I Spent A Week Scuba Diving at a Luxury Resort—Here’s Why (and Where) I’d Do It Again

The first breaths beneath the water’s surface, as a newly certified diver, were equal parts relaxing and exhilarating. I took slow, meditative sips of air as a scene of rainbow-hued coral, towering pinnacles, and yellowtail clownfish came into view beneath me. This, after all, was why I had traveled to the middle of the South Pacific.

At Tokoriki Island Resort, in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands—one of more than 300 hotels around the world where travelers can earn their PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification—I spent several days in January easing into the underwater world with the help of veteran instructor Save (pronounced sav-ay).

Courtesy of Tokoriki Island Resort

The resort’s house reef lay a few hundred feet from my beachside bure, a traditional Fijian wooden house with thatched roofs and wide windows. When I wasn’t diving, I lounged on the palm tree–dotted beach, plotting my next trip into the ocean, but feeling happy to indulge in the warm hospitality onshore. (Most of Tokoriki’s staff have been with the resort for more than a decade.)

Pairing a luxury stay with epic scuba diving is always a good idea. Whether you’re an experienced diver or just starting out like me, these are some of our favorite resorts—from the Great Barrier Reef to the Maldives—where the dive sites are dazzling and the hotels just as unforgettable. From $2,500, two night minimum

Lizard Island Resort

KOBIE RHODES/Lizard Island Resort

• Location: Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia
• Why we love it: A remote, all-inclusive beauty within the Great Barrier Reef
• Can you get PADI-certified? Yes
• From $1,966
  

Declared a national park in 1937, Lizard Island, along with its eponymous 40-room property, is the only luxury hotel set within the Great Barrier Reef. (Fringing reefs are close enough to swim to from the property.) In 2024, the all-inclusive Lizard Island Resort—a member of Luxury Lodges of Australia —also became a part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux collection.

Lizard Island’s diving provides access to some of the Great Barrier Reef’s most spectacular underwater environments—a rich tapestry of marine life including vibrant coral gardens teeming with reef fish and larger pelagic species. That includes the world-famous Cod Hole, where divers can encounter the resident giant potato cod. Because the reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the resort focuses on operating as sustainably as possible. (Ninety percent of all food supplies, for instance, come from local Queensland producers.)

Beyond diving, the 2,500-acre private island is fringed by white-sand beaches, with hiking trails that showcase the region’s native flora and fauna. Few properties in the world can rival its jaw-dropping location.

Mandarin Oriental Canouan

Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Canouan

• Location: Canouan Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Why we love it: Palatial suites and access to the Caribbean’s largest coral reef
• Can you get PADI-certified? Yes
• Loyalty program: Fans of M.O.
• From $1,800

Nestled in the Southern Grenadines of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on the grounds of a 1,200-acre estate, is the luxurious, 26-room Mandarin Oriental Canouan. Accommodations here are some of the most spacious in the Caribbean, with rooms starting at 1,300 square feet.

Canouan is the Carib word for “island of turtles,” so expect to see plenty of the hawksbill sea turtles roaming about. Thanks to access to the Caribbean’s largest coral reef, this all-suite property has earned its reputation as a snorkeling and diving destination for both beginners and veterans. Plus, for wreck-diving enthusiasts, the Puruni wreck—a 140-foot gunship sunk in 1918—has been transformed into a thriving artificial reef teeming with sea life.

Six Senses Laamu

Six Senses Laamu

• Location: Laamu Atoll, Maldives
• Why we love it: Overwater bungalows, plus year-round manta ray sightings
• Can you get PADI-certified? Yes
• Loyalty program: IHG One Rewards
• From $1,315

Life at Six Senses Laamu—home to 94 spacious beachfront villas, overwater bungalows, and private pool villas—is centered around all things water. Laamu is also one of the Maldives’ top surf spots—and, yes, the property takes guests straight out to the waves. The diving opportunities and facilities are even more impressive.

Laamu Atoll in the Maldives has more than 30 dive sites—and with Six Senses as the only resort in the area, guests enjoy near-exclusive access to them. The highlight: Deep Blue Divers, the on-site PADI five-star dive center, offers guests the chance to encounter manta rays year-round. A few minutes by boat from the property is Hithadhoo Corner, the preferred hangout for the Laamu manta ray. For non-divers, the hotel offers specialized manta snorkeling excursions. Six Senses Laamu is also home to SHELL (Sea Hub for Environmental Learning in Laamu), where resident marine biologists lead initiatives in ocean conservation.

Jade Mountain Resort

Courtesy of Jade Mountain

• Location: St. Lucia
• Why we love it: Panoramic views with access to two secluded, black-sand beaches
• Can you get PADI-certified? Yes
• From $1,530 per night

Imagine waking up to a green Caribbean landscape, with St. Lucia’s iconic Piton Mountains in the backdrop. The 29-room Jade Mountain Resort is set on a dramatic cliffside terrace, but if guests take a short stroll downhill, they will find two black-sand beaches, stretching a quarter of a mile and connected by a scenic coastal walk.

The resort’s dive operation is run by Scuba St. Lucia, with a reef that starts 10 yards beyond the water’s edge. Here, there are 150 different species of fish, making for incredible diving day or night. Peacock flounders, octopus, needlefish, and turtles swim in the shallow areas while puffers, moray eels, parrotfish, lobsters, and seahorses can be found in deeper waters. In addition, Jade Mountain Resort, along with sister property Anse Chastanet, has a reef renewal program that maintains two coral nurseries.

Read our full list of top hotels in the Caribbean.

Nizuc Resort & Spa

Courtesy of Nizuc Resort & Spa

• Location: Punta Nizuc, Cancun, Mexico
• Why we love it: An easy getaway from the U.S., and an underwater museum at your doorstep
• Can you get PADI-certified? No, but you can get certified in nearby Isla Mujeres (30-minute ferry ride away)
• From $576

Situated on 29 private acres of a mangrove jungle at the end of Cancun’s Punta Nizuc lies Nizuc Resort & Spa. The 274-room, family-friendly property is a launchpad for ocean lovers and dive enthusiasts. Minutes from the property, guests can explore the Underwater Museum of Art, a submerged art installation with 500 coral-encrusted sculptures, 28 feet below the surface. There’s also a thriving ecosystem of colorful fish and graceful sea turtles.

Beyond diving, the appeal of Nizuc is its easy access for U.S. travelers (15 minutes from Cancun International Airport) and a price point that sits well below $1,000 per night. The 30,000-square-foot wellness facility, with beachfront private treatment rooms, is also a highlight.