While it would be easy to populate a list of top scuba diving getaways by focusing solely on the Caribbean, we've instead assembled a global panel of experts to assess the best winter scuba escapes -- from Costa Rica to Queensland. Each of these diving destinations offers premium underwater visibility and a high probability of seeing magnificent sea life and vibrant reefs. They also feature plush accommodations, exotic locales or unparalleled above-water scenery. Think of these places as rehab for the winter doldrums.

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Up Next: Cocos Islands

Costa Rica's Cocos Island, 300 nautical miles from the Pacific Coast, is world-famous for close encounters with sharks, giant rays and dolphins. Setting off from live-aboard ships, divers can observe swirling schools of hammerheads. The pristine island was the inspiration for Michael Crichton's Isla Nublar in "Jurassic Park" and is also home to some 200 spectacular waterfalls, many of which drop right into the sea. Jacques Cousteau visited the island several times and claimed it was "the most beautiful island in the world."

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Up Next: Fernando de Noronha

Two hundred miles off the northeastern coast of Brazil, Fernando de Noronha archipelago is a strictly controlled marine park that has never been commercially fished. Therefore, it's a sanctuary for open sea marine life, which includes sea turtles, sharks and the largest residential school of dolphins on earth. Not only do the 600-plus spinner dolphins breed and live there, but they can be seen cavorting in the bay dozens at a time.

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Up Next: Abrolhos

It just so happens that some of the northern hemisphere's colder months -- January through April -- are the best time for diving in Abrolhos. Off the coast of Bahia, Brazil's culturally and historically rich state that glows with its legacy of African heritage, Abrolhos is one of the best places in the Americas to see humpback whales. Weighing up to 30 tons, the whales escape the Antarctic cold to swim to Abrolhos to mate and give birth. The surrounding reefs are known for their unusual pinnacles and coral formations that make for outstanding diving.

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Up Next: Carriacou

Part of the island-nation of Grenada, the smaller island of Carriacou is an excellent dive destination. With a small dock that does not accommodate cruise ships, the island welcomes visitors but is not defined by international tourism. Traditional fishing, boat building and festivals are still commonplace. As Werner "Max" Nagel, owner of Carriacou Silver Diving, the island's original dive shop, points out, "Carriacou's world-class dive site is called the Sister-Rocks and features eagle-rays, stingrays, giant green moray eels and family-clans of lobsters and black coral."
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Up Next: Great Barrier Reef

Being the world's largest coral reef system means having the best reef diving on the planet. Composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and nearly 1,000 islands stretching over some 1,500 miles, it would take a lifetime to explore even a fraction of the reef's offerings. It's located in the Coral Sea, off the shore of Queensland in northeast Australia. Queensland itself is known for its flawless weather and sunny attitudes.

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