How we rate dive sites

Where each number comes from, how we check it, and the rules we apply when sources disagree.

Diver levels

Every dive site gets the minimum certification we recommend to enjoy it safely:

Open Water≤18 m PADI Open Water, CMAS/FFESSM N1, usual dives down to 18 m.
Advanced≤30 m PADI Advanced Open Water, N2, usual dives down to 30 m.
Experienced≤40 m Deep Specialty, N3, usual dives down to 40 m.
Technical Tec, cave, trimix, rebreather.

The level is judged on the usual dive profile, not on the deepest point of the site. It goes up when the dive involves strong current or drift, an overhead environment (cavern, cave, wreck penetration), cold water or altitude. Each site page lists the reasons.

Safety first when sources disagree

When two sources give different values, we keep the more demanding one for the diver: the stronger current, the deeper depth, the higher level. A site listed as “all levels” by one operator and “advanced” by another is rated Advanced.

Sourced or estimated

Source: the value comes from a published page (dive centre, marine park, guide, tourism board). The page is linked next to the value.
Estimated: the value comes from our original catalogue and hasn't been checked against a published source yet. Levels marked this way have a dashed outline.

How a destination is researched

A researcher collects each fact with the page it comes from and the exact sentence that supports it.
An independent checker reopens every cited page and marks each fact as confirmed, weak or wrong. Wrong facts are removed; weak ones are corrected to what the page actually says, or removed.
Our level rules are then applied the same way to every site, so the whole catalogue stays consistent.

Seasons

Each month gets a rating from the sources: best, good, possible (off-season) or closed. We don't fill in months a source doesn't cover.

Typical weather

On each destination page you can pick a month and see the typical weather: air temperature by day and night, rain, wind and sea surface temperature. These are averages computed from Open-Meteo data (ERA5 reanalysis from the Copernicus Climate Change Service for air, rain and wind over 2021–2025; Météo-France sea temperature analysis over 2023–2025), for an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination. Temperatures are given at sea level, except for inland lakes and quarries. They describe a usual month, not a forecast, and can differ from what you get on a given day. The water temperature range shown at the top of each page comes from the dive sources and can differ slightly.

How the trip matcher ranks destinations

Out of 100: up to 35 points for the season in your month, 25 for the number of dive sites at your level and 40 for what you want to see that month. A destination closed that month, without any site at your level, or where what you want to see isn't documented, is left out and listed with the reason. Try the matcher.

Photos

Photos of destinations and dive sites come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0 or public domain), and we only use one when it shows the place itself. Banners on the home page and topic pages are mood photos from Unsplash, never presented as a named dive site. Every photo is credited on the page where it appears.

Limits

Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide, and dive operators open and close. Use our pages to plan, then confirm with a local dive centre before you dive. See all our sources.