One Love Scuba Center, One Love Scuba Center, Ltd.
C/O Travellers Beach Resort, Negril, JAM
Explore Jamaica
Scuba diving in Jamaica isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for those vacationing in this culture-rich Caribbean nation. It isn’t as well known for diving as its other West Indies counterparts, but that doesn’t equate to zero possibilities for divers in Jamaica. There are plenty of options with lots to see underwater, such as schools of tropical fish, stingrays, eels, various coral species and a few sharks and turtles.
There are around 100 dive sites around Jamaica’s 1,022 km (635 miles) of coastline, where a wealth of marine life typical to the Caribbean Sea thrives. Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are where the best diving happens, and since the 1990s, these regions have created designated marine parks and reserves, which has enabled the reefs to improve over the years.
The conditions are Jamaica’s dive sites, which are usually shallow and calm, mean that it’s a great place to take beginner dive courses. For those seeking further certifications, cave and wreck specialty courses are a good choice, as there are many sites perfect for these kinds of training.
Most dive sites are accessible by shore or boat, and are usually quick to arrive at. You can find lots of dive centers in the beach towns, or alternatively, dive resorts and most all-inclusive resorts will have their own dive center that you can use. Liveaboard diving remains scarce around Jamaica, so your best bet is to approach resorts and dive centers for your trip.
Power Plug Type
A, B
Payment Method
VISA, MC, AMEX
Tipping
10–15% / Service Staff / Tipping is expected, especially in restaurants, hotels, and for guides, unless a service charge is already included.
Currency
Jamaican Dollar (JMD)
Dial Code
+1-876
Electricity
110V / 50Hz
Time
UTC-5
Dive Centers
Dive Sites
Top Wildlife Sightings in Jamaica
Tons of tropical fish, abundant soft and hard coral species, sponges, eels, turtles and some sharks are commonly encountered in the waters around Jamaica. With 260 species of reef fish, including pufferfish, butterflyfish, sea slugs, parrot fish, and even mackerel and barracuda, there is some impressive diversity here. On occasion, nurse sharks and the West Indian manatee have been spotted, and if you’re lucky, you could even come across larger sharks and whales if they happen to be migrating.
Particularly at Montego Bay, you’re bound to meet a myriad of colorful fish among the healthy reefs here. For encounters with majestic rays, visit Stingray City where lots of stingrays fly by. While turtles can be seen in many dive sites, one of the top rated spots is Surprise Reef, where they are known to frequent. Though somewhat remote, Shark’s Reef is where divers see stingrays and nurse sharks relaxing on the sandy bottom.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
46 Sightings
J
4
F
3
M
5
A
0
M
3
J
6
J
13
A
0
S
6
O
0
N
0
D
6
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
15 Sightings
J
4
F
5
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
6
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
11 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
4
M
0
J
3
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
4
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 12
iStock/cinoby
Lionfish
182 Sightings
J
26
F
8
M
10
A
12
M
12
J
11
J
25
A
18
S
17
O
10
N
19
D
14
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 80
iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays
117 Sightings
J
15
F
5
M
6
A
7
M
12
J
7
J
21
A
15
S
7
O
0
N
10
D
12
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 100
iStock-burnsboxco
Parrotfish
83 Sightings
J
7
F
0
M
7
A
5
M
9
J
2
J
18
A
6
S
11
O
0
N
7
D
11
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
63 Sightings
J
8
F
0
M
0
A
6
M
7
J
7
J
0
A
13
S
6
O
0
N
7
D
9
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 85
iStock-mirecca
Surgeonfish
54 Sightings
J
11
F
3
M
0
A
3
M
6
J
2
J
17
A
8
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
4
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
Shutterstock_Krzysztof Odziomek
Butterfly Fish
47 Sightings
J
11
F
4
M
0
A
4
M
3
J
2
J
18
A
0
S
0
O
5
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
44 Sightings
J
7
F
3
M
5
A
3
M
7
J
2
J
13
A
0
S
0
O
4
N
0
D
0
