The Top 10 Caribbean Islands for Scuba Diving

Next time you visit the Caribbean, take a break from the hammocks and palm trees and journey to the depths of the Caribbean Sea, where amazing treasures await. The Caribbean boasts a popular scuba diving culture and numerous diving sites are known for their vivid beauty and lush marine life. Whether you are venturing into a bay streaming with thousands of stingrays or diving through a grand wreck of a former ocean line, Paradise expands far beyond the shores with these top Caribbean scuba diving destinations.

Dominica

The Caribbean’s “Nature Island,” Dominica is world-renowned site for scuba diving, whale watching and snorkelling, and other aquatic activities. Dominica offers Scuba divers the opportunity to discover volcanic vents, colourful coral reefs and plunging sea walls. If you are lucky enough, you can swim alongside turtles and sperm whales. Diving in Dominica also features sparse marine life including sea snakes, seahorses, batfish, electric rays urchins and frogfish. Underwater volcanoes create Dominica’s dramatic landscape. Explore the “Champagne” dive site and swim through natural jacuzzi of the warm, bubbling Caribbean sea caused by geothermal vents.

Belize

Though Belize is not an Island, this country in Central America is considered part of the Caribbean and is an outstanding scuba diving destination. Dominica is famous for its exceptional biodiversity and unique ecosystems. Scuba divers certainly should add the Great Blue Hole to their scuba bucket list. Measuring 1,000 feet wide the Blue Hole is the largest in the Caribbean and even the world, going as deep as 440 feet into the ghostly darkness. Scuba guides will allow you to see stalactites hanging from the indented grottos along the wall. Another great diving location is Half Moon Caye Wall, which offers sponges and vivid corals while sand chutes reveal colonies of garden eels.

Bahamas

The Bahamas, a Caribbean Island just south-east of Florida consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, offers numerous scuba diving sites. Scuba divers enjoy touring the waters just off the coast of the New Province Island, where Nassau is located. There has been many ship wreckage off the coast over the last 3 centuries, and now dozens of reefs packed with marine life and gardens of elkhorn coral can be discovered amongst the wrecks. One of the best diving sites can be found at Shark Wall, 10 miles off New Province’s south-west coast. It is filled with colourful marine life and the most luxuriant coral offshore. Scuba divers can also explore the barrier reef off the coast of Andros, one of the biggest diving site in the Caribbean, and tour the Tongue of Ocean as the reef plunges 1,800 m beneath the surface.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines have some of the best islands for scuba diving in the Caribbean. The main island of St. Vincent is known to have jagged cliffs and dramatic drop-offs that proceed underwater and forms some remarkable submarine landscapes. Diving at “The Wall” along the New Guinea reef and at the deeper spots of “Anchor Reef” has some of the most admirable black coral forests in the Caribbean. Scuba enthusiasts can also explore a fantastic dive at the “Japanese Garden.” Here you will discover an underwater zen-like experience of winding sand, sea fans and bright corals, a jungle of sea fronds and a variation of tropical fishes.

Bonaire

Bonaire, together with its sister islands Aruba and Curacao ( the ABC Islands), is situated just north of South America. Not only is Bonaire the smallest of the ABC Islands but it is also the most pristine of the three. Bonaire has some of the greatest scuba diving spots in the Caribbean, thanks to the environments Eco-friendly diving industry. Bonaire was formed by volcanic eruptions generations ago and left hundreds of untouched reefs surrounding the tiny nation. Tour the Front Porch, which has squids and yellowhead jawfish. An inclined reef starts at 15 feet and runs to a forest of eels discovered near a sunk tugboat at 95 feet.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean Island and an incorporated territory of the United States, an archipelago that incorporates the main island and some smaller Islands just off its shores. Puerto Rico is encompassed by a continental shelf on three sides, offering many coral reefs, sea walls caves and trenches for scuba divers of all ranks to explore. Scuba-lovers recommend Candyland, a beautiful reef, which gas a kaleidoscope of large sea fans, lettuce corals and sponges. Daredevils may attempt to swim alongside nurse sharks and barracudas at Cayo Lobito.

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman is the most visited by scuba divers of the three Cayman Islands. Scuba divers love to explore the North Wall which runs deeper than 6000 feet beneath the surface and offers spectacular wall diving with rare marine life like sea turtles and spotted eagle rays. Grand Cayman also has shore diving to some amazing coral reefs. Divers can check out Kittiwake, a shipwreck which lies in 55 feet of water below the surface. Last but not least, you cannot miss the famous Stingray City which has numerous southern stingrays swimming by you as you settle on the sandy bottom, it is truly a Caribbean wander.

Turks and Caicos

A British Overseas Territory in the midst of the Caribbean, consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands that forms the Lucayan Archipelago. Here you will Discover some of the best scuba diving spots in the Caribbean. The region is home to one of the most expansive coral reef systems at 65 miles wide and 200 miles in length. Divers can explore the Providenciales Princess Alexandra National Park with untouched reefs with plenty of tropical fishes and other forms of marine life. Scuba along the sea lanes where divers and boaters often got for whale sightings from January to March. A group of underwater wrecks and endless reefs can be explored here.

Grenada

Diving in Grenada is famous for its breathtaking shipwrecks and unmatched submarine topography featuring sad chutes, plateaus, sloping shelves, pinnacles, dramatic drop-offs over walls and coral-encrusted canyons. Divers can explore the 600 foot cruise ship, Blanca C, which is the largest wreckage in the Caribbean. Scuba-lovers can also explore the undeveloped chain of islands of Isle De Ronde, which has a vast majority of tropical fishes, pristine reefs and caverns peppered with stalactites. Divers will also enjoy the underwater banging from nearby “Kick Em Jenny” the most active underwater volcano in the Caribbean.

The British Virgin Islands

Virgin Gorda offers some of the best scuba diving spots in the Caribbean. Annually, scuba-lovers flock the British Virgin Islands to explore the century and a half old HMS Rhone shipwreck just off the shores of Salt Island. The HMS Rhone, a majestic mail steamer which capsized in 1867, is on of the most famous scuba diving site in the Caribbean. Divers can also visit The Dogs, a small cluster of islands off Virgin Gorda which has fringing reefs. Scuba through caverns and chimneys, underneath arches in grottos for the ultimate scuba diving experience.