The Top Dive Spots in the Caribbean
3/15/2006 6:52:26 PM by Dale Sanders
Many adventuresome Caribbean divers eventually get asked, “What is your favorite dive?” Fact be told, the response is usually followed by not an answer, but with a qualifying question – What kind of diving do you enjoy? There simply are too many types of diving. Therefore to narrow an answer down to a single type of diving or destination wouldn’t do justice to the rich diversity of diving found in the Caribbean.
The following four destinations and their unique diving opportunities are but a sampling of the divergent opportunities awaiting undersea explorers.
Wall Diving Bonanza
Few destinations in the world, not to mention the Caribbean, can offer the near limitless virgin wall diving of Belize. With its multiple offshore atolls, Belize boasts the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Basin. A possible geologic explanation regarding the existence of such dramatically sheer undercut walls may be explained by a series of slip strike faults which run nearly parallel to Ambergris Cay, Belize’s most prominent and most visited barrier island, with each landmass or block slipping seaward. Today’s modern charts clearly depict the first of these being Ambergris Cay, the second Turneffe Atoll and the third Glovers and Lighthouse Reef Atolls.
Through geologic time these atolls have remained above water solely due to the corals, which adorn their surfaces growth ability. As the landmass along the fault line slips downward, the coral atop the structure must grow at a near equal rate upward for the atoll to remain a living reef system. This phenomena has lead to the common deep drop offs along all the atolls, with many of these fault escarpments or walls plunging past 10,000 feet.
The invertebrate marine life along these walls is second to none. Exquisitely colored sponges, corals and massive gorgonians stipple these breathtaking vertical seascapes. It is also common to encounter large snapper and grouper, as well as lobsters up to 14 pounds. So, if wall diving is your thing – Belize is your destination.
Big Critters and Gin Clear Water
This dive destination qualifies for not one, but two uniquely superb dive attributes. Although Cozumel is still struggling to recover from the 2005 hurricane season, the reef systems here are extremely deep-bedded structures some 30 to 60 feet high, and are cleansed and enriched by major current flow. Consequently, this accounts for the typical 100-foot-plus visibility which exists on a near daily basis.
Dives along two of the most outstanding reefs – Columbia and Palancar – are always drift dives. Here divers ride the normal one to three knot blue train of current on, over and around a labyrinth of deep winding ravines and crevices. These cavernous coral passageways are home to some of the Caribbean’s most inquisitive and formidable vertebrate marine creatures. Huge black grouper, some measuring three to four feet, appear and disappear as one glides over their hidden lairs. Typically, your dive guide will have a baggie of cut bait and when he opens it – look out! These giant groupers are not timid and face-to-face encounters are extremely common.
Just when you think you were impressed by one of these overweight predators, an oversize and over-fed green moray may swim toward you from the reef. These monster size denizens of the deep can easily intimidate the novice diver, but alas most are reclusive and quite timid and just momentarily looking for a free handout. If this kind of interaction is your cup of tea, then Cozumel is for you.
Wreck
Divers Heaven
There are many places that boast of being a wreck diving destination, but few equal the accessibility and history that Aruba has to offer. Shrouded in mystery and legend, many of Aruba’s wreck sites offer divers an intriguing look into the past.
One of the island’s most notable wreck sites is the S.S. Antilla, a.k.a. the German Freighter Wreck, or the Ghost Ship. This 397-foot-steel-hull wreck is consistently covered by tropical fish and steeped in maritime lore. As a supply ship for the German U-Boat fleet, this highly elusive ship was dubbed the Ghost Ship by the allies who were never able to locate and attack the ship outside of neutral waters, which Aruba was at the time. On the eve of Germany’s invasion of Holland in 1940, its crew, to prevent the ship’s capture, scuttled the Antilla.
Today the ship rests in 50 to 60 feet of water off the tranquil south side of Aruba. Being one of the largest intact wrecks in the Caribbean, the resultant 60-plus years of marine life is spectacular. Huge tube sponges plus brilliant orange encrusting coral now coat the hull, and enormous compartments are most times thick with glass minnows.
There are many other wrecks here in Aruba and throughout the Caribbean, however the Antilla is a one-of-a-kind wreck that will beckon those wreck divers looking for a lasting memory - memory that will stay with them forever.
Outer
Cave Reefs
The millions of years that have lead to the formation of outer barrier reefs of the Bahamas have resulted in the creation of inter sanctums, which few humans have ever encountered. The most amazing of these are located on the Atlantic side of Walkers Cay, along the Abaco chain of islands of the Bahamas. Here divers can enter passageways – underwater flashlights required – to find catacombs of coral and silversides, which refract rays of light, much like a prism.
Captain Skeet La Chance, a diving historian of the Bahamas, began trips to intermediate reef coral heads more than 30 years ago. His whimsical sense of humor led him to place modern day comical artifacts along these inner portals. Many of these reefs are still frequented by out island dive operators today. This out-of-the-ordinary reef dive is sure to spark the interest of those seeking mystical experiences – deep within these ancient coral temples of penetrating light.
Regardless of your preference for specific types of diving, trying one of the above unusual or unique dives will certainly add a bit of spice to your diving interests. Surely adding one or more of these to your dive log will allow you to respond to your next inquiry on “favorite dive sites” by responding, “What kind of diving do you enjoy?” Hopefully, your response will cause your inquirer to also try one of these distinctive
dives as well.