Jamaica Dive Travel Guide
Jamaica dive travel is simple once you know three things: which airport to use, which coast to stay on, and which season suits you. This guide covers all three, then walks through the dive sites region by region.
When to Go Diving in Jamaica
Jamaica has diving every month of the year. The water rarely drops below the high 70s °F in winter and reaches the low to mid 80s °F in late summer. What changes through the year is the weather above the water, the number of visitors and the price of a room.
December to April is the dry season and the busiest time on the island. Days are sunny, seas on the north coast are usually manageable, and runoff from rivers is low, which helps visibility. Book rooms and dive packages early for Christmas, New Year and spring break.
May to November is warmer and wetter. Afternoon showers are common, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Many summer days are flat calm, and divers who come in June or July often get the warmest water and quieter boats. The risk is a passing storm that stirs up the sea or cancels a few days of diving. Travel insurance that covers weather delays, plus a few spare days in your plan, takes most of the worry out of a summer trip.
Visibility is typically 50 to 100 feet on the outer reefs. It drops after heavy rain, especially near river mouths and in Kingston Harbour, and is usually best on the walls of the north coast.
Getting to Jamaica
Most divers fly into Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, which has the most flights from North America and Europe. From there, Montego Bay hotels are minutes away, Negril is roughly an hour and a half to the west, and Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios are about the same distance to the east along the north coast highway.
Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) serves Kingston and is the closer airport for Port Royal, which sits on the Palisadoes strip right beside it. A small airport near Ocho Rios, Ian Fleming International, mainly handles private and charter flights.
Many resorts include airport transfers. Otherwise, licensed tour-company shuttles and taxis run from both main airports. Driving is on the left. If you rent a car, allow extra time: roads are busy and winding, especially after dark.
Before You Fly: Paperwork, Money and Safety
- Bring a passport valid for your whole stay, and check current entry rules for your nationality with your airline or the Jamaican government before you book.
- Pack your certification card or have the digital version on your phone. Dive shops will ask for it and for your logbook if you want deeper or more advanced dives.
- The currency is the Jamaican dollar. US dollars and cards are widely accepted at resorts and dive shops, but carry some local cash for taxis, markets and roadside food.
- Buy dive accident insurance that covers recompression treatment and evacuation. Ask your dive shop where the nearest hyperbaric chamber is before your first dive.
- Leave at least 18 hours between your last dive and your flight home, or 24 hours after several days of repeat diving.
Jamaica Dive Regions and Dive Sites
Jamaica's dive sites fall into five main areas. Most visitors base themselves in one region and dive with a local shop there, because the drive between regions eats into dive time.
Negril
At the island's western tip, Negril is known for its Seven Mile Beach and the cliffs of the West End. The Negril Marine Park protects the reefs off both. The water here is generally calm and shallow, which makes Negril a favourite for training dives and snorkeling. Popular sites include The Throne Room, a reef with a cavern and swim-throughs that many divers call the best dive in Jamaica, and the Deep Plane, a small aircraft sunk as an artificial reef in deeper water. Expect sponges, sea fans, turtles and plenty of reef fish.
Montego Bay
The Montego Bay Marine Park was Jamaica's first marine park, and its reefs start just offshore from the hotel strip. Boat rides are short, and many dives are suitable for beginners. The best-known site is Widowmaker's Cave, a tunnel through the reef that opens onto the wall, where divers look out for spotted eagle rays and schools of fish. There is also a sunken plane at around 60 feet. Montego Bay is the most convenient base if your time on the island is short.
Runaway Bay and Discovery Bay
This quieter stretch of the north coast is home to several large resorts with their own dive centres. The reef runs close to shore before dropping to the deep north-coast wall, so boat rides are short and two-tank mornings are easy to fit in. It suits divers who want plenty of dives in a relaxed setting rather than a busy town.
Ocho Rios
The Ocho Rios Marine Park protects shallow reefs that lead out to steeper drop-offs, so the area works for both newer and experienced divers. The best-known site is the Kathryn, a former Second World War minesweeper sunk as an artificial reef in about 50 feet of water, with caverns nearby. Divers report nurse sharks and black coral on the deeper sites. Ocho Rios is also a cruise port, so book dives ahead on days when ships are in.
Port Royal and the Kingston cays
Port Royal was once one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean, until an earthquake in 1692 sank much of the town into the harbour. The submerged city is a protected archaeological site: diving it needs permission from the Jamaica National Heritage Trust and is not part of normal recreational trips. Dive operators in the area take divers by boat to reefs and wrecks around the cays near the harbour mouth, including the deep Texas wreck, an advanced dive. Visibility here changes more than on the north coast, so plan Port Royal as a side trip from Kingston rather than the whole holiday.
How Many Days and How to Split Them
A week suits most dive trips: five days of diving with two tanks a day, plus a day off at each end for travel and flying after diving. If you want to dive two regions, Montego Bay pairs well with Negril, and Runaway Bay pairs well with Ocho Rios. Choose a dive shop in each before you go. Our Jamaica dive shops guide explains what to look for.
Once you have a region, pick a base close to the dive shop's dock using our Jamaica dive accommodations guide, check the scuba diving gear list for Jamaica, and keep the Jamaica restaurant guide for divers handy for the evenings. Detailed dive site guides are on the way on our Jamaica scuba diving blog.
Jamaica Dive Travel Questions
Which airport is best for a Jamaica dive trip?
Montego Bay (MBJ) for Negril, Montego Bay, Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios. Kingston (KIN) for Port Royal and the cays off Kingston Harbour.
Is hurricane season a bad time to dive Jamaica?
Not necessarily. Many summer days are calm with warm water and few crowds. The risk is a storm that cancels some dive days, so buy travel insurance and leave flexibility in your plans.
How long should I wait to fly after diving?
Common guidance is at least 18 hours after multiple dives, and 24 hours after several days of repeat diving. Plan your last dive the day before your flight, not the morning of it.