The Caribbean boasts of a robust scuba diving culture with many diving sites acclaimed for their scenic beauty and vast marine life. If you dare to go beyond the palm trees and hammocks on the Caribbean and plunge into the depths of the ocean, then you will be fascinated with the remarkable treasures that await in these five scuba dives in the Caribbean.
The Hilma Hooker in Bonaire
Lying 100 feet below the surface, the Hilma Hooker is a sunken 240-foot cargo ship that was detained by the Bonaire authorities for smuggling marijuana. The Bonaire authorities towed it to its destruction in the Caribbean Sea in the year 1984. After three decades, the sunken ship has become a habitat of sorts attracting a vast variety of marine life and coral to its reef-like hull. Divers usually take great delight at the ship’s large masts and the remnants of its steering wheel.
The Blue Hole in Belize
The Blue Hole is among the best underwater wonders that the Caribbean boasts of. The Blue Hole is a huge sinkhole that measures an impressive 1000 feet wide and a 400 feet deep. It is part of the extensive Barrier Reef Reserve System- which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourists seek out the Blue Hole because of its massive depth as well as the opportunity to wonder at the stalactite formations in caves that formed many thousands of years ago – at the time when ocean levels were lower by 100 feet.
The Cathedral at Eagle Shoals located at the St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
St. John’s coast is undoubtedly every scuba divers must-go destination if its accessible adventures and colorful underwater colonies are anything to go by. Eagle Shoals, just off the east end of the island, is a little-known yet one of the best diving sites on the island. The sheer wonder to see at Eagle Shoals is perhaps The Cathedral- which is a massive underwater chamber teeming with vibrant coral. Besides the picturesque moments the place has due to the rays of sunlight that filter in through the formation, the area around the Cathedral is a popular hangout for porkfish, silversides, black triggerfish, etc.
The Aquarium in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
The warm waters, robust reefs, and impressive range of aquatic life make the island a perfect scuba-diving hotspot. If you are new on the island and you’d like to try the best dive spots around here, take a guided tour with the local dive experts. The Aquarium found on the western coast of the Spanish Town, is a site that provides an aquarium-like view of the marine life scampering for shelter in the granite boulders and rocks. You may come across iridescent blue tangs, Moorish idols, parrotfish, stingrays, and even nurse sharks.
Bianca C at Grenada
You will not be short of thrills during your excursions to this island. Begin with a notable wreck on the Caribbean, the Bianca C. as you experience the rush of a stern-to-bow exploration aboard the wreck of the 600-foot cruise liner. It was sunk in 1961 by an engine fire which miraculously only killed one person, and it remains in broken pieces to date. But it provides the wonderful opportunity for penetration dives.
