Jamaica diving with Couples Swept Away

[Ginger]

I've read lots of negative comments about diving in Jamaica on the board today. I can accept that it's not the greatest the Caribbean has to offer.

I'd like to know if anyone has dived with the Couples Swept Away resort, within the past couple of years, and how they would rate that experience.

MTIA

Ginger

 

[jorgerantera]

I have heard that Jamaica is a 4 out of 10 for "diving greatness", but considering that all of our dives are covered under the "all-inclusive" policy, I'll take it. As a a matter of fact, I'll be in Jamaica f4rom 7/21 - 7/31 and plan to dive as much as possible...

 

[Ginger]

jorgerantera, thanks for your post. I'd LOVE to hear how your trip goes and how you find the diving and surface interval time. Our trip is planned for October and frankly, all the negatives I read were making me doubt my decision on Negril as a destination.... but even a bad day diving is better than a good day doing anything else, right?????

 

[maxjam98]

I have been diving in Jamaica on and off since 1995 and the diving is every bit as good as Cayman, Turks, and the other locations. There is the same sea life to be seen in Jamaica: spectacular corals, sponges, spotted eagle rays, sting rays, sea turtles, snapper, colorful fish... the whole shebang.

One piece of advice... Don't do dives right off the coast of Montego Bay or Ocho Rios... erosion caused by rain, hotel & city drains, and general fishing and tourist damaged have ruined the reefs. To see the real Jamaica you need to get out of the cities. Try diving near Falmouth, Runaway Bay, remote sites near Negril, the south coast or Port Antonio. GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

Frankly, I wouldn't go diving in a bay off any major city in the US, Australia, etc either! I mean, what would YOU expect to see off the coast of Miami, for example?

Great diving can be had in Jamaica, it isn't touted as a "premier" diving destination, which just means less crowded boats for us and less crowded dives in general, but stay away from the big cities.

 

[chrpai]

Sorry I've been to Jamaica 4 times. Ocho Rios, Negril and Falmouth. While I agree you can have a fun time diving on less then crowded boats, the diving doesn't come anywhere near comparing to other Carrib islands I've been to.

The best I had was Falmouth. And you will see lots of different kinds of critters.... but its what I call Noahs Ark diving.

2 of this... 2 of that... ( for one dive ) and then on the next dive 2 of this and 2 of that.

But you will see plenty of Saergent Majors and Sea Cucumbers.

 

[Juls64]

in my opinion, was the great beach in Negril. How many places do you find that have great diving and lovely beaches, but you can't sit out in the sand because of the sand fleas.

While Jamaica may not have the best diving, some of the other perks, such as the ability to sit out in the white sand in a chaise lounge and watch the sun set, or stroll along the waters edge without worrying about biting pests is worth the less than perfect diving.

Juls

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I'd say another down side to Jamaica is the crime/drugs/poverty combo. I felt like I was a prisoner on the resort. The walls around us were eight feet high and topped with broken glass, there was an armed guard on the beach after dark, and we were warned not to leave the resort without an escort. I also got pretty tired of every other person I met asking me if I wanted to buy drugs. The diving was mediocre at best. If you like Jamaica - that's great for you - but don't lead people to believe that it in the same league as Turks or Caymans as a diving destination.

 

[DocVikingo]

(nt)

 

[miked]

My experience on my one trip to Jamaica includes all of the unpleasant things mentioned by Tim in his post. While the resort was nice, the "sealed in for safety" feeling was not .
The actual diving was "okay", but not at the level of the other destinations mentioned.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[jbm]

chrpai once bubbled...
The best I had was Falmouth.

I agree.......Falmouth area offers the best diving.

Whatever else is said, good or bad, about Jamaica............there is one undeniable truth....... there is nowhere more "exciting" than Jamaica during a bad election !! Nothing like politics gone bad to get the country rockin!!



jbm