Jamaica Submarine Adventure Trip Review, Discovery Bay, Jamaica
The submarine has left Discovery Bay and has moved to Istanbul, Turkey. The Puerto Seco beach park has reopened. Guests at Mais Oui Villa get free access by appointment.
Don’t leave empty-handed.
Download our free Jamaica Insider Guide to get ideas for a whole bunch of other even better things to do in Jamaica.
So when is a good day to go for a submarine dive …
As Pablo, their operations manager advises, “A sunny and calm day is best. Minimal turbulence on the sea means better visibility below.”
Can you go if it is raining? Yes, but there a few rules of thumb to think about. Rain water is “surface water” and so it takes 1-2 days to get to the bottom of the sea. Diving just after it rains is better than 2 days afterwards for this reason. I was impressed that the Submarine Adventure monitors the weather reports from different sources and makes their own decision on whether a dive is possible.
So what do you see? What are some of the highlights?
It is an amazing landscape, or rather seascape, in the underwater world … hard corals, sponge corals, vase corals. A host of fish abound. There are printed guides as well as tour guides with you to help you identify the wide array of fish that come by.
Angel Fish are rarely seen in Jamaican waters. Discovery Bay is one of the few bays with any significant remaining angel fish population. Both Queen, Grey and French angel fish went swimming by. What is unique about them is that the first two that hatch mate for life. They are considered the “romantics of the sea”.
Star Trek fans will remember that Captain Picard had a lion fish in his quarters. They are as invasive as they are beautiful. For a while, they wreaked havoc on local marine life. Thankfully, a vigorous campaign to catch and destroy, aka eat them, has proved successful and their numbers have been diminishing.
So here is the coolest thing. During the dive, the red fire extinguisher looked almost burgundy. Our lips looked almost black. Why? Colors change at depth. If you can, wear either orange, yellow or red clothing to really appreciate the changes in color.
Photo credit: D. Looney
Did you know that there can be freshwater springs in the sea? Turns out there are. How weird is that? Discovery Bay doesn’t have a river on the surface but there are ocean wells which allow fresh water to spring in the sea floor. If you look closely you can actually see the channels with your naked eye.
Is the Jamaica submarine experience safe?
There seems to be a strong focus on safety. We had life vests on for the boat ride to the submarine. We had a full safety briefing in the submarine just before we started the dive. Not that you expect this to be an issue, but their air supply is such that it can accommodate 26 people, including crew, for 72 hours. Plus, the best thing is that there is always a boat on the surface during the dives and there are multiple ways of getting the submarine up to the surface if there are any issues.
In case you were wondering, the bends is not an issue. The pressure and oxygen content in the submarine are about the same as the outside.
Til next time,
Sherry & Darrell
Considering a visit to Jamaica? Contact us today for more information about, Mais Oui Tennis & Spa Villa, our boutique 8-BR ocean view Jamaica villa rental experience in beautiful Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Perfect for multi-generational families and groups.
Visit our website: http://www.MakeItJamaica.com
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MakeItJamaica
Give us a call: 866.624.7684 (toll free) or 914.709.0457
Sign up for our newsletter and immediately get our Free Discovery Bay Insider Guide to discover what you won’t find in the guidebooks.
Follow us on Tumbler: makeitjamaica.tumblr.com
