Over time many songwriters have referred to the fantastic thing about this inexperienced pearl within the string of Caribbean islands, and at the moment it’s recognized all through the world for its lush vegetation, reggae music, rum and occasional. Some of the missed points of interest is, nonetheless, that a part of the island that lies beneath the floor of the ocean that surrounds it.
Divers sometimes don’t consider Jamaica as a chief diving vacation spot, besides for many who have explored its reefs and have discovered it to be the perfect vacation spot of all. The place else are you able to do a panoramic wall dive within the morning, benefit from the sea life on a shallow reef at midday, and have loads of time left within the afternoon to go river rafting, horseback using, play golf, go to an excellent home or bask in any method of actions.
Jamaica as one of many largest islands within the Caribbean has many wonderful diving and snorkeling websites: shallow and deep, reefs and partitions, wrecks and caverns, dwelling to all method of sea life: spectacular coral, unique sponges, spiny lobsters, moray eels, sea turtles and multitudes of colourful fish, huge and small. Under we’ve got chosen by area a number of the distinctive diving alternatives obtainable to you primarily based in your degree of expertise.
All dives supplied by business operators in Jamaica are guided dives. The dive guides will need to have, in response to rules, no less than a dive grasp certificates from an internationally acknowledged affiliation and be licensed by the Jamaica Vacationer Board. Though this limits your freedom to dive wherever you want, this regulation will increase the security and enjoyable of diving in an unfamiliar space.
The dive classifications employed beneath had been assigned primarily based on the next ideas: Novice divers: Individuals who’re lately licensed, or who’ve performed solely a restricted variety of dives with appreciable gaps in between; this might embody divers with as many as 20 dives. Dives on this class will are typically lower than 60 ft (18 m) or is not going to require superior diving abilities. Intermediate divers: Individuals who’ve been diving frequently however lack additional coaching past Azure certifications, additionally these with superior coaching who haven’t been diving for the previous a number of months. The setting of this class of dive necessitates better expertise. Superior divers: Individuals with coaching past the open water diver certification which were diving frequently within the final a number of months. This requirement will apply to most websites deeper than 80 ft (24 m) as a result of these dives require a mastery of buoyancy and an intensive data of the dive tables. These dives might also be accessible to the much less skilled diver after a few refresher dives.
MONTEGO BAY Rose Corridor Reef Depth: 20-45 ft (7-14 m) Class: Novice Named for the well-known nice home that overlooks the ocean simply a few miles east of Montego Bay, this shallow reef is teaming with marine life. At this location you may uncover “Fairy Fortress”, a large colony of pillar coral, and “Fairy Bridge”, a coral formation that connects two sections of reef over a sandy “river”. The reef varieties an intricate system of tunnels which are dwelling to squirrelfish, goatfish, porcupinefish, bar jacks and grunts.
The Spanish Anchor Depth: 50-90 ft (15-28 m) Class: Intermediate Situated on the west aspect of the marine park, the shallow reef drops to a sandy backside at 50 ft. The positioning derives its title from the big anchor, undated however of Spanish origin, that rests on the sandy backside. Inside the reef wall one can discover tunnels and caverns with ample sponge colonies. Sightings of eagle rays are fairly frequent right here, and within the deeper water massive mutton snappers- and generally a docile nurse sharkmay go by.
Widowmaker’s Cave Depth: 40-80 ft (12-24 m) Class: Superior A deep dive alongside a wall with a vertical, slender crack which varieties the doorway to Widowmaker’s Cave. Contained in the tunnel resulting in the cave, there’s wire coral with, within the beam of your dive mild, purple polyps, and the partitions are coated with multicolored sponges. On this dive you may seemingly encounter faculties of silvery blue bogas, glassy sweepers, schoolmaster snappers, balloonfish, trumpetfish, hamlets, wrasses and parrotfish.
NEGRIL The Throne Room Depth: 40-70 ft (12-21 m) Class: Novice The doorway to the Throne Room, a reasonably extensive however low cavern, is a crack within the reef about 25 toes lengthy and eight toes extensive. The partitions on the within are coated with colourful sponges and on the underside close to to the exit you possibly can see a big orange elephant ear sponge for which the location is known as. Ceros, cruising alongside over the sandy backside, are a standard sight, as are small teams of yellow tail snapper.
The Caves Depth: 40-70 ft (12-21 m) Class: Intermediate This website is known as for the 2 caverns, one small and one barely bigger, with a slender tunnel connecting the 2. You will discover quite a lot of sponges right here together with smooth gorgonians. On the sand flat you will note the same old occupants: furry sea cucumbers, stingrays, jacks and a few lane snappers.
Kingfish Level Depth: 80-90 ft (24-27 m) Class: Superior Among the many elephant ear sponges and yellow tube sponges, it’s possible you’ll discover Spanish hogfish, clean and bandtail puffers, and naturally the everpresent damselfish. Golden crinoids are tucked in between star and mind coral, and within the surrounding sandy space sand tilefish hover close to their burrows. Kingfish, the Jamaican title for ceros, might be seen passing by. These silvery fish are usually solitary and are seen on reefs and drop-offs close to deep water.
RUNAWAY BAY Reggae Queen Depth: 50-60 ft (15-18 m) Class: Novice The “Reggae Queen”, a 100-ft tugboat with a picket hull, was sunk right here in early 1993. The wreck lies upright within the sand in between two reef reas. Hovering over the wreck is a big faculty of blue chromis, bogas and creole wrasse. Southern stingrays have additionally been reported cruising the adjoining areas. Within the reef you possibly can see clusters of yellow tube sponges and inexperienced rope sponges coated with tiny zoanthids.
Pocket’s Reef Depth: 90-120 ft (27-36 m) Class: Superior A wall at 80 ft dropping all the way down to over 200 ft adorned with clusters of brilliant azure vase sponges, elephant ear sponges and enormous purple sea followers. Giant faculties of fish trip, and ceros and bar jacks go overhead. Rainbow jacks are seen frequently and generally it’s possible you’ll encounter an ocean triggerfish. A shallower reef plateau at 50 ft is dwelling to grunts, goatfish and blackbar soldierfish.
OCHO RIOS Jacks Corridor Depth: 30-50 ft (9-15 m) Class: Novice This medium-profile reef has finger coral, mind coral, star coral, an occasional elkhorn coral on the shallower finish, and quite a lot of sponges. Drifting with the present you go over a bit of reef, adopted by a sand chute, one other reef part and one other sand gully and so forth. Nurse sharks frequent the realm and might typically be discovered napping within the sand.
Prime of the Mountain Depth: 60-80 ft (18-24 m) Class: Intermediate Close to Dunn’s River Falls, a large underwater mountain plateau rises up from the sandy ocean ground to 60 ft beneath the floor. The highest of the reef is roofed with many various species of soppy gorgonians and small coral heads, consisting of sea rods, sea plumes, sea followers, mind coral, star coral, and clusters of clean flower coral. Look out for golden hamlets that frequent this space and the uncommon yellowcheck wrasse. Hiding within the coral heads are glasseye snappers, graysbys, and squirrelfish.
Snorkeling alternatives abound in Jamaica for guided excursions to areas reachable solely by boat or solo, shore entry reef exploration. Make sure you make use of guides licensed by the Jamaica Vacationer Board or when you’ve got the expertise to enterprise out by yourself you should definitely search native recommendation on the currents and different potential hazards.