Jamaica is one of the most visited islands in the Caribbean. Welcoming over 3 million tourists each year, it’s no wonder that Jamaica’s dive operators have helped to make Jamaica one of the most inviting islands for beginners to scuba dive. Whether you’ve never put a regulator in your mouth or you’re seeking an open water or advanced certification, the dive sites in Jamaica might be just the place to take a plunge.
Doctor’s Cave Beach
If you’re looking for a shallow reef dive, Doctor’s Cave Beach is a site to check out. Doctor’s Cave is a boat dive, but the shallow waters of only 8-9 meters (25 feet) and the very few currents make it perfect for beginners and advanced divers alike. Visibility is fair to good, ranging approximately 12-20 m (40-60 feet), perfect for viewing the brain coral, star coral heads and “elk horn clumps” that fill the reef. Miniature reef fish are also plentiful in Doctor’s Cave Beach. The spot was actually discovered by a group of doctors in 1906–hence the first part of its name. The cave, however, was destroyed by a hurricane. The warm waters of Doctor’s Cave beach have mineral springs at their source, and those springs helped the place gain popularity in the early 1900s when Sir Herbert Bake claimed that the waters had healing powers. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why a small fee graces the dive site. There are bathing and swimming opportunities nearby at Walter Fletcher beach as well.
Pear Tree Bottom
For those interesting in shore diving in Jamaica, Pear Tree Bottom’s 5-12 meter deep dive site might be of interest. A mere 100-meters of wading offshore will bring divers to a multi-level dive site in Jamaica known as Pear Tree Bottom. The spur and groove formations near the shore are interesting, and enhanced by the deeper diving along the wall and swim throughs. The swim throughs can be tricky for some beginners, so it’s essential to stick close to a guide and follow a line if you’re entering the cooler freshwater caves with low visibility. Schools of fish have been known to be so thick around the caves that divers say you have to sort of “push them out of your way.” Pear Tree Bottom is known to be teeming with tiny shrimp, too. The site is also known for being close to some great locations for some good local grub–jerk pork and the local brew, Red Stripe–so you can fill up your empty stomach after emptying your tank.
Whitehouse Reef
If you’re in for a good swim as well as a good dive, Whitehouse Reef is the site of choice. Although the site is accessed from shore, the distance from shore to reef allows beginners to get good practice with buoyancy and swimming with fins, etc., as they make their way out to the main attraction through the sea grass and invertebrates that inhabit the area at 5-25 meters deep. Beginners also have the added opportunity to learn how to navigate busy waters, as motorboats and sailboats will likely be sharing the same waters with divers. Whitehouse Reef is scattered with boulders which range from palm-size to car-size, and divers will encounter various sponges and both soft and hard corals. Fan corals coat the boulders, which seem more like tiny islands. Around these islands, colorful fish and various invertebrates such as nudibranchs can be readily seen. Beginners are advised to take care in the shallows past the barrier reef itself, because parts of the fragile reef are exposed during low tide and those without good buoyancy control risk damaging the coral. The sea-side the reef is a bit steeper, and rapidly drops off to more than 10 meters (30 feet) deep. The sea life here is more abundant, including creatures such as moray eels and lobster. Life here is much more abundant, with the reef consisting of very large boulders (house-sized) covered in all sorts of corals. Currents on the sea-side, as well as large waves breaking over the reef, can add additional dangers or educational opportunities, and should only be charted by divers who are confident in their abilities. Additional dangers exist to those divers who leave the shelter of the shore-side for the more interesting sea-side edge of the reef.
Rio Bueno
Easy to access, the Yow’s (also known as Rio Bueno) dive site in Jamaica involves a straightforward swim out of the cove before plunging to see the wall that lies in 10-30 m (30-100 feet) of water. Yow’s is known as a great easy dive with little to no difficulty, yet sharks and turtles are occasional visitors to this site–a rare treat for beginner dives. Scenic and beautiful, the views on the reef wall are spectacular, and the generally excellent visibility of 70 or more feet (22 m) allow divers to easily watch the abundant marine life as it passes by (although visibility diminishes greatly as you approach 30 meters deep). Gorgonians, coral, snappers, parrotfish, and angelfish are common dwellers at the Yow’s dive site. Beginners should make sure to check the weather report before heading out, however, as the site is not dive-able when there are high winds or waves.
Throne Room
The Throne room is notably one of the most popular dives in Jamaica. Located near Negril, the experience provides an unusual and exhilarating dive for beginners or experienced scuba divers, as the site takes you through a cave. Divers will enter the underwater cave through a crack in the reef that is situated about 40 feet below the surface. The crack, however, is really more of a wide mouth opening, as it measures nearly 30 feet (10 m) in height and is about 8 feet (2.5 m) wide. The protection of the cave typically gives way to calm water at the entry site. The Throne Room is the location where divers will get to see huge yellow sponges and coral that covers the wall from floor to ceiling. The site’s name actually comes from one large elephant ear sponge on the bottom that resembles a throne. Also in the Throne Room divers may catch a glimpse of the occasional nurse shark, snappers, eels, barracudas and turtles. The cave’s exit is in about 70 feet (22 m) of water.
Runaway Bay
Those looking for a spectacular drift dive in Jamaica should swim away to Runaway Bay. Although most beginner divers are wary of currents, Runaway Bay is named so for a reason. The currents are actually a good luck sign at this dive site, and allow divers to drift past myriad creatures without having to spend much energy or air. Corals, sponges, whips, fans, feather duster worms, schools of fish, and urchins are common creatures to drift past. If you’re really lucky, you might be able to spot the occasional ray, turtle, or nurse sharks as you float above the deep blue below. Divers shouldn’t get too careless as they drift, though–dive depths can reach 150 feet, making it for advanced divers only.
Hannie’s Reef
Hannie’s Reef is one of the sites in Jamaica with the most excellent visibility, ranging at or above 80 feet (25+ m). The site is a wall dive, and although the actual wall is steep, it begins only about 20 meters from the shore or pier (you can actually park your car along the highway in Reading, Montego Bay). Marine life includes a diverse range of corals, lobsters, and a few green eels. The wall begins about 60 feet (18-20 m) below the surface and plunges down to 100 feet or more (25-30+ m). The close location to many tourist hotels and accommodations makes it one of the easiest shore dives to access for Jamaican dive operators (or experienced divers with their own gear!).
Wherever in Jamaica you choose to dive, the educational opportunities offered by the dive operators are abound. The diversity of dive sites and various certifications are mostly available in very accessible locations–and, amidst a backdrop that is one of the most beautiful tourist locations in the Caribbean!