Diving St. Vincet & Grenadines
The diving in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is relatively unknown, yet the islands’ reefs offer a diversity and density of life and underwater terrain found no place else in the Caribbean. St. Vincent offers incredible sheer vertical walls, crevices, and extensive shallow reefs, many virtually unexplored and accessible by boat within 10 minutes from resorts. St. Vincent offers fields of pencil corals, brain corals the size of cars, star corals stacked one upon the next. Dense black coral forests and meadows of giant sea plumes welcome divers to explore. Reefs are healthy and alive, not dead algae-covered remnants as in the not so fortunate areas of the Caribbean. A selection of wall dives, coral gardens, wrecks, pinnacles, muck dives and slopes, each with the creatures that survive in that particular habitat, make each dive site a unique experience.
Currents in the Southern Grenadines provide a different style of diving. Here divers drift swiftly over miles of hard corals and giant sea fans on reefs surrounding the Tobago Cays. Schools of creole wrasse, brown chromis, and surgeonfish drift along the reef. Mayreau Gardens, a collection of drift dives, is a colorful alternative to diving in the Cays. Each island is unique and offers its own style of diving, dive sites, and operators.
Best time to dive
Year-round diving is great.
Visibility
Visibility averages 60 to 80 feet.
Water temperatures
The water temperature ranges from 78°F to 82°F.
Weather and climate
The average monthly temperature is 85 °F and varies only by 10 degrees °F during the year. The hottest months are July and August. Rain fall averages 80 inches per year in the coastal areas, 150 inches per year n the higher inland areas of St. Vincent. The rainy season is from July to October, and the driest period is between January and April.
Language
English
Passport/Visa requirements
U.S. and Canadian citizens can enter with a valid passport or government-issued birth certificate. Citizens of all other nations need a valid passport. All travelers should have a round-trip or onward ticket.
Currency
Eastern Caribbean Dollar – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Electrical current
220 volts AC, 50 cycles except for Petit St. Vincent that runs at 110 volts AC, 60 cycles. Adaptors or transformers are necessary for North American appliances.
Capital
Kingstown
General information
St. Vincent is the largest of the more than 30 islands that comprise the nation, covering roughly 150 square miles. St. Vincent itself is 18 miles long, with the peak of La Soufière reaching over 4000 feet. The islands in The Grenadines are no more than a few miles each in length, some flat and some with steep hills. The whole of The Grenadines total only 16.6 sq. miles. The Grenadines stretch south of St.Vincent for 45 miles southwest to the northern tip of Grenada.
St. Vincent sports an eclectic range of dining options from beachside grills and take-away pizzas to simple, casual fare and more elaborate fine gourmet cuisine. While St. Vincent may not boast a raucous nightlife scene, there are a few spots that offer evening entertainment. A number of hotels feature live weekly entertainment with local steel bands or string bands.
Map
Get a map of St. Vincet & Grenadines from WorldAtlas.com.