DIVING Dramatic aquatic
Divers are spoilt for choice in the Caribbean. Whether you’re a learner or an old hand, there’s something for everyone from shallow reef dives to challenging wrecks, plus some of the best PADI dive schools in the world
B
elize and the Bahamas boast the world’s second and third longest barrier reefs running 175 miles and 140 miles respectively along their coastlines. The Turks & Caicos is home to an immense coral reef system and has exceptional wall dives, canyons and seamounts. The Bahamas has more than 1000 regularly dived sites with everything from wreck to wall diving, reef dives, shark and dolphin dives. Due to the clarity of the water, filmmakers often use the Bahamas for underwater shots including seven Bond movies. Stuart Cove on Nassau taught Sean Connery to dive. The Blue Hole of Belize is legendary in dive circles and at the top of the tick list for ‘must do’ dives. While there’s plenty to see in the shallows, it’s the deep cobalt blue cavern at 40m that has made this site legendary. Offshore Belize lies the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere with hundreds of coral sand and mangrove-covered islands and three of the only four atolls in these parts. The Dutch Antilles island of Bonaire has some impressive sponge formations and cup corals and is known for having 100 feet visibility year round. Aruba offers 25 unique dive sites and underwater wrecks.
The Cool box:
If you’re not into scuba diving but want to explore the deep, Antigua has a new Subcat Antigua tour (
subcatantigua.com) offering visitors an underwater voyage in a real submarine. The sub dives up to 30m off the western coast, home to stingray, sharks and turtles.
Alternatively you could head to the Cayman Islands and its long-standing Atlantis Submarine tour (atlan-
tisadventures.com) or you could simply stand in the shallow water at Stingray City and feed these amazing creatures.
Wonders of the sea - Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Shark-lovers head to Cuba and see silky, black-tip, bull, reef and nurse sharks as well as the elusive whaleshark. And Bermuda is home
to ‘Shipwreck Alley’, an impressive array of 365 wrecks dating from the 1500s
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www.CaribbeanTravel.com
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