Scuba diving in Jamaica

Jamaica offers a wide range of dive sites spread along its coastline, with most locations easily accessible by short boat rides. The island’s underwater terrain includes coral reefs, walls, caverns, and shipwrecks, making it suitable for both beginners and more experienced divers.</p>

Best Dive Spots for Experienced Divers

Negril Wall is one of Jamaica’s most famous dive sites for experienced divers. The reef starts in shallow water and drops steeply into deep blue depths, creating dramatic wall dives with excellent visibility. Divers here often encounter large groupers, barracudas, eagle rays, and healthy coral formations along the vertical drop-offs.

Kingston Wrecks offer a different type of advanced diving experience. Several shipwrecks lie offshore near Kingston Harbor, including deeper wrecks that attract experienced divers interested in exploration and wreck penetration. These sites are home to schools of fish, sponges, and resident reef species that have colonized the structures.

Montego Bay Marine Park also features deeper reef sections and swim-throughs that appeal to experienced divers. While many sites here are suitable for all levels, advanced divers can explore areas with stronger currents and more complex reef structures that support a greater variety of marine life.

Best Dive Spots for Beginners

Montego Bay is one of the most beginner-friendly diving areas in Jamaica. Many dive sites feature shallow reefs, sandy bottoms, and calm conditions, making them ideal for training dives and newly certified divers. Marine life is abundant, and visibility is usually very good.

Ocho Rios offers sheltered dive sites with gentle conditions and easy navigation. These sites are well suited for beginner divers and discovery dives, with coral gardens, small walls, and frequent sightings of reef fish, turtles, and stingrays.

Runaway Bay is another popular location for beginners, known for its relaxed dive conditions and shallow reef systems. The area is often used for certification courses and provides a comfortable environment for divers to build confidence while enjoying colorful coral and marine life.

The cost of scuba diving in Jamaica varies depending on the location, the dive operator, and the type of dive experience. Overall, Jamaica is considered a mid-range Caribbean dive destination, offering reliable infrastructure and good value for recreational divers.

A standard two-tank boat dive typically costs between $90 and $140 USD. Prices often include tanks, weights, a dive guide, and boat transportation. Many dive sites are located close to shore, which helps keep boat times short and costs relatively stable compared to more remote destinations.

Certification courses are widely available across the island. Open Water Diver courses generally range from $350 to $500 USD, depending on what is included. Most courses cover classroom or e-learning materials, confined water training, open-water dives, equipment use, and certification fees. Advanced and specialty courses, such as Advanced Open Water or Nitrox, are priced separately and vary by dive center.

Additional costs may apply for full equipment rental, private guides, or specialty dives such as wreck or night diving. Many dive centers offer discounted packages for multiple dives or combined training programs, which can reduce the overall cost for divers planning several days of diving.