Best Caribbean island for abundant marine life

[Diver Dave1]

A second vote for Little Cayman. Got back yesterday and loved it.

 

[Stoo]

If you love walls, you can't beat Little Cayman

Awesome overall reefs, walls, corals... the outer cayes of Belize.

I have reviews of Little Cayman, Turneffe Island Resort and Huracan Diving on here someplace. We are starting to get ready to go to Huracan on Long Caye... for our 7th trip if that means anything.

 

[KeithG]

That's really a great picture of a bristle worm!

Agreed. Do I now need to make my avatar a Polar Bear or a Penguin?

 

[wildbill9]

Little cayman...followed by Bonaire......followed by cozumel imho

 

[PatW]

I think that Cayman Brac has better diving than Little Cayman. My wife thinks just the opposite. I think Brac has better coral. Both can have excellent visibility and at worst the visibility is just good. You see a bunch of turtles mostly hawksbills but sometimes greens or loggerheads. You will see morays but not a whole bunch. There are stingrays, eagle rays with a bit of luck and nurse sharks. Sometimes you will see a reef shark. There are angels, grunts, butterflyfish, file fish, queen triggers and others. For grouper, it is the best place to see Nassau grouper along with tiger and yellowfin. Sometimes a Goliath grouper. Oh and tarpon, bar jacks and horse eyed jacks.

Key Largo has very good fish populations. I don’t see turtles much. The visibility never gets really good because of the marl bottom giving the water a milky cast. I would rate Largo above the Caymans on fish alone but not as high on visibility, corals and it has long boat rides.

Cozumel also has good fish populations.

Many places in the Caribbean have heavy local fishing pressure so anything that can get caught on hook and line is fished out. I don’t recall seeing many grouper in Roatan or the Virgins.

 

[stuartv]

I have been told that Cuba is the place to go for abundant fish. It was explained to me that it is so abundant because it hasn't been fished - because whenever there's a boat big enough to fish from, people pile in and set off for Miami.

 

[Brodydog]

Our most different in the Caribbean was Bequia.

What makes it different? You've peaked my curiosity.

 

[drbill]

Skip the Caribbean and go to the South Pacific or Asia

 

[Brian Smith]

G

Planning my next dive trip. Looking for a new Caribbean location with schools of fish. Off the beaten path sounds good. Want to go somewhere new so not : Bonaire, Cozumel, Saba or Turks and Caicos. Ty.

Try Roatan, It is inexpensive, easy to get to and the diving is amazing.

 

[Kharon]

Try Roatan, It is inexpensive, easy to get to and the diving is amazing.

Surely you jest!!! First, the Roatan airport is hell to get through. Second fish life, what there is of it, is scarce and immature. The possible exception were schools of creole wrasse. Here's a link of the best I saw over 2 weeks - - poor vis and small numbers of small fish - but absolutely fine soft coral. Unless you are into searching for 1/2 to 3/4 inch sea horses I'd definitely go elsewhere.