5 Dream Diving Spots in the Caribbean
There are so many amazing places to dive around the world, and the Caribbean is one of my favourites. The Caribbean has some of the most beautiful waters and coastlines in the world and it stretches from the Gulf of Mexico through to the North American mainland and covers Central and South America.
Whether you’re an old had at diving or you need some diving lessons to get you started, there are endless scuba diving opportunities right across the Caribbean and below are just a few that I think are worth mentioning.
Crown Point
The southwest tip of Tobago is home to the tourist centre of Crown Point.
The area is well-known for its thriving tourism industry, and for a good reason. In it, you will find nutrient-rich waters off the cost allowing for a wide variety of coral and fish life. Due to the majority of the diving companies being PADI certified, you don’t have to worry about falling into the ‘typical tourist’ category (if that was a worry in the first place!)
Past reviews and tourists in general claim that one of the main highlights is watching the school of Bermuda chub fish chase each other around the coloured coral and sponge reefs, as well as the seahorses, queen angel fish and even the lobsters! The area of Crown Point also offers a plethora of bars and restaurants for a relaxing end to your diving day, or if you’re still raring to go, then their nightlife scene offers a vibrant alternative!
A highlight is watching the school of Bermuda chub fish chase each other over the coloured coral and sponge reefs as well as the seahorses, queen angel fish, and the lobsters in Majeston. Crown Point also offers a good variety of bars and restaurants, for between and after dives, and a vibrant nightlife scene if you choose not to go on the night dives.
Reserve Cousteau
Next, we’re diving right into one of the top diving areas in the world, as proclaimed by the most famous diver and explorer, Jacques Cousteau. The Reserve Cousteau thrusted the Pigeon Islands into world fame and their tourism industry is flourishing because of it. The waters surrounding the island are also protected as an underwater park in order to protect the seabed and limit fishing. It is both welcoming and assuring to know that the beauty of these waters will be protected and cared for, for many generations to come. If snorkelling is something you’re interested in, it’s better to take a short 10 to 15-minute boat ride from the shore to explore the main diving sites. The most popular diving site is the sunken boat wreck and statue of the eponymous explorer.
Negril
It’s commonly known that Jamaica is one of the most vibrant and sought-after party paradises in the world. The reggae, the rum and the beaches that never sleep are just of the few things that draw people to Jamaica. Aside from this, the diving scene is also a major reason people flock here, the most popular dive company here is run by English and German divers who have been residents of the area for over 20 years. With coral reefs being very close to the shore, there’s no need to take a boat far out into the ocean to enjoy the underwater views. If you’re an animal lover, you’ll be glad to know that you’ll have the opportunity to come into close contact with dolphins, turtles and a wide variety of exotic fish.
Bonaire Marine Park
Despite being one of the smaller, less-known Caribbean islands, Bon Aire spoils divers with some very unique underwater adventures. The island’s Marine Park offers 86 different dive sites, which lay home to more than 350 species of fish, as well as 57 different species of soft and stony coral. For those who want to explore on land, there are stony and sandy beaches, which are great for hiking and generally exploring. The dive sites can be accessed via boats or by shore and are marked by names on yellow stones. This is a destination for all abilities and incorporates a plethora of different land and sea-based activities.
St Lucia
St Lucia makes the list since it’s one of the best places to come if you’re new to scuba-diving or snorkelling. Many of the diving companies here are PADI certified, and the island itself is the most popular of all the destinations on this list. Obviously, safety is paramount, though this isn’t why St Lucia features so high up on the list, if it was, then we might as well add the Thames to the list. St Lucia offers stunning, romantic underwater wonders, divers can become acquainted with the marine life close to the surface, deeper down and they’ll even have opportunities to go inside coves to admire the more elusive animals, such as seahorses.
There are so many more beautiful spots in the Caribbean it would take a virtual book to list them all. I’ll add some more locations to this list as and when the need takes me