We were diving in Watamu in September 2019 so this is a very delayed write up. Watamu is a small town about 3 hours drive north of Mombasa on Indian ocean coast in Kenya. It has beautiful sandy beaches and is the gateway to Watamu Marine National Park. Highlights from diving are in the video.
Fish life on the dives was fantastic with lots of reef fish. Weedy scorpionfish was a highlight, two of them together! We did not see any big stuff though. The place is popular for sports fishing marlin and other game fish so they are definitely out there. We saw a few small local fishermen boats but nothing like the numbers in Zanzibar.
Leaf scorpionfish in yellow, Watamu, KenyaLeaf scorpionfish in brown, Watamu, KenyaTwo weedy scorpionfish, Watamu, Kenya
The drive to Watamu from Mombasa is a bit shorter compared to the drive to Diani, a beach and a diving spot south of Mombasa, and does not require taking a ferry. The journey starts on the new Nairobi-Mombasa road with views of the new railway.
View of the new Mombasa railway from the new Mombasa -Nairobi highway, Kenya
We then turned off north heading to Malindi on older but still reasonable paved road. The drive then took us through many small villages, fields, people walking by and a couple of small towns.
A village on the way from Mombasa to Watamu, Kenya
In less than three hours we made it to Watamu and our resort. We stayed at wonderful Ocean Sports resort and dove with excellent Aqua Ventures which had a shop also in the same resort.
View of the beach near Ocean Sports resort at mid tide, Watamu, Kenya
At high tide the water comes all the way to the wall of the resort and on the low tide the beach is really wide
Beach at low tide in Watamu, Kenya
Seaweed was covering parts of the beach after the storms in September.
Sea grass on the beach in Watamu, Kenyafishing boats in a bay, Watamu, Kenya
Similarly to Diani beach, there are some abandoned big hotels, from before the 2007-2008. In 2019 the place was buzzing with activity and many new lodgings opening. Undoubtedly COVID hit the region hard again but hopefully it has recovered.
Beach of abandoned hotel, Watamu, KenyaAbandoned hotel, Watamu, Kenya
At low tide one can walk around the long beach to the point where Mida Creek flows into the ocean and explore exposed reef.
Rocks at low tide on a beach at Watamu, Kenya
Further inland in Mida Creek, there is a mangrove forest. One can go on a tour around it in a canoe. We opted instead to walk over to the Crab Shack restaurant and enjoy nice sunset view over the creek, and canoes passing by. Walking through the villages was a nice adventure in itself and took us about an hour. We took a motorbike taxi on the way back, not too keen on walking after our crab feast.
Walking through villages around Watamu, KenyaCrab Shack on Mida creek, Watamu, KenyaDelicious crab at Crab Shack on Mida Creek, Watamu, KenyaSunset over Mida creek and tourists on canoe tours, Watamu, Kenya
We loved it in Watamu. And we loved it in Diani too. If forced to choose it would be very difficult. Diving was very good in both. In terms of reef, fish, and quality of dive operators, both are really great. Beach is excellent in both. Food options were plentiful and good in both. And top side nature to explore too. Diani had a bit more development than Watamu, but am sure in the past 5 years both have built up more. Travel time from Mombasa is similar. Both locations are possible to combine with a safari in Tsavo national park.
We dove in early March in Jupiter, Florida. The dives were the best we had on the Atlantic, though to be fair we only dove in the Caribbean up till now. This was the end of the season for lemon sharks that aggregate in the area during January – March. We saw several lemon sharks, reef sharks and nurse sharks, goliath groupers, schools of reef fish, turtles and healthy looking reef. Current was strong for nice drifts in good visibility. Video has the highlights from our six dives over two days.
We were really impressed with all the marine life and healthy state of coral. Reportedly the reef here did not suffer as badly during the bleaching in the past couple of years that decimated the reef further south in Florida and in the Caribbean. All the big schools of good size reef fish also are a clear demonstration that restrictions on what can and cannot be fished do work. It was just so good to see all the fish life, unlike empty reefs we saw in Jamaica for example.
coral reef in Jupiter, Floridagag grouper and porkfish, Jupoiter, Floridaturtle, Jupiter, Florida
We dove with Jupiter Dive Center. They run an excellent operation with 2 boats. We did 3 dives a day. The group is about 10 people. All the dives we did were drift dives. Visibility was good. Temperature in March was C24 and 5mil suit with a hood was enough. We hired all the equipment and it was in a very good condition.
Pier and a dive boat at Jupiter Dive Center, Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is a nice town in what feels like a continuous conurbation of South Florida coast. Accommodation is plentiful though not cheap. We really enjoyed sitting in one of the restaurants over the water across from the lighthouse watching boats go by at sunset. Nothing better after a full day of shark diving.
Jupiter inlet, view towards the ocean, Jupiter, FloridaJupiter lighthouse, Jupiter, Florida
Saint Lucia is one of the mountainous volcanic Eastern Caribbean islands most recognizable for its two Pitons peaks – Gros (big) Piton and Petit (small) Piton. There is good diving with colorful reefs, impressive topography and a few ship wrecks. The video has the highlights.
We dove with Eastern Caribbean Diving dive shop located in Windjammer Resort. The dive shop runs a good operation, has excellent boat, good gear, and great guides. They pick you up from your resort either by boat or by car depending on where you are and on the weather.
Windjammer resort with Eastern Caribbean Diving dive shop, St. Lucia
St Lucia is a popular stop on cruise ship route. On a given day one sees 2-3 ships in the port. The joke is: what is the tallest building in St. Lucia? – It’s a cruise ship. Which is pretty much true.
Castries harbor with cruise ships, St. Lucia
Castries is the main city and most offices and government buildings are located there. It also has the main cruise ship port. Further south is Soufriere, the old capital from the time when French had the island. Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte was from here. Soufriere is a rather run down small town but has a beach with views of the two Pitons. This harbor is popular with the smaller ships – we saw the sailing ones in this bay. Rumor has it that there is a plan to build a new pier for bigger ships to be able to come in.
Soufriere and two Pitons, St Lucia
It is possible to hike the Pitons. We did not do it but reportedly the hike is strenuous but views are amazing. Maybe next time.
Soufriere beach, St LuciaSoufriere view of the street, St Lucia
North of the capital Castries, almost on the northern tip of the island, is Gros Islet and Rodney Bay. Rodney Bay has a long beach with several big resorts. The main marina is also located here. Pigeon island at the edge of Rodney Bay has a small fort, called Fort Rodney. The views from the fort are beautiful and definitely worth the short walk.
Rodney bay and the view of Pigeon island, St LuciaRodney Bay and Gros Islet view from Fort Rodney. on Pigeon Island, St Lucia
Gros Islet has a Friday night street party. We saw quite a few tourists, but it is definitely an authentic local experience and plenty of locals enjoying their barbeque, drinking and dancing in the street. It starts late and goes into the early morning, Caribbean style.
Gros Islet Friday street party, St. Lucia
St. Lucia is popular with yachters. Rodney Bay marina is the biggest one and has several nice restaurants.
Grenada is the southern most island in the chain of Eastern Caribbean islands. It is a beautiful mountainous island popular with yachting community for its many safe bays. The island has a coral reef, a few wrecks and a unique underwater sculpture garden. One can dive or snorkel around the underwater sculpture garden. Diving highlights are in the video.
Main beach in St George’s, the capital city of Grenada, is Grand Anse beach with a number of hotels along it and the dive shops. We dove with Eco Dive Grenada and Native Spirit Scuba in Radisson resort. Both are excellent professional operations with good boats, gear and guides.
Grand Anse beach, GrenadaMarina, St. George’s, Grenada
St. George’s is one of the most picturesque ports in the Caribbean with historical buildings lining up the bay and hillside.
St. George’s harbor view, GreanadaSt. George’s street view, Grenada
Fort George guards the harbor pitched on top of the hill. It was under renovation in 2024 but is expected to open soon. It is a big fort and has stunning views of the bay and the sea.
Fort George, GrenadaCannon and sea view from Fort George, GrenadaSt. George’s harbor view from Fort George, Grenada
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two islands country in Eastern Caribbean. With about 50,000 people it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere both in terms of territory and population. The volcanic islands are beautiful and have plenty of nature and history to explore. Diving was very good and we saw sharks, rays, and lots of reef fish. The video has the highlights
We dove with Pro Divers. An excellent dive shop with a spacious catamaran, excellent gear and a great crew. After two dives we would drive around to explore the island.
St. Kitts, view south of the island.
St.Kitts went through a bit of a construction boom and there are quite a few developments with vacation homes. St.Kitts also has a very popular citizenship by investment program (one can buy a passport). One wonders if there would be enough space in St.Kitts if all the people with passports actually decided to move there. That does not seem to be a risk right now though. The island still has plenty of green space and beautiful views.
St.Kitts view north from Timothy Hill lookout
St.Kitts main public beach is at Frigate Bay facing west where the sea is calmer and with excellent sunset views. There are several little restaurants along the small beach. The set up is pretty basic and laid back, no formal fine dining here, but a great place to watch sunset.
Beach in Frigate Bay, St.Kitts
Cruise industry is a big business for St.Kitts and Nevis. Seeing 3 ships on a day in high season is not unusual. A special tourist village was built on reclaimed land next to the pier to land the tourists and get them shopping for souvenirs and duty free items.
Cruise ship pier, St. KittsCruise ship village shops, St.KittsCruiseship village, St. Kitts
The main attractions on the island are also on the cruise excursions circuit and can get busy. From the capital Basseterre, about half way towards north west end of the island, Romney Manor is a former sugar plantation and a rum distillery. Actually, the first owner of the property was Sam Jefferson II, the great, great, great, grandfather of U.S. president Thomas Jefferson. It is amazing coming across all these reminders of common history of US and the Caribbean, and the days when North America was the poor neighbor to booming rich Caribbean. In the present day, the estate has a batik enterprise where tourists get a tour of how it is made and get to shop for it. The grounds, gardens and views from the estate are beautiful.
Romney Manor sign, St. KittsRomney Manor gardens, St.Kitts
Further along the western coast, Brimstone Hill Fortress is a Unesco world heritage site and a very impressive, nicely restored fort with sensational views.
Brimstone Hill Fortress, St.KittsBrimstone Hill Fortress views north to Sint Eustatius island in the distance, St. KittsBrimstone Hill Fortress cannons, view south with Nevis island far in the distance, St.Kitts
We then continued further north along the coast and had a lunch at Kititian Hill hotel. It has stunning views of Sint Estatius, Saba and even St.Bart far in the distance.
View to Sint Estatius and Saba from Kititian Hill hotel pool, St.Kitts
Coming around to Atlantic side the sea is rougher. At times St.Kitts gets a lot of sargassum on its shores. It eventually washes away, but big hotels try to keep their beaches clean – clearing sargassum every day with an excavator.
Sargassum on east coast of St.Kittsexcavator clearing sargassum on east coast of St.Kitts
One day we took a ferry, known as Sea Bridge, over to explore Nevis. We went with our car on the big slow ferry, but there are also speed boats that can take one across the 3km channel.
view of St. Kitts island from Sea Bridge ferry on the way to Nevis
Nevis is the smaller island with a population of about 12,000. Famous for being the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton (more links to US history). It has a separate legislature and tried twice to secede from the federation with St.Kitts, though has not succeeded in that yet. The island is dominated by Nevis Peak, a dormant volcano.
arriving at Nevis island by ferry
On the day we arrived, three cruise ships were in the harbor of Nevis. While big cruise ships go to St.Kitts it seems Nevis is visited by the smaller ones. The day we were there two sailing cruise ships were in the harbor. Cannons at the pier aimed at the tall ships (sailing cruise ships) helped one imagine of what the place looked like back in its heyday.
Nevis pier and buses ready to take touristsNevis island harbor
Downtown Charlestown, Nevis’s capital, has a few restored historical buildings. One can walk around it in 10 minutes or so. We were there on Sunday and the Museum of Nevis history, located in the building where Alexander Hamilton was born, was closed.
Downtown Charlestown, Nevis
Next to downtown is the Fort Charles, admittedly less impressive than the fort on the neighboring island.
Fort Charles, NevisFort Charles, Nevissailing cruise ships and a cannon, Fort Charles, NevisView of Nevis Peak from fort Charles, Nevis
We then drove around the island counter clockwise stopping for views and sites. The first one was Montpelier, a 17th century plantation turned hotel.
Montpelier hotel and restaurant, former plantation, Nevis
We continued around the island and had lunch at Golden Rock Inn. It has beautiful grounds and good food.
Golden Rock Inn grounds, Nevis
To finish off our Nevis adventure we went to Pinneys beach for a swim and a sundowner.
Pinneys beach, Nevis
And then back onto the Sea Bridge ferry for a sunset crossing back to St.Kitts.
Sea Bridge ferry at a pier in Nevis, St Kitts and NevisNevis island sunset view from the Sea Bridge ferry crossing over to St. Kitts
Barbados is the eastern most island in the Caribbean. One can say it is an Atlantic island rather than a Caribbean one. It is surrounded by Atlantic ocean. Geologically it is not on a Caribbean plate but a result of sediment accumulation from subduction of the South American plate under the Caribbean plate. The island is very flat compared to most other Caribbean islands and is composed of coral, 90 meters thick.
Barbados aerial view
Coral reefs encircle most of Barbados. We did a few dives around the island and the video has the highlights. Reef definitely had more life than Jamaica. And as we were there at the time of severe coral bleaching across the Caribbean, reefs in Barbados seemed to have fared better with cooler water from Atlantic helping.
We dove with Barbados Blue Water Sports dive shop located next to Hilton hotel. They run a very efficient operation, gear and boat was great. It was also nice to dive with quite a few locals/regulars and not just tourists.
Exploring the island
We stayed in Bridgetown which has many hotels and excellent restaurants. We hired a car. Car rental brought the car to the hotel, very convenient. After diving in the morning, we headed across the island to Bathsheba to have a look at the (slightly) steeper, windward and rougher eastern side of the island. There are spectacular views of the coast line and cool rock formations. There are a couple of nice restaurants where one can enjoy a meal and fantastic views.
Next day we started by heading to Welchman Hall Gully. It has a nice walk through the gully with cool geological formations and jungle forest. We did not see any monkeys but were told they were there earlier on the day. A nice relaxing walk and opportunity to experience what Barbados nature was like before construction took over the island.
Welchman Hall Gully, Barbados
Our next stop was St.Nicholas Abbey. After some meandering following google map sending us to roads that were not exactly passable, we found our way with some spectacular views along the way.
Crossing the island, view east, Barbadosview of the east coast and souvenir shops, Barbados
St.Nicholas great house built in 1658 and its distillery offer tours with rum tasting. It is a good way to learn more of Barbados history. The site is beautiful with a carefully restored great house.
St. Nicholas Abby great house, Barbados
We then headed further north to Animal Flower Cave. There is a restaurant right on the cliff edge with incredible views. One can get a better sense of Barbados geology looking at that top bit of 90 meters of old coral forming the island.
Cliffs around Animal Flower Cave, Barbados
Near to the cave site is the North Point with an old lighthouse and more impressive views of the coast line.
North Point light house, Barbados
Barbados is a beautiful little island. Not only does it have excellent beaches and warm sea, it has really vibrant restaurant scene, a lot of history restored and well presented, natural sites that are easy to visit and some very reasonable diving. Barbados is also a very good connecting point for visiting other Eastern Caribbean countries with direct flights to St.Lucia, Grenada, St.Kitts and Nevis, and other islands.
Ocho Rios in the north of Jamaica is one of the main tourist areas on the island. DIving is pretty good with a nice Katherine wreck that was sunk on purpose for helping to create a reef for divers, and very impressive reef formations. Video has the highlights.
We dove it in May of 2023 and then in May of 2024. Major bleaching took place all around the Caribbean starting in August 2023. And then in winter of 2024 major storms hit the area. We could clearly see the impact of all of these events. The wreck was pushed around, some of the structures damaged and many sponges and other growth broke off. On the bright side, it was good to see that some of the coral recovered by May, though many did not make it.
Katherine wreck in May 2023, Ocho Rios, JamaicaKatherine wreck in May 2024, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Logistics
Ocho Rios can be reached in a little more than an hour from Kingston on the toll road. There are many large and small resorts along the coast around the town of Ocho Rios. It does not have a long beach like Negril and you cannot really move easily from one place to the next unless you are driving along the main road.
We dove with Garfield. It is a small basic dive shop in Ocho Rios marina. A couple of big all inclusive resorts in the area also have dive shops. One can also stay in Ocho Rios and explore some of the other dive areas in Oracabessa and Runaway Bay.
Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, has a population of about one million leaving around the bay area, and a busy port. Yet there is pretty good diving right in Kingston with the view of the downtown (almost). We dove with Yardie divers – the only operator in Kingston. They organize dives on Sundays depending on weather conditions. There are a few wrecks in the bay. This is also the only place where we saw nurse sharks on multiple occasions.
The boat departs from Port Royal. Port Royal was a major port and the center of all the pirate activity in the Caribbean back in the 17th century. It was known as “the wickedest city on earth”, though one can never be sure how one would measure such a thing. But definitely its was a major pirate port with drinking, gambling and brothels. But then a major earthquake in 1692 destroyed it. The earthquake and tidal wav. and literally took under water 60 percent of the city, and presumably all the ships and treasure. It is not allowed to dive around old Port Royal (special permit for archeological and research purposes is required). There might still be some treasure hidden there, though it was looted heavily ever since it went under water more than 300 years ago.
Yardie divers boat getting ready to go, Kingston Jamaica
Few people choose to stay in Kingston if they are in Jamaica on a holiday. But if you are in Kingston – jumping in for a dive is definitely a good option. One can also dive many locations as a day trip from Kingston. Port Antonio, Oracabessa, Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay, Rio Bueno, all are doable on a day trip.
Runaway bay is a small town on the bay of the same name on the northern shore of Jamaica between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. There is a reef all along the northern shore of Jamaica and sections around Runaway bay have a very impressive canyon, nice scattered reefs and a couple of wrecks. Video has highlights from the dives we had.
We read about strong currents (reportedly one of the reasons the bay is called a Runaway Bay). But on our dives we did not encounter currents, though to be fair dive shops avoid diving in currents. The canyon is really impressive. As in other places in Jamaica, we did not see much fish. Reef is algae dominated looking like a weedy jungle with huge sponges. In early 2024 it was slowly recovering from the bleaching in 2023, similar conditions to what we saw in Negril.
Section of a reef in Runaway Bay, Jamaica
There are a couple of very basic dive shops in the area, outside of the all inclusive resorts. One is in the FDR resort and another one is next to Sharlkies restaurant. Both are basic operations. They have dive gear for rent and basic boats set up for diving. For places to stay, there are quite a few resorts along the shore, mostly all inclusive. Runaway bay diving is also doable as a day trip from Kingston.
Dive boat at the dive shop at FDR resort, Runaway Bay Jamaica
Oracabessa is a small town on the northern coast of Jamaica, about 20km east of Ocho Rios. This is where Ian Fleming spent his winters and wrote James Bond books. His house still exists, now part of the Golden Eye resort. There is a small marine sanctuary and a very basic diving operation. One can dive right in front of Ian Fleming’s old house. He reportedly snorkeled in the morning to catch a lobster for lunch before getting on with his writing. Reefs come right to the shore and have phenomenal swim throughs. Here is a brief video.
As elsewhere in the Caribbean, the reef is degraded and fish life is limited. But one can imagine what a spectacular site these reefs were back in the day. In 2023 reef experienced severe bleaching all around Jamaica and we have written more about this in Negril write up. It was heartbreaking to see staghorn coral nursery with little pieces of corals all pure white unlikely to make it.
Bleached corals in a coral nursery, Oracabessa, Jamaica
Logistics
The diving is from the marine sanctuary little office located at James Bond beach. This James bond beach is not to be confused with the one featured in Dr.No famous scene when Honey Ryder comes from the sea. That beach, called Laughing Waters, is not too far away but seems to be on a private property and not obvious how to visit.
Boat waiting fro divers at James Bond beach in Oracabessa, JamaicaJames Bond beach, Oracabessa, Jamaica
The beach is not very well developed for visiting. There is a building that used to be a restaurant or a bar also hosting events but it did not seem to be operational. The gate is locked and only because we had a dive arranged were we allowed in.
Entrance gate to James Bond beach and marine sanctuary office, Oracabessa, Jamaica
The road is a narrow gravel track off the main road. First time we were following the directions to James Bond beach down this road we were certain we were in the wrong place. But no, this was it.
Road to James Bond beach, Oracabessa, Jamaica
The area all around is mostly resorts, including luxurious and pricey Golden Eye. There is also a growing number of condos/units being built in this very pretty bay. One can stay in one of the resorts in Oracabessa, or in Ocho Rios to dive in the area. It is also possible to dive it on a day trip from Kingston.
