Trust CoralRealm for non-biased destination reviews

Divers usually begin researching a dive destination by investigating dive operators in the area. What's available? How convenient is the diving? Are they reputable? What is their track record for customer service? And maybe most importantly: Does anyone I know and trust have personal experience with the operator I'm considering? Personal referrals, after all, usually define the "bottomline" or the point where we're willing to part with our hard-earned savings to book a trip.

You can be assured that the CoralRealm.com staff reviewing dive destinations can be trusted to provide non-biased destination information. We actually travel to destinations to get firsthand information about the diving there. And yes, we can afford to present an honest review because our site is supported entirely from memberships -- not advertising. Membership support allows us to focus our energies on designing quality content for our members -- instead of hustling advertising revenues to support the site.

What we chose to investigate

You might think that just because you're not finding any particularly bad reviews of dive destinations on CoralRealm, that we only say nice things about destinations that we've visited. But consider this: It doesn't take long for word to get out among divers when a destination or particular dive operator is worn out and tired. (These places speak for themselves.) Equally, word spreads quickly when a new and exciting destination or dive operator is discovered. Given the choice, we choose to investigate new destinations that are most likely to provide the best marine life experiences and quality dive services. That's yet another way we demonstrate our commitment to providing value-added services for our members. (Why risk your hard-earned money, right?)

What we don't tell you

We try our best to give you a sampling of the marine life, diving conditions and service we experienced during our visits to dive destinations. But we strive to keep our personal preferences to ourselves. Let's face it, everyone has his or her own diving obsessions. A destination that is great for one diver might be totally wrong for another. Someone likes diving with sharks and whales, someone else prefers exploring for nudibranchs. Some divers like shallow coral gardens; others prefer deep, dark reefscapes. CoralRealm provides an overview of what the reviewer experienced. But each diver must decide if it would satisfy his/her personal preferences and expectations.

Determine your preferences

Before you begin investigating your next dive destination, we'd like to suggest that you first inventory your personal marine life and diving preferences. You'll find our Destination Planner a great tool to help you with this process. Next, compare your preferences to the information provided about a dive destination. This will provide a basis for evaluating the level of diving satisfaction you'll likely experience. If you don't find a specific reference to one of your preferences, try posting a question on the CoralRealm diver forum. Then, check back for comments. But remember, ask for specific information instead of personal impressions. For example, instead of asking if the diving is great, ask more specific questions relating to your personal preferences. For instance if you're a beginner diver, you might ask if there are strong currents or challenging dive conditions. If you're a big critter lover, you might ask if you're likely to encounter manta rays or sharks. These questions can help you develop a more accurate picture of what you're likely to experience at that destination -- and whether it will be a good experience for you.