Diving in St Vincent and the Grenadines
St Vincent and the Grenadines is an archipelago in the Southern Caribbean comprising 32 islands, including Mustique, Bequia and Petit St Vincent. Think exclusive hotels, undisturbed beaches and very few tourists.
This part of the Caribbean, Mustique in particular, is renowned for being something of a celeb hotspot, all eager for a slice of the (desperately discreet) Caribbean dream. Meanwhile Bequia (pronounced Beck-way), meaning 'island of the cloud', has become synonymous with sailing and you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd taken a wrong turn at Miami and ended up on the French Riviera given the number of private yachts and charters bobbing in Admiralty Bay. Lastly there's Petit St Vincent which, while our French isn't great, we're pretty sure translates as 'total relaxation' due to its dedication to digital detoxification - there's no internet, telephones or televisions here. There is also a Jean-Michel Cousteau Dive Centre here which gives you some indication of the quality of the diving.
There is excellent diving both in the direct vicinity of Petit St Vincent and the surrounding islands. Dive into the famous Bat Cave, try wreck diving, or photograph an amazing variety of marine creatures. This is excellent Caribbean diving with healthy coral and good marine life, mainly macro.
From easy shallow reef dives to drift dives, wreck dives and even cave dives there is a lot to offer in the local dive sites you will get the chance to visit. Most dive sites are just a short boat ride away (5mins to 30mins from Petit St Vincent). The real beauty of diving here is the variety of critters on show: frogfish, seahorses, colourful molluscs, crustaceans, anemones, tunicates, nurse sharks, lobsters, octopus and squid. Visiting squadrons of eagle rays and manta rays are frequently sighted, and patrolling reef sharks and barracuda add an element of excitement.
The destination is home to so many critters because it has a variety of underwater habitats including walls, rock formations, coral reefs, sandy slopes and beds of sea grass - each attracting its own unique form of life.
