Revealing The Best Liveaboard Diving Destinations For New Divers

I remember the days when I learned how to scuba dive. I was so hooked on it that I wanted to hone my diving skills to feel confident and meet like-minded people worldwide. This is why I’m revealing the best liveaboard diving destinations for new divers.

Where are the best liveaboard diving destinations for new divers?

Belize, Thailand, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Maldives, the Red Sea – Egypt, Honduras, and the British Virgin Islands are excellent destinations to start your first liveaboard diving experience. These locations offer remote dive sites that add a sense of adventure, opportunities to share stories with fellow divers, warm and clear waters, and excellent visibility. Additional dive courses are offered to enhance your dive skills.

1. Belize

Belize, nestled in the heart of the Caribbean along Central America’s northeastern coast, is a wall diver’s utopia. 

One of Belize’s standout features is its position along the valuable Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest barrier reef. This vibrant underwater ecosystem offers a sense of adventure and exploration. New divers can enjoy diving from liveaboards to experience hovering over popular vertical wall drop-offs and accessible dive spots like the magnificent coral Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Caye, and Turneffe Reef.

These dive sites are easily reachable by liveaboard from Belize City, and are ideal for you, except for the famous Blue Hole, which is more suited for those with advanced experience.

2. Thailand

Scuba diving along Thailand’s coastline is a favourite activity for many, however, the best spots for liveaboard diving for new divers are found in the more remote areas of the Andaman Sea. Here, you can explore the underwater marvels of the Similan Islands, renowned worldwide for their vibrant hard and lush soft coral reefs.

Diving at locations like Koh Bon and Koh Tachai gives opportunities to encounter graceful manta rays and, if you’re lucky, enormous whale sharks.

One of the standout dive sites is the famous Richelieu Rock, where new divers like you, can experience a bit of current, offering a gentle challenge to improve your diving skills. Many liveaboards offer the PADI Advanced Open Water Course to venture deeper than the standard 18 meters (60 feet). These dive spots are ideal for you, thanks to their calm waters and abundant marine life.

Travel during the right season, and you’ll enjoy superb diving conditions, with mostly shallow dives that make navigation easy and fun.

3. The Cayman Islands

Snuggled in the western Caribbean Sea, the Cayman Islands are a diver’s Garden of Eden, featuring dramatic wall drop-offs plunging to depths of 1800 meters (6000 feet). This British Overseas Territory is composed of three islands: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac, each offering its own unique charm and incredible diving adventures.

With crystal-clear waters and visibility often exceeding 100 feet, the Cayman Islands are perfect for you to embark on your first liveaboard adventure. You’ll love it!

The liveaboard options here cater to various skill levels and offer dive sites that will leave everyone in awe. Imagine diving at Bloody Bay Wall on Little Cayman, exploring the fascinating USS Kittiwake Wreck on Grand Cayman, or interacting with the friendly stingrays at Stingray City. The reefs are vibrant and bustling with life, featuring colourful corals, tropical fish, sea turtles, sharks, crabs, and lobsters that hide in crevices.

4. The Bahamas

Imagine an archipelago of almost 700 coral islands with its identity as a large underwater cave system in the West Atlantic Ocean. This is the Bahamas, not only is it conveniently close to Florida, USA, but it’s also a fantastic destination for new divers looking to experience their first thrill of liveaboard diving.

The renowned Andros Barrier Reef in the Bahamas is the third longest barrier reef in the world stretching to 200 km (124 miles) with 164 delightful fish species.

You’ll enjoy an excellent variety of dive sites suitable for beginners from shallow reefs, historical wrecks, tunnels, and unique attractions like the blue holes of Andros Island. There are minimal currents, and possibly some rough surface waters but you can easily remove your gear, hand it to the crew and make your way up the ladder of your liveaboard.

5. Turks and Caicos Islands 

Having lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 4 ½ years, I can say it’s one of my most treasured utopia islands for scuba diving. The islands are part of the British Overseas Territories. I finished my PADI Open Water Diver Course there many years ago. 

It’s only 925 kilometres (575 miles) southeast of Miami, Florida, USA. You can easily fly to the Providenciales International Airport and dive in the calm, clear, and turquoise waters from a liveaboard ideal for a new diver.

When diving from a liveaboard in the remote sites of the Turks and Caicos Islands, you can expect breathtaking underwater visibility, usually between 24 – 30 meters (80 – 100 feet). This clarity allows for stunning views of the vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. Your dives will take you through swim-throughs and dramatic drop-offs, where you can gracefully hover over the walls and peek into tiny crevices to discover hidden nocturnal creatures.

The currents at the dive sites are generally mild, making it perfect for new divers.

6. Maldives

The Maldives, positioned in the north-central Indian Ocean, is a tropical dream come true for many divers’ travel bucket lists. Known for its 26 beautiful atolls and pristine white sandy beaches, the Maldives offers an unforgettable experience with memories of clear turquoise waters.

For diving enthusiasts, the Maldives is an underwater haven. Whether diving or snorkelling from a liveaboard, as a new diver, you’ll find some of the world’s best marine adventures in their remote sites. Imagine exploring the waters at Maaya Thila and Rasdhoo Atoll, where you can encounter graceful manta rays, massive-bodied whale sharks, vibrant reef fish, and curious green turtles.

The Maldives’ dive sites are renowned for their abundant marine life and breathtaking underwater landscapes like the vivid coral gardens and intricate reef structures. The currents are generally mild, making it an ideal location to gain experience and confidence diving from a liveaboard.

7. Egypt – The Red Sea

The Red Sea curiously draws in divers looking for cool historical wreck diving adventures and clear waters. It’s perfect if you’re a new diver looking to improve your dive skills with fun swim-throughs, tunnel diving, easy drift diving and mild currents. Your reward will be an underwater amphitheatre of rich sea life from cute dolphins, batfish, large schools of fish, the haunting wrecks, and abundant, and healthy coral reefs.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself diving with a swirling, dancing school of black-tailed trevally fish! What a sight to see!

The only way to do this is with a liveaboard taking you to these remote locations. You can snorkel too, so bring your partner with you.

8. Honduras

Honduras is conveniently positioned in Central America. Surrounded by Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, this country boasts one of the most eye-catching coastlines extending along the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Divers flock to Honduras for its renowned Bay Islands—Roatán, Utila, and Guanaja. These islands form part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest barrier reef globally. They are celebrated for their diverse marine life and exceptionally, clear waters.

Exploring the underwater wonders of Honduras, such as encountering magnificent whale sharks, wall diving, volcanic formations, and the historic Odyssey Wreck, is best enjoyed through the liveaboard expeditions. These trips cater to new, novice and experienced divers, offering tranquil seas, excellent visibility, and warm temperatures ideal for you.

9. The British Virgin Islands

Located east of Puerto Rico and in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea, this British overseas territory, the British Virgin Islands is a place of remote tranquillity and adventure of the remnants of their volcanic past.. It’s made up of 4 main islands, Jost Van Dyke, the larger island Tortola, Virgin Gorda (“Fat Virgin” lying on her side from a distance), and the Anegada and 50 smaller islands.

The physical features of these islands present a showcase of hilly surroundings with lagoons caressed by outstanding coral reefs and interesting barrier beaches. Each of the main islands’ shapes has its aura of mystery from flatness, long and narrow, hilly to rugged.

Many new divers like you, come here for their first experience of diving from liveaboards. There are over 100 dive sites, so the only possible way you can dive them is with an extended stay. The islands are acclaimed with fascinating famous wrecks like the RMS Rhone and the Chikuzen. 

For sure, you will want to venture back and complete your dive log book!

Final Verdict

Scuba diving from a liveaboard, especially when you’re a new diver, is an unforgettable experience. You can explore many remote diving destinations that day boats can’t reach. By taking the step to challenge yourself, you’ll quickly fill up your dive log book by doing multiple dives daily, boosting your confidence and opening up opportunities to take additional PADI courses.

What destination did you choose? Let me know in the comment box below, and I will get back to you.