The Islands of St. Kitts and Nevis are often termed as the jewels of the Caribbean and have this tropic paradise feel to them with lush tropical cloud forests to golden beaches the islands are more like the islands of the south pacific than a typical Caribbean island.

St. Kitts and Nevis are two separate islands often referred to together as they are separated by a narrow channel that is only two miles apart making it easy for tourist to visit both islands in one trip. Both the Islands have their own airports offering connections to both the US mainland, Europe and South America making them easily accessible.

The Island of Nevis is just 36 square miles and its center rises upwards to a dense cloud forest. At the center of St. Kitts the larger of the two sister islands, stands the spectacular, cloud-fringed peak of Mount Liamuiga a dormant volcano that also covered by dense tropical forest.

As a dive destination both Islands offer stunning unparalleled dive sites, with over 70 dive sites around Nevis alone. Famous for its enormous Pillar coral, tube sponges,  all kinds of diving is available here enough to please even the most choosiest divers, from wrecks, wall diving, coral reefs, thermal vents, cave diving to watching whale migrations from up close.

‘The Thermal Vents’ is a must visit dive site for anyone visiting St. Kitts or Nevis, and comprise of a reef that begins at 35 feet and plunges to 95 feet, covered in black volcanic trees. Divers can visit this underwater thermal vent where 100 F/38C water spews from the bottom which is a unique experience in itself. Some of the largest lobsters and arrow crabs inhabit this site

‘Devil’s Caves’ is another spectacular 40 foot dive located at the southernmost point of Nevis. Divers can navigate through caverns and overhangs teeming with marine life such as, Nurse Sharks, stingrays, lobster and Blue Tangs.

“River Taw Wreck” is a the remnants of a 144 foot long, wreck of an inter island freighter sunk  in 50 feet of water in 1985 and has been split into two by hurricane Hugo. Encrusted in coral this dive site is home to scores of turtle, squirrel fish, snappers and rays, and makes an excellent night dive.

The Narrow channel, which is the two mile stretch of water that separates St. Kitts from Nevis is also a spectacular dive site to see nurse sharks, white tips and other marine life that inhabit ‘the waters around ‘Booby Island’ which is a tiny island in the channel. Turtles are simply abundant around the island, and if you dive at night you’ll probably see them fast asleep tucked somewhere along a wall.

During the months of January to April Nevis is visited by humpback whales and dolphins.  Several Dive Operators offer Whale & Dolphin Safaris where you get a chance to snorkel or dive with these magnificent creatures.  Often hydrophones are dropped in the water to listen for the clicks, whistles and singing of the whales.

If you’re looking for a Caribbean dive holiday that includes stunning rain forests, mountains, secluded beaches, pristine coral reefs and two Islands for the price of one, look no further than the Island of St. Kitts and Nevis, and we’re sure you’ll not be disappointed.

Leisurepro Travel now offers scuba packages at both St. Kitts and Nevis at attractive prices

* Photos from flickr by: J. Stephen Conn , Nick Hobgood, Márcio Cabral de Moura

Ranked no. 1 by PADI as a top dive destination and featuring on almost every divers must-dive destination list, the island of Cozumel off the Mayan Coast of Mexico is a feast for eyes. Both a luxury resort destination coupled with fantastic diving, Cozumel draw divers to the island by the thousands with its stunning visibility and good diving infrastructure.

Located just 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is the largest island in the Caribbean. The island is a mere 28 miles / 9 meters long and 10 miles / 2 meters wide and is surrounded by gorgeous reefs and pristine clear waters. Cozumel is actually a conglomeration of many different coral formations and personalities, as a series of separate reefs make up the over 20 highly popular diving areas of Cozumel, including a labyrinth of tunnels, dramatic swim through’s and canyons lying amidst the towering coral plateaus teeming with marine life.

The two main coral reef systems surrounding Cozumel are the Colombia and Palancar reefs which house many of the islands favorite dive sites. Easily accessible with plateaus beginning in waters only 30 feet (9 meters) deep, Cozumel reefs boast of abundant underwater sea life and brilliant colors, often referred to by many scuba divers as some of the best Scuba diving of their lives. Famous for its drift diving, currents range from gentle 1/2 knots near some dive sites to fast, strong currents only for experienced adventurous drift divers. The night diving here too is incredible.

For beginners to intermediate divers, the Chankanaab Lagoon is one of the most popular sites on the island. Divers and snorkelers can observe small coral and limestone formations at just 6 to 30 feet (2 to 9 meters). A unique experience is the mixing of cold fresh water that flows out of the limestone caves called cenotes on top as you can still feel the warm salt water below. A very popular spot for night diving. Other novice dive sites include- Paradise Reef, Las Palmas Wall, Balones of Chancanab, Shallow Palancar and more.

For divers who like a little challenge, Cozumel has a host of dive sites suitable for the experienced. Popular for it’s impressive wall dives with brilliant colors and sea life that have people raving about it, there are some stunning drop-off worth fighting the currents to see.The Wall at the Santa Rosa Reef begins at 50 feet and drops straight away into the deep blue. A brisk current accompanies you as you spot great beds of tunicates, immense sponges, huge overhangs of stony corals and impressive caves and tunnels. Easily one of the most popular deep drift dives of the Island, eagle rays and turtles are often spotted here as well as large groupers. Another of Cozumel’s most popular deep dives is the Palancar Caves because of its deep buttresses, tunnels, caves and big caverns that sit along the edge of a sloping wall. The currents are usually mild, but marine life is abundant.

The “Punta Sur” dive site is particularly popular among experienced divers and especially underwater photographers for its incredible topography. Due to the site’s southern location tot he island the conditions can be rough with fast running midwater currents that can cause one to miss the dive site entirely! The most famous section of this site called the “Devil’s Throat”, starts inside a coral swim through. After descending into the opening of a dark narrow tunnel at 90 feet you are suddenly welcomed into a sunlit opening at 130 feet on the wall overlooking the abyss. The ‘Columbia Deep’, ‘Maracaibo Wall’, ‘Punta Tunich’, ‘Yucab (Virgin) Wall’, ‘Barracuda’s Wall’ and the “Mountains” of San Juan are other challenging sites for advanced divers.

Cozumel even offers a Wreck Dive – the C-53 Xicotencatl. Sunk in the year 2000 just outside of Balones de Chankanaab, on a sandy plain between Tormentos & Chankanaab,the C-53 is 184 feet long & 33 feet wide and consists of 4 decks.

Touted as one of the “best dive locations in the world”, a variety of underwater wonders awaits you at Cozumel, home to the only inland coral reef formation in the world. A Scuba divers mecca, Cozumel has the best diving the Caribbean has to offer and will not disappoint, that we assure!

*Photo Credits: photos by Frank Peters, Scubaben, CasaDeQueso, bbialek905 on flickr

110 miles of the coast of Texas in the northwest part of the Gulf of Mexico lies atop of underwater mountains called salt domes, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Forming one of the 14 designated underwater areas protected by the federal government, the Sanctuary covers 56 square miles or 146 sq kilometers comprising of two areas, the East Flower Garden, the West Flower Garden and the Stetson Bank.  Each of these large salt domes which rise up just below the surface of the water are teeming with a wide variety of coral and marine life that have made this area their home over the centuries, and are now considered one of the most pristine untouched reefs in the Caribbean.

The area was originally nick-named by snapper fisherman as the“Texas Flower Gardens”, due to the colorful coral that was visible from the surface and chunks of colorful coral and sponges that were snagged by the lines and nets of fisherman in the area. In 1992 the two larger reefs, the East Flower Garden and the West Flower Garden were designated National Marine Sanctuaries, and the third, the Stenton Bank in 1996.

Home to over 21 species of coral, 170 species of fish and over 300 species of reef invertebrates, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is a utopia for Scuba Divers. The East and West Flower Gardens are teeming with large boulder corals, primarily brain and star corals, and have several large rays, skates, manta rays, whale sharks and loggerhead turtles. Dive boats can anchor to the one of 5 buoys in the area, and if you anchor to the crest of the salt dome, a diver can swim in any direction and explore the 360 degree fields of coral.  Depths in the Sanctuary range from a shallow of 20m (65 feet) to 130m (424ft) deep with Visibility ranging from 75-150 feet (23-45 m).

The Stenton Bank is a smaller dome, with four buoys to anchor to, located much closer together. The water gets deep fast as the coral banks drop off sharply into the Gulf and has only 1 percent of its total area within the recreational diving limit of 130 feet (39 m). However the Stenton Bank has been described by scuba divers as akin to diving on the moon. Eel, urchins, shrimp, lobsters and shellfish are numerous, and the occasional Manta Ray or turtle gliding by isn’t uncommon. Other large fish such as scorpionfish, barracuda, jacks and groupers are found everywhere.

There are several commercial dive charter operators take divers out to the Flower Garden Banks but two boats that regularly set course to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary,are the M/V Spree and the M/V Fling 100ft both liveaboards that arrange 2-3 day excursions from Freeport Texas that can carry groups of up to 28 divers. The dives at the Texas Flower Gardens are recommended for intermediate and advanced divers owing to the steep drop-offs and varying depths, no special scuba diving equipment is necessary to dive at the site.

photos by: NOAA’s National Ocean Service

Rated PADI’s 7th favorite dive spot and among our ‘Most Rewarding Dive Spots in the Caribbean‘, the Turks and Caicos Islands is a magnificent natural wonder of the underwater world. A must-see for divers seasoned or new, Turks & Caicos is a top contender for some of the best unspoiled natural reefs and beauty that is best experienced.

Located 575 miles southeast of Miami and 90 miles north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, these Islands are very well known for their numerous wreck diving sites especially the HMS Endymion which sunk in 1790. The Caicos Islands are also popular destination for non-scuba divers who can experience swimming with stingrays, whale watching and exploring deserted islands among other things. Humpback whales, can be spotted migrating here during January – March and if lucky, you may catch some in the early weeks of April. The whale sightings here shows an estimated 3,000-5,000 humpback whales pass through the waters of the Silver Banks between December and mid-April each year, making it the largest breeding and calving grounds in the World and a much loved location for Scuba divers and whale watchers the world over.

The Scuba diving at the Turks & Caicos Islands is excellent all year round, although it is best recommended to go there during the winter months, i.e. November through March. The sun kissed islands are blessed with some great dives sites right from its shallow banks that display stunning turquoise hues perfect for beginner divers, right to advanced drop offs into inky black depths that go up to 2,100 meters (6,900 ft.) deep in the form of underwater trenches. The most common of the dive spots are Salt Cay, Grand Turk, North Caicos, South Caicos and Providenciales. Many dive sites here are known for their gradually sloping reefs that end with dramatic underwater cliffs with deep drop offs into the blue.

With a population of less than a 100, Salt Cay is considered one of the best dive sites ever of these islands with a whole horde to boast about. “The Wall” for example is a 7000 foot trench, located only 100 yards from shore and the aforementioned HMS Endymion lies to the south of the island.

With underwater visibility averaging between 80 to 125 feet, the water clarity is excellent, especially during the dry season from May to September. You can expect to see a wide variety of marine life, of which, the most common species spotted all over the Turks and Caicos are sea turtles, manta rays, eagle rays, mahi-mahi, barracuda, jacks, Atlantic spadefish, short nosed batfish, grouper, snapper, grunts, reef sharks, bull sharks, whale sharks, hammerheads and many others.

Typically dive operators in Turks & Caicos Islands take small groups both divers and snorkelers and accommodate all levels of skill. Dive operators take you on one-tank, two-tank or multiple tank dives and also offer night dives and cave diving in some locations. Live-aboard diving is also hugely popular in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Providenciales, commonly known as Provo is another spot worth a special mention. Home to the only conch farm in the world, it has an international airport that makes getting there a piece of cake and helps connect Grand Turk, Middle Caicos, North Caicos, Salt Cay, and South Caicos. Popular dive sites in Provo like Shark Hotel, The Hole in the Wall, Eagle Ray Pass etc. are well spread across Pine Cay, Grace Bay, North West Point, West Caicos, Sandbore Channel.

North and South Caicos are the 2nd and 7th largest islands respectively in the Turks and Caicos Islands archipelago. Both, extremely popular dive sites along with South Caicos are well known not only for its scuba diving but also for its deep sea and bone fishing. Most dive sites are within 15 minutes of the dock, and the entire eastern shore of South Caicos is protected by marine park status to a depth of 300 feet. The Annual South Caicos Regatta also hosts island-wide parties, boat races, and other games are popular attractions for tourists.

Overall, it can very easily be said that these islands should rank quite high (if it doesn’t already) on every divers Must-Dive list!

*Photo Credits: Photos by cambelina, eugene on flickr

Just the mention of the Caribbean conjures up images of it’s stunning white sand beaches and clear waters the shade of which can only be described as Caribbean blue. It’s no wonder the Caribbean houses some of the best Scuba diving destinations and dive sites in the World. The crystal blue waters, expansive coral reefs, intricate cave systems, shipwrecks and abundant marine life makes this region a diver’s paradise.

(*Photo by dMap Travel Guide on flickr)

Caribbean diving is an absolute pleasure with consistently good water conditions for diving along with a well developed infrastructure to back the sport. The diving here caters to all level of divers right from beginners to advanced and specialty divers. From Blue Hole diving in Belize and the Wall at Northwest Point Drop-off in the Grand Cayman to the shallow reefs and colorful fish of Bonaire or the amazing shipwrecks of Aruba, it’s hard to narrow down the best spots to dive just because of the sheer number and variety of amazing diving in the region.

For a start though, here some of the most popular and visibly rewarding dive destinations or dive spots in the Caribbean:-

Cayman Islands
Rated by many publications as the best place to dive in the Caribbean, the Grand Cayman a part of the Cayman Islands is also ranks 3rd on PADI Network’s list of favorite Scuba destinations. This world class dive destination has sites such as the Strawberry Sponge Wall, Snapper Reef and the MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts Wreck in Cayman Brac, Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall ranked as one of the top five dive sites in the world and so many more. It’s quite popular for non-diver sites too like Stingray City, where you can float through shallow waters and come face-to-face with stingrays the size of table tops.

(*Photo by Gronberg on flickr)

Bonaire
World renowned for its excellent Scuba diving and consistently rated among the best diving and locations in the world, Bonaire is surrounded by highly accessible reefs that are in the most pristine conditions ever. This environmentally conscious island and diving industry has ensured that the reefs remain untouched from poaching and pollution. This underwater volcanic mountain, the tip of which is visible as the island has with fringe reefs right off the beach of every hotel on any part of the island.

For more on Bonaire read: Bonaire – A Divers Paradise

(*Photo by Scuba_thib on flickr)

Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Ranked as the 6th Best dive site by the PADI network, Cocos Island is a live-aboard only dive destination as it’s situated some 300 miles off the main coast of Costa Rica. A must dive site for those shark diving enthusiasts, it’s a unique spot to dive with literally hundreds of hammerhead sharks. You can also swim with dolphins, tuna, gigantic marble rays and even whale sharks here making it a must dive destination for any diver.

Curacao, Dutch Caribbean
Located in the southwest Caribbean, part of the Dutch Caribbean is Curacao another Dive haven. Ranked 5th by the PADI Networks best dive destinations, it’s drop offs, large variety of marine life and topography make it a destination worth visiting. Like Bonaire, the reefs and Islands are among the best maintained and cared for from pollution and other harm.

Cozumel, Mexico
Ranked no. 1 by PADI as a top dive destination, Cozumel is both a luxury resort destination coupled with fantastic diving. The visibility and good diving infrastructure draw divers to the island by the thousands. However, because of strong currents the dive sites are more suited for experienced or advanced divers. Manta rays and whale sharks are a common sighting and special dives for the same are conducted. Cozumel is also popular for it’s impressive wall dives with brilliant colors and sea life have people raving that it’s the best diving of their lives. The Chankanaab Lagoon, is one of the most visited sites on the island where divers and snorkelers can observe small coral and limestone formations at 6 to 30 feet / 2 to 9 meters.

(*Photo by connermajik-e on flickr)

Belize, Blue Hole- Lighthouse Reef

More for an adventure dive rather than for the reef or marine life, the Belize Blue Hole is a World famous dive site and geological site. The almost perfectly circular Blue Hole was created by what was a dry cave system in the Ice Age and is an amazing sight from an areal view. The caves have stalactite formations where reefs is at 110 feet and you can often see hammerhead sharks lurking in the shadows. More a thrill for it’s inky blue depths and upward view of a passage to the sky, the Blue Hole is a hotspot for divers. When it comes to Blue Hole Diving, the Belize Hole is the most well known of the lot. Also Read: Blue Hole Diving

Turks and Caicos Islands
PADI’s 7th favorite dive spot, these islands provide a rich assortment of relatively unexplored underwater sites, including sea lanes where boaters and divers often spot whales. Along with miles of reefs brimming with marine life, the islands also have some great wreck diving of their coasts. The HMS Endymion which sunk in 1790 is one such wreck. The reefs also feature some deep sea drop offs where the walls plunge into inky black depths of more than 2,100 meters (6,900 ft.).