Covering over one-third of the world’s land mass and home to over half the planet’s population, Asia is huge. It can generally be divided into three regions – the Indian sub-continent, the Far East and the islands of South East Asia. It is a melting pot of differing cultures and equally varied landscapes from frozen tundra to tropical desert islands. Highlights include the overwhelming cities of India, hi-tech Japan and South Korea and tropical Thailand. Mysterious Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are lesser known destinations but equally as rewarding if you have a craving for exotic culture. 

The diving scene is mainly centred on the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Most popular is Thailand which boasts hundreds of dive sites for every level. Other options include Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Maldives and Goa in India.

Except for the vast archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines, which have numerous regional micro climates, there is a distinct wet and dry season in continental Asia. For example, along the west coast of Thailand and Malaysia, November to April is dry and hot while on the east coast, you can expect heavy, frequent rain. In Malaysia, some offshore Islands are virtually cut off between the heaviest monsoon weather in December and January. For the remainder of the year, this pattern is effectively reversed. Virtually all of Asia’s dive sites are located in the tropics, so come rain or shine, there is little variation in temperature year round, averaging between 24°C and 32°C. 

Other than a few localised weather conditions highlighted above, there is no bad time to visit Asia for scuba diving. The Christmas and New Year period means high hotel prices and sold-out flights virtually everywhere, while in East Malaysia and Indonesia, expect prices to almost double in many places during the July and August high season when reefs can also get crowded.

Thailand - Whatever your level, Thailand fits the bill perfectly and is probably the best bet if travelling with non-divers too. There are dozens of offshore islands to choose from – Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand is the place to go to learn the basics, while the world class Similan islands, best explored on a liveaboard, have outstanding biodiversity. Expect abundant giant manta rays and whale sharks. In the south, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket are also deservedly popular.

Philippines - With 7,000 islands, you won’t be short of diving options in the Philippines. There is great wreck diving to be had in Subic Bay and beginner-friendly spots such as Puerto Galera, Boracay and Cebu have superb visibility year round. The undisputed king is isolated Tubattaha reef, boasting spectacularly steep drop offsand sightings of whale sharks are common.  

Indonesia - Bali and Lombok have some of the most accessible (and cheapest) scuba diving in Asia but seasoned divers head further east for the real adventure. Bunaken’s legendary coral walls drop down well over 50 metres into an abyss and new hotspot Raja Ampat, located off the isolated West Papua coast, is a world beater, boasting over 1,500 species and more varieties of coral on a single reef than in the entire Caribbean.

      
Maldives - Diving Maldives mainly consists of drift diving on liveaboards. Between the numerous atolls there is a large network of underwater caverns, rock pinnacles and overhangs with a plethora of colourful soft corals which are home to huge schools of pelagics.  

For Asia’s best value diving, head to Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. PADI open water courses are very cheap, yet you also get world class diving at offshore islands such as Sipadan and the hammerhead shark hotspot of Layang Layang. Scuba diving in Vietnam is slowly taking off at Nha Trang and nearby Sihanoukville in Cambodia and Myanmar’s Mergui Islands could well be the next big things and is still virgin scuba territory.    

Numerous carriers from North America and Europe fly direct to Asia, generally to the major air hubs of Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. From these airports you can easily find flights right across the region and there are great deals to be had with low cost regional airlines such as Air Asia, Jetstar and Tiger Airways.  Coming from North America, the distances involved are huge, taking a minimum of 20 hours flying time. 

As the planet’s largest continent, Asia has unmatched variety in terms of adventure and culture on dry land, and in many cases you don’t have stray too far from the dive sites to experience it. The best example of this is probably Bali, with its unique Hindu culture of temple worship, art and dance, dramatic volcanoes and Asia’s best surfing. Bangkok is the place to go for a vibrant city life and for an unforgettable experience, see the rainforests and orang-utans of Borneo, take a road trip through India go island hopping in the Philippines.  

It will take deep pockets to visit some of the truly awesome world class dive sites in eastern Indonesia and parts of the Philippines which are isolated and extremely time consuming to get to. Often the only option is by a luxury multi-day liveaboard charter.