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Barbados / Special Interests / Scuba Diving

By Deana Bellamy

Barbados may not be one of the Caribbean’s best known dive destinations, however it has its fans and some consider it a secret gem. The island offers a good range of diving, with over 20 dive sites to choose from. The majority are strung along the West Coast, with Maycocks Bay and Dottins amongst the most popular. The upper South Coast is known for its drift diving, being closer to the Atlantic side of the island - the East Coast has very strong currents and diving is therefore limited.

The barrier reefs of Barbados are between half a mile and two miles from shore and they slope up to within 60ft of the surface. Closer to shore, the fringe and patching reefs range from 40-60ft in depth, and virtually ring the island. Visibility is good (often 70-90ft) and there is an abundance of corals, sponges and sea life - green and hawksbill turtles, seahorses, frog fish, sting rays, barracuda and more besides. There are occasional sightings of ocean going fish such as mantas, hammerhead, nurse and black tip sharks, and very rarely whale sharks.

Barbados has many wrecks. Carlisle Bay has at least eight of note, some over 100 years old. Wrecks include the Berwyn, which sank in 1919, Eilon, C-Trek, Fox and former party boat the Bajan Queen which was sunk in 2002. Just off Needham’s Point, the Old Fort drift dive has a reef strewn with antique bottles and cannon balls. Carlisle Bay also has an area called Bottle Ground where 18th & 19th century bottles are found. Probably one of the most interesting of all dives, and for the advanced diver only, is the S.S. Stravonikita, a 365ft Greek freighter which was purposely sunk in 1978 (off Fitts Village), and sits upright at a maximum depth of 137ft.

A hyperbaric chamber is located at St. Ann’s Fort, on the outskirts of Bridgetown and is maintained by the Barbados Defence Force.

Contributors: James Henderson (editor)

Recommended accommodation view more

  • Ascot Great House B&Bs & Guest Houses

    A guest house with 11 rooms in Gibbs on the West Coast of Barbados for independent travellers on a self-catering, room only basis, or works as an entire villa. Well positioned, inexpensive and very low-key. Read more

Browse Diving on other islands

Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | 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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Barbados’s weather

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When to go and weather

Looking for inspiration?

  1. Ride the waves at kitesurfing mecca Silver Point
  2. Drive along the breathtakingly beautiful East Coast
  3. Go underground at Harrison's Cave
  4. Hobnob with the stars watching a polo match
  5. Step back in time at the impressive Jacobean plantation house - St Nicholas Abbey

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