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Scuba
Diving & Snorkeling
Antigua
is located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the
Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator.
To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe,
and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts,
and St. Martin.
Antigua
is the largest of the British Leeward Islands, and is
about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108
square miles. Its highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.),
located in the southwestern corner of the island.
Antigua
is almost completely surrounded by well-preserved coral
reefs, walls, and shipwrecks. The southern and eastern
coasts of Antigua is surrounded by shelfs, providing excellent
conditions for spectacular shallow diving and snorkeling.
There is little or no current in most places, the water
is warm and clear, and tropical marine plants and animals
are diverse and plentiful.
Snorkeling
is possible at some of the islands' most beautiful beaches;
one of Antigua's best-known offshore sites, Cades Reef,
is now partly contained in a designated underwater park.
Another popular destination is the wreck of the Andes,
a three-masted merchant ship that sank in 1905 and now
rests in less than thirty feet of water in (ironically
enough) Deep Bay. Antigua's dive facilities are excellent.
The southern and eastern coasts are considered to offer
the most consistent diving; for more advanced divers,
the ledge of Sunken Rock on the south coast is a popular
site. Dive depths generally range from 25 to 80 feet and
can reach 130+ feet; distances from shore to site are
in some cases no more than five minutes and at most 40
minutes away.
Climate
75 - 85F 24 - 29C
Water Temp Average 80 F (25 C)
U/W Visibility 50 to 140 ft 15 - 42 m
Jolly
Dive
Jolly Dive has been operating out of Jolly Beach Resort
and Jolly Harbour for more than 25 years. We offer both
classes for beginners and guided boat diving for the certified
diver.
Cade's
Reef is only a 15 minute boat ride on our dive boat "Diving
Belle Two" down to the south west corner of the island.
This location offers a wide variety of good dive sites.
There is an abundance of marine life surrounding the reef
including hundreds of  colorful
tropical fish and often rays, lobster, turtles and other
wondrous undersea sights.
On
our two tank excursions we normally operate with a deep
dive at around 60 to 70 feet on the outside of the reef
followed by a shallow dive of 30 to 50 feet on the inside
of the reef.
Number
of Dive Boats: 1
Maximum Number of Divers: 12
Number of Tanks per Day: 2-3
Gear
Provided: tanks, weights
Rental Gear Available: BCD, regulator, wet suits,masks
and fins
Type
of Diving: Reef Diving
Total Dive Sites: 40
 Minimum
time to divesites/mins: 20
Maximum time to dive site/mins: 35
Training
Agency: PADI/NAUI
Courses Offered: Discover Scuba Diving through Divemaster
Accommodations
We
work with and recommend a number of hotels and properties
depending on your choice and budget.
Jolly
Dive Ltd
Jolly Harbour
P.O. Box 149
Antigua
West Indies
Tel.: 1-268-462-8305
Fax.: 1-268-462-8305
E-Mail: mail@jollydive.com
Web: www.jollydive.com
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