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Antigua and Barbuda / Special Interests / Scuba Diving

By James Henderson

Antigua may not rank among the Caribbean’s leading islands for scuba diving, but it can work well as a taster or as a complement to other activities on island. There is reasonable variety for you to dip into, on the reefs and coral gardens and a few walls and wrecks. Antigua is a good option if you are learning to dive or if you travelling with non-divers and do not want to spend whole days at it.

The diving is mainly to the west and south of the island (there are some reefs to the north, including Boon’s Reef, which is used for training) but dive trips usually head south so it can be quite a long ride from some of the hotels. There is generally not much current around Antigua and with the white sandy bottom and clean water the visibility is generally quite good, often up to 100 feet. The reefs are in reasonable condition, but some are very close to the surface, which means some have been damaged by hurricanes and others have lost their larger fish, so for the better marine life you have to go farther offshore.

In Barbuda (where there has been less pressure on the reefs) the corals are so close to the surface that it is barely necessary to dive at all. Antigua sees the usual reef life that you would expect in the Caribbean, sponges, elkhorn and staghorn, even occasional black coral, and reef fish including parrot fish, angel fish, snappers and chromis. Occasionally you will see larger and ocean-going creatures such as rays, barracuda and nurse sharks.

In fact there is plenty of good snorkelling around both islands. There are beaches that are particularly good for it and of course there are day sails that include a visit to a reef (usually Cades Reef) as part of their trip.

While there are plenty of dive shops in Antigua, the possibilities for diving in Barbuda are limited as there are no dive shops, so you will have to take your own equipment through one of the dive shops in Antigua, or join one of their very occasional trips to the smaller island. People talk of the many wrecks off Barbuda, but they are mostly on the reefs on the Atlantic side and so they are difficult to dive.

Recommended dive shops in Antigua are Ultramarine, which has a number of dive shops around the island and Jolly Dive.

The nearest hyperbaric/decompression chambers to Antigua are located on the islands of Saba and St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

A few sample dive sites are as follows:

Boon’s Reef - Shallow reef to the north of the island, often used for training.

Cades Reef - A three mile reef that has been designated as a marine reserve. The reef breaks the surface at several points but there are many areas at different depths offering several dive sites as well as snorkelling (a lot of the day trips go there). Cades Reef is the most popular dive location in Antigua due to its clear water and plentiful fish. The reef has suffered from severe hurricane damage over the years. The general feeling is that it is recovering, but this is a very slow process.

Sandy Island - An outcrop of rock and coral heads a couple of miles of the west coast. Several dive sites with good reefs and some ocean-going marine life, also a sunken ship.

Ariadne Shoal - Farther offshore to the west, more remote, with some larger marine life including occasional sharks. There is a cave dive there.

Sunken Rock - Off the English Harbour area in the south-east, Sunken Rock is a large rocky area at about between 50 and 100 feet. The usual Caribbean marine life lurks in the crevices and grows on the surface of the rocks.

Andes - A wreck dive off the Royal Antiguan Hotel, a three-mast steel sailing ship from Trinidad that sank in 1905.

Recommended accommodation view more

  • Carlisle Bay Hotels & Resorts

    An exquisite 82-room hotel set in its own very attractive, natural bay on Antigua's south coast. Modern Caribbean style, decorated with metropolitan verve but with the loveliest tropical calm and charm. Read more

  • Curtain Bluff Hotels & Resorts

    An upscale 72-room sophisticated hotel resort in a lovely secluded setting on two bays on Antigua’s southern shore. A trusty fixture among Antigua hotels with fine dining and an excellent wine cellar. Read more

Browse Diving on other islands

Anguilla | Barbados | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada & Carriacou | Jamaica | Nevis | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad

Or read our other island guides

Anguilla | Antigua | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Curacao | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada and Carriacou | Guadeloupe | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Nevis | Puerto Rico | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad | Turks & Caicos Islands | US Virgin Islands

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Looking for inspiration?

  1. Visit Nelson's Dockyard, the oldest functioning naval facility in the world
  2. Party at Shirley Heights Lookout on Sunday at sunset followed by barbecue and live music
  3. Stay at the spectacular Jumby Bay
  4. Hop over to Barbuda for stunning beaches and excellent birdwatching
  5. Race a yacht to nearby Montserrat for the day

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