Local expertise drives diving tourism. According to Zicasso’s analysis of scuba travel reviews, 72% of U.S. divers credit their guides for the underwater experiences they remember most, from spotting elusive species to managing challenging conditions with calm precision. Luxury travelers increasingly book guided dives because they want access, safety and experiences they could not manage alone.
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At top destinations, guides shape the entire experience. They read currents, choose entry points, time descents and know when marine life is likely to appear, influencing everything from route planning to conservation practices.
Destinations such as Greece, Egypt and Japan draw travelers with dives that combine marine life with shipwrecks and underwater ruins you can still see on the seafloor. In places like French Polynesia and Iceland, expert instructors turn complex, sometimes intimidating environments into dives that feel controlled, captivating and responsible.
The power of diving guides
Diving tourism continues to expand as more travelers add underwater adventures to their trips. The global diving market is expected to gain momentum over the next decade, reaching an estimated $18.5 billion by 2035. This growth centers less on thrill-seeking and more on travelers who want dives that feel safe, rewarding and respectful of marine life and local communities.
Zicasso’s review analysis shows the central role guides play in that shift. In one Galápagos trip, a family credited their guide with identifying seven shark species while keeping their teenage divers calm, focused and safe in moving water. Skilled guides adjust depth, pace and difficulty in real time, matching each dive to experience level without stripping away excitement.
Close marine moments leave a mark
After reviewing scuba-focused traveler feedback, Zicasso reports 43% of requests reference encounters with large open-water species, including whale sharks, manta rays and sea turtles. These encounters rarely happen by chance. Local guides know where cleaning stations are located, specific shelves or reef sections where larger animals slow down or pause while smaller fish clean parasites from their skin. Because animals return to these same spots, guides time dives carefully, reading tides and currents to position divers where sightings are most likely and conditions are safest.
In the Philippines, local guides wake divers before sunrise, often at 5 a.m., to reach the one place in the world where sightings of thresher sharks are most reliable. Divers wait quietly near the cleaning shelf, watching the blue water until long tails appear. When the thresher sharks finally glide in and circle slowly overhead, the early start fades away, replaced by a moment that stays with you long after the dive ends. Moments like these are why many divers plan entire trips around a single dive site.
Fewer divers, richer experiences
Some operators take 20 or more divers out at the same time. When that happens, dives can turn into a free-for-all, especially when people have mixed skill levels. Less experienced divers may struggle to keep their position, while stronger divers push ahead. The noise and movement can scare marine life away before anyone gets a good look.
Private charters and smaller groups earn the strongest praise. One traveler in Thailand described hiring a private long-tail boat as the best decision of their trip, recalling how their group had an entire lagoon to themselves for nearly an hour.
Smaller groups are easier to match by ability and interest, which keeps dives calmer and better organized. Guides can move at the right pace, give individual attention and spend more time where the marine life actually is, creating smoother, safer and more rewarding dives.
Dive through centuries of history
Some destinations offer dives that place human history directly on the seafloor. In Greece, the waters around Peristera hold the Parthenon of Shipwrecks, a fifth-century B.C. vessel resting intact beneath the Aegean. Opened to divers in 2020 under strict preservation rules, the site reveals rows of ancient amphorae stacked exactly where they fell, as sea bream and groupers move through the remains of early trade routes.
In Egypt’s Eastern Harbor of Alexandria, divers navigate submerged statues, sphinxes and temple foundations scattered by earthquakes and tsunamis centuries ago. Among the ruins lie remnants linked to the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ongoing excavations and plans for an underwater museum place Alexandria at the forefront of cultural diving.
Frontiers of modern dive travel
New regions are reshaping dive itineraries. In French Polynesia, dive-related requests rose 150% between 2022 and 2024. Around Bora Bora and Moorea, clear water and steady conditions create frequent encounters with reef sharks, lemon sharks and manta rays, making nearly every descent feel like a wildlife encounter. With 11 islands now operating dive centers, the region continues to strengthen its reputation as a standout Pacific destination.
In the North Atlantic, Iceland’s Silfra Fissure offers a completely different experience. Located in Thingvellir National Park, the site allows divers and snorkelers to float and glide between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in exceptionally clear freshwater. Cold temperatures, sheer rock walls and near-perfect visibility combine into one of the world’s most unusual cold-water dives.
Further east, Japan’s Okinawa islands blend warm currents with mystery. Near Yonaguni, advanced drift dives reveal massive stone formations alongside seasonal schools of hammerhead sharks that gather between November and early May. Nearby sites such as White World and Sabachi feature dense anemone fields and brightly colored reef fish, offering a dramatic contrast within a single dive region.
Expertise makes the difference
Guided diving has reshaped how travelers explore the ocean. The strongest guides protect fragile ecosystems while still delivering dives that feel exciting, personal and carefully managed. As diving grows worldwide, the quality of underwater experiences will depend on how well guides protect the environments that make those moments possible. When expertise leads the way, underwater travel becomes not just memorable but sustainable enough to last.
Mandy is a luxury travel, fine dining and bucket-list-adventure journalist with expert insight from 46 countries. She uncovers unforgettable experiences around the world and brings them to life through immersive storytelling that blends indulgence, culture and discovery, and shares them with a global audience as co-founder of Food Drink Life. Her articles appear on MSN and through the Associated Press wire in major U.S. outlets, including NBC, the Daily News, Boston Herald, the Chicago Sun-Times and many more.
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