Best places to scuba dive in July
July is a strong mix of sharks, reefs and blue water. Fakarava still leads for the shark wall and grouper spawn, Komodo is the most varied trip, Princess Alice Bank is the manta gamble, and the Solomon Islands are the quiet reef choice. Pick Fakarava for one great spectacle; pick Komodo for the strongest full itinerary.
Where should you dive in July?
Fakarava + Rangiroa is the first trip I would book. It ranks #2 overall at 9.7/10, and July sits inside its strict peak window of June — July. Go for shark wall, grouper spawn, pass dives.
Read the Fakarava + Rangiroa guide →4 places clear the bar
The order stays tied to the overall ranking. The first card is the answer.
Fakarava + Rangiroa
Come for the shark wall. Stay for the passes.
At Fakarava’s south pass, hundreds of grey reef sharks hold in clear water above the coral. It is one of the few famous shark dives that looks like the photographs. Time the full moon for the grouper spawn, then add Rangiroa for dolphins and more pass diving.
- Peak window
- June — July
- Signature
- Shark wall · Grouper spawn · Pass dives
Komodo
Mantas one day, fast reefs the next.
Komodo has range. One day you watch mantas over a rubble channel; the next you fly past anthias, reef sharks and tuna on a northern pinnacle. Not every reef is pristine, but the best sites mix current, colour and big animals unusually well for somewhere this easy to reach.
- Peak window
- July — August
- Signature
- Reef mantas · Drift dives · Sharks and tuna
Princess Alice Bank
Mobulas over a seamount in the Atlantic.
Princess Alice is an offshore seamount where Chilean devil rays circle divers in blue water. Tuna and jacks are common enough to matter; blue and mako sharks are bonuses. The boat ride is long and the weather can cancel it, so leave spare days.
- Peak window
- July — September
- Signature
- Mobula aggregations · Tuna · Blue-water seamount
Solomon Islands
Several good trips hiding in one country.
Mary Island has the schooling fish, Uepi has the blue-water walls, and Munda has reefs and wrecks. The boats are few and the logistics can be clumsy. That is partly why the underwater side still feels like Pacific diving before the big resort build-out.
- Peak window
- June — August
- Signature
- Schooling jacks · Barracuda · Healthy walls