Where to book a dive trip in 2024 – The 7 best places

If you are a scuba diver, freediver, or snorkeler, chances are high that you love to travel.

And even if you haven’t received your certification, yet, you are probably thinking about doing so right now!

Whether this is your first dive trip or the 20th, the same question comes up all the time: Where to book a diving vacation at the best price, with great service and support?

The options are sheer endless both online and through other means.

To make it easier for you to make your next diving vacation a success, these are the best places to book a dive trip in 2024.

Where to book a dive trip in 2024

These are the best places to book your next diving vacation for any budget:

• LiveAboard.com
• Padi Travel
• Social Diving
• GetYourGuide
• Expedia
• Online travel agency
• Local travel agency
• Directly with dive center/operator

LiveAboard.com

Liveaboard diving is one of the best ways to spend your diving vacation and a favorite among most scuba divers.

In fact, some of the best dive sites in the world are only accessible by boat which means it should be on every diver’s bucket list.

The best place to find liveaboard diving cruises and vacations is LiveAboard.com.

As their name suggests, they are solely dedicated to liveaboard dive travel and feature one of the largest collections of cruises in the world.

As of April 2024, you could book a total of more than 31,000 cruises on 550+ boats with them. It’s safe to say wherever you want to dive, you’ll find it here!

I have booked with them on two occasions to the Philippines and Egypt and was very happy with the service all around!

They give a price guarantee, live support, and don’t charge any booking fees.

The 27,000+ reviews you can find about their service online are also proof that people around the world are really happy with them.

Type	Online dive travel platform
Types of diving offered	Liveaboard cruises
Customer Support	24/7 phone, email & contact form. Call back service available
Refund policy	Flexible cancellation up to 91 days in advance, 24 month free COVID rescheduling
Company location	Netherlands
Support Languages	English, Spanish, German, Dutch, French, more…
Favorite Feature	Accurate boat & trip descriptions

• Book on Liveaboard.com with price guarantee

Padi Travel

Every scuba diver knows PADI (although not everyone likes them) and PADI Travel is their exclusive dive travel platform.

You can find liveaboard diving, dive resorts, courses, and even snorkeling trips here.

I have booked liveaboard diving in Thailand with PADI Travel back when it was still running as diviac (a company which they bought) and had a good experience.

PADI divers will like the easy way the entire process integrates with their eLearning experience and that they can easily book their scuba referral to finish their diving courses at a different spot.

Please note though that you do buy into the PADI ecosystem which comes with higher prices than on some other platforms. Moreover, only PADI dive centers and partners are featured and other agencies do not participate.

If liveaboard diving is your main focus, I’d pick something else, too.

Type	Online dive travel platform
Types of diving offered	Everything from dive resorts to liveaboard diving and snorkeling
Customer Support	Email, phone, contact form & live chat (note the working hours)
Refund policy	48h free cancellation period
Company location	USA
Support Languages	English, Spanish, German, Dutch, French, more…
Favorite Feature	Free DAN dive accident insurance (orders over $2,500)

• Book on PADI Travel with free DAN insurance

Social Diving

If you want the convenience of booking your dive travel online but with personal and knowledgeable support, why don’t you book your next diving vacation with Social Diving?

Instead of simply booking you into whatever trip is currently available, we create a personal diving and travel package for you.

In contrast to other travel agents, you have full control over every step of your diving trip and there are no “off-the-shelf” tours.

We are also not tied to only certain providers and tour operators and instead choose whatever fits your custom requirements the best.

You can also browse some of our featured liveaboard deals!

Type	Custom dive trip agency
Types of diving offered	Any
Customer Support	Phone, email, Contact form, video chat, WhatsApp chat
Refund policy	Depends on your chosen tour
Company location	Germany
Support Languages	English, Spanish, German
Favorite Feature	Custom trips

• Book your custom dive trip with us with

GetYourGuide

While you won’t book your entire diving vacation here, GetYourGuide hosts arguably the largest travel events collection in the world.

The platform is perfect for those who like to travel and dive in between, but not do an exclusive scuba diving trip.

Snorkeling, diving courses, excursions, whale watching, whatever kind of activities you want to book on your vacation, you will find it here.

If you’re looking for something to do when you’re not in the water, GetYourGuide is even better.

Wherever I travel, I check what to do on their site and was never disappointed.

Type	Online activities platform
Types of diving offered	Event diving (excursions, courses & snorkeling)
Customer Support	Email, phone, WhatsApp chat
Refund policy	48h free cancellation period
Company location	Switzerland
Support Languages	Any
Favorite Feature	Free cancellation & rescheduling

• Book on GetYourGuide with free cancellation

Expedia.com

Expedia is one of the largest travel platforms in the world and you have probably heard of them or booked with them before.

They are not a diving-exclusive travel agency but instead you can book anything from flights to resorts, rental cars, and diving with them.

Expedia offers the lowest prices and a huge collection of deals. The best part about them is their comparison engine which allows you to find the cheapest prices on any trip you want to do.

Scuba diving wise they are great for Discover Scuba Diving events, wreck diving, diving excursions and anything else you could want.

I like their service and use it for flights, rental cars and even resorts.

The only thing you will not find here are liveaboard safaris.

Type	Online travel platform
Types of diving offered	Diving excursions, day trips, discover scuba diving & more
Customer Support	Live chat, email
Refund policy	Full refund options available, even for flights
Company location	USA
Support Languages	Any
Favorite Feature	Rewards program

• Book on Expedia

Online Travel Agency

There are plenty of smaller online dive travel agencies that you can call or book with online.

Depending on their size, location and focus, they may offer exclusive tours or be a partner for local dive centers, resorts, and boats.

The greatest benefit of using an agency is in case of flight delays etc., as your travel agent is responsible for ensuring you can start your trip and will find an alternative for you.

I cannot say anything about the majority of them, however, they’re a good option if you’re looking for packages that already include flights, transport, and diving.

Only pick one that specializes in dive travel to make sure they know what they’re talking about.

I personally do not use external ones as we have our own travel agency with Social Diving, however, this is not to say there aren’t other good ones out there (although I prefer Social Diving 😉).

Look out for good refund policies and compare prices before booking.

The added personal support often comes at a higher price (which makes sense) but the drawback is that they are often tied to their specific partners.

Type	Online dive travel agency
Types of diving offered	Depends on agency
Customer Support	Usually phone & email
Refund policy	Varies
Company location	Varies
Support Languages	Usually English + local languages
Favorite Feature	More personal than larger platforms

Local Travel Agency

Chances are high, wherever you live, you will find a travel agency in your city.

They are often tied to larger travel companies and exclusively sell their featured trips.

Their biggest advantage is that you get face-to-face personal support, the complete package for transportation and travelling, and have someone close by to ask questions.

I have booked with a few in my area in the past, but unfortunately, I was never completely happy with them.

It’s rare to find a local scuba diving-focused travel agent and most simply cover “normal” travel and the diving must be booked extra.

However, if you’re looking for a normal vacation with maybe a day or two of diving or snorkeling in between, they can be a good choice.

Type	Brick and mortar travel agency
Types of diving offered	May or may not include diving
Customer Support	Personal, phone & email
Refund policy	Varies
Company location	Varies
Support Languages	Your local language
Favorite Feature	Very personal

Directly with dive center/operator

Last but not least, you can always book directly with tour operators and dive centers.

For example, for cruises in the Bahamas or Indonesia, I recommend Allstar Liveaboards who operate several ships in these areas (and others) and are known around the world.

By booking directly with them, you can skip any travel agent and get personal support from the operator.

Pricing wise this only makes sense if you are used to local or online travel agencies who charge a booking fee. LiveAboard.com, for example, does not charge any.

The drawback is of course security of your payment, especially with smaller or unknown operators, as you can never be sure how trustworthy they are.

Dive centers are often easier to book, as they have a physical location and you can often find reviews on their Google or Yelp pages.

On the other hand, there are often so many of them at any given spot that you need to consult other divers or in online forums/groups about their experiences with them.

The best way to find cool dive centers and operators are, in my experience, shows and exhibitions where many different ones can be found at one place.

Conclusion

These are the best places to book your diving vacation with in 2024.

Which you choose depends largely on the type of dive trip you’re planning, your budget, and what kind of support you prefer.

My favorites are LiveAboard.com and of course our very own Social Diving. 😉

Do you know any other great places for booking a diving trip? Share it in the comments!

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Always dive with friends and happy bubbles. 😃

Cheers

Julius