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Scuba Diving in Bequia
The largest of the Grenadines after Saint Vincent, a seven-square-mile island of a whaling and boatbuilding tradition centred on Admiralty Bay and the harbour village of Port Elizabeth, ringed by reefs, walls and drop-offs that make it the diving base of the chain.
Why here
Bequia is the diving hub of the Grenadines, a small island with a deep seafaring history and a coastline of reefs, walls and drift dives all within a short boat run of Port Elizabeth. The sheltered west side has easy reef and wall dives that suit newer divers and courses, while the channels and points pick up current and bring bigger fish, turtles, rays, nurse sharks and the occasional reef shark. Because the island sits mid-chain, dive boats can also run to sites around the neighbouring islets and reefs on calm days. Two long-standing dive shops work the harbour, both walkable from the ferry and the Belmont waterfront, so you can dive, certify or just snorkel between other Grenadines plans. For a Caribbean reef base that is unhurried, characterful and thoroughly local, Bequia is the one.
Best months
Diving runs all year, with the calmest seas and clearest water generally from about December to June. The leeward Admiralty Bay side stays diveable in most conditions and holds the gentle reef and wall dives good for beginners and courses, while the exposed points and channels are current-swept drift dives for more experienced divers. Water is warm year round; visibility can drop after heavy rain or big swells.
Getting there & around
Bequia is a nine-mile ferry ride from Kingstown on Saint Vincent, running several times a day, or a short flight to its small airstrip. Both dive shops are on the Belmont waterfront around Port Elizabeth, an easy walk from the ferry dock and most guesthouses, and pick divers up from the harbour. Book directly; groups are small and the shops handle courses, guided dives and snorkelling.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Bequia Dive Adventures
OutfitterBequia Dive Adventures is a full-service PADI Dive Center on the Belmont harbourwalk in Port Elizabeth, Bequia, offering instruction and guided dives. It teaches PADI courses, runs daily boat dives on the reefs, walls and drop-offs around Admiralty Bay and the island's leeward coast, and handles snorkelling trips and gear from its harbour-front base. The shop is a short walk from the ferry dock, making it an easy walk-in dive base for travellers island-hopping the Grenadines.
Dive Bequia
OutfitterDive Bequia has run diving on the island for more than forty years, working from a shop in the gardens of the Gingerbread on the Belmont walkway in Port Elizabeth. It is a PADI 5-Star Dive Resort and an SSI Diamond Center, teaching courses from beginner to professional alongside guided dives and snorkelling on the reefs, walls and drifts around Admiralty Bay. The operation also runs private boat charters to sites around Bequia and the nearby Grenadines.