When to go to Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios offers amazing diving throughout the whole year. The best time to visit is during the local summer, April till October, because during this time the water visibility is at its best and can reach up to 125ft/38m. The air temperature during the summer stays around 26C/78F - 29C/85F, while the winter months of November through March have a temperature range of 24C/75F-26C/78F. The average water temperature stays between 26C/79F and 29C/84F. The hurricane season can start in July and last till October.
What to see
Typical representatives of the local fauna include soft and hard corals, sting rays, eels, parrotfish, porcupinefish, scorpionfish, starfish, lobsters, various snails and even green sea turtles. The larger species include nurse sharks, barracudas, tuna and jacks.
Scuba diving in Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios is a resort located on the northeastern coast of Jamaica. Ian Fleming International Airport is located in 15 km from it. The destination is full of tourist attractions and conveniences. Visitors can admire charming beaches, including the James Bond beach. The house of Ian Fleming, who made the beach popular, is located nearby. Magnificent nature and stunning landscapes coexist with lots of cafés, restaurants, and hotels, which have everything for a comfortable vacation. There is also the Columbus Park Museum, which has various Spanish artifacts, which is supposed to be the area where Christopher Columbus first landed on Jamaica. Shaw Park Botanical Gardens and Coyaba River Garden and Museum are also places worth visiting in Ocho Rios. Ocho Rios is a tropical heaven for divers of all levels who enjoy reef, drift and wreck diving. The ocean floor varies between the shallow and sandy and deep and rocky with numerous small creatures hiding around the rocks. One of the main highlights of Ocho Rios is SS Kathryn Wreck with its World War II intentionally sunk minesweeper, which creates an underwater artificial reef full of colorful schools of fish. This wreck is available not only for swimming around but also diving inside of it, getting into a wheelhouse to explore the marine life there. Other popular dive sites around this area include Jack’s Hole with a reef at the depth of 40ft/12m, Devil’s Reef with a deep drop off 130ft/40m deep, Top of the Mountain with soft gorgonians and sea plums and Runaway Reef.
Open Water Courses