at 30–50 m, devil rays and possible smooth hammerheads and giant mantas.
- Experienced
- Manta rays
All 31 dive sites, by destination
Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still checking against published sources.
Azores, Portugal
- Princess Alice Bank (Banco Princesa Alice)Experienced60 m
- DollabaratExperienced50 m
- Formigas NorthExperienced60 m
- Ilhéus das FormigasExperienced60 m
- Baixa dos LourençosExperienced60 m
- AmbrósioAdvanced50 m
Aliwal Shoal & Protea Banks, South Africa
- Protea BanksAdvanced40 m
- Raggies CaveAdvanced18 m
- Arena ReefAdvanced30 m
Fakarava & Rangiroa, French Polynesia
- The Angle (Tiputa Pass)Experienced40 m
- The Step (Tiputa Pass)Experienced50 m
Komodo, Indonesia
- Castle RockAdvanced35 m
- Crystal RockExperienced30 m
Maldives
- Hammerhead Point (Madivaru Corner, Rasdhoo)Experienced40 m
- Maamigili Beyru (South Ari whale shark area)Advanced30 m
Okinawa & Yonaguni, Japan
- Irizaki PointAdvanced30 m
- ShimosoneExperienced40 m
Bahamas
- Tiger BeachAdvanced30 m
Belize
- Gladden SpitAdvanced24 m
Cancún & Isla Mujeres, Mexico
- Manta ValleyExperienced30 m
Cocos Island, Costa Rica
- Bajo AlcyoneExperienced
Cozumel, Mexico
- Eagle Ray AlleyAdvanced27 m
Crete, Greece
- Stavros CapeExperienced40 m
La Paz & Sea of Cortez, Mexico
- Los IslotesOpen Water
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
- Batu KapalExperienced30 m
Mactan (Cebu), Philippines
- Mabini PointExperienced40 m
Malapascua, Philippines
- Monad ShoalAdvanced30 m
Malta, Gozo & Comino, Malta
- Fungus RockExperienced60 m
Marsa Alam & the Brothers, Egypt
- Daedalus ReefAdvanced40 m
Roatán & Bay Islands, Honduras
- Black Hills (Utila)Advanced40 m
Tubbataha, Philippines
- Malayan Wreck35 m
Photo credits
- Monad Shoal dive site, Malapascua, Jun V Lao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Divers on the Princess Alice Bank, Azores, Waielbi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Caribbean reef sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas, Dennis Hipp (Zepto), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lighthouse on Daedalus Reef, Red Sea, Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The Formigas islets above the Dollabarat reef, Azores, Formigas_Islets.jpg: Fernando Tempera derivative work: JotaCartas (talk), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sea lion on the rocks of Los Islotes, AlexisSalinas01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
