Antigua and close neighbour Barbuda do not have the same reputation for diving as some other Caribbean islands but there are plenty of good dive sites to satisfy most divers. Although there are a few deep dives, most dive sites are less than 30m deep and are just a short boat ride from shore. Visibility is normally excellent. Coral health is rather variable having been damaged by hurricanes. Nurse sharks, turtles, barracuda and stingrays can be seen on many dive sites.

Barbuda diving is less developed than Antigua's and needs to be arranged in Antigua. There are many wrecks in the area that are yet to be explored.

Antigua's Best Dive sies are:

Pillars of Hercules is one of the best dive sites around Antigua. Located at the south of the island, it gets it names from the large limestone rock formations above water. Large rock formations continue underwater too. Maximum depth is 22m. Snapper, fusilier, parrotfish, surgeofish, barracuda, jacks and angelfish can all be seen here. This is also a good dive site for spotting small critters and crustaceans such as lobster.

Cades Reef, an offshore reef to the south west of Antigua, is one of Antigua's most popular dive sites. It is a 7 mile stretch of reef with several dive sites along it's length. Colourful soft corals are more healthy here than in other areas and the varity of marine life is huge. As well as all the usual reef fish expect to see barracuda, nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles and stingrays. Whale sharks have been spotted on the outer side of the reef. Deeper dive sites drop to 25m but other sites are just 15m deep. This area is often dived as part of a two dive daytrip as it's a 20-30 minute boat ride from shore.

Sunken Rock, located just off Antigua's south coast shore is another popular dive site for both day and night dives. The huge submerged boulder starts at just 1m below the surface and drops to around 35m. Rock formations form several valleys to explore and crevices to peer into looking for lobsters and other critters. Gorgonian seafans and barrel sponges cover areas of rock. Red soft coral and bushy black coral also cling on. Parrotfish and angelfish are busy around the rocks. Schools of fish include snapper and jacks.

Boon's Reef is a patch reef used for training dives. There are patches of healthy coral, visibility is good, currents are minimal and marine life is abundant with lots of schools of fish and the occasional turtle.

Ariadne Shoal is a good site to spot and photograph barracuda and other pelagics. Nurse sharks are also often found here. Maximum depth is 21m. Visibility is excellent, often over 40m.

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