Westmoreland Diving
Diving in the Westmoreland Parish on the island of Jamaica, means getting a true Caribbean Island experience; sandy beaches, turquoise waters, a plethora of marine life from colourful corals and sponges, to schools of reef fish to Sharks, there is something to see that will excite anyone!
Diving in Westmoreland
Westmoreland is a parish which lies on the south-west coast of the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. The main town which divers visit to experience diving in these waters is Negril; a popular resort town which lies in the north-west of this parish. Visiting this area means long stretches of sandy beaches, sparkling turquoise waters and an incredibly high abundance of marine life which inhabit the thriving coral reefs. The dive centres and dive resorts take divers to the most colourful and spectacular dive sites around, whether it be the impressive sea sponges at The Throne Room or the unique plane wreck dives.
The climate here is warm throughout the year which means warm air temperatures and warm water temperatures. 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. All of the impressive dive sites are close to shore so no long boat journeys are required which means more time to enjoy the area, both above and below the water.
Best places to dive
The Throne Room is the most popular dive site in Negril. Divers dive through a wide cavern which leads to an impressive reef surrounded by reef walls which are covered in an assortment of different marine flora. The reason for the name is its main feature is a large sponge which resembles a throne.
The Arches is a large arch which can be swum through and reaches a steep drop off. There are some truly impressive Sea Sponges and corals here surrounded by schools of reef fish.
Deep Plane, which lies at 27 metres, and Shallow Plane, which lies at around 18 metres, are two plane wrecks which are thrilling wrecks to explore especially because such a large amount of marine life have made them their homes as well that they are surrounded by colourful corals, ledges, overhangs and caverns to explore.
Shark Reef suggests it in the name; this is the dive site where divers can spot reef sharks, mostly Nurse Sharks, who hide under the many overhangs. This dive site also holds the largest coral pinnacle which is majestic in its own right.
