The 5 Best Liveaboard Diving Destinations in the World

Diving from a liveaboard isn’t just about the locations—it’s about the rhythm of life at sea. Days are structured around diving, with multiple dives per day, followed by onboard meals, dive briefings, and surface intervals spent lounging on deck or reviewing underwater footage. Without the constraints of shore-based logistics, dive plans can be more flexible, adjusting to tide changes, marine life activity, and weather conditions to ensure the best possible experience.

While liveaboard trips are usually fairly relaxed, it’s still an intense level of diving, with four or sometimes five dives per day. You’ll want to know your limits, and skip a dive or two if you get too tired. Especially on longer trips, it’s very common for divers to skip a dive or two. Liveaboard trips are about going farther, diving longer, and seeing the ocean in its purest, wildest form. For those who want to experience the underwater world at its most remote and untouched, a liveaboard is the only way to go.

We’ve recommended below some of the most popular and most convenient places to stay (mostly dive resorts) in each destination. Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay.

Rowley Shoals, Australia

• Can’t-miss sites: Clerke Channel for wild drift diving, Mermaid Wall for coral and critters
• Where to stay: Liveaboard only
• Recommended operators: Odyssey Expeditions is the most well-known
• Best season: September to November

Located about 160 miles off the northern coast of Western Australia, Rowley Shoals is a group of three coral atolls rising from more than 1,000 feet below the surface. Each is surrounded by a shallow, healthy lagoon. Among dive sites that can be reached by the public, it’s one of the least-dived in the world, with some sources citing just 200 divers per year. That makes the sites nearly untouched by humans, with visibility regularly in the 130-to-150-foot range. The sites are quite varied, from leisurely reef dives around the lagoons to speedy drift dives where you’ll want to make sure you know how to use your SMB.

Southern Red Sea

• Can’t-miss sites: The Brothers Islands for sharks, Elphinstone Reef for drift diving
• Where to stay: If you don’t do a liveaboard, the farthest south you can stay is around Marsa Alam, at places like Marsa Shagra Village.
• Recommended operators: Emperor has several ships focused on the southern Red Sea
• Best season: Autumn

Many locations in the Red Sea are fantastic for diving, and much of the northern part can be explored while staying at luxury resorts near places like Sharm-el-Sheihk. But if you want to explore the southern Red Sea, you may be better off taking a liveaboard trip. The northern part is known for wrecks, but when it comes to the southern part of the Red Sea, it’s pelagics that are the big draw. That includes hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, threshers, and the occasional whale shark.

Many of the most popular dive sites, such as The Brothers and Daedalus Reef, are too far from shore for day trips. That means many fewer people dive them, so they’re both less impacted by human activity and less likely to be crowded, increasing your chances of bigger creatures lingering for a little longer. The southern Red Sea also extends into Sudan and Eritrea, where it’s harder to find safe on-land accommodations.

Diving in the southern Red Sea is possible all year long, and it’s known for being one of the most affordable liveboard locations in the world. It’s more beginner friendly than other liveaboard locations, but still slightly more challenging than the reefs and wrecks to the north. You’ll probably want the experience from about 50 logged dives, and it’d be good to have some experience in currents and drifts.

Tubbataha Reef, Philippines

• Can’t-miss sites: Washing Machine for sharks, Malayan Wreck for mantis shrimp and nudis
• Where to stay: Liveaboard only
• Recommended operators: The Aggressor Fleet is quite popular, but Solitude One looks gorgeous, too
• Best season: March to June

Tubbataha Reef is one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments, sitting in the Sulu Sea. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Marine Park in Indonesia. That protected status (plus the remote location) means the reef is known for pristine coral, healthy vertical walls, and an abundance of marine life.

Divers can expect encounters with large pelagic species, including various shark species, manta rays, and whale sharks. Visibility is often 100 feet or more, and there are plenty of dives in the 15 to 80 foot range for max depth — something rare in the world of liveaboards. While it doesn’t have quite the diversity of, say, Raja Ampat, it’s still home to more than 600 fish species and 350 types of corals. It’s only diveable for a short window in the spring, as monsoon seasons and rough sea conditions make it too challenging to dive the rest of the year.

That means you should plan your trip well in advance, as the limited season and Tubbataha’s popularity mean liveaboards fill quickly. Diving on the reef isn’t as challenging as sites like Socorro or even Galápagos — no reef hooks allowed in Tubbataha — but you should still be comfortable with drift diving.

Socorro Island, Mexico

• Can’t-miss sites: Cabo Pearce for mantas, Roca Partida for hammerheads
• Where to stay: Liveaboard only
• Recommended operators: Nautilus Liveaboards seems to be beloved by anyone who’s done a trip
• Best season: December to May

Socorro is an uninhabited island about 250 miles off the coast of Baja California, in the Mexico’s Revillagigedo Archipelago. This protected biosphere reserve is teeming with pelagic life, and most known among divers for its abundance of large marine species. Divers can expect encounters with various shark species, including hammerheads, silky, and white tips, as well as humpback whales, dolphins, and the area’s famous giant manta rays.

The extreme remoteness means liveaboard diving is the only way to access Socorro, and diving conditions can be challenging, making it best reserved for experienced divers. Water temperatures range from the high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit, and the best diving season is from November/December to May, coinciding with humpback whale breeding season and optimal manta ray sightings.

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

• Can’t-miss sites: Cape Kri holds the world record for the most species sighted on a single dive
• Where to stay: If you don’t use a liveaboard, Papua Paradise Eco Resort partners with on-site Gangga Divers
• Recommended operators: The number of liveaboard options seem endless, but Gaia Love is one of the highest rated
• Best season: Year-round, but summer offers the calmest conditions and best visibility

Liveaboard diving in Raja Ampat is a chance to sleep above one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments. Raja Ampat is in the center of the Coral Triangle and has more than 1,500 islands and cays, creating a labyrinth of waterways perfect for divers. More than 75 percent of the world’s known coral species are found in Raja Ampat, and the remote location means its reefs are pristine.

Liveaboard diving is the best way to experience Raja Ampat as it allows access to remote dive sites unreachable by day boats, plus, you won’t find many hotels scattered on the remote islands. Liveaboards can also cover large distances overnight, maximizing your diving time and letting you explore the northern and southern parts of the archipelago in one trip. Raja Ampat’s dive sites are not particularly deep, but strong currents (including downcurrents) make it recommended for more advanced divers, especially as you may need to use a reef hook when currents and swells are at their peak.

How much does a liveaboard dive trip cost?

The cost of a liveaboard dive trip varies widely depending on the destination, duration, type of vessel, and level of luxury. Budget-friendly liveaboards in places like Egypt’s Red Sea or Southeast Asia can start at around $100 to $200 per night per person, including meals, basic accommodations, and several dives per day. Mid-range options, which offer more comfortable cabins, better food, and added amenities like onboard Wi-Fi or entertainment, typically cost between $250 and $400 per night. High-end liveaboards in premier dive destinations such as the Galápagos, Maldives, or Raja Ampat can range from $400 to over $1,000 per night, especially if they have to cover a long distance to reach dive sites.

Luxury liveaboards usually have roomy cabins, gourmet meals, and on-board amenities like sun decks, hot tubs, massage services, and comfortable indoor lounge spaces. Budget liveaboards typically offer basic cabins with bunk beds and shared bathrooms, while luxury options provide spacious, air-conditioned en-suite cabins with premium bedding and sometimes ocean views. They may also include add-ons like nitrox, specialty dives, sodas and drinks, or Wi-Fi, while budget trips may not include them in the cost. The diving is often the same no matter how much you pay, so it comes down to what level of luxury you want onboard.