209ANTIGUA

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No island has such a convoluted and interesting coastlineas Antigua, with hundreds of hidden bays, protected harbours,several small islands and a surfeit offabulous white beaches that melt into thepale turquoise sea. Add to this plenty ofcharming historic sites and you have themakings of a great vacation destination.

Antigua was inhabited by Carib Indianswhen Columbus first sighted it in 1493, butcolonisation waited until 1632, when theBritish arrived to struggle with, andeventually eliminate, the native population.In 1674, the first large scale sugar plantationwas established and, by the beginning of the 18th century, mostof the native vegetation in the island had been eliminated tomake way for the highly profitable sugar cane crop. At the heightof the industry there were over 150 sugar mills on the island.

Antigua’s well-developed tourist industry has around 50 hotels.Despite this, you do not feel overrun by tourists. The resorts arewidely distributed and Antigua, which is 14 miles long by 10 mileswide, is plenty large enough to accommodate them.

Historically, Antigua was a vital link in England’s Caribbeaninterests, including its dominance over the sea routes. The mainbase of naval activity was English Harbour on the south coast.This whole area has been delightfully restored and serves thethriving yachting trade in Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour.Some small but pleasant beaches are in the area.

Antigua

The view from ShirleyHeights showing

Nelson’s Dockyard inEnglish Harbour.

Falmouth Harbour isthe bay in the distance.

English andFalmouthHarbours

212 ANTIGUA

The south west is relatively flat along the coast and thereare wonderful deserted beaches and some great wetlands idealfor bird watching. There are more beautiful beaches and hotelsfollowing the coast right up to St. Johns. Among the resorts isthe huge all-inclusive Jolly Beach Resort, and the new JollyHarbour Marina, another major yachting base.

The capital, St. Johns, is on the western coast, surrounding aprotected harbour. The harbour was recently dredged, and a cruiseship facility built. The resultant business has been sufficient tocreate a sizeable shopping area around Redcliffe and HeritageQuays and all the old buildings have been beautifully restored,making shopping or just wandering around a great pleasure.

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda has good exhibits tracingthe island’s history from pre-Colombian times to independence.

Heading north from St. John’s, Runaway and DickensonBays both have beautiful beaches and quite a few hotels,making it a lively and sociable place, where you can enjoywater sports, buy colourful T-shirts or relax for lunch in abeachfront restaurant.

Antigua’s east coast has deep bays and protected beaches opento the cooling trade winds. The coastline tends to be rugged androcky, with pleasant small beaches interspersed among the cliffs.Several hotels are distributed along this coast from small hotelsin Indian Bay in the north to the huge St. James Club Resort.

The country of Antigua includes a large offshore island calledBarbuda, about 30 miles to its north. This low flat island issparsely populated and very wild. Much of the coastline is madeup of superb beaches, often a pink colour owing to the groundup seashells from which they are made. There are three hotelson the island, but no dive store.

Language: EnglishCurrency: Eastern Caribbean dollar ($1.00 US = $2.66 EC)Population: 65,000Telephone code: (268)

The presence of a well-developed tourist industry means thereare great restaurants and excellent shopping. Yet it is still easy tofind some wild and beautiful landscapes to explore on your own.

The Cedar Valley Golf Club has a pleasant 18-hole golfcourse. There is another at Jolly Harbour Marina.

Cedar Valley: (268) 462 5635Jolly Harbour: (268) 462 7731

St. Johns

Dickenson Bay

East Coast

Barbuda

Après Dive

Golf

South West andWest

213ANTIGUA

There are good hiking trails in Antigua, many along the cliffyor sandy shores. These hikes offer great views as well as a lot ofcolourful dry scrub, including many types of cactus.

There is excellent horse riding in Antigua.Spring Hill Riding Club, Falmouth: (268) 460 1775

Many of the larger hotels have their own tennis courts, andmost of these will allow outsiders to play for a fee.

Temo Sports Center, Falmouth Harbour: (268) 463 6376

Antigua has a full range of water sports from sports fishingto chartering a luxury yacht to windsurfing or water skiing. Mostbeach hotels have their own water sports. Otherwise you willfind rental agencies in Dickenson Bay along the beach.

Catamaran Marina: (268) 460 1036Jolly Harbour: (268) 462 7595Nicholson’s Yacht Charters: (268) 460 2825Sun Yacht Charters: (268) 460 2615Windsurfing Antigua: (268) 462 9463

Boutique and souvenir shoppers will be happy in Antigua. Mosthotels have their own boutiques, but for a concentration of shopsvisit Heritage and Redcliffe Quays in St. John’s and Jolly Harbour.

There is plenty of nightlife—much of it in the larger hotelsand resorts. Some restaurants also offer jump-up nights. Thereare also a few nightclubs and discos and casinos.

Be sure to visit Shirley Heights Lookout with its sweepingview over English Harbour. On Sundays they throw a hot party.It starts at 4 p.m. with a steel band and switches to reggae at 7p.m. They offer an inexpensive barbecue, lots of action and theperfect sunset view.

Charisma Nite Cub: (268) 462 1449Joe Mikes Casino: (268) 462 3477Keno’s Place: (268) 462 9877King’s Casino: (268) 462 1727Shirley Heights Lookout: (268) 460 1785

Antigua and Barbuda Department of Tourism: (268) 462 0480USA: (305) 381 6762UK: (44) 171 486 7073

Antigua is well served by international airlines. There areregular direct flights, schedule and charter, from Europe andthe USA. Antigua is LIAT’s base so there are many connectingflights to and from other islands.

Hiking

Horse Riding

Tennis

Water Sports

Shopping

Nightlife

Accommodation

Getting There

214 ANTIGUA

Although it has a well-developed tourism industry, Antiguais not particularly known for its diving. In part it is because thediving cannot compete with the impressive coral and fringingreefs elsewhere in the region. Nor does Antigua’s divingenvironment guarantee good visibility. And, in the absence ofmarine reserves, some of the sites are overfished.

The good news is that a vacation in Antigua presents a widearray of water-based activities—plus long beautiful white sandbeaches, more historical sites on land than most other islands,and a dry climate. Consequently a mixed group of divers andnon-divers will be well catered for.

Antigua is set on a shallow bank so most of the diving isshallow, though on the south side it is possible to do dives over100 feet. Antigua has some real coral reefs around its coast.These reefs are relatively shallow and have suffered hurricanedamage, but both Boons Reef to the north and Cades Reef tothe south west are dived.

To really sample Antigua’s diving you would have to dive onboth the south and west side of the island. None of the operatorscover the whole diving area, so you would need to dive withmore than one store.

The defining characteristics of west coast diving are shallowwater, real coral reefs (as compared to the coral encrusted rocksof the south), and many calm-water sites. The underwater terrainis gentle, with undulating banks and fields of soft coral. Gentleslopes and coral knolls are the most common seascape. Thewest coast has the only wrecks on the island.

A combination of northerly ground swells and fine limestonesand reduces visibility on some sites, but this can change day byday. The sites around Boons Reef, Sandy Island and St. Johnsare worst affected. Ariadne Reef and Cades Reef tend to farebetter when the ground swells are in evidence. Althoughconditions do vary; when we dived Ariadne Reef it was the bestvisibility we had experienced in the previous three months divingall the way along the island chain.

The boat ride to the better reefs and shoals, where visibilityis often the best, can be fairly long. Consequently, the stores onthe west generally have larger boats with shelter from the sunand spray, and on-board refreshments.

Diving from Falmouth Harbour, past English Harbour toMamora Bay is a very different experience. As you leave theseharbours, you enter the open ocean and, although there is someshelter from the wind, it is exposed to the east and south. Thereare many days when the winds are light and the sea relativelycalm. But hold on to your hat (and your breakfast) when it isblowing. Boat rides are usually short and there are small coves

The Diving

West

South East

215ANTIGUA

with calmer water where the boat is taken while divers kit up.Once below the surface though, you can no longer feel the

rough conditions; the rugged underwater terrain seems to mimicthe conditions overhead. There is nothing gentle about thisseascape. Huge boulders and slabs of rocks like huge gourds arepiled on the sea bed, as if put aside by someone planning a majorbuilding programme.

Coral and sponges have grown over the rocks and their coatingof algae attracts fish. This piling up of rocks creates numerousnooks and crannies for fish and invertebrates to use as shelter.The sand surrounding the rocks is a fertile area for spottingstingrays, sand tilefish and sand divers.

There are no dive operators on Barbuda so you will have toarrange a trip there with one of the Antigua operators. The boatjourney is long and can be rough. The dive operator will choosethe day carefully and you will have to stay overnight.

Antigua has a few wreck dive sites. Most are in shallow waterand on the west side, which tends to mean variable visibility.Several of the wrecks have interesting stories about how theyended up under rather than on the water.

You may not fish in Antigua without a license. Included inthis rule is spearfishing and taking lobster by any means. In someareas the Coastguard is active and if you are seen taking lobsterthey will take action.

There are no rules governing independent diving. Most storeswill fill tanks and rent equipment. There are no beach dives,however, and the number of dives which can be done from ayacht’s dinghy is limited and are certainly not the best dives.

There is no recompression chamber in Antigua but divingaccidents are rare. Most of the diving is shallow and all of theoperators exercise proper care and control of the diving.

The nearest chamber is in Guadeloupe, but because oflanguage problems Barbados or Saba would be used.

Barbuda

Wrecks

Rules andRegulations

Independent Diving

Safety

WRECKS CURRENTLY BEING DIVED

NAME DATE LENGTH DEPTH CONDITION SITEAndes 1904 200 20 Intact 9Jetias 1917 275 25 Broken 3Lady Caroline 1995 40 100 Intact 39Sandy Island Barge 1990 50 45 Intact 5Shipstern Point Tug 1966 90 40 Intact 8

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NO. SITE NAME DEPTH IN FEET AntiguaDive SitesWEST

Mike’s Reef 45-60Boon Reef 20-25Diamond Bank and the Jetias 25Sandy Island—The Ledge 25-60Sandy Island—Barge 25-45Sandy Island—South 20-40Sandy Island—Jewel Box 25-45Shipstern Point Tug 30-45Andes Wreck 20Terry Anderson 40-50Mings Bank 35-50Grunt 40-60Ariadne Shoal—Pickles’ Reef 45-60Ariadne Shoal—Big John’s Ex-Cave 40-45Cades Reef—Monks Head 30-40Cades Reef—Divers Paradise 20-40Cades Reef—Snapper Ledge 60-90Cades Reef—Caroline’s Anchor 45-100Cades Reef—The Chimney 45-85JJ’s 30-80SOUTH EASTRed Rock 45-60Proctor Point 20-30Bishop’s Reef 10-30Barracuda Reef 20-130Snapper’s Hole 45-80Stingray Alley 40-80Anchor Deep 60-100Berkley Point 15-30Pillars of Hercules 20-40Nanton Reef 25-50Lobster Pot 45-110Carpenters Rock 35-85Rolling Stones 20-50Stoney Cove 30-50Cape Shirley 40-110Tarpon Alley 20-50Sunken Rock 45-130West Bank 65-110

123456789

1011121314151617181920

212223242526272829303132333435363738

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NO. SITE NAME DEPTH IN FEET

NO. OPERATOR LOCATIONDive Operators

Lady Caroline 45-100Eugene’s Arena 35-65JC’s Canyon 30-90Green Island 3-50

39404142

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6789

WESTDive Antigua Dickenson BaySandals Dickenson BayDeep Bay Divers St. JohnsJolly Dive Jolly HarbourCurtain Bluff Curtain Bluff HotelSOUTH EASTOctopus Divers Falmouth HarbourDockyard Divers English HarbourAquanaut Diving Center St. James ClubLong Bay Long Bay Hotel

Discovered by Big John Birk, Mike’s Reef is about 6 milesnorth of Dickenson Bay. The site is a rocky bank, roughly flaton top at 48 feet, then sloping gently to 60 feet. Because it is arocky substratum, it has withstood storm damage better thanthe coral reefs to the south.

The rocks create a rich habitat for marine life—bothpermanent residents like the dozens of lobsters to be found andpelagic visitors. There really is quite a concentration of marinelife and, as the site is not dived too often, the marine life doesnot disappear the moment a diver rolls into the water.

Boon Reef forms an almost unbroken barrier reef with SaltFish Tail to the west and Horseshoe Reef to the east. Recenthurricanes and the associated swells have caused a good deal ofdamage. Nevertheless, there is still some pleasant scenery.

An area called The Bowl is a circular area of rocks with asunken sandy area in the middle, perfect for training. As the boatcan tuck up inside the reef, surface conditions are usually calm.

The British ship Jetias is a 275-foot steam ship. She left St.Johns heading for England in 1917 loaded with sugar,unfortunately making it only as far as Diamond Bank where she

Mike’s Reef45'-60'

Boon Reef20'-25'

Diamond Bankand the Jetias25'

1

2

3

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went aground and sank. She has since turned from poacher togame keeper as several yachts have run into her. On the top ofthe superstructure look for the indentations made by yacht keels.

The three-cylinder engine is still in place, as is the constant-speed propeller and two big boilers. Being at a shallow depth,she is susceptible to wave damage and is now quite broken up.

Sandy Island lies 2 miles off the entrance to St. JohnsHarbour. There are actually two islands, both having a prominentlandmark. Sandy Island proper has a navigation tower and thesecond island has a wreck, high and dry and a constant source ofconfusion to inexperienced sailors trying to work out if it isanchored, maneuvering or heading for St. Johns.

The shallow reef around Sandy Island is known as WeymouthReef after the missionary ship, Weymouth, which hit the reef inthe 17th century.

The story is that only the carpenter survived because he gotoff and rowed ashore. He was a paid hand, not a missionary,and the missionaries believed that God would save them.

A ledge runs north from the island comprised of rocks andcorals. The top of the ledge is good for beginners; other diverswill swim over the lip of the ledge down to 60 feet and alongthe bottom, returning back along the ledge in shallower water.

Attractive sea fans and leafy gorgonians provide habitat forsmall reef fish. Do not ignore the sand as you may well see astingray there.

As well as its high and dry wreck, Sandy Island has asubmerged wreck, a small barge next to a large knoll. The barge,which was sunk deliberately in 1990, sits on the sand at 45 feet.The rocks are encrusted with gorgonians and sponge, and hardcorals have also flourished.

Sadly, this area was badly damaged by Hurricane Luis in1995 but it is beginning to repair itself. Numerous knolls andcoral heads make good terrain for observing the marine life. Inparticular it is an easy and entertaining night dive.

Some interesting rock and coral formations are softened withswaying gorgonians. Under the rocks you could be lucky andfind a nurse shark taking its mid-morning nap. Though its headmay be firmly wedged in a crevice, it is likely to show an ostrich-like ignorance with regard to the exposure of its tail. If the big

Sandy Island

The Ledge(Sandy Island)

25'-60'

Barge(Sandy Island)

25'-45'

South(Sandy Island)

20'-40'

Jewel Box(Sandy Island)

25'-45'

4

5

6

7

220 ANTIGUA

game evades you, you would be unlucky not to spot the wigglingtentacles of a basket star. Look for them clinging to the sides ofsponges or tangled round gorgonians.

Lying under the shadow of Fort Barrington, a St. JohnsHarbour tug has a more illustrious resting place than its ratherignominious demise deserves. The tug, which had a permanentleak, was allowed to sink when the bilge pump was removed forrepair. The seacock was left open by mistake, and when the waterlevel in the leaky tug was up to the seacock, the barge sank,despite a guard being on duty to protect it from thieves or vandals.

The bilge pump can still be seen on the work bench behindthe engine, awaiting repair. Open hatches give access to the bridgecabins and engine room. Unfortunately, the area suffers frompoor visibility and recent dredging of the harbour has exacerbatedthe problem.

In the entrance to Deep Bay the stumps of two masts peekthrough the surface of the water marking two of the three mastsof the Andes. Another story of incompetence details the end ofthis brigantine’s life.

The Andes arrived from Venezuela with a cargo of cottonand pitch. As she was attempting to enter St. Johns, smoke wasseen coming from the top of the hollow steel masts andpermission to enter was refused. Instead, the ship was anchoredin Deep Bay where the crew decided they would open the holdto see what was happening. Whoosh! The smoldering cargobecame a conflagration. And, there the Andes sank.

The stern is now broken off, but it is an interesting wreck todive because you can get inside between the deck beams. If you

A basket starsnuggled up in atight ball to waitout the daylighthours.

Shipstern PointTug30'-45'

Andes Wreck20'

8

9

221ANTIGUA

look carefully at the hull, you can see where the molten pitchoozed through the plates. Coral has encrusted the hull and, aswith most wrecks, many fish are drawn to it. Once again, itsuffers from poor visibility. On a good day, however, it is wortha dive or, if you enjoy skin diving, just snorkel on it.

Yes, this dive is named after Terry Anderson, the AssociatedPress Bureau representative who was held hostage in Lebanonwith Terry Waite and John Anderson. Terry learned to divewith John Birk of Dive Antigua and he was with John when hefound this site.

The site is a ridge that runs for 50 yards before a sand chutecuts it. Another ridge continues the other side of the chute,turning into a point. At this point is a busy cleaning stationfrequented by barracuda. It is quite a sight to come across a 5-foot barracuda with its mouth agape.

Once again this is rock terrain rather than coral reef, but therocks are well encrusted with corals.

The bank is a mixture of rock and decrepit coral, resulting ina honeycombed terrain, which many species use for day andnight-time shelter. It is a hot spot for fish attracted by the richsupplies of plankton often found here. Look out into the blueand you may see jacks, snappers and Atlantic spadefish.

It is a dangerous habit to predict that certain sealife will beseen on a dive site, but the consistency of the appearance of bigschools of tomtate grunt on this bank make that prediction asafe bet. Tomtates are relatively small grunts, silvery with a finehorizontal yellow line and a prominent black smudge at thebase of the tail. The school can be so thick that two divers 10feet apart cannot see each other.

The reef is in the shape of a long thin key with many nooksand crannies.

We are six miles west of Antigua, and Nevis is beginning togrow large when the echo sounder shows a shallowing area knownas Ariadne Shoal. A fold on the sea floor has brought the bottomclose enough to sunlight for coral to grow.

Although on the lee side of Antigua, it is too far out to getany shelter from the sea state, so you may get a bumpy boatride and a lumpy sea for your entry and exit after the dive. It iswell worth the trip, however. When we dived here, visibilityelsewhere was poor yet we had a minimum of 80 feet on Ariadne.

Terry Anderson40'-50'

Mings Bank35'-50'

Grunt40'-60'

Pickles’ Reef(Ariadne Shoal)

45'-60'

10

11

12

13

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222 ANTIGUA

It takes us about 35 minutes to get to the site and we arechased by squalls, drawing a curtain of rain over visibility. FirstAntigua disappears in the rain, then we lose sight of Montserratand finally Nevis succumbs.

Ashton, our dive leader, can still find the spot where hewants to anchor and, after we jiggle around a bit, the anchorgoes down and we are given our briefing. We are told to lookout for Pickles.

Pickles is a hawksbill turtle who has developed an affectionfor human beings, and in particular for Ashton. But Pickles wasgoing to be a bonus because Ariadne Shoal already offers someof the best diving on the west coast of Antigua.

The grey weather on the surface does not bode well forvisibility below, but as we roll into the water the brightluminescent blue is enough to make our eyes water. As thesunlight breaks through, it hits the ivory white sand below andblazes back up at the surface.

Dive Profile

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We drop down to the bottom at 50 feet and take a look around.We can see the reef stretching away all around us. We head northand the group is able to spread out because, with visibility at around100 feet, Ashton is able to keep everyone in sight.

The edge of the reef is at just over 60 feet and comprises amixture of hard corals and gorgonians. There are also barrelsponges, tunicates and zoanthids encrusting the skeletons of deadcoral. The concentration of fish is good.

As we begin our circuit, a school of small barracuda joins thedive group. Small reef fish are prolific, including bi-colourdamselfish—more aptly called chocolate dips as their front halfis brown and their rear white. Brown and blue chromis, anothermember of the damselfish family, drift over the reef consumingstray algae. Groups of schoolmasters (a type of snapper) keepthe fish life in order but seem to have little influence over thecurious green moray who pokes out his head, determined weshould not miss seeing him.

Continuing to swim anti-clockwise until the shadow of theboat is above us, we enjoy this relaxed dive enhanced by thetranslucent quality of the water. A real bonus is due to the sitenot being overdived and creatures do not head for cover themoment they hear the gurgle of a diver’s regulator.

Thanks to Ashton of Dive Antigua.

It is perhaps a little unfair to re-christen this site ‘Ex-cave’ asthere are still very many caves and tunnels to explore. But, theoriginal eponymous ‘John’s’ cave collapsed after the hurricanesof 1995. Ashton tells us how when he first dived here afterHurricane Luis, Pickles (who moves about) rushed up to him ashe entered the water with a “Oh, Ashton, terrible news, guesswhat, the cave has collapsed!” look on his face. “OK, Pickles,”

Pickles knows herterrain better than any

divemaster could.

Big John’sEx-Cave

(Ariadne Shoal)40'-45'

14

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Ashton bubbles back, “Let’s go look”. And, lo and behold thecave had collapsed.

We drop down to a sand patch at 40 feet and find ourselvessurrounded by reef. A legacy of old corals has formed an intricateand punctured reef in this area. Tunnels, caves and deep overhangsare the norm and we drift from one to another.

True to Pickles’ discovery, the largest of the caves hascollapsed but remains an interesting indentation. One tunnel islarge enough for a diver to pass through. Every cave and overhangreveals something interesting, including two nurse sharks and agreen moray.

New growth of coral appears healthy, though it has to competefor space with other creatures, sponges in particular. One patch ofpillar coral has developed a delightful two-tone two-textured livery.Half of the pinnacled patch is the golden fuzzy yellow normallyassociated with pillar coral and the other half is the rich chocolatebrown of encrusting sponge, appearing to have the texture of suede.

W

Dive Profile

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Fast-growing gorgonians have made aserious bid for space, spreading across muchof the substratum. Two other creatures havejumped on this bandwagon and inhabit thegorgonians. Flamingo tongue snails eat theirway along the branches of the gorgonians,as if they are living on a huge baguette.

Attached to the branches we see Atlanticwing-oysters, another mollusk. Althoughwell disguised, keep looking and you are sureto find them. We see dozens. The shell ofthis bivalve is 2 to 3 inches long and itsdistinguishing feature is a spear-likeextension, almost as long again as the shell.Adding to its armoury is the tooth-likeclosure of the valves, which will clamp shutif you approach too close. But despite itswarrior garb, the oyster is a filter feeder sounlike the flamingo tongue, it does not eatits host.

Large creatures roam the reef, too. We see ocean triggerfishand schools of tomtates. Parts of the reef look so much like anEnglish dry stone wall that it seems incongruous to see fishappearing over it. A sheep’s head would look less out of place.

Thanks to Ashton of Dive Antigua.

Cades Reef is a true coral reef, which until recently wasentirely submerged and could be seen from the surface only bythose with a practiced eye for reef spotting. But hurricane swellshave driven dead coral onto the reef top and it is now dry in twoareas. It is slowly becoming an island. The reef runs parallel tothe shore in two sections, an inner and outer area. Inside thereef is shallow calm water. The outside of the reef offers deeperdiving and better visibility, but rougher water.

There are perhaps a dozen different parts of the reef thatoperators dive. Each store has its own favourites. We have describedbelow four sites representative of the diving around the reef.

Our second dive of the day is on the inside of the reef, onone of several coral mounds in the area. Monks Head has beengiven its name because of the shape of the reef—round with asand top and a fringe around the edge. Visibility in this area isnot usually as good as on the outside of the reef. We can seefrom the surface that the visibility is not good and it turns outlike dropping into a pint of English beer—warm, cloudy andwith strange bits floating in it. But suspended plankton meansfish feeding and there are numerous fish on this site.

Atlantic wing-oysterscling to gorgonians,

doing them no harmbut giving themselves

a good position to filterthe water for food.

Cades Reef

Monk’s Head(Cades Reef)

30'-40'

15

C

226 ANTIGUA

The depth under the boat is 40 feet and the terrain is flat sowe never drop below 35 feet, giving us a long second dive. Aswe swim to the reef a stingray makes a quick exit and we seefour more before the dive is over.

There is a good side to everything and, as we cannot see far,we spend the dive examining the minutiae of the marine life anddiscover some interesting creatures. Many of the gorgonians haveflamingo tongues feeding on them. (Look for small snails with acoat like a leopard.) We also see some large tube worms, theirgraceful crown of radioles filtering the rich water for food.

What looks like a discarded conch shell appears to move andwe find a giant hermit crab snuggled inside.

This cryptic terrain is a giant housing complex for a host ofinvertebrates. If one element of the population is well satisfiedthen others thrive too, and there is a good range of fish speciesaround Monks Head. Apart from reef fish such as tangs, oceansurgeonfish, blue and brown chromis, tobacco fish and blueheadwrasse, an Atlantic spadefish does a slow pass by and a Queentriggerfish catches our eye.

Navigation on this site is easy, as you simply keep the reef onyour left and circumnavigate it. Fortunately we could just makeout the outline of the boat through the murk otherwise wemight have kept going round forever.

Thanks to Deano of Deep Bay Divers.

Dive Profile

227ANTIGUA

Used as a second dive and also as a night dive, the sitegenerally has better visibility than the shallower area inside thereef. It comprises a patch of reef surrounded by sand that hasits share of stingrays. Being shallow, it is well lit by the overheadsun and is a bright colourful dive.

Our first dive of the morning is on the outside of CadesReef. Before anchoring at the site we prepare our kit in therelative calm of the inner reef, then motor out through a gap toanchor at Snapper Ledge. Today the weather is fine, the seastate is moderate and we can see the bottom 60 feet below us,the turquoise of the sandy areas contrasting with darker patches,which indicate reef. As we have spent some days diving on therocky sites around English Harbour, this is going to provide uswith a change of scenery.

Diver’s Paradise(Cades Reef)

20'-40'

16

Snapper Ledge(Cades Reef)

60'-90'

17

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A gentle descent through the blue has us wishing they madetinted polarised diving masks, as we are dazzled by the powerfulsun’s rays reflecting off the sand. As soon as we reach the reefslope, history begins to tell its tale. Old coral now forms a basefor new growth and the shapes of dead elkhorn are draped with

Urchins—Friend or Foe?Urchins are not always popular with divers, especially divers who have ever been stuck by an urchin’s spine.

They inflict a painful wound because the spine of the long spined urchin is barbed so will pierce the skin more

easily than it can be removed. They are brittle, too, and will break when you try to remove them. You need to

soak it out with hot water and maybe a drawing ointment—and expect to have to treat the wound for infection.

Spines are the defence mechanism of these slow

moving creatures (relatives of the equally slow moving

sea cucumbers and crinoids). They are attached to

the test with a ball and socket joint, enabling the

urchin to direct the spines at their predators. Although

they do not have eyes, the spines are light sensitive so

they know you are there. If you wave your hand near

one you will see it orient its spines towards you.

The spines of heart urchins and sand dollars are

so short as to be more like bristles. They spend their

time in the sand foraging for food. Because the spines

are so short, it is easy to see the five-part body plan

common to all urchins.

The long spined urchin is the most common urchin seen by divers on Caribbean reefs, though there used

to be many more of them than there are now. In 1981 a disease struck the urchin population and in some areas

the mortality rate was as high as nine out of ten. Their role as algae eaters was taken up by other herbivores—

tangs, damselfish and parrotfish. There was still a noticeable increase in algae on the reefs, though, and the

increase in parrotfish had a cost in damage to coral.

There are several species of urchin in the Caribbean and they all have much shorter spines than the long

spined urchin. West Indian sea eggs are the largest urchin species and they have suffered their own reduction

in population, but this time through over harvesting to eat, as they are considered a delicacy in France.

Slate pencil urchins use their tough stubby spines to wedge themselves into holes in the reef. Both slate

pencil urchins and West Indian sea eggs are often covered in algae or bits of garbage, so that divers think they are

dead. Scientists think they may collect the debris as camouflage or as protection from the sun. The spines are not

as densely packed as the long-spined species, so you can see the body clearly. But that is not its mouth that you

can see on top; the mouth is underneath the body. So no prizes for what the aperture on top is.

A reef urchin shows off its red body throughthe protection of its spines.

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feathery hydroids and sponges.We circle first to the western side of the gully, head east at

70 feet, and find our first lobster under a coral overhang. Itwaves its feelers at us, making sure we know it means business.

Although much of the coral has suffered storm damage, newgrowth is developing with a wide variety of species. It is alsogood to see a few urchins on the reef, as they help to keep thegrowth of algae down. Antigua’s reefs suffered badly when mostof the urchins were wiped out in the 1980s and the populationis only just beginning to recover.

One of the benefits of an old reef structure with new growthon top is that there are many holes, providing habitat for reefcreatures and enough healthy new growth to keep the ecosystemof the reef going. Our dive leader clearly knows every one ofthese holes because it is not long before he finds us a greenmoray, at least 6 feet long. We can trace the extension of histail across three of the entrances to his personal labyrinth. Postedat the main entrance, from which the eel peers out at us, is alarge channel crab. It seems as if it is used to visitors, as itcontinues its lunch as if we are not there.

Although the reef is interesting, allow some time to investigatethe sand. We see stingrays and a number of large (1 to 2 feet)sand tilefish quivering above their burrows. This strange fish, whosemotion resembles an eel, builds a burrow in sand or rubble and ifalarmed will disappear so fast you wonder if you imagined it.

We retrace our route back to the dive boat in 50 feet on thetop of the reef. True to the site name we see snappers as well asschoolmasters, blue head wrasse and many juvenile reef fish.Most of the fish are relatively small which we put down to thedozen or more fish traps scattered around the area. The coralstructure of this reef has grown older than many of the fishhave a chance to.

Thanks to Deano of Deep Bay Divers.

We are unable to discover who Caroline was, but the anchoris very real. It is an 18th century anchor, still recognisable thoughno longer serving any useful purpose except to entertain diversand provide habitat for small invertebrates.

The best part of the dive is at 65 feet though the reef runsdown to 100 feet before turning to sand.

The terrain here is very similar to the other sites on the outsideof Cades Reef, but in addition there is a tunnel at 60 feet whichcan be penetrated, although you will need to be confident aboutyour buoyancy as you exit the tunnel at 40 feet.

The rest of the terrain is sprinkled with small holes and

Caroline’s Anchor(Cades Reef)

45'-100'

The Chimney(Cades Reef)

45'-85'

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overhangs where ancient coral has eroded. Check inside the holesfor eels and lobsters, or at least in those holes that an anemonehas not already moved in to.

Old Road Bluff is the main headland to the east of CadesReef. JJs is immediately south of the headland and provides someinteresting terrain. There is a small drop-off and lots of holesand caves. Because there are fewer fish traps there are more fishthan around Cades Reef. It is also a good place for finding nursesharks, lobsters and moray eels, especially green morays.

“We often see stingrays here”. We note the plural in ourdivemaster’s briefing and think it brave of him to be so bold.But stingrays, we are told, are a dead certainty.

The dive is along the end of a series of fingers of coralinterspersed with sand gulleys. The gulleys between the rockand coral slopes are worth investigating, as the many overhangsharbour various interesting creatures.

The boat anchors in 45 feet at the entrance to a sand chute.Slipping down the chute, we reach sand at 60 feet. The coveringof the slope is mainly gorgonians of all types: sea rods, plumesand fans. For some reason they have grown only to a height of

JJs30'-80'

Red Rock45'-60'

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about 2 feet, looking more like a heathland than the normalgorgonian forest. The short tendrils allow us explore theinhabitants living among the swaying branches.

The sand at the bottom of the slope is not as lifeless as it atfirst appears. The distinctive mounds of half-buried stingraysdraw us close. An eye twitching here, a tail there, and everynow and then a puff of sand and a ground hugging glide beforemelting back into the bottom. Ken, our dive leader, gives us his“I told you so” look, but even he is impressed when we find anurse shark with two good sized remora firmly attached.

Sharks and rays are part of the same class, having severalcharacteristics in common. One of the reasons we find bothresting on the sandy bottom is their lack of swim bladder, orsaid more simply—they sink.

The dive offers a different environment on the route back inshallower water. A selection of reef fish buzz among thegorgonians, oblivious to the presence of the divers. The areaunder the boat is interesting enough for divers with different airconsumption to finish the dive.

Back on the boat, only momentarily was Ken taken in whenwe said, “What stingrays?”

Thanks to Ken of Octopus Divers.

Usually chosen as a second dive, Proctor Point is a collectionof large rocks creating swim-throughs and interesting shapes.One rock looks like a large table laid with a colourful cloth ofcoral and sponges.

Because it is a shallow dive, the sun is reflected off the coral,making it colourful, especially the area as you emerge from theswim-through. But take care, there is quite a bit of fire coral.

Fish are attracted to the spot in large numbers. Tangs and

Proctor Point20'-30'

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A shark provides aresting place forseveral remora.

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A stingray lying in the sand may look like it is sleeping,but it is probably sniffing out a crunchy crustacean to

snack on.

Stingrays—Not as Dumb as they LookStingrays can hardly be blamed for their sedentary life; they simply never developed a swim bladder so are unable

to control their buoyancy except by swimming or sinking. All rays and sharks suffer from this disability, leading some

people to describe them as primitive fish, which is not the case at all. They may be different from bony fish (a ray’s

skeleton is made from cartilage not bone) but they have some very advanced and well adapted characteristics.

If you cannot maintain neutral

buoyancy you either have to develop a

very efficient, low energy method of

swimming or learn to live on the sand.

Most sharks along with eagle rays and manta

rays took the swimming route. Eagle rays

and mantas have large pectoral fins that

work like wings, enabling them to fly and

glide through the water.

Stingrays and electric rays made the

best of sinking by surviving on the seabed,

except for an occasional low level and

short distance swim. But lying on the bottom has a couple of drawbacks of its own. The ray’s gills are under the

body so covered by sand when the ray lies on the bottom. Rays have evolved openings, called spiracles, located

behind the eyes that they use to draw in water over the gill filaments.

The organ used for smelling is still located under the body, however, as they use it to detect prey—

crustaceans and worms— buried in the sand, which their powerful jaws then crush.

Rays are very robustly built. The skin is constructed rather like a carpet with fibres forming a tough, flexible

weave. Denticles (the same material as the ray’s teeth are made from) cover the body, instead of the relatively

delicate scales that bony fish have.

Being slow to move, stingrays and electric rays have developed impressive defence mechanisms. Stingrays

have a 5-inch barb at the base of their tail, which can give a very painful wound. Electric rays deliver an electric

shock; in some species the shock can be the equivalent of 220 volts at 8 amps. This is a killer shock for most

marine life and the effort of emitting the shock leaves the electric ray severely weakened for some time.

coneys are abundant, and look out for smaller creatures likeredlip blennies. Peacock flounders are well disguised lying oncolourful rocks, as are scorpionfish.

This is hardly an adventurous dive, but it is very colourfuland good for beginners, photographers and as a night dive.

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Within the confines of Falmouth Harbour lies a small shallowreef, not often dived by the two stores in this area, though it isoccasionally used as a training dive or a night dive. The terrain ismade up of rocks and coral with a reasonable quantity of smallerreef fish.

For once, the name of the dive site is true to its nature. It isnot unusual to see schools of barracuda gathered here. There ismuch for divers to enjoy on this reef, especially those who enjoyexploring shallow caves, gulleys and undercuts. Numerous slotshide nurse sharks, lobsters and eels.

Cruising the surface of the slope are large numbers of blackdurgons as well as the usual reef fish.

A wall drops from 45 feet to 80 feet with a ledge protrudingat 60 feet. The base of the wall is sand, which glows in thereflected light of the sun. Deep slots in the wall are perfecthabitat for critters, including lobsters and moray eels. It isanother place where grunts tend to shelter during daylight hours,awaiting the cover of darkness to hunt for food. The sandy bottomsometimes offers up a stingray or two.

Typical of the diving in this area, Stingray Alley is a slopingreef leading to a sloping sandy bottom with endless nooks andcrannies to explore. Brain corals have grown to impressive sizes,as have barrel sponges.

Sand valleys between the rocks and coral serve as parkinglots for stingrays and are fun to drift down.

Named after the 18th century 9-ton anchor lying at 100 feet,the site has quite a few other interesting features. A slope dropsdown to 100 feet and forms a ledge, which has become the restingplace for the anchor. The slope is punctured with small holes,large enough to explore but small enough to form a safe havenfor a variety of invertebrates. The slope eventually turns to sand.

Most of Antigua’s south coast diving is on rocky terrain ratherthan coral reef, which sets this shallow site at the entrance toEnglish Harbour apart. A small reef, comprising mainly elkhornand staghorn coral, has grown off Berkley Point. Although thesespecies are easily damaged in storm swells, they are fast growingand the reef survives its relatively exposed position quite well.

Bishop’s Reef10'-30'

Barracuda Reef20'-130'

Snapper Hole45'-80'

Stingray Alley40'-80'

Anchor Deep60'-100'

Berkley Point15’-30'

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At the entrance to English Harbour the cliff face has beensculpted into a row of columns, like the entrance to a Greektemple. The setting sun sets alight this regal sweep, competingin grandeur with the historic buildings of Nelson’s Dockyard.

Having seen the underwater environment at the base of thepillars, it is surprising to find them still standing. Huge slabs ofrock and a proliferation of smaller boulders litter the slope,where hurricane-induced storm swells have hastened the actionof erosion. Recent swells have added to the piles of rocks, sosome have little or no encrustation.

Two mooring buoys, just off the pillars, mark the startingpoint of the dive. Under the boat there is about 20 feet ofwater, making this a good beginners or refresher dive. It is alsoused as a night dive.

In this area the rocks are relatively small but, as we followthe headland around, the rocks could no longer be described asboulders; they become structures in their own right. Geologistswill be fascinated at the distinctive layering of the rock, like agiant lasagne. Many of the rocks have a smooth flat top and aragged edge, exposing the layers in cross section as if someonehas taken a large bite out of the cliff above.

Pillars ofHercules20'-40'

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The covering of the rocks is mostly algae with patches ofencrustation of coral and sponge. A few small gorgonians sproutfrom the rocks. There is a reasonable volume of fish—mainlysurgeonfish and damselfish—grazing on the algae.

At the base of the slope at about 40 feet is an area of rubbleeventually becoming sand. Overhangs created by the rock slabsgive shelter to blackbar soldierfish and we also see many gruntshovering in the shadow of one of the larger lumps of rock.These night-time feeders head for the surrounding sand areas tofeed at night but they do not simply use the reef for shelter,they make a contribution, too. After a night of gorging, thegrunts return and defecate on the reef, bringing valuable nutrientsfor use by the other reef inhabitants.

We follow the headland round until we reach an amphitheatreformed by several large rocks and entered through a canyonbetween vertical rock faces. The walls are smeared with spongesand corals; pinks and purples dominate. Be sure to look into thedeep fissure at the base, where we see two groupers hiding.

At this point we turn and retrace our route to the dive boat.A small amount of current has been against us on the outwardpath, so it is a pleasant gentle drift back.

Thanks to Tony Fincham of Dockyard Divers.

The dive is between huge boulders. On one side of the diveroute, as you pass through the boulders, is sand. There are timeswhen the area is like fish soup, both small reef fish and largerjacks mingle here. Look up and you can see the waves poundingon the rocks above, belying the underwater calm.

The Pillars of Herculesguard the entrance toEnglish Harbour with

Octopus Divers’ boat inthe foreground.

Nanton Reef25'-50'

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The dive boat anchors in Nanton Bay from where you willhave a 4- or 5-minute swim at 45 feet to a ledge that dropsdown to 110 feet. Ledges and caves scallop the rock slope,virtually guaranteeing the presence of lobsters and eels. Thissite can be used as a deep dive, even when sea conditions arerough, because the area where the boat anchors is sheltered.

Calm weather is required in order to anchor the dive boat inthis spot. The underwater seascape comprises a steep walldirectly in front of the cliffs and fingers of coral-covered rockextending out to sea. The dive route passes over these extensions,dropping down between each finger to explore the overhangs.Marine growth is quite healthy but the area is vulnerable tostorm damage.

This is another site strewn with big boulders on a sandybottom. These 20-ton boulders are of volcanic origin and, bytheir size, illustrate the forces involved. The piles of rocks forma labyrinth of passages and swim-throughs. Barrel sponges growto a good size and the rocks are well encrusted with star coral.

The highlight of this site is a cavern at 50 feet, approximately30 feet wide and 80 feet deep. The cavern narrows towards theback, but the entrance is so large that the top of the cave isabove water. There is plenty of light in the cave but a light isuseful to investigate the smaller marine life on the cave walls.

Below Shirley Heights, the mountain slides underwater andis dotted with big rock formations. There is a circuitous diveroute down a steep slope sliced with valleys. The site has its fairshare of drop-offs and overhangs before reaching a sandy slopeat 100 feet. The rocks are encrusted with hard and soft corals,especially sea fans and sea rods.

The buoy is missing on the day we do this dive, so we anchorin 40 feet and swim first east then south around a collection ofrock slabs. We drop down only to about 75 feet, though there isgood terrain down to more than 100 feet.

The rocks are large enough to create canyons to pass throughand smaller crevices hide porcupinefish, spotted drums, rockhinds, soapfish, and schools of blackbar soldierfish. Black durgonshover above and blue tangs and surgeonfish nibble at the rocks’hairy covering. As we pass through a steep-sided crevice at 60

Lobster Pot45'-110'

Carpenter’s Rock35'-85'

Rolling Stones20'-50'

Stoney Cove30'-50'

Cape Shirley40'-110'

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237ANTIGUA

feet, our bubbles rush up the sides like an inverted waterfall.As we complete our circle of the rocks, we swim along the

cliff base and into an arena 40 feet deep. The walls are encrustedwith red and orange encrusting sponges and more tunicates.Various members of the grouper family congregate under theoverhangs created by the cliff wall and we amuse ourselves hereuntil it is time to return to the boat.

Thanks to John at Aquanaut Diving Center.

This is done as a drift dive; if the current is strong you willdrift round to Cape Shirley. Swim along the cliff edge where aledge starts at 20 feet before reaching a slit in the cliff at 40feet. The attraction of this dive is the resident population oftarpon. You can see as many as 40 in the slit in the rock. Inbiological terms tarpon are primitive fish, having got stuck in anevolutionary dead end, much as they seem to have done in thedead end crevice in the cliff.

Tarpon Alley20'-50'

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This dive site is just off the headland where Eric Clapton hasbuilt a new house. As the dive is around an impressive rock, thesize of a city block, rock fans can pay their respects both beforeand after submerging. The rock pinnacle is just awash, lying 3feet below the surface, and when the swells build they breakover it. The site is normally dived in the morning, before thewaves build, or at night when the sea state has calmed again.

Our pre-dive brief told us that we would dive clockwise roundthe rock. Surface conditions are such that we descend immediatelywe enter the water and find ourselves on a rocky bottom in 45feet. Small gorgonian bushes, barrel sponges and blue tangsbrighten the rocky base as we swim toward the first crevice.

In this part of the dive large rocks create a winding path,which we navigate carefully as the surge alternately pulls andpushes us. The surge frustrates the stoplight parrotfish nibblingat the rock’s coating. One moment they are in position to crop

Sunken Rock45'-130'

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a juicy meal, the next they are whisked away.Through a gulley, at 65 feet, is the best view of the dive, but

we are a bit spoiled for choice. Looking forward, the slope ofthe pinnacle framed in the overhead light is covered in gorgonians.This hoary visage has to compete with the view up to the surface,where Bermuda chub, jacks and yellowtail snappers are slowlycircling in search of prey. Dusk is not far off and many fish arevulnerable at this time, as the sun’s slanting rays expose them topredators.

On the other side of the gulley is a ledge running at 70 feet,which then turns to sand scattered with boulders. We drop tothe base of the pinnacle at 105 feet and peer into the manycrevices and slots. Small bushes of black coral hang gracefullyfrom the wall, whereas the large barrel sponges seem to beperched rather precariously on the vertical surface.

Small patches of great star coral are dotted around the rocks,almost apologetically in the face of this monolithic structure.They contribute much of the colour to the dive. Interestinglyalmost all of the patches are red. This does not denote a particularcoral species because it is not the coral that is colourful; it is thezooxanthellae (tiny algae) which live in the coral that contributethe colour. Coral without zooxanthellae is white and quitetransparent.

The wall of the pinnacle as we pass round to the west isdraped with deepwater sea fans shivering in the swell. Equallytwitchy are the shy blackbar soldierfish sheltering under theoverhang around the base of the pinnacle. Black Margates dislikecrowds and prefer an overhang to themselves.

Back to the dive boat, the seas are beginning to flatten out.Another hour and it will be perfect for a night dive, but we’ll besipping sundowners by then.

Thanks to John at Aquanaut Diving Center.

This black margate islucky to find an

overhang notcrammed with fish.

240 ANTIGUA

The next four dives are used only by Aquanaut Diving Center,as they are all in the vicinity of St. James Club. West Bank is aquarter of a mile outside the entrance to Mamora Bay. It is asmall submerged hill remarkably similar in profile to the onebehind St. James Club. The top is at 65 feet and the hill is largeenough to give three different dive areas.

If you swim down the south side of the hill you will find acave at 110 feet occupied by dog snappers. They seem to beintrigued or perhaps just confused by divers’ bubbles. Divers looktoo big to make a meal but the bubbles clearly look bite sized andthe snappers zoom past your mask as they chase the bubbles up.Let us hope they remember to exhale as they ascend!

Lady Caroline is a 45-foot ferrocement yacht sunk in 100feet. The rigging has been removed and it is safe to pass throughthe hull. Fish gather around the wreck to feed. She was put inthis position only recently by Aquanaut Diving Center but, asshe had been lying on the seabed for 2 years previously, there isalready a fair amount of growth.

East of the entrance to Mamora Bay is an area of ocean floorthat has caved in, making a sinkhole that is almost a perfect circle.The mooring is in 35 feet and the best part of the dive is around60 feet. Nurse sharks have also found this interesting structureand use it as a resting place. From April to November, big schoolsof Atlantic spadefish cruise gracefully by.

JC refers to John Charlsworth, owner of Aquanaut DivingCenter. The site is a couple of hundred yards east of MamoraBay. The dive route takes you out down the right-hand branchof the canyon to about 80 feet. There is then a swim across thereef at 65 feet to an area of ledges and caves.

To the south of Green Island are areas of reef that are usedby Long Bay Hotel divers. It is one of Antigua’s only beach divesand there are two reefs.

The first reef is at 10 feet and you cut across an underwaterfield of algae where conch roam and stingrays often lie.

The second reef is at 20 to 25 feet dropping to 35 feet. Theroute either follows the small wall on the face of the reef,returning along the same path or you can go farther out to twopatch reefs at about 50 feet. There are often schools of bluetangs, giving the whole area a sapphire hue.

West Bank65'-110'

Lady Caroline45'-100'

Eugene’s Arena35'-65'

JC’s Canyon30'-90'

Green Island3'-50'

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With so much of Antigua’s GNP coming from tourism, it isnot surprising to find that most tourist related activity is wellestablished, with active competition between service providers.There are enough divers among the 500,000 visitors to Antiguaeach year to sustain a thriving dive business.

Despite prohibitively high duties on imported goods, the divestores all seem to have good quality equipment. Other than thestores in English and Falmouth Harbours, most do not sellequipment, however.

There is quite a range of dive boats: some are convertedfishing boats, others are purpose-built dive boats. Most haveshade or are travelling short distances. As many of the operatorsare doing 2-tank morning dives, shade and comfort on board isan important consideration.

We were not able to find anywhere to get slides developed inAntigua. Several places develop print film and some of the storesrent underwater cameras.

Diving is relatively expensive in Antigua, especially if you aremaking single-tank dives. Two-tank dives are better value formoney and make more sense for those stores on the west wherethe boat trips are quite long, hence the higher price of single-tank dives in that area.

All prices include rental of equipment:Single-tank $45-652-tank $75-906-dive package (3x2-tanks) $225-24010-dive package (5x2-tank) $300-385Open Water Course $375-495Open Water Referral $200-225Discover Scuba $80-90

Antigua has a broad range of dive operators, including somewho have been in business for many years. Each store has itsown diving area so check the map and dive descriptions to seewhat kind of diving you can expect with that operator.

It is often the prerogative of the first operator on an islandto claim the island’s name prefaced by ‘Dive’. So it is in Antigua.Dive Antigua 11 is run by larger-than-life John Birk who iscredited with being Antigua’s first dive operator.

John, known as Big John, offers a lifetime’s experience ofdiving—he reckons he has spent 1½ years underwater. And, it isexperience that he shares willingly. He covers and cleans hisslate numerous times during a dive so, no matter what you see,

Antigua DivingFacilities

Equipment

PhotographicEquipment

Cost

Operators

West Coast Stores

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every dive is made interesting.All Dive Antigua’s dive leaders are equally informative. Ashton,

a lifelong friend and one of John’s instructors, will not just finda lobster to show you, but if it is a female he will point out heregg sac and explain what she is doing when she is pruning deadeggs from the sac.

Dive Antigua’s dive sites are spread from the most northernsites right round to Cades Reef. They have a large number ofsites, meaning that none are over-used.

The dive boat, an ex-military command craft powered by a450 hp engine run on kerosene, is powerful and stable, enablingdivers with Dive Antigua to cover the full range of diving incomfort and protected from both spray and sun.

The store is right on the beach and, despite being next doorto the Rex Halcyon Cove Hotel ($1,500 to $3,300 7-day/10-tank for two people, excluding food), divers come from manydifferent hotels all over the island. The dive boat also collectsdivers from their hotel’s beach. John claims 70 per cent of hisbusiness is repeat or referred and his customer’s loyalty is matchedby his staff, most of whom have been with him for many years.

Big John used to own a store in Deep Bay just south of St.Johns, called Deep Bay Divers 33, that he sold in 1995 to hisfriend Deano Braithwaite and which has since relocated toRedcliffe Quay next to the cruise ship dock in St. Johns. If youmake your own arrangements in advance, Deep Bay Divers willalter their dive schedule to accommodate the arrival time ofyour cruise ship.

Deep Bay Divers provide diving to guests of the Royal AntiguanHotel in Deep Bay, but they also collect divers from other localhotels. They can arrange accommodation from $800 for 7-nights/10-dives excluding food.

The dive boat, Life of Riley, is a New England lobster boatfitted out with tank racks, making a comfortable and sea-kindlydive boat. Typically the dive sites used are Cades Reef, SandyIsland and Ariadne Shoal. Deano also takes groups to Barbuda.It is a 3-hour boat ride and it can be rough, but you will havefun fishing for your supper on route. Deep Bay Divers providetents and cooking equipment for an overnight stay beforereturning after diving the next day. Groups of up to 12 can beaccommodated but arrangements must be made in advance, sogive them notice if you want to make this trip.

Deep Bay Divers is a pleasant, reliable operation, convenientlypositioned for cruise ship passengers and the many beachfronthotels in the St. Johns area.

Sandals 22 is the only all-inclusive resort offering diving onthe west side. Diving is included in the cost of the vacation andit is possible for experienced divers to do two dives per day, oneat 9 a.m. and one at 2 p.m. You will be required to do a diver

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DEEP BAY AD

244 ANTIGUA

orientation and your first dive will be an afternoon dive, whichis a shallow dive planned for those who are doing resort courses.After that, you are able to do the morning dive (single-tank)which is somewhat deeper and is only for certificated divers.

Sandals have a fast purpose-built dive boat and, althoughthere is no shade, it takes only 30 minutes to reach Cades Reef.

As well as diving, Sandals offers kayaks, windsurfers,kneeboarding, Sunfish sailing, Hobies and aquatrykes. Theposition and facilities of Sandals in Antigua means that it willsuit mixed groups of divers and non-divers or those who want toenjoy a range of water sports including a few dives. It is not soappropriate for those wanting to do a lot of diving.

About half-way down the west coast of Antigua is JollyHarbour Marina and Beach Resort. Jolly Dive 44 is on the beachinside the resort. It is well located not only in terms of itsconvenience for divers staying at the Jolly Harbour Beach Resortbut also its proximity to the dive sites. Within easy reach ofJolly Dive are Cades Reef and Ariadne Shoal and even the sitesoff the south coast near English Harbour are possible, albeitrequiring a 1- to 1½- hour boat ride. This is the only store offeringboth south and west coast diving.

Eric who used to run a dive store in the south of France,manages the store. Initially working as a dive instructor for JollyDive, he took over the management of the store in 1997 andhas plans to develop the operation. Diving Belle, the currentdive boat, is 30 feet long with a 250 hp engine.

Jolly Dive promotes a friendly informal atmosphere on theboat and in the store.

The only other all-inclusive hotel in Antigua to offer diving isCurtain Bluff 55, overlooking Cades Reef. The hotel has servedAntigua’s visitors for nearly 40 years and has been offering divingfor the last 14 years. The hotel has a dramatic setting perchedon top of Curtain Bluff surrounded by beautiful tropical gardensand is highly rated for its tennis facilities (including a residentprofessional coach) and its cuisine. A 7-day vacation, includingunlimited diving, costs from $3,700 to $6,550 for a double roomincluding all meals, drinks and entertainment.

Roderick, a PADI divemaster, is responsible for diving, as wellas a range of other water sports. Try windsurfing, kayaks, Sunfishor water skiing, or you can venture farther afield with a deep seafishing trip or a day sailing aboard Tamarind, a 50-foot ketch.

There are no diving instructors, only divemasters, so you needto be a certified diver. All the diving is around Cades Reef and,not surprisingly, no one knows this patch better than Roderick.

Just opposite the lovely Admiral’s Inn, in the heart of historicEnglish Harbour, is Dockyard Divers 77. Tony Fincham, theowner of Dockyard Divers, is a veteran of the Caribbean, having

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spent the last 22 years sailing around the islands. In 1989 hesettled in Antigua and started Dockyard Divers. Tony also ownsThe Dock bar, a short distance from the dive store, on the edgeof the inner lagoon. The Dock is a popular local hangout muchfavoured by yacht crews. In addition to the English Harbourstore, Dockyard Divers have a retail store in the Yacht ClubMarina in Falmouth Harbour, a 10-minute walk away.

Much of Dockyard Divers’ business comes from the manyyachts passing through English Harbour.

Although Tony has more than one boat, he uses his 20-footinflatable for sites near to English Harbour. Tony dives sites 24to 37. Those who really like to have fun underwater might beinterested in renting one of Dockyard Divers underwater scootersfor $40 per dive.

Falmouth Harbour has its own dive store, Octopus Divers 66.It is owned and run by Dave and Ken. Ken does most of thediving while Dave manages the shop. Dave has been teachingdiving for 14 years whereas Ken has been diving since he was 14,which adds up to a lot of years experience.

Their dive boat, Divemaster, is comfortable, spacious andmore than adequate for the relatively short distances to the divesites (they dive sites 21 to 37). Boarding is from the dock inFalmouth and a small truck takes equipment across the road.

Besides selling equipment, Octopus Divers will service mostcommon makes (Sherwood, US, Dacor, Cressi Sub, Scubapro)and they have recently acquired a hydrostatic testing facility.

About half of Octopus Divers customers come from yachtsand the remainder are hotel guests (Admiral’s Inn and Copperand Lumber in English Harbour, the Pineapple Beach Club andGalleon Beach). Seven-day/10-dive packages start at around $700per person, excluding food.

Situated in the grounds of the exclusive St. James Club isAquanaut Diving Center 88, owned by yet another of Antigua’sJohns. We’ll leave you to work out his particular sobriquet.

John is highly personable and a safe, enthusiastic diver whocan claim 8,000 dives off this coast alone. He started the store12 years ago and has managed it ever since, meeting the exactingstandards set by the St. James Club for their guests. His store isat the head of St. James Club’s jetty so you board the boatfrom the dock. Trolleys transport tanks and equipment, requiringminimal lifting and hauling of gear by divers.

Aquanaut Diving Center has underwater cameras for rentand the St. James Club offers windsurfers, water skiing, dinghysailing, kayaks and water bicycles. John also takes divers fromother hotels and will arrange accommodation, if required.

The diving range of this operator is from site 29 to 41. Twoof the best dives on the south coast, Sunken Rock 37 and CapeShirley 36, are both within a few minutes of Aquanaut Diving

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Center. The regular dive boat leaves from St. James, but thesecond boat is based in English Harbour, and used for sites closeto English Harbour

Only one hotel was offering diving on the east coast, at thetime of writing. This coast is exposed to the full force of thetrade winds and the Atlantic swells so it does not have idealconditions. However, Long Bay Hotel 99 does provide diving forits own guests and those in the nearby hotels, Pineapple BeachClub and Mango Hotel.

Diving is from a 20-foot Boston Whaler, which Alex driveson to the beach on the south side of Green Island. Dives start in3 feet of water, allowing even the most anxious divers time tocompose themselves.

Long Bay Hotel is a family-run business that welcomes otherfamilies. Alex runs a friendly and safe diving operation, providinga personalised service.

1 Dive Antigua John Birk Tel: (268) 462 3483Fax: (268) 462 7787

e-mail: birkj@candw.ag

2 Sandals Leslie Scholl Tel: (268) 462 0267Fax: (268) 462 4135

3 Deep Bay Divers Deano Braithwaite Tel: (268) 463 8000Fax: (268) 463 8000

e-mail: deepbaydivers@candw.ag

4 Jolly Dive Eric Dardle Tel: (268) 462 0061Fax:(268) 462 8305

5 Curtain Bluff Roderick Bailey Tel: (268) 462 8400Fax: (268) 462 8409

6 Octopus Divers Dave Martin Tel: (268) 460 6286Fax: (268) 463 8528

e-mail: octopusdivers@candw.ag

7 Dockyard Divers Tony Fincham Tel:(268) 460 1178Fax: (268) 460 1179

8 Aquanaut Diving John Charlsworth Tel: (268) 460 5000Center Fax: (268) 460

9 Long Bay Alexandre Tel: (268) 463 2005Fax: (268) 463 2439

e-mail: hotel@longbay-antigua.com

East Coast

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