Jamaica's underwater wonders
Over the years many songwriters
have referred to the
beauty of this green pearl in
the string of Caribbean islands,
and today it is known throughout
the world for its lush vegetation,
reggae music, rum and
coffee. One of the most overlooked
attractions is, however,
that part of the island that lies
below the surface of the ocean
that surrounds it. Divers typically
do not think of Jamaica as
a prime diving destination,
except for those who have
explored its reefs and have
found it to be the best destination
of all. Where else can you
do a breathtaking wall dive in
the morning, enjoy the sea life
on a shallow reef at noon, and
have plenty of time left in the
afternoon to go river rafting,
horseback riding, play golf,
visit a great house or indulge
in any manner of activities.
Jamaica as one of the largest
islands in the Caribbean has
many excellent diving and
snorkeling sites: shallow and
deep, reefs and walls, wrecks
and caverns, home to all manner
of sea life: spectacular
coral, exotic sponges, spiny
lobsters, moray eels, sea turtles
and multitudes of colorful
fish, big and small. Below we
have selected by region some
of the unique diving opportunities
available to you based on
your level of experience.
All dives offered by commercial
operators in Jamaica are
guided dives. The dive guides
must have, according to regulations,
at least a dive master
certificate from an internationally
recognized association
and be licensed by the Jamaica
Tourist Board. Although this
limits your freedom to dive
wherever you like, this regulation
increases the safety and
fun of diving in an unfamiliar
area. The dive classifications
employed below were assigned
based on the following principles:
Novice divers: Persons who
are recently certified, or who
have done only a limited number
of dives with considerable
gaps in between; this could
include divers with as many as
20 dives. Dives in this category
will tend to be less than 60 ft
(18 m) or will not require
advanced diving skills.
Intermediate divers: Persons
who have been diving on a regular
basis but lack further
training beyond certification,
also those with advanced training
who have not been diving
for the past several months.
The environment of this category
of dive necessitates
greater experience.
Advanced divers: Persons
with training beyond the open
water diver certification that
have been diving regularly in
the last several months. This
requirement will apply to most
sites deeper than 80 ft (24 m)
because those dives require a
mastery of buoyancy and a
thorough knowledge of the
dive tables. These dives may
also be accessible to the less
experienced diver after a couple
of refresher dives.
MONTEGO BAY
Rose Hall Reef
Depth: 20-45 ft (7-14 m)
Class: Novice
Named for the famous great
house that overlooks the sea
just a couple of miles east of
Montego Bay, this shallow reef
is teaming with marine life. At
this location you'll discover
"Fairy Castle", a massive
colony of pillar coral, and
"Fairy Bridge", a coral formation
that connects two sections
of reef over a sandy
"river". The reef forms an
intricate system of tunnels
that are home to squirrelfish,
goatfish, porcupinefish, bar
jacks and grunts.
The Spanish Anchor
Depth: 50-90 ft (15-28 m)
Class: Intermediate
Located on the west side of the
marine park, the shallow reef
drops to a sandy bottom at 50
ft. The site derives its name
from the large anchor, undated
but of Spanish origin, that
rests on the sandy bottom.
Within the reef wall one can
explore tunnels and caverns
with abundant sponge
colonies. Sightings of eagle
rays are quite common here,
and in the deeper water large
mutton snappers- and sometimes
a docile nurse sharkmay
pass by.
Widowmaker's Cave
Depth: 40-80 ft (12-24 m)
Class: Advanced
A deep dive along a wall with a
vertical, narrow crack which
forms the entrance to
Widowmaker's Cave. Inside the
tunnel leading to the cave,
there is wire coral with, in the
beam of your dive light, red
polyps, and the walls are covered
with multicolored
sponges. On this dive you'll
likely encounter schools of silvery
blue bogas, glassy sweepers,
schoolmaster snappers,
balloonfish, trumpetfish, hamlets,
wrasses and parrotfish.
NEGRIL
The Throne Room
Depth: 40-70 ft (12-21 m)
Class: Novice
The entrance to the Throne
Room, a fairly wide but low
cavern, is a crack in the reef
about 25 feet long and 8 feet
wide. The walls on the inside
are covered with colorful
sponges and on the bottom
near to the exit you can see a
large orange elephant ear
sponge for which the site is
named. Ceros, cruising along
over the sandy bottom, are a
common sight, as are small
groups of yellow tail snapper.
The Caves
Depth: 40-70 ft (12-21 m)
Class: Intermediate
This site is named for the two
caverns, one small and one
slightly larger, with a narrow
tunnel connecting the two.
You can find a variety of
sponges here along with soft
gorgonians. On the sand flat
you will see the usual occupants:
furry sea cucumbers,
stingrays, jacks and some lane
snappers.
Kingfish Point
Depth: 80-90 ft (24-27 m)
Class: Advanced
Among the elephant ear
sponges and yellow tube
sponges, you may
find Spanish
hogfish, smooth and bandtail
puffers, and of course the everpresent
damselfish. Golden
crinoids are tucked in between
star and brain coral, and in the
surrounding sandy area sand
tilefish hover near their burrows.
Kingfish, the Jamaican
name for ceros, can be seen
passing by. These silvery fish
are generally solitary and are
seen on reefs and drop-offs
near deep water.
RUNAWAY BAY
Reggae Queen
Depth: 50-60 ft (15-18 m)
Class: Novice
The "Reggae Queen", a 100-ft
tugboat with a wooden hull,
was sunk here in early 1993.
The wreck lies upright in the
sand in between two reef reas.
Hovering over the wreck is a
large school of blue chromis,
bogas and creole wrasse.
Southern stingrays have also
been reported cruising the
adjacent areas. In the reef you
can see clusters of yellow tube
sponges and green rope
sponges covered with tiny
zoanthids.
Pocket's Reef
Depth: 90-120 ft (27-36 m)
Class: Advanced
A wall at 80 ft dropping down
to over 200 ft adorned with
clusters of bright azure vase
sponges, elephant ear sponges
and large red sea fans. Large
schools of fish go back and
forth, and ceros and bar jacks
pass overhead. Rainbow jacks
are seen regularly and sometimes
you may encounter an
ocean triggerfish. A shallower
reef plateau at 50 ft is home to
grunts, goatfish and blackbar
soldierfish.
OCHO RIOS
Jacks Hall
Depth: 30-50 ft (9-15 m)
Class: Novice
This medium-profile reef has
finger coral, brain coral, star
coral, an occasional elkhorn
coral on the shallower end,
and a variety of sponges.
Drifting with the current you
pass over a section of reef, followed
by a sand chute, another
reef section and another
sand gully and so on. Nurse
sharks frequent the area and
can often be found napping in
the sand.
Top of the Mountain
Depth: 60-80 ft (18-24 m)
Class: Intermediate
Near Dunn's River Falls, a
massive underwater mountain
plateau rises up from the
sandy ocean floor to 60 ft
below the surface. The top of
the reef is covered with many
different species of soft gorgonians
and small coral heads,
consisting of sea rods, sea
plumes, sea fans, brain coral,
star coral, and clusters of
smooth flower coral. Look out
for golden hamlets that frequent
this area and the rare
yellowcheck wrasse. Hiding in
the coral heads are glasseye
snappers, graysbys, and squirrelfish.
Snorkeling opportunities
abound in Jamaica for guided
tours to areas reachable only
by boat or solo, shore entry
reef exploration. Be sure to
employ guides licensed by the
Jamaica Tourist Board or if
you have the experience to
venture out on your own be
sure to seek local advice on
the currents and other potential
hazards.
Excerpted with permission from
the book "Diving and Snorkeling
Guide to Jamaica" by Hannie and
Theo Smit. This book is out of
print but copies are available for
purchase at the Montego Bay
Marine Park visitor centre at
Pier 1.
Montego Bay Marine Park
Covering an area from the airport to the Great River west of
Montego Bay, officially opened in 1992, mooring buoys and
boundary markers are maintained, rangers patrol the area and
spear fishing is banned from the park. Training programs exist
to assist displaced fisherman in learning new skills and finding
alternative employment. A zoning plan addresses the impact of
various user groups on the park. Also, an extensive public education
program seeks to make Montego Bay citizens more
aware of the importance of preserving the marine environment.
The effect of destructive environmental practices on land,
which influences to a great extent the health of the reefs, is
emphasized. For more information, call (876) 952-5619 or visit
the head office and visitor centre, located at Pier 1.
www.mbmp.org
Friends of the Sea
Determined to halt the destruction of the marine environment
in the areas of Discovery Bay, Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios this
group of concerned citizens seeks to increase public awareness
of this problem through education, water-quality monitoring
and various conservation initiatives. For more information
about their activities, you can write to: Friends of the Sea, P.O.
Box 327, St. Anne's Bay.
Negril Environmental Protection Area
Covering over 80 square miles and including the Negril Marine
Park and the Great Morass, as well as rain and limestone
forests, cliffs, caves and blue holes. The marine park includes
demarcation of recreational, fishing and replenishment zones
with over 150 marker and reef mooring buoys, and the program
incorporates educational projects and mariculture projects
as well as an alternative to destructive fishing and farming
practices, and a unique reef restoration program using mineral
accretion to create artificial reefs. These efforts are financed
by user fees, ecotourism activities, souvenir sales, donations
and environmental levies. For more information, call (809)
957-4472.
**for more information visit www.jam-boree.com, Jamaica's visitor website, the complete source for travel and tourism information featuring hand-picked deals on vacation packages, hotels, villas, flights and car rentals**
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