Scuba Geek

FRENCH POLYNESIA: Country Wins 5 Scuba Diving Readers’ Choice Awards January 27, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Travel , trackback

I’ve written about scuba diving options in Palau before and the amazing diving available there and it seems that many other scuba divers agree. Readers of Scuba Diving magazine ranked Indonesia, Palau, Micronesia and Yap, Micronesia in a three-way tie for the N� 1 Dive Destination in the Pacific and Indian Ocean region. Truk, Micronesia, was ranked N� 4. For the second straight year, French Polynesia was ranked N� 5.

The magazine also ranked French Polynesia N� 3 in the Best Advanced Dive Destinations category in the same region behind N� 1 Truk and N� 2 Palau. Indonesia was N� 4, followed by the Galapagos Islands. Scuba Diving magazine readers ranked French Polynesia N� 4 in the Top Visibility category for the same region. Oahu, Hawaii, was N� 1, followed by Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui. Palau was N� 5 followed by Indonesia.

French Polynesia was ranked N� 3 in the Top Big Animal Encounters category in the Pacific and Indian Ocean region. The Galapagos Islands were ranked N� 1, followed by Yap. Palau was N� 4 and Costa Rica was N� 5. Last year, readers ranked French Polynesia N� 2 in this category. And French Polynesia was ranked N� 5 this year in the Top Marine Life category in the same region. There was a three-way tie for N� 1 by Indonesia, Palau and Yap. The Egyptian Red Sea was N� 4.

Overall, Scuba Diving readers are asked to rank destinations based on their experiences in 12 different categories in three different regions of the world�Caribbean/Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean and North America. Other categories include top wall diving, top five destinations to take the kids, top wreck diving, top shore diving, top five after-dive bars, top small animals, top five dive destination restaurants, top healthiest marine environment and top value.