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Dive the Southern Caribbean -- St. Vincent and The Grenadines

© Linda Gettmann

Steep mountains covered in a tangle of lush vegetation, cool waterfalls, black and white sand beaches, colorful bougainvillea, and turquoise water--this is St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Trailing along in the Southern Caribbean, St. Vincent lies 24 miles south of St. Lucia and 100 miles west of Barbados (below the hurricane belt). St. Vincent, called "the mainland" by locals, covers 133 sq. miles and has a population around 100,000. The main island and the Grenadines, well over 30 smaller islands and cays, resemble a large kite (St. Vincent) and a tail of islands stretching nearly 45 miles to the southwest. Some of the more popular Grenadine islands include Young Island, Bequia (Beck-way), Mustique (Mus-teek), Canouan (Can-nu-wan), Mayreau (My-ro), Union Island, Palm Island, and Petit (Petty) St. Vincent. Part of the Windward Island chain, these tropical gems are just being discovered by travelers worldwide.

Diving in these islands varies from steep vertical walls with coral-covered ledges to coral gardens at 60 feet, up to pristine shallow reefs teeming with schools of squid, chromis, butterflyfish, and wrasse among healthy coral and sponge formations. Water temps range from 76-85F from winter to summer. Currents can run here, so drift dives are popular at Mayreau Gardens, Pinnacle Rock, Bottle Reef, and The Terrace. Dives at Chataubelair Island, Turtle Bay, The Garden, Coral Castle, and The Steps range from 60-100 feet and are full of lovely fish life, corals, sponges, and sea fans. You'll see elusive frogfish, friendly morays, lobster, rays, and the well-camouflaged scorpionfish. Wreck divers check out The Wrecks in Kingstown Harbor at 100 feet and the Puruni in the Tobago Cays Marine Park sitting upright in 40 feet of water. Snorkelers and divers will want to spend lots of time near these Cays with their unspoiled beaches and reefs. Area dive shops and links are listed below.

The islands welcome visitors with open arms, eager to show you the natural beauty of countless coves and cays with soft sandy beaches and clear sapphire to emerald green water, ideal for snorkeling, diving, and sailing. This island group offers some of the finest sailing in the world--you can charter a yacht and plot your own course through paradise. St. Vincent's volcanic ridges, valleys and waterfalls make this verdant island of frequent rain and rich soil a major producer of fruits, vegetables and spices. The interior flatlands and valleys are thickly planted with coconuts, bananas, breadfruit, nutmeg, and arrowroot. The tropical climate temperatures average 78-85F, the rainy season stretching from June-December. Rent a car (drive on the left), hire a taxi, or jump on a local bus (private vans wildly painted, music blaring) to see this extraordinary island. The capitol of Kingstown has several historical churches and the Botanic Gardens. Head north along the coastline to Richmond at roads end. Have one of the locals or dive operators take you on a boat trip to the Falls of Baleine. South out of Kingstown you will pass Young Island (climb Fort Duvernette), around to the rocky eastern shore where petroglyphs and rock carvings date from Pre-Columbian inhabitants, on up to Sans Souci and the arrowroot mill at Colonaire. The Mesopotamia Valley and Soufriere Volcano are excellent hikes.

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