This is the house reef for the Sunset Waters Beach Resort. The resort is very nice with excellent service.
The reef is easily accessible from a man-made lagoon and so well marked that it is a cinch to navigate day or night. You needn't stay at the resort to dive here. If you are a shore diver (like me), follow the sign to "Airplane Wreck" (adjacent site) and rent your taks at Sunset Divers (on the premises).
Seahorses and frogfish are common on the reef. Inqure at the dive shop about the latest sightings. They keep informed and will happily direct you to the latest sightings.
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exalent dive site! thar is a 10 ft bronze statue at 15 feet and a wreck of a landing craft
| Facts about sunset reef It is in Cayman islands- sunset reef is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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Taino Divers in Rincon, PR will take you out to the island for the best kept secret in the Caribbean. It takes about 45 minutes to get there & coming back can be rough & wet but thats part of the fun. Yellow Reef is on the North side & cant be dived sometimes but the South side is good as well. Also Dos Pesones is a killer dive to around 95 feet, it means two nipples.
Rincon is a funky little surfer town with a number of American expats. It is on the West coast & about 2.5 hours from San Juan.
Mona Island is another option in the Summer, it is about 40 miles off Rincon. This is a multi-day diving/camping trip. Highly recommended but you gotta be able to rough it.
The Humpbacks come through from Jan. to March & also Pilot Whales. Late Feb. is best time to see them.
Check it out for a cheap dive vacation w/ lots of other things to do.
| Facts about Yellow Reef, Desecheo Island It is in Puerto Rico- Yellow Reef, Desecheo Island is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 30+ Metres 100+ Feet.
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We were diving for two weeks every single day, did dives on both ends of the island, but, couldn't get enough of Diver's Dream, we dove with Manta Dive on Pigeon Point Road, and they were just fantastic!! Very friendly and well organized... I prefer diving on the southern end, off Crown Point, however.
| Facts about Diver's Dream It is in Trinidad and Tobago- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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All sorts of opportunities for photograhpy. Great shark dive, lots of life, both big and small.
| Facts about South shore of Grand Bahama It is in Bahamas- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 30+ Metres 100+ Feet.
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This dive has to be one of the most exhilarating drift dives out there. The channel, or Cut, between North Eleuthera and Current Island forces the tide to stream through at 6-10 knots, making for a challenging dive. Your buoyancy skills have to be real sharp to be comfortable on this dive.
I went with Ocean Fox, a small and well-run dive shop on Harbour Island. The checked my diving experience and requested that I take a dive with them prior to being permitted to dive Current Cut to ensure I was 'up to it'. I liked that they were safety conscious, and understood their requirement after one pass through the Cut!
We made a total of three runs through the Cut. The first lasted 12 minutes, in which time we must have travelled nearly 2 miles! Dr Andy, the divemaster, made sure we stayed together as a group (there were 3 other divers on the trip) and that we saw what was down there - 3 sharks and 7 eagle rays on just the first run!
The starting depth is around 35ft, and my computer (which didn't like the dive at all - it kept beeping at me) registered a max depth of 61ft. The bottom is hard rock covered with sea fans, sponges and small corals. As you get into the dive the bottom becomes pock-marked with large holes, and Andy did his best to get us in as many as possible. Once in the holes you are somewhat out of the current, so can catch your breath and look around. Many of the holes are packed with lobster, parrot fish, and big queen angels.
The visibility isn't great, since the rushing water stirs up the bottom. We made the dive on an incoming tide, which Andy said is a cleaner run than the outgoing tide. The fast-moving water also tests your photography skills. I managed to get a couple of shots off of the sharks as we flew past them, but positioning yourself in the water at speed isn't that easy!
This is not a dive for the inexperienced or those who avoid 6 Flags! It is an amazing dive, however, and one I will remember for a long time.
| Facts about Current Cut High-Speed Drift Dive- It is in Bahamas
- Current Cut High-Speed Drift Dive is in the Atlantic.
- The typical depth is 0-20 Metres 0-60 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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The Grouper Hole is one of the most outstanding dive sites in the North Eleuthera/Harbour Island area for sheer density and diversity of marine life. The stie ranges from 65ft to 90ft and boasts huge overhangs and grottos covered in hard and soft corals and sponges all in pristine condition. The site is a few hundred yards from a 2000ft drop-off and provides the only real protection for schools of fish in the area. As a result the site is packed full of fish: big schools of Bermuda Chub, Bar Jacks, Black Jacks, Horse-eye Jacks, Goatfish, Yellowtail Snapper, Grunts...the list goes on. From December through April, around the full moon, large numbers of Grouper visit the site to spawn, and so divers are treated to the rare opportunity to photograph schooling Grouper. The visiting Grouper also attract sharks, so be prepared for close encounters with Carribean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, and on occasion Bull Sharks.
The site is 7 miles off-shore and is often subject to strong currents, making the site undiveable. Ocean Fox Diving, on Harbour Island, has figured out when the tides are slack at the site, so contact them in advance to see when the site is available to dive. If you are in the area during a grouper spawn, you will not be disappointed!
| Facts about Grouper Hole- It is in Bahamas
- Grouper Hole is in the Atlantic.
- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 30+ Metres 100+ Feet.
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Scotts Head Pinnacles straddles the top of a submerged volcanic crater,creating the southern rim of the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve, the isthmus seperates the Atlantic from the Caribbean and is a nutirent mixing zone. This brings in small fish which are fed upon by larger.
The mooring pin is on top of a large rock riddled with cracks and crevices and one swim through, on a shalf of 10m depth, filled with lobster and soldierfish. From the pin one swims to the main pinnacle where two large rocks abut forming an arch, this is filled with soft corals, lobster and fish. Going through the arch takes you from the Atlantic into the Caribbean, the wall begins in 3m and drops vertically to 35 before sloping to approximately 1500m, on a good day you tend to ignore the huge gorgonains, barrel sponges and other life dripping from the wall and spend the dive looking out to sea at the schooling fish, on a bad day the wall is more than enough for the jaded reef diver to come up saying "wow!", remember this is a mixing zone loads of nutirents so lots of life and opportunity for growth on the reef and in the water column. If the current is running it is a drift along the wall back to the edge of the reef and onto the shelf,but the ride is worth it. From the edge of the reef heading back to the shelf is a garden of macro life and well worth loking for seahorses frogfish etc. in addition to small barracuda looking at you like you owe them money, going through the swimthrough under the moring pin will bring you to the top of the first pinnnacle and under the boat for your safety stop.
This is one of the dives I do to remind myself that theres more to life than stress.
| Facts about Scotts Head Pinnacles It is in Dominica- Scotts Head Pinnacles is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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The Blue Hole is a feature attraction of diving in Belize. It is part of the Lighthouse Reef System and lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. It is one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth,
It is an almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (.4 km) across. Inside this hole the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color.
The array of bizarre stalactites and limestone formations seem to become more intricate and intense the deeper you dive.
The temperature in the Blue Hole at 130ft is about 76F with hardly any change throughout the year at that depth.
For all the practical purposes the over 400-foot depth makes the Blue Hole a bottomless pit. The walls are sheer from the surface until a depth of approximately 110 feet where you will begin to encounter stalactite formations which actually angle back, allowing you to dive underneath monstrous overhangs. Hovering amongst the stalactites, you can't help but feel humbled by the knowledge that the massive formation before you once stood high and dry above the surface of the sea eons ago. The feeling is enhanced by the dizzying effect of nitrogen breathed at depths. The water is motionless and the visibility often approaches 200 feet as you break a very noticeable thermocline.
| Facts about Blue Hole, Belize It is in Belize- Blue Hole, Belize is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 50+ Metres 160+ Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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I don't know how helpful I can be because I was there in 1989. I'm sure many things have changed there especially in light of the storms that have hit. I stayed at a friends timeshare right on the beach and there was a dive shop within walking distance. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name. But the dive shop was owned by a guy named "Big John" and I would dive with him again in a second. He is somewhat of a legend there and actually founded some of the more popular dive spots. I was there in November and water temp was 75+ and air was 85 avg. The viz was fair...not great for Caribbean diving though....avg was 40 ft. I saw huge ray ( 8 ft wing span ), turtles, lobsters, an octopus, lots of nurse sharks. If you can, try to do a dive that is called... I think.... "The Shoots" or "The Slides". It's a big rock crevice and the current actually pulls you through it just like being on a ride. It might be near English Harbor but I'm not sure. It's a very cool dive though and VERY different from any other dive I've done. English Harbor itself is about a 100 ft dive. It's ok and also some crevices and neat rock formations that you can go through. But the one I mean actually PULLS you through and it's in about 50 ft of water.
| Facts about Various It is in Antigua & Barbuda- Various is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-20 Metres 0-60 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 3-10 Metres 10-30 Feet.
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The Black Wall – 97 ft
This dive is on a wall covered with black corals and is pretty typical of the
profile that we dove for the wall dives. The top of the reef is at 60 feet and
we dove to a depth of ~95 feet along the wall. Dropping in we first sighted a
Spotted Eagle Ray and were accompanied by Four Eyed Butterfly fish while on top
of the reef and also spotted a four plus foot Green Moray.
The Super Bowl – 80 ft
The super bowl reminded me of Cedral in Cozumel with coral heads separated by
narrow sandy channels and is also around the same depth with a bottom at 80 or
so feet and the top of the reef at 50 some. At this site we saw the only shark
of the weekend and the only shark that others had seen in several days of
diving.
The Hole in the Wall – 135 ft
The hole in the wall starts at 125 feet and exits about 90 feet. This is a
nice dive and an easy swim thru that needn’t worry anyone. This is where one
of the group spotted a rock fish and we saw a couple of nice sized eels here to.
The Chimney – 75 ft
This was a really nice drive and was typical of the second dives in depth and
bottom. But, we were treated to a school of Barracuda and a Hawks Bill turtle
that Angel swears never saw me as I had to get out of its way or I would have
been run into. No kidding, it came within a very few inches.
In summary, Puerto Rico offers some excellent opportunities for wall and
reef diving and Angel has stated his intention to explore more dive sites west
of Parguera since he now has a craft that can reach them quickly. I also
can’t wait to check out the west coast around Mayaguez and Aguadilla
as I was told that the reefs and water there are beautiful as well. So, bring
the dive gear and come and explore a fascinating island with much to do and see
both above and beneath the sea.
| Facts about Black Wall- It is in Puerto Rico
- Black Wall is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-20 Metres 0-60 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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Playa Porto Marie
This is a small private cove and beach with a small entrance fee. The beach
is long and beautiful and you can spend a day diving here.
It’s a short swim to a double reef system that is very similar to a large
oval fish bowl. You can dive around the inside of the coral bowl or on the
outside of the coral reef on the wide-open ocean side of the coral reef.
It’s easy to navigate and on the far side there is a natural opening or
break in the reef about 10 meters that acts like a gateway to the open ocean.
Just follow the reef from the inside of the bowl to the outside then turn around
follow the reef back to where you started. Easy to dive and navigate. Max. depth
for us was 70ft. You could have stayed at 50ft. The water is always calm here
with great marine life. We saw several eels, a few turtles and many fish. Playa
Porto Maria also has fresh water rinse showers, Umbrellas, restaurant, bathroom
and a dive shop right there. A great day of diving, food and sun. A great place
to take divers and non-divers.
Playa Kalkai
This dive site is on the far west of the island and has a dive shop right
there. In fact you are better off renting tanks at West End dive shop and use
their shower and facilities after your dive. The rental tanks at West End are
only $6.00. It’s easy to do two dives here. The reef runs parallel to the
shore and is a short swim from the small beach. Easy parking and stairs down to
the beach and ocean. This site is the last shore dive on the island but well
worth the drive. The visibility was about 90ft. no current and beautiful reef
and lots of fish. eels, and lobsters.
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The reef diving in the Francis Drake Channel area is very extensive. The dive
at the Indians is not to be missed as well as Rainbow Reef and Painted
Walls . Each sight has its own character, and as is my custom, I prefer the
dive crew to pick the sights based on weather conditions and experience.
Visibility at all sights were never less than 60 feet with some sights having
80+ feet viz. Water temps were in the high 70's but my hooded vest was worn
under my 5 mm wetsuit for all dives since we were averaging about an hour per
dive.
Overall I would have to say the reefs that we visited were very healthy, with
no sign of abuse, overfishing, or bleaching. The National Park fees assessed to
dive certain areas were modest and were apparently well spent on multiple secure
moorings at each sight. Although there was an apparent lack of the 'big
stuff' like sharks and rays, we were blessed with several sightings of
smaller, but equally interesting critters.
We happened to locate two sailfin blennies in separate unattached pieces of
coral and when placed in close proximity, the show they put on for us lasted
almost 15 minutes. With sails out fully, they took turns posturing and chasing
each other in and out of the holes they called home. We finally had to separate
them as we laughed through our regs and their behavior. We also sighted several
male Jawfish (complete with a mouthful of eggs). A black spotted nudibranch was
also spotted and duly photographed and captured on video.
RMS Rhone This wreck is probably one of the most famous wrecks in the
Caribbean and has SO MUCH life on it. She sank in 1867 when she was pounded onto
a sharp rock during a hurricane. Almost everyone on board died.
The wreck of the Beata which is a tug boat sunk intentionally, where
you'll probably see sting rays as they feed on the garden eels living in the
sand.
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- Seaview reef
[61 minutes, max. depth 56’]: We
headed South from Seaview towards Sunset House and rode the slight current
back, ending right at the ladder at Seaview. Highlights: Spotted Scorpionfish,
Pygmy Filefish , Peacock Flounder.
- Hepp’s Pipeline
[52 minutes, max. depth 65’]: Looking back at the
18 dives we did that week, this one was one of our favorites. Right away we
saw a 5 foot green Moray tucking himself into an overhang. We crossed over a
sandy plain, down over a mini-wall to a huge coral "mound". The
coral here seemed very healthy compared to other areas we saw. The site is not
dived very often because conditions are rarely favorable for the dive. In
other words, we were very lucky! During the dive we saw the first and second
Turtles of the trip. I snuck up on the second one while he was sharing a snack
with a grey angelfish…very cool!
[44 minutes, max. depth 13’]: Often called the
greatest 10 foot dive in the world. That I think goes to Moses Reef, Eilat,
Israel. Still good though! Dived with Don Foster’s since TI didn’t have
enough divers to go out. The one tank trip was not included in our dives for
the week, so it cost us $55 US each. We rode a van out to the North side,
and then boarded Foster's very large catamaran style boat that wasn't
specifically outfitted for diving (no tank holders). A short boat ride to
the shallow, sandy site and soon we were surrounded by many friendly
stingray. Everyone should do it at least once, I guess. Don Foster's staff
was very friendly, but the time we spent with them was really too short to
form any kind of opinion. It's certainly a much larger operation than
Treasure Island.
Water Temperature on all dives was 83 degrees F. On all dives the coral
was fairly healthy with a wide variety of fish life inhabiting it.
| Facts about Stingray City- It is in Cayman islands
- Stingray City is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-10 Metres 0-30 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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With advanced booking checking in was breeze, and was on the boat in 10 minutes upon arrival. The boat was great, 46ft lots of room and shade, topside sundeck, bathroom, freshwater showers, camera table, huge water cooler, everything you need.
The first dive was at Razorback reef, about a 15 minutes from the dock. During the dive briefing we were given the choice of following the divemaster or heading out on own. I followed the divemaster and it was very good dive, lots of life, saw a hammerhead, cool.
The 2nd am dive was 2 wrecks laying bow to stern, the first starting at about 35ft,the 2nd ending at around 60ft. Both of these ships are 180ft island tankers, this was a cool dive. This site is only about a minute from Stuart Cove's dock.
After lunch out to Sharkwall and Sharkarena, about 45 minutes or so, defnitively worth the ride. The dive is on a wall and coral gardens that surround Sharkarena the site of the 2nd dive. The sharks know a snack isn't too far away, with 6-10 following us around (and a couple grouper too). After a surface interval back down to the Sharkarena a natural sand spot surrounded by coral, the feeding begins. I was totally blown away by these 2 dives it was great lots of sharks in your face action, 6 days later I'm still processing it. If you want to see sharks and want to go with a great dive op chose Stuart Cove's. I can't think of anything negative about Stuart Cove's the entire staff was fantastic. I hired a private photographer from Stuart Cove's Fin Photo for the Shark encounter dives, Tori did a awesome job during the dives and gave me a disc with 61 great pictures, worth the extra money. I can't wait to go back
| Facts about Shark Dive with Stuart Cove's- It is in Bahamas
- Shark Dive with Stuart Cove's is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-20 Metres 0-60 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 3-10 Metres 10-30 Feet.
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- Canyons
. This site ranges in depth from 35 to 80 feet with crevices
hosting moray eels, spiny lobster and a variety of invertebrates. Atlantic
Spadefish commonly cruise the water column above these coral canyons
Catalina Island is a longish boat ride from the Bayahibe
area, maybe 30 minutes but many people consider it one of the highlights of
their week. There is a true wall on the north side of the island, dropping
from 15 to 130 feet. The shallow reef flat is rich with pillar and boulder
corals, while the drop-off is filter feeder heaven, with black coral, vase
sponge and large elephant ears. On the south side is a shallow reef known as
the Aquarium. Here, pillar corals rule, and schooling grunts hide in coral
recesses.
Sea Pro Reef. A fascinating coral ridge at about 55 feet, absolutely
chock-full of sea fans, tube sponges and Gorgonians. The ridge drops off seaward
to nearly 130 feet, although the slope is gradual.
The Tower (Cabo Cabron). Depth: 130+ feet. The boat drops you into the
churning channel between rock and mainland. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins,
which frequent this spot. A giant pinnacle formation emerges from 165 feet,
encrusted with sponge and cascading coral where lobster and crab are often
found. The best way to see it all: drop down to 90 feet and slowly swim up and
around the peak.
On Land…
Hike Pico Duarte , the tallest peak in the Caribbean. Cross Lake
Enriquillo , the Caribbean's largest salt water lake; try rafting on the
clear waters of the Yaque del Norte river; or get close up to a school of
Humpback whales cavorting in Samaná Bay .
Beaches. Discover the breaking fun waves of Playa Grande , or
frolic in the pristine waters of Sosúa Beach , the mild surf of Playa
Dorada or the calm waters of Boca Chica . Indulge in the caress of Punta
Cana's coconut-dotted beaches on the East Coast.
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The Dominican Republic is good value for your
money. More than 45,000 hotel rooms are located throughout the length
and breadth of the island. The competition keeps hoteliers on their toes,
and the traveler benefits from great vacation prices. There are small beach inns
to small hotels atop hills colonial city hostels to adventure traveler hotels,
all-inclusive beach resorts to deluxe metropolitan hotels.
- St. George.
The St. George is a large freighter, about 200 feet in
length, sunk in early 1999 as a dive attraction. Now she sits upright along a
reef slope with her bow at 140 feet and her propellers in the sand at 100
feet. The wheelhouse and stack remain very much intact.
- Hickory.
The Hickory was purposely sunk as a dive attraction in 1986
and now sits perfectly upright on the sand seafloor at 65 feet. The 135-foot
freighter got hammered by Hurricane George, but still hosts a massive amount
of fish, particularly sergeant majors (obviously used to being hand-fed) and
Blackbar Soldierfish. The sponge encrustation and marine life make this a
must-do for underwater photographers.
- El Limon.
El Limon is a 120-foot tugboat sunk near the Hickory. Given
their proximity and reasonably shallow depth, both ships can be easily visited
on the same two-tank dive trip.
- La Sirena Cave
. This particular site can only be dived with Treasure
Divers as they have an arrangement with the landowner, but it's an example of
the numerous freshwater caves and caverns that are found throughout the DR.
Here, an iron spiral staircase leads to a cavernous opening in the jungle
canopy. Stunning water clarity washes a cave system decorated with perfectly
intact stalactites and stalagmites. This dive is not done as a deep
penetration and avoids long overhead obstructions, so it is safe for those
without cave certification. But make no mistake; there is world-class cave
diving in the Dominican Republic that is yet to be explored.
- Tanya V.
Purposely sunk as a dive attraction by the owner of the
nearby Coral Costa Caribe Resort; the Tanya V is a 120-foot cargo ship sent to
the bottom Oct. 22, 1999. Already the stern is home to large schools of grunts
and Goatfish. She sits in 110 feet of water.
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We were in Rodney Bay in May 2002 and the best diving is around the
southern tip of the island in the vicinity of Souffriere where diving is
located around the fantastic piton mountains. The main beach near Rodney Bay is Reduit
beach, which I am sure you can reach within a short walk of your hotel or digs,
or you may actually be located on the beach. The diving outfit we used was Anse
Chastanet's hotel dive operation, which has a booth on the beach at one of the
Reduit beach hotels (either the Papillon or the Rex, I can't quite remember).
You can book there or direct by ringing Anse Chastanet
click here
Anse Chastanet will pick you up from your hotel, take you to a short
drive away at a slip where you board a fast boat to take you down to the center
several miles down the coast. There, you will be taken on a very short check out
dive of the usual variety (mask clearing, alternative air source breathing,
buoyancy check), then you have a two-tank dive, one in the morning, and one
after lunch, which is included in the deal. You are then taken back home via the
same means after the dive. The deal was approx. $75 including a great buffet
lunch, which was excellent value.
I was surprisingly impressed with the diving around Souffriere, good viz,
vertiginous walls and healthy corals and fauna. The diving outfit was
professional and the service and deal well presented/pitched.
Have fun in Rodney Bay, don't forget to patronize Spinnakers on the beach,
and the Lime bar and restaurant just off the beach. The Great House restaurant
further up at Pigeon point is first class, if you fancy a bit of 'posh nosh'.
I am sure I don't need to warn you about the 'Aloe Vera' brigade, which you
will find hanging around the shopping mall, trying to sooth your sunburn or
mosquito bites... for the obligatory fistful of dollars. Also, car hire is 'cr.p'.
We turned down 3 cars that were lethal death traps from a very reputable
company. Public transport is cheap and the share ride minibus stops just outside
the mini-mart on the main road. Use that instead! I also wholly recommend a day
sail to Martinique! Whoa, dolphins, manta rays, we saw the lot, and had a nice
French lunch at Josephine's in Marin harbor .
| Facts about Rodney Bay It is in Saint Lucia- Rodney Bay is in the Caribbean Sea.
- The typical depth is 0-30 Metres 0-100 Feet.
- The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.
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