Work from anywhere.
Live by the water.
Field notes for people who work from anywhere and organise their lives around diving, surfing and paddling. Guides to where to base, what to pack, and how to stay online offshore.
Run a school by the water? Get it listed, free.
Our directory shows each dive centre and watersports school with what a register confirms and what the school says about itself, dated. Nobody can pay to be listed or to be listed first. Already in it? Confirm your entry and it goes to the top of its page, with the date, for twelve months.
Four things a working nomad by the water actually needs.
Built depth-first, each pillar goes deep before the next one opens.
Destinations
Where to base next: wifi, cost of living, visas, seasons and the water on your doorstep.
Open guides →Nomad Logistics
Insurance, eSIM, banking and visas, the recurring stuff that keeps you online and covered.
Open guides →Gear
Kit that survives salt water and airline holds. Tested picks and side-by-side comparisons.
Open guides →Skills & Safety
Dive, paddle and surf smarter. Technique, certification and staying safe offshore.
Open guides →New dispatches from the water and the desk.
First-hand where we have it, clearly sourced where we don't.
DestinationsAmed, Bali: the nomad-diver's guide
Two winters of muck dives, patchy power, and the coworking café that actually works, what I'd tell a friend before they book a month here.
by Yannick Schroth
DestinationsDa Nang vs Nha Trang: Which Base for Surf and Diving?
Da Nang vs Nha Trang for a month: My Khe's October swell, Hon Mun closed since 2022, Cu Lao Cham's 70,000-dong fee, rain, storms and six trains a day.
DestinationsFort Lauderdale vs Miami: Which Base for a Month of Diving?
Fort Lauderdale vs Miami for diving: reefs 100 yards off the beach, or Biscayne's wreck trail and shallow wrecks. Lobster, spearing, water and trains.
DestinationsKoh Phangan vs Koh Samui: Where to Base for a Month
Koh Phangan vs Koh Samui for a working month: Sail Rock at 3,200 vs 4,500 baht, 16 boats a day between them, the airport, the kite spot and the monsoon.
DestinationsLanzarote vs Tenerife: Which Island for Diving and Surf?
Lanzarote vs Tenerife for diving and surf: Puerto del Carmen or the pilot whale coast, Museo Atlántico access, swell, wind and water by month, buses.
DestinationsMaui vs Oahu: Which Island for Diving, Surf and Wind?
Maui vs Oahu for a month in the water: surf and wind by month, Molokini and Hanauma Bay rules, water temperature, shark data, sunscreen law and buses.
DestinationsAzores vs Madeira: Which Island Base for a Month of Diving?
Azores vs Madeira for divers: Princess Alice in summer or Garajau all year, the dolphin swim laws, sea temperature by month, ferries and the D8 visa.
DestinationsBonaire vs Aruba: Shore Diving or Kite Wind for a Month?
Bonaire vs Aruba for a month in the water: kite wind by month, Bonaire's $40 marine park tag and kite zones, water temperature and the entry rules.
DestinationsGran Canaria vs Tenerife: Which Island for Wind and Diving?
Gran Canaria vs Tenerife for a watersports month: Pozo's July wind or El Médano's all-year trade, dive rules, sea temperature by month, buses and ferries.
DestinationsKoh Samui vs Koh Tao: Which Island to Base On for Diving?
Koh Samui vs Koh Tao for divers: Sail Rock 23 km from Tao, 4,500-baht day boats from Samui, the airport, 12 Lomprayah sailings a day and the monsoon.
DestinationsNaxos vs Paros: Kitesurfing, Windsurfing and Where to Base
Naxos vs Paros for kitesurfing and windsurfing: meltemi by month at Mikri Vigla and Pounda, Greek kite rules, sea temperature, ferries and visas.
DestinationsEl Gouna vs Hurghada: Which Base for Diving and Kitesurfing?
El Gouna vs Hurghada for diving and kitesurfing: Abu Nuhas or Giftun, lagoon kite beaches, three chambers, wind by month and Egypt's visa rules.
DestinationsEssaouira vs Taghazout: Summer Wind or Winter Waves?
Essaouira vs Taghazout: Essaouira's wind peaks May to August, Taghazout's points want November to March swell. Water, flights, schools, 90-day stays.
Bases where the diving and the download speed both hold up.
All figures verified as of July 2026, methodology below.
8°20′S 115°30′EBest all-roundAmed, Bali
28°30′N 34°30′EBest valueDahab, Egypt
8°44′S 115°33′EBig-animal divingNusa Penida
28°16′N 16°36′WBest in EUTenerife
Every base we cover, plotted by its real coordinates.
A working map of the water we know, growing with every field trip.
We only point you toward water we'd travel to ourselves, and toward gear and cover we'd actually carry.The NOMADREEF method
The best travel & dive insurance for nomads in 2026.
Compared on price, dive-depth cover, and remote-work claims · as of Jul 2026
Yannick Schroth
Founder of NOMADREEF and a former digital nomad who has lived and worked across Asia and Latin America, Thailand, Taiwan, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and now Paraguay. He holds a BA in International Business and an MA in Global Studies, and writes NOMADREEF from lived location-independent experience.
Our method: we tell you what's first-hand, what's researched, and where the numbers came from. Where we haven't personally dived a site, we say so and source it carefully. Yannick on LinkedIn ↗