Liveaboard diving guides by season, route and marine life
Practical liveaboard diving guides – compare seasons, routes, wrecks, marine life, dive levels and booking timing across the Red Sea, Maldives, Thailand and more.
Whale Shark Liveaboards – Best Places & Seasons
Where and when to swim with the world’s largest fish: the top destinations, the months that matter, and what to realistically expect.
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Can You Dive on Your Period? Liveaboard Edition
Your symptoms decide the plan, not menstruation itself. When to dive deeper or easier, how it affects air use, and what dive professionals recommend.
When is the best time to dive the Galapagos?
Warm season versus cool season, when whale sharks reach Darwin and Wolf, water temperature and how to choose your month.
Liveaboard visa requirements: what to check
Check passport validity, visa rules, transit, operator forms, insurance and destination requirements before booking a liveaboard.
How much does a liveaboard cost?
Typical 2026 liveaboard prices per week by destination, from the budget Red Sea to the premium Galapagos, what is included, and the extras to budget for.
Is liveaboard diving safe?
What makes a liveaboard safe, the real risks and how to manage them, how to choose a safe operator, and how to dive within your limits.
Do you need travel insurance for a liveaboard?
What comprehensive dive travel insurance should cover, from cancellation and airspace disruption to a hyperbaric chamber and evacuation, plus a booking checklist.
Liveaboard tipping: how much to tip the crew
How much to tip on a liveaboard, how tips are paid and shared, and typical gratuities by destination for the Red Sea, Maldives, Thailand, Galapagos, Bahamas and Raja Ampat.
Liveaboard marine park fees: what and how much
What marine park fees are on a liveaboard, whether they are obligatory, and how much to expect in 2026 by destination, from the Galapagos to the Red Sea and Raja Ampat.
Liveaboard fuel surcharge: what, when and why
What a fuel surcharge is on a liveaboard, when and where operators add it, why fuel prices cause it, and how much to expect so your dive trip budget holds.
Where to see manta rays on a liveaboard
Where and when to dive with manta rays: the Maldives, Raja Ampat, Thailand and Komodo, month by month, with a season table and the difference between reef and oceanic mantas.
Reef vs oceanic mantas: why some are bigger
Why the giant mantas in the photos are not the smaller reef mantas you meet in the Maldives, how to tell the two species apart, and where, when and how deep to see each one.
UNESCO marine diving sites: World Heritage and Biosphere Reserves
Explore 28 UNESCO underwater destinations, including Baa Atoll, Raja Ampat, Galápagos, Komodo, Tubbataha and Socorro.
Where to dive with hammerhead sharks
Where and when to dive with hammerheads: schooling scalloped hammerheads in the Galapagos and Red Sea, and great hammerheads in the Bahamas, month by month.
How the Cruise Director marine life advice is built
Where our marine life season advice comes from: the real experience of PADI Staff Instructors and liveaboard crew, checked against trusted sources. A realistic probability, never a guarantee.
Do Liveaboards Have a Dive Guide? How to Dive Safely Without One
How self-guided liveaboard diving works, how to choose a buddy and how to navigate safely, with the Bahamas as an example.
How Do You Search for a Liveaboard Without Choosing the Wrong Trip?
Use route difficulty, certification, logged dives, cabin rules and total cost to narrow the right liveaboard trips.
How Should You Compare Liveaboards Before Booking?
Compare routes, diver requirements, cabins, dive operations, inclusions and the final trip cost side by side.
What Should You Expect on Your First Liveaboard?
Learn how liveaboard days work, what experience you need, where you sleep, what to pack and how to choose the right first trip.
Bahamas liveaboard diving guide: sharks, seasons and prices
When to go, where shark routes run, what level you need and real DiveScanner price examples for Bahamas liveaboards.
Raja Ampat seasonal diving guide: best time for liveaboards
Best months for Raja Ampat liveaboard diving, manta rays, Misool, Dampier Strait, currents, visibility and diver level.
When is the best time to dive Mexico?
Socorro runs November to May for giant oceanic mantas and sharks, the Sea of Cortez July to November for sea lions, mobula rays and whale sharks.
Galapagos liveaboard marine life guide: unique species
Marine iguanas, penguins, sea lions, hammerheads, whale sharks, mantas and the species that make Galapagos feel different.
Thailand seasonal diving guide: best time and marine life
When to dive Thailand, what marine life to expect, when liveaboards run, and how to choose between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Should I dive with Nitrox on a liveaboard?
What Nitrox does, what it does not do, and why enriched air matters on repetitive liveaboard diving trips.
Red Sea liveaboard season guide: best time to dive Egypt
Month by month for the Egyptian Red Sea: water temperatures, the Northern wrecks and reefs, and the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone shark season.
Best places to dive, month by month
A dive season calendar: the best liveaboard destinations for every month of the year, by marine life and season.
Best time to dive the Maldives – month-by-month liveaboard guide
Which months are best for mantas, whale sharks, visibility and calm seas, month by month for liveaboard divers.
Whale sharks in the Maldives – South Ari Atoll
Where and when to see whale sharks in the Maldives, focused on South Ari Atoll, with dive level and liveaboard route tips.
Best liveaboard diving destinations for sharks – Part 2
Part 2 of the shark guide – the best shark liveaboard destinations (Red Sea, Maldives, Bahamas, Galapagos, Socorro, Raja Ampat, Australia) and which suit your dive level.
The Most Common Sharks You Can See While Scuba Diving Part 1
A practical guide to reef sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, hammerheads, whale sharks and the shark species divers most often see underwater.
Where to dive with tiger sharks – best destinations and responsible shark diving guide
Best tiger shark diving destinations, diver level advice and why DiveScanner does not recommend shark-feeding dives.
Famous Red Sea wreck dives – SS Thistlegorm and Salem Express
Compare Egypt's famous wreck dives by route, depth, certification and respectful diving considerations.
Where to see whale sharks – best liveaboard destinations, seasons and diving guide
Best whale shark liveaboard destinations, seasons, typical depths and realistic expectations for divers.
Best time to book a liveaboard – season, price and marine life guide
How far ahead to book by destination, and how season affects price and wildlife.
What is a liveaboard and how to choose the right one
A beginner-friendly guide to what a liveaboard is and how to pick the right boat.
Advanced liveaboard routes – certification, depth and insurance checks
Certification, logged dives, depth and insurance you need for advanced routes.
Browse all guides
Every DiveScanner guide in one place, grouped for quick browsing.
Best places to dive, month by month
- Best Places to Dive Month by Month
- Best Places to Dive in January
- Best Places to Dive in February
- Best Places to Dive in March
- Best Places to Dive in April
- Best Places to Dive in May
- Best Places to Dive in June
- Best Places to Dive in July
- Best Places to Dive in August
- Best Places to Dive in September
- Best Places to Dive in October
- Best Places to Dive in November
- Best Places to Dive in December
Destination season guides
- Red Sea Liveaboard Season Guide
- When Is the Best Time to Dive the Maldives?
- When Is the Best Time to Dive Thailand?
- When Is the Best Time to Dive Mexico?
- Raja Ampat Diving Season Guide
- Galapagos Liveaboard Marine Life
- Bahamas Liveaboard Diving Guide
Marine life and sharks
- Where to See Whale Sharks Diving
- Whale Sharks in the Maldives: South Ari
- Where Can You Dive With Tiger Sharks?
- Where to See Manta Rays on a Liveaboard
- Reef vs Oceanic Mantas: Why Some Are Bigger
- Where to Dive With Hammerhead Sharks
- UNESCO Marine Diving Sites: 28 Places to Dive
- Common Sharks You See While Diving
- Best Shark Liveaboard Destinations
- Red Sea Wrecks: Thistlegorm and Salem
Planning and how to
- What Is a Liveaboard? How to Choose
- How to Search for a Liveaboard
- How to Compare Liveaboards Before Booking
- What to Expect on Your First Liveaboard
- When Should You Book a Liveaboard?
- Liveaboard Tipping Guide: How Much to Tip
- How Much Does a Liveaboard Cost? 2026 Guide
- Is Liveaboard Diving Safe? A Diver's Guide
- Do You Need Travel Insurance for a Liveaboard?
- Liveaboard Marine Park Fees: What and How Much
- Liveaboard Fuel Surcharge: What, When and Why
- Do Liveaboards Have a Dive Guide?
- Should I Dive with Nitrox on a Liveaboard?
- Advanced Liveaboard Routes and Dive Levels
- How Our Marine Life Advice Is Built