Montego Bay is the capital city of the St. James Parish on the north coast of the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. It lies on the western side of the north coast and is a large cruise ship port and resort city. It has a number of attractive sandy beaches and crystal clear waters for visitors to enjoy, especially divers. There are many dive resorts here but also a number of independent dive centres to cater to a wide range of divers. The main spectacle of diving here is definitely the striking colour of all the healthy reefs, and luckily for divers, healthy reefs attract a lot of other marine life such as the graceful Stingrays. Other attractions include a plane wreck and a thrilling cave!

It is possible to dive here all year round, but between June and September the conditions are at their best. October to May there is more chance of rain but it will very rarely impact diving. Due to the air temperatures being warm all year round, the water temperatures are between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The visibility is great overall with an average of 25 metres with reaching over 35 metres in the peak diving season. The species which inhabit these areas are luckily not seasonal, so can be spotted most months of the year. 

There are multiple different types of diving to be done here which will excite a wide range of divers. One of the most popular dive sites here is the Widowmaker’s Cave, this cave is formed from a cleft in reef walls and there is a lot to see regarding interesting rock formations and marine life; an exciting cave dive! Another popular site is the Sunken Plane wreck, which is exactly what the name suggests. Aside from those the other dive sites are made up of shallow flourishing reefs, caverns, swim throughs, steep reef walls and more!

The thriving reefs here are covered in colourful corals and sea sponges, and these are definitely a highlight feature of this region. The species of corals include Soft Corals, Gorgonians, Cauliflower Corals, Sea Plumes, Purple Sea Fans, Basket Sponges, Barrel Sponges, Black Corals, Anemones and more! The species which are attracted to these corals include fish such as Parrotfish, Squirrelfish, Blue Angelfish, Snapper, Groupers, Creole Wrasse, Porcupinefish and Barracuda. Other reef critters which live within the cracks and crevices of these reefs include different species of Eels, Crabs, Sea Cucumbers, Octopus and Shrimp. Some of the larger species which can be spotted here include Sea Turtles, Stingrays and on the luckiest days, Nurse Sharks. 

The Widowmaker's Cave is the most popular dive site in this region and it’s a cave which has been formed from a cleft in reef walls and it is a spectacular dive site. There is a lot of interesting rock topography to admire and also marine species such as different colourful corals which cover the cave walls and schools of reef fish which fill up the cave. 

Stingray City is a dive site where divers have the opportunity to come up close and personal to a school of Stingrays which is a unique and exciting experience. In the background of this dive site there is a high abundance of marine flora and fauna which create a beautiful background

The Sunken Plane wreck lies at around 20 metres and divers are able to penetrate and explore its insides. The plane has created its own artificial reef and is covered in Sea Fans, Sea Sponges and Corals and species such as Nurse Sharks, Stingrays and many more.