The world’s most experienced dive travelers on the planet voted overwhelmingly for the destination that offered the most bite and the most unique experience for its big animal adventures category.

Chosen for the up-close and personal experiences that divers have experienced with hammerheads sharks, dolphins and other marine life, the Bahamas beat out the Turks & Caicos, Belize, Cayman Islands and Mexico to once again win the Caribbean and Atlantic category.

Readers fell wholeheartedly in love with the variety of curious species that call the Bahamas home, the ever-growing shark life in Nassau, and the rare sightings of wild Atlantic dolphins, which cruise between Bimini and the Little Bahama Bank.

Senior manager of Vertical Markets, Richard Treco said that people tend to flock to the Bahamas because of the diversity in marine life that can be experienced while diving.

“People come to the Bahamas to see sharks especially underwater and of course we have such a diversity in diving,” Treco said.

“When they come to dive, they see big animals so we say it’s bigger in the Bahamas.”

The Bahamas was also voted first in the best wreck diving in the Caribbean & Atlantic, third in world’s best underwater photography sites and fifth for best wall dives in the Caribbean & Atlantic Ocean among many other categories.

Scuba Diving's annual Reader’s Choice Awards showcase the top destinations for wreck diving, big animals, underwater photography and many more.