The 10 Best Liveaboard Diving Destinations in 2024

All scuba divers love liveaboard diving.

There is just something about waking up to the sound of the water and waves around you and getting ready for the first dive of the day as the sun is rising.

Here you will find a list of the 10 best liveaboard diving destinations in 2024 curated and tested for you!

Without further ado, here are our recommendations for the best liveaboard diving in 2024

10 Best Liveaboard Diving Destinations in 2024

A liveaboard dive cruise is the best (and often the only) way to explore remote and far-off dive sites that are often near untouched by mass tourism.

Intact reefs, large pelagics and so much more are just a few aspects scuba divers love about it.

These are the 10 best liveaboard diving destinations in 2024 for any budget in no particular order:

Socorro Islands, Mexico
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Maldives – Deep South
Red Sea, Egypt
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Komodo, Indonesia
Similan Islands, Thailand
Chuuk Lagoon (Truk Lagoon), Federated States of Micronesia
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines

Make sure to check out all our current liveaboard deals to see if you find a nice discount on an upcoming cruise!

Socorro Islands, Mexico

Humpback whale jumping out of the water. — Humpback whales can be spotted at Socorro Islands

Liveaboard diving at Socorro Islands, off the coast of Mexico, is often named one of the best dive sites in the world.

The reef is essentially a large rock that sticks out from the ocean and serves as a cleaning station for large pelagic species like humpback whales and sharks.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Socorro Islands

Diving Season	November – May
Best time to dive	January-March for bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, and several shark species
What to see	Humpback whales, sharks, manta rays, dolphins, whale sharks. Species sightings will vary depending on when you visit.
Water Temperature	~28ºC (82ºF) in November, ~21ºC (69ºF) in February, ~25ºF (68ºC) in May
Best for	Large pelagics
Difficulty	Advanced. Strong currents, sometimes low visibility
Recommended duration	7/10 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Socorro Islands.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Hammerhead sharks swimming underwater — Hammerhead sharks can be found in the hundreds in Galapagos.

Galapagos Islands are famous for their wildlife above and underwater.

Shark lovers will find hundreds of hammerhead sharks in the depths, while whale sharks, manta rays, and seals are other frequent visitors.

Galapagos is, therefore, one of the best liveaboard dive trip destinations in the world.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Galapagos Islands

Diving Season	November – May
Best time to dive	May is usually the best time to dive in Galapagos. Whale Shark Season (June-November) and Manta Season (December-May) which is warmer.
What to see	Whale sharks, manta rays, whales, sharks, seals, dolphins. Sightings depend on the season.
Water Temperature	June-November: ~16-24ºC (60-75°F), December-May: ~21-30ºC (70-86°F)
Best for	Large pelagics
Difficulty	Intermediate. Rather cold waters, currents, choppy water, and rough conditions. Many blue water descents.
Recommended duration	5-7 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Galapagos Islands.

Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Whale shark at surface — Whale sharks are a frequent sight at Cocos Island.

Cocos Island is part of Costa Rica and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

The ocean around Cocos Island is filled with wildlife such as Giant Manta Rays, whale sharks, hammerheads, dolphins, and many more.

It’s another destination where hammerhead sharks are abundant and you don’t have to look for long to find them.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Cocos Island

Diving Season	Year-round
Best time to dive	December – May is dry season. Whale sharks and mantas can be seen between June – October
What to see	Whale sharks, mantas, bull sharks, dolphins, turtles. Sightings depend on the season.
Water Temperature	24-29°C (75-84°F)
Best for	Great diving all around
Difficulty	Intermediate. Currents and surges
Recommended duration	10 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Cocos Island.

Maldives – Deep South

Manta ray at surface — Manta rays are an almost guaranteed sight in the Maldives.

The Maldives comprises of 1192 small islands and you can dive at many of them.

Each of them features unique reefs and the best way to explore them is by boat.

The Deep South liveaboard diving tours in the Maldives are often named some of the best scuba diving in the world.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Maldives

Diving Season	Year-round
Best time to dive	August-November for manta rays and whale sharks. Jan-April is the dry season.
What to see	Whale sharks, manta rays, sharks, dolphins, turtles. Sightings depend on the season.
Water Temperature	26-30°C (80-86°F)
Best for	Pelagics and tropical fish
Difficulty	Easy – Intermediate. Sometimes strong currents, depending on the location
Recommended duration	7/14 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Maldives.

Red Sea, Egypt

Yacht on water — The Red Sea is one of the best diving locations in the world.

The Red Sea is one of our personal favorite diving destinations in the world.

What truly stands out is the great price-value ratio as Red Sea liveaboard dive trips are often very affordable and you can visit some truly outstanding dive sites.

Sharks, reefs, dolphins, turtles, and even whale sharks and manta rays can be spotted here, in addition to numerous wrecks.

You will find the most famous dive sites in Egypt, however, Sudan is a close contender.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Red Sea, Egypt

Diving Season	Year-round
Best time to dive	May – November
What to see	Sharks, dolphins, whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, turtles. Many shipwrecks.
Water Temperature	18-28°C (65-82°F)
Best for	Variety of dive spots, lots to see, very affordable
Difficulty	Easy – Difficult. Extremely variable diving environments, sometimes strong currents, large drop-offs, blue water descents.
Recommended duration	7/10 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Red Sea, Egypt.

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

All Star Aurora liveaboard — The All Star Aurora in Indonesia is one of the coolest liveaboard vessels you’ll find.

The region Raja Ampat features the richest marine biodiversity in the world both in shallow, and mesophotic reefs.

Over 1,700 species of reef fish can be encountered here, so if you love underwater photography and macro life, this is your region.

Besides that, you will encounter many other cool species, such as manta rays and sharks.

Unsurprisingly, Raja Ampat is on most top 10 best scuba diving destinations in the world lists.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Diving Season	Year-round.
Best time to dive	May – September as it is the driest season.
What to see	What’s not to see? Some highlights: Large schools of fish, manta rays, reef sharks, wobbegong sharks, walking sharks, turtles, Spanish mackerel, tuna, barracuda, pygmy sea horses, nudibranchs galore, ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, crustaceans, beautiful coral reefs
Water Temperature	27-30°C (80-86°F)
Best for	There’s so.much.fish.
Difficulty	Mostly easy diving
Recommended duration	7/10 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Raja Ampat.

Komodo, Indonesia

Underwater reef in Komodo — Komodo features some stunning underwater reef life.

Indonesia is full of amazing scuba diving opportunities, which is why Komodo is a separate destination here, too.

In addition to the already gigantic marine biodiversity, you will be able to dive many WWII wrecks around Komodo Islands national park.

It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Komodo, Indonesia

Diving Season	Year-round.
Best time to dive	May – September as it is the driest season.
What to see	Super large biodiversity and many WWII wrecks
Water Temperature	22-24°C (66-74°F)
Best for	There’s so.much.fish.
Difficulty	Mostly easy diving
Recommended duration	7/10 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Komodo.

Similan Islands, Thailand

Master Diver swimming through reef — The Similan Islands are great for beginner divers with mostly easy dive spots.

Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea in Thailand is a great diving destination and great for liveabaord diving.

What makes them stand out is that dive trips here are super affordable and usually a little shorter (3-5 nights) than at other destinations.

Richelieu Rock is often named one of the 10 best dive spots in the world and was first discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As it is too far off the coast for normal dive boats, this spectacular dive site can only be reached by liveaboard.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Similan Islands, Thailand

Diving Season	November – April
Best time to dive	December – March
What to see	Manta rays, whale sharks, Mola Molas, an abundance of macro life
Water Temperature	28-30°C (82-87°F)
Best for	There’s so.much.fish.
Difficulty	Mostly easy diving. Some negative descents
Recommended duration	4-7 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in the Similan Islands, Thailand.

Chuuk Lagoon (Truk Lagoon), Federated States of Micronesia

Shipwreck on its side underwater — Truk Lagoon features some of the best wreck diving in the world.

Chuuk Lagoon (often referred to as Truk Lagoon) in Micronesia is one of the best wreck diving destinations in the world and a must for any wreck diver in the world.

As the atoll was a naval base of the Japanese Empire in World War 2, you can find many military shipwrecks around here that can be dived.

Besides the fabulous wreck diving opportunities, you can encounter many pelagic species and over 250 species of fish.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Chuck Lagoon, Micronesia

Diving Season	Year-round
Best time to dive	December – April
What to see	Some of the best wreck diving in the world, coral reefs, pelagic marine animals
Water Temperature	27-28°C (81-84°F) in the winter, 28-30°C (83-86°F) in the summer
Best for	WWII wreck diving
Difficulty	Any level of diving available
Recommended duration	7 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving in Chuck Lagoon.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines

All Star Infiniti liveaboard — The Tubbataha natural park can only be dived on liveaboards like the Infiniti.

It comes as no surprise that UNESCO World Heritage sites like Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park make for incredible liveaboard diving destinations.

While scuba diving in the Philippines is already superb, the Natural Park can only be reached by liveaboard.

The entire area is very well protected and features intact coral reefs and many different species of marine life.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines

Diving Season	March – June
Best time to dive	The Natural Park is only open from March – June
What to see	Countless dive sites, whale sharks, manta rays, even whales in the winter
Water Temperature	27-28°C (81-84°F) in the winter, 28-30°C (83-86°F) in the summer
Best for	Beautiful underwater world
Difficulty	Any level of diving available
Recommended duration	7 nights.

Diving facts for liveaboard diving at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

Conclusion

This concludes this list of the best liveabaord diving destinations in 2024.

If you want to read more about what liveaboard diving is, what happens on a cruise and why it’s the best thing since sliced bread, check out our ultimate liveaboard diving guide!

We also update our liveaboard diving deals every week. Check them out!

What’s your favorite liveaboard diving destination?

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Always dive with friends and happy bubbles. 😃

Cheers

Julius