Exploring Diving Options in the Caribbean

Exploring Diving in the Caribbean!

The turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean have enticed tourists from all over the world for decades with its great natural beauty. With an abundance of marine life, including a huge variety of beautiful corals and fish, clear, warm water, and gentle currents, the Caribbean is a diver’s paradise. And no place in the Caribbean is better for diving than St. Vincent.

St. Vincent is the largest island in the island chain of the Grenadines, located near St. Lucia. With a population just shy of 120,000, the islands are scarcely populated and almost pristine in their natural glory. Few tourists take the time to hop over to St. Vincent, which has made this island the perfect place to relax and enjoy the idyllic, exotic life of the Caribbean.

The capital of St. Vincent is Kingstown. Few international flights land directly in St. Vincent. Most tourists prefer to take a ferry from nearby islands in Grenada. Tours to the islands can be booked through local tour operators and various travel companies.

The islands are most famous for spectacular cruises and their excellent diving opportunities. When you combine the peaceful, calm life of a small, pristine Caribbean island and gentle blue waters bounding with life, you can some of the best diving waters on the planet. The economy of the islands is inherently dependent on tourism, most of which is centered around diving.

From the main town of Kingstown, you can hire diving tours that will take you to popular diving spots off the coast of the islands. These tours are operated by experienced locals who know all the best diving regions around St. Vincent. More often than not, these tour operators have agreements with hotels, so you can arrange a diving expedition right from your hotel room.

Many tour operators will offer full-service packages: i.e. premium drinks, meal plans, pickup and drop facilities, even airport transfer, water sports and unlimited shore diving. The cost of a typical diving tour ranges from a hundred dollars to several thousand dollar packages that include hotel stay with buffet meals.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines are a total of 32 islands, and most tours will take you around all the major landmarks dotting the islands. There are caves and caverns, coral reefs and ancient shipwrecks to explore in the waters off St. Vincent. You can get lessons from the tour operators, and it is easy enough for an experienced swimmer to start diving on his own.

When picking a diving tour operator, try to choose one that is affiliated to the REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), which works closely with environmental agencies to ensure the preservation of marine habitats. This will make sure that your diving activities are regulated and will not disturb the natural equilibrium of the islands.