Your starting point for scuba diving: learn to dive, choose your gear, and find your next dive destination.
Learn · Gear up · Dive safe · Explore
DiveHaus is a scuba diving guide for people who are thinking about their first dive, people who were certified years ago and want to get back in the water, and divers choosing where to go next. Start with the basics here, then go deeper with our destination guides.
Why DiveHaus
Scuba diving information is scattered. Training agencies explain their courses, dive shops explain their trips, and travel sites explain the hotels. What is usually missing is the plain overview in between: what you need to know before you sign up, what equipment really matters, and how one destination compares with another.
That is what this scuba diving guide is for. DiveHaus sits at the center of a network of destination sites, each one focused on a single place, such as Bonaire's shore diving, Cozumel's drift dives or the Galápagos. Here you get the big picture. There, you get the dive sites, dive shops and trip planning for that one place.
Everything on DiveHaus is written for recreational divers: people diving for fun, within the limits of their training, with a buddy. If you are new, read the guides in order. If you already dive, jump straight to the destinations. You can read more about DiveHaus and how the network fits together.
Destinations
Our scuba diving destinations are grouped into four regions. Each region page compares the places in it, and links to a full guide for every one.
Warm, clear water and easy reef diving: Bonaire, Cozumel, Cayman, Belize, Roatán, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica and the Galápagos.
Kelp forests in California, reefs and wrecks in Florida, volcanic reefs in Hawaii and Gulf diving off Texas.
The Coral Triangle in Indonesia and Malaysia, the passes of Tahiti, the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands and New Zealand.
Red Sea wrecks and reefs, African sharks and mantas, and the volcanic islands of the Canaries, Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde.
New to diving?
Most new divers start with an entry-level course from a training agency such as PADI, SSI or NAUI. It mixes theory, practice in a pool or calm water, and a set of open-water dives. Our guide on how to learn to scuba dive walks through each step, what to ask a dive center and what comes after.
You do not need to own a full kit to dive. Most divers buy a mask, fins and a dive computer first and rent the rest until they know what they like. Our scuba gear for beginners guide explains each piece of equipment and the order that makes sense to buy it in.
Recreational diving has a good safety record when divers stick to their training. Our scuba diving safety guide covers the habits that matter most: planning with your buddy, checking your gear, watching your air and ascending slowly.
How to use this guide
Whether it is your first trip or your fiftieth, the planning follows the same order.
Pick dives that match your certification and recent experience. If it has been a year or more, book a refresher. The learn to dive guide explains the options.
Water temperature, visibility and marine life change with the season. Start with the destinations overview.
Decide what you will bring and what you will rent, and what exposure protection the water calls for. See our gear guide.
Look for small groups, clear briefings, well-kept equipment and emergency oxygen on the boat. Our safety guide lists what to look for.
Questions
You need basic water comfort rather than athletic swimming. Entry-level courses usually ask you to show that you can swim a set distance without stopping and stay afloat for about ten minutes. Each agency sets its own exact test, so check with the dive center before you book.
An entry-level open water course usually takes three to four days in person. Many divers do the theory online at home first, which shortens the time spent at the dive center. The learn to dive guide breaks the course down.
Yes. Most dive centers offer an introductory experience, such as PADI's Discover Scuba Diving, where an instructor takes you on a shallow, closely supervised dive. It does not certify you, but it shows you whether you enjoy breathing underwater before you commit to a full course.
Look for warm, calm, clear water with easy access, such as the shallow reefs of the Caribbean. Places with sheltered shore diving and plenty of dive centers make the first trips easier. Compare them on the Caribbean and Latin America page.
Browse more than 20 destination guides, from Bonaire to the Red Sea.