Diving

 

 

Here is a brief description of diving on some of the Caribbean Islands.  

ANGUILLA
Left to nature Anguilla’s diving would be limited to shallow dives on offshore and fringing coral reefs. So, man decided to intervene. Some farsighted people in the 1980s, realising that Anguilla could not compete with the dizzying pinnacles of its near neighbour Saba nor the deep walls of St. Croix, determined to make it a wreck dive destination. The result is a small island with a big range of dive sites.
Not all of the ships that were sunk have survived subsequent storms but five are currently being dived and three more soon will be.
You would be unlucky to spend a week diving in Anguilla and not see a turtle or two. The sand that surrounds the dive sites is where you will see stingrays and garden eels, and there is a good chance of spotting conch. If you have a penchant for sharks, ScrubIsland at the eastern end of Anguilla will virtually guarantee you a sighting. The wrecks attract barracuda, both schools of small barracuda and solitary grandfather sized specimens.

ANTIGUA
Antigua is set on a shallow bank so most of the diving is shallow, though on the south side it is possible to do dives to over 100 feet. Unlike most of the other islands where the diving is on the fringing reef or around offshore rocks, Antigua has real coral reefs on the north, south and east sides. These reefs are relatively shallow and have suffered hurricane damage but both Boons Reef to the north and Cades Reef to the south are dived.

BAHAMAS
The Islands of The Bahamas offer an array of dive experiences like no other destination in the world. There are sunken Spanish galleons, inland blue holes, caves and forest-like coral reefs, teeming with marine life. Some of the most exciting experiences allow enthusiasts to swim and feed reef sharks, an experience offered nowhere in the world except The Bahamas. There’s a whole underwater world just waiting for you to discover. If you want the ultimate diving experience, you will find it here. With over 800 islands covering 100,000 square miles of ocean, the clearest water on the planet and 25 different dive destinations, you will see more than you ever imagined possible. Colorful fish and forest-like coral reefs are just the beginning. Dive deeper and you’ll soon explore blue holes, historic shipwrecks, elaborate underwater cave systems and wall dives. Plus, you’ll encounter friendly dolphins, stingrays and even sharks.

BARBADOS
With over 20 miles of barrier reef reaching to within 40 to 60 feet of the surface as well as 9 frequently dived wrecks, Barbados is beginning to take its diving tourism seriously.
The presence of the main recompression chamber for the region attests to a commitment to safety and the local dive operator association (PADO) has recently set new safety standards.

BELIZE
Like jeweled necklaces the three coral atolls (Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glover's) are most easily dived from liveaboards Three upscale resorts Blackbird Cay, Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe Flats offer some of the more exclusive pampered Belize dive vacations.
Ambergris Caye offers easy access to the main land and tours etc.  An easy affordable dive trip that offers access to dining shops and tours.
Belize waters are home to the world's second largest Barrier Reef, which starts around 40 feet at the edge of coral gardens. It is marked with canyons, fissures, swim-throughs, ledges, overhangs, caverns and The Blue Hole: enough structure to attract fish and divers alike.

BERMUDA
Bermuda’s reefs are the northernmost in the Atlantic. Warmed by the waters of the Gulf Stream the ocean life is surprisingly similar to that in the Caribbean. The water also boasts excellent visibility; up to 200 ft in winter and around 100 ft in summer. Water temperatures in winter average around 68 F and 81 F in summer. Bermuda is the undisputed world heavyweight champion of wreck diving. The island was first colonised as a result of Sir George Somers’ ill-fated Sea Venture floundering on the reefs in 1609. Since then more than 400 vessels have made Bermuda their final port of call.

BONAIRE
A visit to Bonaire is really a visit to its surrounding waters. The BonaireMarinePark, which encompasses the entire coastline down to a depth of 200 feet, boasts countless dive sites, many reachable from shore, and more than 70 sites with boat moorings. Bonaire and satellite Klein Bonaire together are one of the most popular dive destinations in the world due to the variety of sea life and ideal diving conditions with dependable 100-foot-plus visibility. Shore diving is the order of the day, every day, and as you drive around the island you'll regularly see scuba enthusiasts traipsing in and out of the water at dive site entry points marked by yellow-painted stones.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Dives off the Sir Francis Drake Channel islands deliver sinkholes and ledges as well as a wide repertoire of caves and canyons. Another feature of the area is some of the finest sponge encrusted walls we have some across in the region. By walls we are referring to the sides of tunnels, the underside of arches and inside caves. The site known as Painted Walls is the most obvious example, but there are many other equally colourful scenes.
Of the Sir Francis Drake Channel dives, the R.M.S. Rhone tends to dominate the reputation of the B.V.I. but there are several other interesting wrecks, though none as old or with so dramatic a story. However, they are all within the ability level of most divers, so novices or those who have not dived a wreck before can gain some experience of wreck diving.
If you can travel to the area in August you can witness the other great spectacle—coral spawning.
The sites to the north of Tortola are primarily summer sites because in the winter months northerly swells make conditions at best uncomfortable. None of the dive stores are based on the north coast so it makes it a long boat ride but worth it when conditions are good. The Chikuzen is north Tortola's best known dive site.
Virgin Gorda: The Dogs is the main diving area around Virgin Gorda and there are many interesting features on the fringing reefs around these uninhabited islands. On the sites around the Dogs you can dive through tunnels and up chimneys, under arches and in caves.
The other major attraction is the Baths, which is a popular snorkelling site and many boats anchor nearby during the day time. You can also get to the Baths from the land, though it is a bit of a scramble. Some extraordinary geological activity generated a maze of huge boulders that capture the sea in clear pools. Along with other visitors, hosts of tropical fish occupy the pools, making it their own Disneyworld.

CAYMANISLANDS
Cayman is recognized as the birthplace of recreational diving in the Caribbean, since 1957 when scuba pioneer Bob Soto opened Grand Cayman's first dive shop. Today, Cayman is one of the world's top dive destinations, with more than 40 dive operations and 200 dive sites marked with moorings. The warm, calm waters, 100 ft. plus visibility and breath-taking variety of marine life offer a world of exciting logbook entries. Each island offers very different diving adventures for divers of all levels from novice to Nitrox and Tec diving. Grand Cayman visitors can choose from a wonderland of more than 159 dive sites. It's all here: steep, deep walls adorned with sponges and corals in a stunning array of colours, shallow reefs filled with schooling and solitary fish and small invertebrates, and wrecks featuring photogenic structures and curious marine residents. There's also the World's Best 12 Foot Dive - unique StingrayCity.
Grand Cayman's reefs offer a variety of marine life encounters. The fish and critters are unafraid of divers, knowing we pose no threat. They don't flee when approached. Instead, silvery Tarpon hover motionless in mid-water, surrounded by glittery Silversides, and French Angelfish that fin in close to check you out. Huge Barrel Sponges and swirling schools of fish are common off Grand Cayman. These reefs are unspoiled.  orgonians and hard corals thrive in the clear, warm waters.  Most dive sites are just minutes offshore.

DOMINICA
Dominica's volcanic origins are evident all over the island, including underwater: jets of hot water and bubbles spurt from fissures, lava plugs form underwater pinnacles and ferocious blasts have driven arches through the rim of ancient crater walls.

GRENADA
Grenada and Carriacou boast both the Caribbean's largest wreck dive (the Bianca C a 600-foot cruise liner) and, Isle de Ronde, the remotest and most dramatic dive area.
Grenada and Carriacou are very different islands so pick the one that suits you, or if you are smart you can move between them.

JAMAICA
Negril and its surrounding areas offer the most peaceful diving found in Jamaica, full of caverns and caves for the underwater explorer. The Throne Room is located at 65 feet below sea level, this 40-foot-wide cavern is filled wall-to-wall with yellow sponges and provides extraordinary photo opportunities. The Arch offers excellent photography opportunities for red sponges as well.
The Montego Bay area also offers several unique diving opportunities. Most of the diving sites in MoBay are contained within the Montego BayMarinePark, which was created in 1990 to help preserve the natural underwater beauty of Jamaica's surrounding sea area. The most famous Montego Bay diving site is Widowmaker's Cave. Enter this cave at 80 feet below sea-level and twist and turn your way back up the 10-foot-wide chimney at 35 feet below.
Those wishing to go diving at the sunken city of Port Royal, which sank underwater after the earthquake of 1692, will need to obtain special permission from Jamaican authorities. This is probably best done through local dive operators, who will have the most current and and up-to-date information regarding rules about Port Royal.

ST LUCIA
Seeing the colours of St. Lucia's reefs, it is hard not to believe that someone has been down there with the touch up paint. And St. Lucia's calm waters give you plenty of time to check out if they have.
St. Lucia has a strictly regulated marine park.

ST VINCENT & the GRENADINES
Each island in this tropical archipelago promises divers something different: St Vincent's steep black coral curtained walls, Bequia's monster schools of fish, Mustique's currents, Canouan's shapely hard corals and the nurse sharks of the Tobago Cays.
The diving is so diverse and there is no reason not to see it all.

US VIRGIN ISLANDS
St. Thomas and St. John have mainly shallow sites and have some sites protected from the wind and rough seas at all times of year. St. Croix has very deep diving and most of the sites are along the north coast, which is exposed to occasional winter northerly swells.
The north coast of St. Croix abuts a deep ocean trench reaching 5,000 feet deep less than 2 miles offshore. Some pretty major earth movements must have taken place to form St. Croix, and Salt River is one of the places where there is evidence of this dramatic activity. Salt River forms a steep-sided canyon where the island has been nearly torn in half.
St. Croix has walls draped in plate corals and downy bushes of black corals.
On the west coast, Frederiksted pier is a shelter for the weird and wonderful. If you have never seen a seahorse or a frogfish, have never seen octopus scurrying around at night or do not believe that flying gurnards really fly, equip yourself with a light and head for Frederiksted Pier for a night dive. The west is also where you will find most of St. Croix’s wrecks. One site comprises five wrecks, although it takes two dives to see them all.
St. John is the quiet little sister of the Virgin Islands and is better known for snorkelling than diving, but there is some good quality diving around the island.
St. John South and East: Perhaps because it is lightly populated and falls partly within the boundaries of the National Park, the south coast of St. John has fringing reefs that make attractive dive sites. The sites are generally shallow and lead to a sandy bottom, but nevertheless draw quite an array of pelagic species.
Pillsbury Sound: A popular area, Pillsbury Sound is generally well protected from the weather and has a range of mainly shallow sites with healthy coral and some interesting terrain. The General Rogers wreck is in Pillsbury Sound.
St. Thomas dive sites are a little way offshore. St. Thomas has only a couple of sites fringing the island. Instead, the sites tend to be around rocks and small islands (often called cays). Some sites are directly on submerged reefs with no evidence of their existence visible from the surface.
Wreck Diving:St. Thomas has the monopoly on wreck diving. All the wrecks are quite modern, though some already have impressively thick marine life growth.