Jamaica has an incredible reputation for so many things that draw travelers from around the world — original reggae, stunning beaches, delicious rum and coffee, lush mountains, incredible jerk chicken, and beyond.

One thing this isn’t isn’t known for? Scuba diving.

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaicawhat Jamaica is known for

Over my years in the diving scene, I’d heard rumors that the diving in Jamaica was pretty unspectacular. Before my own inaugural trip to the the largest island of the Commonwealth Caribbean, I decided to do some research. Scientific journals confirmed that the reefs had suffered greatly and that fish stocks were dangerously low. Dive forums had threads with titles like, “Is Jamaica really that bad?” Here are a few responses that had me LOL-ing at their candor:

“The diving is sad.”

“The diving sucks sorry but it does. ”

“Dead, dead, dead.”

“Very clear water, little reef, no fish to speak of.”

“The short answer would be ‘don’t bother.'”

“…Dead.”

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

Well, sign me up! Ha. However, there were some encouraging opinions sprinkled in as well. Divers agreed that the waters are warm, the visibility is excellent, and while only eight percent of Jamaica’s coral reef is still alive and many of the fish that once thrived there have disappeared, the general consensus is that things are slowly improving. Cyanide and dynamite fishing, water pollution, damage from Hurricane Allen, overfishing and coral disease wreaked havoc on Jamaica’s reefs, but repeat divers report that conditions are progressively better each time.

I found that encouraging, though not quite as thrilling as the discovery that when my resort, Sandals Royal Caribbean, calls itself an all-inclusive, they really mean all inclusive. Unlimited diving is included at the onsite PADI dive centers at all Sandals resorts for certified divers! For that reason alone, I highly doubt this will be my last trip to a Sandals property, and I knew for a fact this would be my first time diving in Jamaica.

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

I also felt confident Sandals would be an ethical operator when I read they were the only resort chain to have all resorts Green PADI Certified.

The PADI Green Star is awarded to dive centers that show a commitment to conservation through fresh water conservation, energy use, environmentally friendly transportation practices, use of sustainable materials, conservation leadership and donations to conservation through Project AWARE. These are dive operators that care about the environment and are actively working to protect it — and clearly, that’s of utmost importance in Jamaica.

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaica

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaica

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaicareally wishing we had our sexy Swish Suits — don’t miss the exclusive Alex in Wanderland discount!

So, while I’m a PADI Divemaster, I’ve yet to convince my sister to take the plunge and get certified. (I did threaten her this time that her invitation to join me on future tropical press trips was contingent on getting her Open Water, so girl better get studying.) But it wasn’t a problem — Sandals offers a wide array of PADI courses, from Discover Scuba Diving through Rescue Diver.

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

The $100 Discover Scuba Diving, or DSD, meant that Olivia had to do a pool session before we could head into the ocean, but considering she’s done DSDs before in both Grand Cayman and Koh Tao, she moved through the skills pretty quickly. While I waited on the deck, I noticed Sandals also offers some interesting DAN courses, from First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries to Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries — a nice perk for my fellow continuing education nerds!

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaica

Pufferfish in Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

When we finally set off for the ocean, I was impressed with the dive boat facilities and even more so with the very short boat ride to the dive site, which our divemaster agreed was one of the great things about diving in Montego Bay.

Scuba diving at Sandals Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

The Sandals website has a great list of local dive sites for each resort and at Royal Caribbean ranks three as novice, six as advanced, and one as master level. I’d heard from other divers that favorite sites include the Window Maker cave and the Basket Reef wall, but we were sticking to shallow, easy waters to accommodate Olivia — and I was more than happy with that arrangement. My Canon PowerShot G7X and Waterproof Housing do best in shallow water, where colors are brighter and everything is lighter.

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Olivia got a tad overwhelmed at first and struggled to get down, and I really admired the patience and skill of the local divemaster who eventually realized that the buoy line was freaking her out and helped her do a peaceful free-descent instead. Her confidence levels soared throughout the dive, which made my water-baby heart do somersaults of happiness!

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Eagle Ray in Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

Based on the reports I’d read, I was thrilled when we spotted an eagle ray, file-fish, healthy hard and soft corals, pufferfish, and one very happy little sister blowing bubbles. And of course with more dives, we would have undoubtedly had more discoveries — our divemaster reported seeing turtles, nurse sharks, dolphins, rays, sea horses, nudibrachs, moray eels and more on a regular basis.

Looks like Jamaican waters are, indeed, making a come back.

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Jamaica

Back on the surface, I chatted with our divemaster about what divers always talk about — diving! Considering Sandals is not a dive-specific resort, I was incredibly impressed with the knowledge and skill of the whole dive team. Yet as I later learned, considering Sandals has cranked out more than 70,000 dive certifications over the years, I shouldn’t have been!

I only wish I’d had time to do more of it. Technically, “unlimited diving” is a bit misleading as you’re capped at two dives a day, but again, considering Sandals isn’t a dive resort and Jamaica isn’t a world-class dive destination, that’s more than enough. All dives are guided boat dives, and night dives and nitrox are available for an extra fee.

Diving at Sandals Jamaica

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay

Planning to head to a Jamaican all-inclusive to dive? Here’s a few tips to keep in mind:

• While the dive schedules are refreshingly civilized (no pre-sunrise call times here!) morning dives will be deeper and more advanced, so it’s worth waking up if you want to go to the more spectacular sites. if you’re diving with a less experienced friend or family member like me, the afternoon dive sites will be lovely as well.

• The staff are used to new divers, so if you go on a few dives and show them that you are confident and competent, they will probably be pretty pumped to guide you to the more advanced locations. Once you establish a relationship, they will very likely take your requests and preferences into account when planning the day’s dive sites.

• All equipment is included aside from a wetsuit rental, or you can bring your own and rent a locker in the dive shop. Wetsuits aside, I was happy with all the rental gear.

• Sandals employees (aside from butlers and spa staff) are barred from accepting tips and this includes the dive center staff — they can actually get in trouble for accepting them. If I was diving heavily throughout the week I might get around this with a gift like a nice bottle of rum of some handy dive gadget brought from home.

Scuba Diving in Sandals Montego Bay

I realize that after one dive in one part of a large island nation I’m hardly qualified to speak definitively on this topic, but I did a lot of research and spoke to many divers, and since this can be a fairly hot topic in the diving community, I thought I’d share my thoughts.

From what I’ve read and gathered, Negril is generally considered to have Jamaica’s best diving, but Montego Bay is rife with great sites for beginners. The great thing about diving with an all-inclusive (which, honestly, is where most visitors to Jamaica are staying) is it’s free so you don’t really have to do the normal cost-benefit analysis of trying to figure out if every dive is worth dipping further into your travel fund. And while certifications do come at an extra fee, they’re often cheaper than what other dive centers in North America and the Caribbean charge, so do some price-checking. You can always do e-Learning beforehand to speed things along, too.

Scuba Diving in Sandals Montego Bay

Overall? Don’t plan a dive trip to Jamaica — for that, head to the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas or Bonaire — but absolutely go diving if you happen to be in Jamaica, especially at an all-inclusive where it’s included. Don’t believe the negative hype. There’s plenty to see under under the sea, and more interest in diving will only convince the powers that be that reefs and ocean life are economically valuable to protect.

Have you been diving in Jamaica? What did you think?

Many thanks to Sandals for hosting us. I’m proud to be a PADI AmbassaDiver — read my latest ramblings on the PADI blog, and read more about diving in Jamaica by PADI here.

Confused on where we are? I’m catching up on the black hole of content from August of 2016 to April of 2017 — when I jumped forward to blog the summer of 2017 as it was happening. Right now, we’re in November of 2016 in Jamaica, and I can’t wait to turn my detailed notes and journals into blog posts Thailand and Bali next! My apologies for any confusion with the timeline, and thanks for sticking with me.

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28 Comments...
  • I’ve always wondered about diving in Jamaica specifically as I’ve either had fantastic dive trips in the Caribbean (Bahamas, Caymans, Grenada, Bonaire) or very sub-par experiences on the more touristy islands like Dominican Republic (do not dive there!).

    • Alex
      April 26 2018

      I’d say dive if you’re there and its free with your all-inclusive (how did I not know this was a thing?!) but don’t make a special trip otherwise. Still, it was better than I’d heard for sure!

  • P.S. How on Earth is Liv your sister and doesn’t have her basic open water?!?

    • Alex
      April 26 2018

      Ugh — she’s done at least THREE DSD’s that I can remember. I told her this is her last press trip if she doesn’t get certified, LOL.

  • Brian Dennis
    April 24 2018

    I know that this trip has passed, but just in case you didn’t know, maybe the next time you visit Jamaica, check out the sunken city off of the coast of Port Royal. I am sure there is interesting things to see there. Also maybe Lime Cay nearby. I am not a diver, but I’ve heard about these places for so many years and have always been curious. Thanks for the story!

    • Alex
      April 26 2018

      Thanks for the tip, Brian! Filing it away for a future trip!

  • Dominique
    April 24 2018

    Strange how diving in Jamaica can be so different from the other Caribbean islands. I didn’t go diving in Cuba either though. I didn’t hear great things about it. Luckily both Cuba & Jamaica are great for other things 🙂

    • Alex
      April 26 2018

      Actually, I just read an amazing story about diving in Cuba! However, I think that’s one island where you have to do a liveaboard — maybe it’s the day boats that have a bad rap?

  • Kelly
    April 25 2018

    My husband and I are among the 70,000 folks who have gotten certified at Sandals and we only have good things to say about our experience! We did it on our honeymoon at Sandals Whitehouse Jamaica and the staff there were outstanding, too. I loved reading your recap and seeing these photos!! Thank you!

    • Alex
      April 26 2018

      You’re so welcome Kelly! Great to hear rave reviews for another Sandals property. Sounds like their team is one of their best assets!

  • Francesca Beckett
    April 26 2018

    Feeling your pain – my best friend has done 5 DSDs without getting certifed! You refer to the guy who took you diving as your divemaster – was he actually a divemaster, or an instructor?!

    • Alex
      May 2 2018

      I believe he was an instructor, actually — I kind of use them interchangeably unless I’m actually taking a course, which is probably incorrect!

  • Amy Swanson
    September 29 2018

    Thank you for the excellent article. I have been trying to find out about diving in Jamaica for the better part of an hour with no luck.

    • Alex
      October 11 2018

      So glad I could help! I too found pretty limited information online about it. Would love to go back and create a more comprehensive guide someday.

  • Stephen Snider
    October 15 2018

    Good morning,
    I was curious on your statistic on only 8% of Jamaican coral systems still being alive. Would you be able to provide that source? I want to quote it. I am doing research into the coral systems of Jamaica. Thank you!

    • Alex
      October 24 2018

      Hey Stephen, the source article is linked to in the sentence. Good luck with your research!

  • Sheila M Humphrey
    December 19 2018

    just woondering if resort dives are enough or if we should do the padi online cert prior to sandals vaca and then do open water when we arrive?

    • Alex
      December 31 2018

      Hey Sheila! I’d ALWAYS recommend doing your Open Water 🙂 Diving is such an incredible skill, and once you have that cert it’s for life and you can do it anywhere! I almost guarantee you’ll be hooked after the first dive and want to do it anyway, so might as well get started 😉

  • Steve warriner
    February 20 2019

    Hiya.

    I just returned home from Negril. Diving was spectacular. In my opinion it trumped Bonaire. (More diversity per square meter of reef). Diving is like chocolate, even when its bad it’s still pretty good! Cheers, Steve aka scootersteve

    • Alex
      February 22 2019

      Wow, that’s definitely a radical opinion — I like it! Glad you had such a great experience diving in Negril!

  • Amanda
    January 19 2020

    Have you been diving in St. Lucia? If so, how would you rate it compared to Jamaica?

    • Alex
      January 28 2020

      Hey Amanda, sorry, I haven’t been so I can’t compare! Would love to someday though!

      • Amanda
        January 28 2020

        Thanks for the response Alex. Appreciate it.

        • Alex
          February 14 2020

          Of course! you’re so welcome.

  • Jacqueline
    July 21 2020

    I got PADI certified in Montego Bay Jamaica 1985. There were so many fish when you walked into the water. It was incredible diving in Jamaica. I started all over the world and hadn’t been to the Caribbean in many years. Fast forward, 2005 I went diving and there were barricudas when you walked in the water. NO FISH! Cruise ships had gutted out the coral reef and it was dead therefore barricudas and sharks were inland looking for something fish to eat, NOTHING! I hope they have repaired their reefs therefore increasing their marine life.

    • Alex
      August 21 2020

      That is sad 🙁 We really need to prioritize protecting marine life!

  • Matty
    October 14 2020

    Hi Alex,

    I found this really helpful, so thank you!

    I am booked to go to Jamaica in December with a friend and looking at where to stay. She is keen on Sandals for the ‘all inclusive’ benefit of it whereas I am more here for a boutique vibe. Is Sandals worth it? I’m worried it will be full of older people and we would miss out on any sort of authentic Jamaica. however, it’s the included diving within the cost that’s drawing me in as I’m also a Dive Master so now I’m really torn. Would you go back there again?

    Matty

    • Alex
      November 10 2020

      Hey Matty! Honestly, if I was going back to Jamaica on my own, I’d do a boutique hotel — and just do a few dives with a local dive shop. I loved our stay there but as you said, you kind of miss the island itself because you think oh well why would I leave when it’s all paid for! On another island with better preserved reefs, I might say otherwise.

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