Scuba Diving – September 2019

/ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 / 95

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CARIBBEAN AND ATLANTIC

1. Cayman Islands


2. Bahamas


3. Belize


4. Bonaire


5. Bay Islands, Honduras

U.S. AND CANADA

1. British Columbia, Canada


2. Florida Keys


3. Channel Islands, California


4. North Carolina


5. Great Lakes

PACIFIC

1. Indonesia


2. Truk Lagoon


3. Palau


4. Philippines


5. Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico

What Is Readers Choice?

More than 5,000 readers chose

their favorite destinations,

resorts, operators, liveaboards

and more for our 2019 awards.

Here we feature some of the top

vote-getters for each category,

and highlight the winning resorts,

operators and liveaboards

serving those areas, listed in

order of votes received.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

8

When a photographer has

just a weekend or week-

long vacation to devote

to shooting, water conditions

are crucial.

The water clarity of the

Cayman Islands—with vis-

ibility upward of 100 feet

on most days—means that

wide-angle shots, with that

inviting cobalt background,

are always an option. Ambient

light comes into play deeper

than expected. And because

the destination has 365 dive

sites spread across all sides

of three islands—Cayman

Brac, Grand Cayman and

Little Cayman—conditions

allow for boat diving nearly

every day.

So any hobbyists or pro-

fessionals can make the most

of their dive time, limited only

by batteries and memory

cards—never weather or sea

conditions.

READERS PICKS

RESORTS

Little Cayman Beach Resor t

Sunset House, Grand Cayman

Brac Reef Beach Resor t, Cayman

Brac

OPERATORS

Ocean Frontiers, Grand Cayman

Reef Divers, Little Cayman

LIVEABOARDS

Cayman Aggressor IV (replaced by

Cayman Aggressor V)

BRITISH COLUMBIA,

CANADA

9

Canada’s westernmost

province merges the

best of many divers’ wish

lists, including sheer walls of

wild color, big marine life and

thousands of marine inver-

tebrates. Divers seasoned

enough to navigate the cold,

green water will be rewarded

with a wealth of odd photo

subjects, from decorated

warbonnet fish with their

manes of fringing tassles,

to the eerie, knobby-headed

wolf eel. Moreover, the to-

pography—with pinnacles,

drop-offs and kelp fields—

packs the drama to match.

The only catch: The cur-

rents are nothing to guess

at. Dive with a guide until you

learn the lay of the land, or,

better still, throughout your

entire trip to make the most

of every minute.

North

America

1st Place Winner

Caribbean

and Atlantic

2018 1st Place Winner

Clockwise from

top: Blackwater

creatures in Palau,

sponges in Grand

Cayman and macro

critters in Lembeh

Strait keep photog-

raphers busy.