Niue Blue named one of TIME’s Greatest Places for 2025

By Carmela Calling

Evan Barclay, managing director of watersports company Niue Blue, was overjoyed when Time Magazine named the dive hub on its list of the World’s Greatest Places for 2025.

Located in the tiny South Pacific island nation of Niue, the company boasts the region’s most experienced watersports specialists.

A range of world-class marine activities are on offer at Niue Blue, including diving, snorkelling, and whale swimming.

In an interview with TV Niue, Barclay said that his team was “humbled” by the announcement and is delighted to share the accolade with locals.

“I think it’s a great thing that our place is being recognised. It will raise awareness of our unique island as an amazing destination for tourists. This could also encourage a lot of collaboration on many levels,” he said.

Niue Blue seeking to raise tourism profile

Niue Blue is further poised to become the South Pacific’s newest member of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), with an eco centre being built as part of the process.

“We have a couple more things to do to become fully accredited, so the feature is also motivating them to get that completed as soon as possible, especially before their busy season that begins in a couple of months,“ Barclay added.

PADI Regional Manager Robyn Vincent has hailed Niue for its unique geography, with the limestone island’s lack of a surrounding barrier reef allowing migrating humpback whales to come closer to shore than anywhere else in the Pacific.

“For visitors who don a mask and regulator here, the underwater wonders include clouds of tropical fish, a thriving grey reef shark population, and the island’s endemic katuali sea snake – all found within one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas,“ she siad.

“But the biggest thrill comes between late June and October, when humpback whales arrive from feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean to these warmer seas to calve and nurse their young, gracing observers both on land and in the water with an unusually close-up look.”

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