Articles

We couldn’t wrap up 2024 without featuring some of our favorite travel articles from the past year. While we showcased much-loved and oft-traveled destinations like Anilao, Bonaire, and Raja Ampat, we also provided a spotlight for more off-the-beaten-path spots such as Monterey Bay, the Azores, even Ireland! If you are looking for inspiration for your first dive adventure of 2025, perhaps within this gathering of articles, you will find your next destination. Enjoy the images, write-ups and tips and tricks for diving each of these locations, and we hope all of our readers and contributors have a fruitful and productive 2025!

1. Destination Portfolio: Jon Anderson, Monterey Bay

By Jon Anderson

Monterey Bay. Just the name alone evokes thoughts of huge kelp forests, seals, whales, and countless macro critters jammed into every nook and cranny. Monterey resident Jon Anderson beautifully showcases the diversity of this remarkable spot along California’s coast, promising everything from tiny fringeheads to vast kelp scenics. If Monterey Bay wasn’t already on your must-dive list, surely it will be after checking out Jon’s feature. As an added bonus, during your surface interval, you can hop on over to say “hi” to our friends at Backscatter!
 

2. Destination Portfolio: Ron Watkins, Bonaire

By Ron Watkins

Bonaire is a classic dive destination for warm water lovers and beginner divers. However, it has something for even the most seasoned of underwater photographers as well—lots of critters, nearly 100 easily accessible dive sites, and an infrastructure built around diving. Bonaire is often overlooked by shooters who are in search of more “exotic” destinations, and, as such, there are many fresh images to be made by those wielding cameras. There is a reason Ron Watkins goes back every year. Perhaps his feature here will illustrate why that is, and maybe give you a bit of a push to book a trip to this “Diver’s Paradise” yourself. 
 

3. Double Delight: Siladen and Coral Eye Resorts

By Brandi Mueller

Sister resorts Siladen and Coral Eye provide a five-star experience in a beautiful corner of Indonesia. With access to stunning reefs and close to the muck diving haven of Lembeh Strait, there is something for everybody. In addition to the spectacular diving, the resorts cater to underwater photographers and have a focus on marine conservation of their little slice of Indonesia. Brandi Mueller double dipped and visited both resorts on the same trip, and she makes a compelling case for visiting Siladen and Coral Eye!
 

4. Destination Portfolio: Josh Schellenburg, Baja, Mexico

By Josh Schellenburg

In recent years, Baja has become perhaps the top big-animal destination on the planet. In the pantheon of big-animal locations, Baja can now claim its place next to places like The Bahamas or the Galápagos Islands. From sharks to whales to sea lions to marlin, Baja has some of everything. In fact, it has a lot of everything! Having frequently visited the Baja Peninsua, Josh Schellenburg has been privileged enough to see many of the iconic big animals found in these waters. A big-animal lover through and through, Josh’s images are a worthy showcase of Baja’s marine megafauna. 
 

5. Destination Portfolio: Aaron Halstead, Anilao

By Aaron Halstead

Anilao has long been a mecca for muck diving. In recent years, it has become one of the preeminent locations on Earth for blackwater diving as well. Aaron Halstead has done quite a few trips to Anilao and has put together a fantastic portfolio, full of highly sought after photographic subjects like frogfish and paper nautiluses. There is reason that Anilao is so popular amongst underwater shooters. Don’t just take our word for it: Dive into Aaron’s Destination Portfolio and you will see for yourself! 
 

6. The Call of Komodo

By Anita Verde

Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a biodiversity hotspot. Famous for its namesake dragons, Komodo is even more stunning beneath the waves. Because of its large sprawl, Komodo has a huge range of marine ecosystems and a massive biodiversity. World wanderers Anita Verde and Peter Marshall elucidate the virtues of Komodo and provide a guide on the best way to dive this spectacular corner of Indonesia.
 

7. Destination Portfolio: Nigel Motyer, Ireland

By Nigel Motyer

When thinking of places for your next dive holiday, Ireland likely doesn't come to mind too frequently. However, as Ireland native Nigel Motyer showcases here, the chilly waters around this island nation hold a spectacular abundance and diversity of marine life. From bobtail squid to the second largest fish on Earth, the basking shark, Ireland has something for every type of underwater shooter. Nigel explains why Ireland has such a phenomenal underwater ecosystem and his imagery may just inspire you to don a drysuit and plunge into the waters around the Emerald Isle. 
 

8. Picture Perfect: Capturing Wakatobi’s Underwater Eden

By Anita Verde

While Wakatobi isn't known for its muck diving or big animals, it makes up for this by just being a spectacularly diverse dive destination. There are macro subjects to be had and larger creatures like turtles, but Wakatobi is largely about the sheer abundance of life and the beautiful aesthetics of the underwater ecosystem. Anita Verde and Peter Marshall capture this “underwater Eden” beautifully—and the description is spot on!
 

9. A Blue Education: Encountering Blue Sharks in the Azores

By Anita Verde

Far off the coast of Portugal lies the Azores, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deep, impossibly blue water. These islands serve as a way station for large pelagics, perhaps most notably the blue shark. These ocean wanderers are a relatively common sight around the Azores—positive news seeing as they are among the most fished shark species on Earth and their numbers are plummeting globally. Anita Verde and Peter Marshall provide a fantastic guide for diving with these pelagic predators around the Azores—from when to go, who to go with, how to behave in the water, and of course, photography tips and tricks.
 

10. Diving Misool, Raja Ampat’s Second King

By Don Silcock

There is a reason that Raja Ampat is featured on most divers’ must-visit lists. As the center for marine biodiversity on the entire planet, the amount of life in these waters is truly staggering. A crown jewel of Raja is Misool. The waters around the “second king” are largely protected, and a dip beneath the surface illustrates just how well a marine ecosystem can do when properly managed. Stunning reefs, big animals like mantas and sharks, down to tiny pygmy seahorses—all thrive around Misool. This is truly a diver’s paradise.