Location: French Polynesia, Japan, Hawaii, New Zealand, Azores, Philippines, Aruba, Galapagos

Published: Scuba Diving Magazine 

Just the sound of that evocative word sets our tribe dreaming of coastlines skirted with reefs and cut through with thrilling passes that beg for a drift dive. These jewel-like clusters linked by a watery chain are strung out all over the planet. But for divers, all archipelagos are not created equal. Follow our lead to nine of the most awe-inspiring of the bunch.