Australia
Divers Den – Port Douglas
I used to crew the boat for these guys when they first opened their operations up in Port Douglas. The boat is brand new with hot showers which is a bonus. They have some of the best prices in the area. Because of the limited number of licences for mooring blocks, they have limited dive sites they can visit.
Frog Dive – Sydney
My home shop in Sydney. Great team there that focuses on ensuring that your dive education is top notch, it’s catered towards local residents rather than the transient backpacker crowd. As such, they spend a bit more time teaching to ensure that you learn properly.
They teach PADI and SDI/TDI course, plus rebreather.
South West Rocks Dive Centre – South West Rocks
These guys run dives out to South West Rocks every day of the week, and the guides are really experienced. This is one of THE dives you want to do in Australia.
The dive centre also has dorm room style accomodation with a generous living area and kitchen, so you don’t have to book alternative accommodation.
There is a map of the cave on the home page. All I can say is that it is an epic dive.
Yongala Dive
It’s worth the trip out to Ayr just south of Townsville to dive the SS Yongala. This is a great dive, full of marine life, both big and small because it is the only structure around for miles.
These guys also have dorm accommodation with a kitchen but you’ll need to bring supplies from town. You can organise a pick up with them too.
Honduras
Utila Dive Center (UDC)
Located in the Bay Islands, it is a legendary dive shop with amazing PADI Course Directors. They have a full range of courses, and the diving is great there. If you do your DiveMaster or Instructor Course there, you can return there any time you like and dive for free (as long as you help out).
http://www.utiladivecenter.com
Hong Kong
Bling Bling Ocean – Stanley
BBO is a shop that’s run by William and Hidy, both of whom are super friendly, and have a focus on environmental education. They run regular ghost net clean ups around the southern dive sites of Hong Kong island. These sites are rarely visited by divers because most dive boats launch much further north at Pak Sha Wan pier.
https://www.facebook.com/BlingBlingOcean
Indonesia
Bajo Dive Club – Labuan Bajo, Komodo Islands
Bajo Dive Club is a great little dive shop with friendly and welcoming staff. The guides there are awesome. Diving around Komodo is generally on small capacity live-a-boards (between 6-8).
Critter Junkies by divebluemotion – Ambon
A small shop located in Ambon which focuses heavily on muck diving. They have a very relaxed environment, and some great guides.
DSD – Tulamben
This is the shop to call if all you want to do is hire tanks and weights
Philippines
Anilao Scuba Dive Center – Anilao
Great family run business, with Gina who is your host. She’ll make you feel at home, and there is plenty of fun to be had at night with the team there. Make sure you are ready to drink a lot of Tanduay.
Bongo Bongo Divers – Dauin, Dumaguete Island
Amongst the dive resorts around Dauin, is Bongo Bongo Divers, which has a great communal feel to it, and is lots of fun. Catering more to the backpacker market, Bongo offers accommodation, a kitchen, and a great vibe, with plenty of space to chill out between dives. You can do up to 4 dives a day there. They dive both north and south of Dauin.
They are continuing to expand their operations, and are building a pool, adding catering for folks like me who don’t cook, and have recently purchased a boat.
Devocean – Malapascua Island
There are a number of small diver operators on Malapascua. Evolution is the big kid on the block with the best facilities. Devocean is a well set up operation, with a dive shed to leave your gear, and seating space out the front to chill. The local guides there are fantastic, and will be able to help you find all the macro you could ever want.
As with all operators, they also do the Thresher Shark dive.
Marine Conservation Philippines – Zamboanguita, Dumaguete
This organisation focuses on leveraging the skills of divers (or non-divers looking to become divers with a bent towards conservation), to improve coral and fish stocks around the area. The minimum stay is 6 weeks, but it is well worth it, not only do you get to do 2 dives a day but you get to learn more about reef sustainability, and your work goes towards helping the local community ensure sustainability for the future.
https://www.marineconservationphilippines.org
Singapore
Dolphin Explorer
Dolphin Explorer is the boat that goes out to the one dive site in Singapore – Pulau Hantu. Most shops will book onto Dolphin Explorer, so go direct, and save money! The boat is well kitted out, and you can hire gear from there directly. Water and fruit are included on the trip. Each trip out is 5 hours, and includes 2 tanks.
https://www.facebook.com/dolphinexplorer.sg
Orpheus Dive
Lester the owner of the shop is a wealth of knowledge, and he’ll give you his honest opinion, and that is something that resonates with me. He was kind enough to give me valuable advice about diving and instructing around Singapore. He is also extremely knowledgable with gear and servicing.
Thailand
BuddaView Dive Resort – Koh Tao
I have fond memories of this place as it’s where I learnt to dive. A nice operation on the southern side of Koh Tao away from the party scene on Saree beach in the main part of Koh Tao. There is plenty of accommodation close by, and they have a nice little cafe on the beach front to chill out after you’re done diving for the day.
Khao Lak Scuba Adventures – Similan Islands
I spent a little bit of time working with KSA as an instructor and taking folks out to the Similan Islands. KSA is catered towards a more modest budget, and the boats are comfortable, with plenty of good food onboard. They have some great facilities in Khao Lak with an amazing purpose built pool, and they are also branching out to do some conservation work with the community.