Honduras has long been just off the mainstream tourist radar, but for divers it's firmly within sight, due largely to low-cost, easy access to the world's second-largest barrier reef. And when it comes to diving in Honduras, there's Anthony's Key, and then there's the rest of the resorts. As expected from a world-class dive resort, Anthony Key's position on the northwestern coast of...

Little Cayman tops many divers' must-dive list for good reason. Just a stone's throw from this tiny island's shoreline, gardens of corals and sponges glimmer like Technicolor rainbows, pristine walls drop into 6,000 feet of deep, blue water, and the visibility perpetually tops 150 feet or more. And the Little Cayman Beach Resort has visiting divers' needs covered from every...

With Cousteau in its name—Jean-Michel is Jacques Cousteau's son—it's no wonder that this lavish five-star resort on the Fijian island of Vanua Levu has diving at its heart. And not only has the resort been internationally recognized as one of the world's premier dive operations, it has also received multiple awards for its environmental programs, which include the island's first...

As you'd expect, island time is alive and well on Grand Cayman. Yet this utterly intoxicated slowed-down version of the ticking clock can thrust you into a temporal paradox as you try to simultaneously chill and scramble to catch the 7:30 boat heading to a distant reef. But so goes a scuba vacation: early to rise, early to dive. And after that second plunge, you can ease...

Scuba Club Cozumel came on the scene in 1976 as the first dedicated dive resort on what has, in the intervening years, become the most popular and accessible dive destination in the Caribbean. Located just outside the lively town of San Miguel—about a mile from the main tourist center—Scuba Club has easy access to all of Cozumel's topside and underwater options, while sitting far...

True to form on an island that couldn't feel further from the mainstream, megaresort destinations of the Caribbean, the family-owned Castle Comfort Dive Lodge exudes a simple, laidback atmosphere. The grounds comprise manicured gardens, a small swimming pool and hot tub, waterfront bar, restaurant, and the on-site dive center, Dive Dominica. It's all nestled onto a modest property located...

Utila Lodge is a discerning diver's getaway on a tiny island in Honduras that lives and breathes scuba diving. Like most dedicated dive resorts, Utila Lodge offers clean, casual comfort rather than over-the-top amenities, and almost every aspect of a stay here revolves around the diving. Dive trips depart from the lodge's private dock, just outside the open-air lounge/dining room, and hearty,...

This all-inclusive, private-island dive resort off the southeastern tip of Sulawesi, Indonesia, offers diving every way imaginable. However, it's quite a haul to get here. All guests must fly into Bali and spend at least one night there before flying into the resort's private airstrip on a charter flight.

Once at the resort, guests choose from one of 26 lodging options, which are split...

Opened in 1960, this eco-oriented dive lodge was one of the first dive resorts in the Bahamas, and 50 years later, it's still owned and operated by the original family. Likewise, it continues to provide laidback island luxury with easy access to some of the area's best diving. Situated on a private beach—on the eastern shore of the large, yet barely developed, island of Andros—the...

Like the Florida Keys themselves, Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort isn't about lounging in luxury on land, but instead provides falling-out-of-bed-easy access to the world-renowned reefs, wrecks, and mangroves offshore. The hotel property is built around the dive dock, which houses the resort's two dive boats. Amenities are simple, comfortable, and built for serious divers, with a heated pool,...