Updated August 12, 2022
This is the twentieth in a series of reviews of the best scuba diving destinations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Martinique.
In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards / Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.
Have you ever been diving in Martinique? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Best Scuba Diving in Martinique
Background
Located 450 kilometers (281 miles) northeast of South America, Martinique is part of the French Antilles, where the local languages are French and Antillean Creole, and English is widely spoken.
It is one of the Windward Islands, along with Santa Lucia, Dominica, and Barbados which have a coastline on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The mountainous island is volcanic in origin with black sand beaches in some locations and white sand in others.
The population of 385,000 focuses on rum, bananas, and petroleum as the major exports, and tourism to drive the economy.
Paul Gauguin, The French impressionist, lived there for a portion of his world tour, painting colorful landscapes and islanders, and helping to popularize the beautiful natural scene. Today there is a museum documenting his art and life in Martinique.
For more demographic, geographical, and cultural information on Martinique, click here: Martinique (Wikipedia)
Undersea World
Martinique has world-class diving on a very beautiful coral reef with a distinctive look. It has a rich display of hard and soft coral and gorgonians, but what stands out is the quantity and size of the tube and barrel sponges which provide the backdrop for the macro life of small crustaceans, lobsters, shrimps, urchins, and a multitude of reef fish like sergeant majors, gobies, angelfish, moray eels, frogfish, scorpionfish, and parrotfish.
Wide-angle attractions include three species of turtle, leatherback, green and hawksbill, snappers, trevallies, barracuda, stingrays, eagle rays, dolphins, blue, nurse, and hammerhead sharks, and blue marlins, not to mention numerous shipwrecks.
Seasons and Conditions
The best time to dive is from December to May. July to October is the rainy season with the dry season from December to April.
Martinique is blessed with a warm tropical climate year-round with a matching warm water temperature range of 26-28°C (79-82°F).
Visibility is generally quite good at 10-39 meters (35-130 feet) with the low end coming during rains.
Current is mild to non-existent most of the time but can be strong, on occasion, at some sites.
Diving is available for all levels, with deeper and wreck dives suitable for more advanced divers.
The dive shops are mostly affiliated with CMAS, but PADI and/or SDI are represented in most. They are capable of providing full services and training. A few of the dives are accessible from shore with most requiring a boat.
Liveaboard Diving
Martinique is not an area renowned for liveaboard diving, but there are many cruises in other areas around the Caribbean. Click here for details and pricing for a Caribbean Liveaboard:
For reviews of diving in eastern Florida and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:
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- Scuba Diving St Kitts and Nevis
- Best Scuba Diving St. Martin
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- Scuba Diving Cuba Best Dive Sites Cuba
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- Scuba Diving St Vincent and the Grenadines Review
- St. Lucia Scuba Diving Review
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- Best US Virgin Islands Vacations Scuba Diving
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- Barbados Scuba Dive Vacations
- Grenada Scuba Diving Review
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- Best Belize Dive Trips & Cocos Island Diving
Caribbean Islands Map
Selected Popular Martinique Dive Sites
There are at least the 21 dive sites indicated on the map on the west side where there is more natural protection from the forces of the open sea and a rich developed coral reef. There are also a number of wrecks with several in the St. Pierre area. It is also possible to dive on the eastern Atlantic side where there are more abrupt slopes with sandy plateaus and not as much coral development, but still with interesting rays, turtles, and pelagics.
Pearl Rock (1): to 165 feet (49 meters) maximum depth, rock with drop-offs, strong currents, parrotfish, triggerfish, fusiliers, trevally, barracuda, experienced level
Babodi Canyons (5): to 200 feet (60 meters), rocks, drop-offs, sand plateaus, lava flows, leaf coral, stingrays, beginner and experienced level
Le Roraima (9): to 180 feet (54 meters), 150 x 15 meter (500 x 50 foot) wreck broken into three pieces, experienced level
Nahoon (12): to 115 feet (34 meters), 3 mast steamer launched in 1911, resurrected twice, and scuttled for an artificial reef in 1993, corals, gorgonians, sponges, angelfish, trevallies, king mackerel, barracuda, experienced level
Diamond Rock (16): to 200 feet (60 meters), rock and drop off, huge 100-foot (30-meter) swim through a hole at 42 feet (13 meters), arches, caves, old anchors, sponges, coral, schools of fish, turtles, barracuda, beginner, and experienced level
The Grand Kaye of Sainte-Luce (19): to 115 feet (34 meters), rock and drop off, gorgonians, rock lobsters, parrotfish, butterflyfish, moray eels, squid, beginner and experienced level
Three Valleys (20): to 115 feet (34 meters), coral canyons with sand in between, lettuce coral, gorgonians, rock lobster, parrotfish, butterflyfish, moray eels, squid, snapper, queen conch, peacock flounder, electric rays, schools of fish including blue creole wrasse, yellowhead jawfish, stingrays, turtles, king mackerel, barracuda, beginner to experienced level
Martinique Transportation, Lodging, and Dive Shops
Transportation
The Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport provides service to 15 different airlines from the US, Canada, France, and other countries in the Caribbean.
There are also boats and ferry services from several nearby islands.
Lodging and Diving
In Martinique, there are dozens of hotels and resorts. Pricing runs from around $50/night on up. As for diving, at least a dozen dive shops are in operation, most of which are located in the southern half of the island.
This website is a good source for the available housing options and can arrange a booking:
Martinique Things To Do (aside from scuba diving)
There are a great many interesting activities and events in Martinique to round out a vacation there: Mt. Pelee crater trip, Habitation Ceron biological reserve, Caravelle Peninsula hiking, Rum at Rhum J.M. refinery, island hopping by boat to various shallow shoals, other beaches, water sports, and the local restaurant and night scene.
Martinique Photo Opportunities
With the macro life, beautiful, diverse coral reef, and lots of fish, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Martinique scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
For years and years I’ve wanted to scuba and my wife (an experienced diver) and I are going down to the Caribbean for our anniversary in the spring. I know that I can get certified to dive here in the states, usually by taking classes in a swimming pool (especially since it is winter in Chicago!), but do I actually need a certification to go on any of these beginner level dives? Or could I likely show up a few hours early and they’ll show me the need to know basics before we go out?
Hi Craig,
Thanks a lot for your interest.
There are a couple ways to get started. A discover scuba diving experience has some class room theory and pool practice and a very closely supervised open water dive in the ocean. That takes a few hours. You could probably do several dives afterward all under 40 feet in depth. If you have 3-4 days you could do the complete open water diver certification course which has 5 lessons in the classroom and an accompanying 5 lessons in the swimming pool or shallow water and 4 open water dives. This you can do in Chicago if they have a place for you to do the open water dives. The open water dives cannot be done in a pool, but would have to be in a lake or ocean. I am not sure what you have available around Chicago. It will be cold, though, and you will need appropriate exposure protection that your dive shop could provide. I would suggest the best way is to get it all done on your vacation in the Caribbean.
I hope that advice is useful. If you have other questions or comments, please let me know. If you are going to the Caribbean, I cannot think of a better way to spend your time than diving.
Best regards,
Joe
Hello, great site! We live on a boat and currently are in Martinique. We have our own diving gear and tanks. Are we able to dive on our own Are there mooring balls at the sites that can hold a 45 foot catamaran? We are excited about diving, so many places!
Thank you!
Hi Deb,
Thanks for your kind comment!
All the well known dive sites around Martinique have permanent mooring buoys. Martinique diving is governed by the regulations and standards of France and the EU based on those of CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques). Someone may want to check your diving certifications and confirm depth limitations based on your qualified level of competence. As a matter of courtesy, I would check in with one of the local dive shops to confirm usage of the moorings and to obtain advice regarding how to steer clear of problems with the authorities.
It sounds like quite an adventure is in store for you. Please let me know how it goes.
Best regards,
Joe