Is there anywhere left in the Caribbean with healthy reefs in 2024?

[scubadada]

You'll be fine without a guide with these boats. They are mostly drift dives along the reef. They'll put you right on the reef and tell you which side is better for the conditions. The sand bottom next to the reef is 65' max and the top is around 40' so you can do your own multilevel as you see fit. One of each buddy pair has a flag and the boat picks you up wherever you surface.

My memory is a little hazy here, but I think there's only one or two wrecks that they dive and you follow a line down and up so again navigation isn't an issue.

Only things to watch our for is that you don't follow any hunters as they have their own agenda that doesn't involve sightseeing.

If @scubadada adds any corrections here, go with what he says.

Hi @Millemar

@lowall is generally correct, the reef diving in Boynton Beach is generally pretty easy. One of the divers in each group of divers takes flag. A new diver or couple can nearly always join someone else to get some experience on the reef before going on their own. I generally dive solo but am glad to take new divers to get oriented to the reef. Newer divers nearly always dive on the inside, west facing side of the reef. It has a profile similar to what is mentioned above, a bottom around 65 feet, top around 50 feet. Some of the dive sites, especially more south, have more reef profile. Some are more broken up. The outside, east facing reef is generally spur and groove, often pretty dramatic. It is significantly deeper, 75-85 feet. Especially when the current is brisk, it is necessary to make a prompt descent, just not to miss the reef drop by very far. I think the Boynton Reef is the nicest in the area and has the most usual reef fish. Chances of seeing sharks, turtles, Goliath Grouper are a bit lower than in Jupiter, perhaps Palm Beach.

Boynton Beach has 3 wrecks, the Castor, the Bud Bar, and the Capt Tony. The Bud Bar and the Capt Tony have been really beat up and are not the dives they once were. They may still be dived down a line placed by crew, but are sometimes both dived as a drift. I would probably skip these two. The Castor has also been beat but is still a very good dive. It has year-round endemic Goliath Grouper and is an aggregation site in Aug/Sept. There are often schools of Horse-Eye Jacks and bait fish as well as all kinds of random stuff. There are a couple of Bull Sharks that usually cruise off the wreck when there are divers on it. The Castor is generally a more advanced dive, as deep as 110 feet, often with brisk current. It is nearly aways dived down a line placed by crew.

Best of luck with diving in SE FL, it has a lot to offer.

 

[tursiops]

Only things to watch our for is that you don't follow any hunters as they have their own agenda that doesn't involve sightseeing.

And may not involve careful atrention to deco limits and gas usage.

 

[rmorgan]

I suspect that the least-blasted Caribbean reefs now are off of Saba. Many of the sites are fairly deep, and so less affected by the crazy temperatures, and my sense is that the SCTLD impact there is not extreme. Also, it’s a unique island, with great hiking and wild topography. There are spectacular deep-water pinnacles (I recall the tops being at 80-90’). There’s a recent review on ScubaBoard which is complimentary. A year ago, I’d’ve said Cuba, but went there in January and was saddened by what we saw; maybe the bleaching there is recovering.

 

[DavidFL]

I was in St. Eustatius ('Statia') in the Caribbean Netherlands last week; these Gorgonian soft corals were in great shape, along with the sneaky trumpet fish.

 

[CJCar]

I try to dive some of the Caribbean's more remote/less busy islands for healthier corals and active fish life.

Some favorites include:

• Saba - One dive operator. lots of interesting, diverse sites. I was able to dive to the south and east sides recently, which were even more pristine.
• Little Cayman - Few dive operators. Bloody Bay Marine Park has perhaps the best-preserved reefs in the Caribbean.
• St. Lucia - The Soufriere Marine Preserve has beautifully preserved sites underneath the Pitons: few crowds and just one or two operators.
• Dominica - The Scott's Head Marine Reserve. Few operators, crowds and exciting sites. Great topside activities.
• Harbour Island/Eleuthra - One dive operator, some fun unique sites (high-speed drift Atlantic to Caribbean), unspoiled. Great topside activites.
• Turks and Caicos - Lots of walls ring the island. Given the amount and distance from the harbor, most are well-preserved. The downside is travel times to reefs. Great topside activities.

I also think Roatan and Bonaire are decent.

Some areas that are a bit busy are Florida Keys, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Bahama (Grand, Nassau), US Virgin Islands, and some areas with mediocre diving (St. Maarten, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Aruba).

 

[JorinB]

Just wanted to add that Starfish Scuba does have optional guides (for $150 for two people). Just dove with them Monday and had a great time.

 

[cfberry]

Hi @Millemar

Give Boynton Beach a try when you get home to Florida.

boynton beach is great!

 

[cfberry]

I try to dive some of the Caribbean's more remote/less busy islands for healthier corals and active fish life.

Some favorites include:

• Saba - One dive operator. lots of interesting, diverse sites. I was able to dive to the south and east sides recently, which were even more pristine.
• Little Cayman - Few dive operators. Bloody Bay Marine Park has perhaps the best-preserved reefs in the Caribbean.
• St. Lucia - The Soufriere Marine Preserve has beautifully preserved sites underneath the Pitons: few crowds and just one or two operators.
• Dominica - The Scott's Head Marine Reserve. Few operators, crowds and exciting sites. Great topside activities.
• Harbour Island/Eleuthra - One dive operator, some fun unique sites (high-speed drift Atlantic to Caribbean), unspoiled. Great topside activites.
• Turks and Caicos - Lots of walls ring the island. Given the amount and distance from the harbor, most are well-preserved. The downside is travel times to reefs. Great topside activities.

I also think Roatan and Bonaire are decent.

Some areas that are a bit busy are Florida Keys, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Bahama (Grand, Nassau), US Virgin Islands, and some areas with mediocre diving (St. Maarten, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Aruba).

thanks!

 

[Green Frog]

I try to dive some of the Caribbean's more remote/less busy islands for healthier corals and active fish life.

Some favorites include:

• Saba - One dive operator. lots of interesting, diverse sites. I was able to dive to the south and east sides recently, which were even more pristine.
• Little Cayman - Few dive operators. Bloody Bay Marine Park has perhaps the best-preserved reefs in the Caribbean.
• St. Lucia - The Soufriere Marine Preserve has beautifully preserved sites underneath the Pitons: few crowds and just one or two operators.
• Dominica - The Scott's Head Marine Reserve. Few operators, crowds and exciting sites. Great topside activities.
• Harbour Island/Eleuthra - One dive operator, some fun unique sites (high-speed drift Atlantic to Caribbean), unspoiled. Great topside activites.
• Turks and Caicos - Lots of walls ring the island. Given the amount and distance from the harbor, most are well-preserved. The downside is travel times to reefs. Great topside activities.

I also think Roatan and Bonaire are decent.

Some areas that are a bit busy are Florida Keys, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Bahama (Grand, Nassau), US Virgin Islands, and some areas with mediocre diving (St. Maarten, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Aruba).

I have long wanted to dive Eleuthra. Who is the one dive operator, and does he have a website? Do you have a hotel you prefer? About the only way I know to dive there is with a cruise like Blackbeard’s if that’s where they’re going that week.

 

[coldwaterglutton]

I try to dive some of the Caribbean's more remote/less busy islands for healthier corals and active fish life.

Some favorites include:

• Dominica - The Scott's Head Marine Reserve. Few operators, crowds and exciting sites. Great topside activities.

I just got back from there last weekend. Very nice coral and marine life, lots of turtles too. No sharks or pelagics other than a lone nurse shark. Bonus at the "Champagne Point" dive site with volcanic bubbles coming up at the reef. Looked like an underwater seltzer bottle.

While there is of course some bleaching it seemed better than Turneffe in Belize looked in January.

I would say Dominica is a hidden gem but it's off the beaten track.