The Top Sandals Resorts & Destinations for the Ideal Scuba Diving Vacation

Deep breathing really is the key to living. Peaceful living, that is. What better place to test this out than in the deep sea with some scuba diving equipment where you can be amazed by magical underwater views as well? The Caribbean is a great place for this kind of adventure, especially for couples. For a scuba diving vacation that's both exhilarating and romantic, you might want to spend some time at one of the Sandals all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean that include scuba diving as part of their offerings.

There are a number of Sandals Resorts sprinkled throughout the Caribbean. For the purposes of this post, we've compiled a list of five of the best Sandals Resorts for couples who love scuba diving. We’ve also included some of the dive sites you might want to explore during your vacation.

Best Sandals Resorts for scuba diving

Scuba diving is one of the most popular activities for guests traveling to the Caribbean. Guests of Sandals can really take advantage of this as Sandals Resorts offer free scuba diving trips as part of your stay. All you’ll need to get going on your scuba adventure with Sandals Resorts is PADI® certification or an on-resort introductory diving certification. Once that's out of the way, you can enjoy free dives at this resort including professional equipment! Each guest can get a maximum of two tanks a day, depending on availability and the weather.

If you are not PADI® certified, you can get your introductory diving certification through your Sandals Resort at an additional cost. This can take as little as 48 hours -- or less if you get started ahead of your vacation. Sandals has scuba staff that has certified over 100,000 guests. With top-of-the-line and well-maintained equipment, you’ll be scuba diving fearlessly in no time!

And without further ado…

If you're wondering which are the best Sandals resorts for scuba diving, you might want to look in the direction of Sandals Royal Bahamian, Sandals Grenada, Sandals Royal Curaçao, and the Sandals resorts in Saint Lucia, and Barbados.

1. Sandals Royal Bahamian in The Bahamas

Let’s start with The Bahamas. This tropical archipelago is well known for its incredible diving. Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau is often referred to as the best Sandals Resort for scuba diving. If you set up a dive trip from this resort, you stand a chance of getting up close to all kinds of marine life. The diving experience in The Bahamas is “out of this world” with an abundance of reefs and incredible sea life. Expect to see everything from tropical fish and sea turtles to stingrays, moray eels, crabs, and nurse sharks.

One of the best places to dive in The Bahamas is at Thunderball Grotto. The famous James Bond 007 reefs are located here and can be the highlight of your vacation. The popular James Bond films 'Thunder Ball’ & ‘Never Say Never’ were both filmed at this location. If you dive here, you’ll be able to see the Vulcan Bomber prop that is now covered with soft corals including sponges, gorgonians, sea rods, sea wipes, plum worms, and arrow crabs. Blue and midnight parrot fish are commonly spotted here.

While in The Bahamas, Hollywood Bowl is another famous dive location you might want to see. This is one of the listed dive sites available to guests of Sandals Resorts in Nassau. Sightings include Bermuda chub, sergeant majors, blue tang, balloo, and more. While in The Bahamas, you might also want to dive at Fish Hotel. The name of this dive site speaks for itself and you can expect to see juvenile blue-striped and French grunts, yellow goatfish, Bermuda chub, and more.

Expert tip: There are lots of other awesome locations you can check out while scuba diving in The Bahamas. Many of them can be accessed from Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma as well.

2. Sandals Royal Curaçao

Sandals Royal Curaçao is one of the newest Sandals Resorts on the block. Set in beautiful Curaçao, this is an absolutely perfect place for the scuba diving couple. Curaçao is part of the ABC island chain along with Aruba and Bonaire. These islands have an exotic appeal to them that extends to diving.

Your dive trip in Curaçao will undoubtedly be memorable. Some of the best places to go scuba diving in Curaçao include Watamula, which is Dutch for “water mill”. Two currents meet here so you can see a diverse mix of marine life including sea turtles. There’s a variety of soft and hard coral at this dive site and you might particularly enjoy scoping the gorgonian sea fans. Watamula is loved by divers who want to drift dive as the currents are conducive for this.

While vacationing at Sandals Royal Curaçao, you might also want to check out the Superior Producer dive site which is the best wreck dive in the Caribbean. The sunken cargo ship at this location dates back to 1977. During a dive here, you can expect to see a range of marine life circling the wreck. The best dive spots in Curaçao wholly depend on what you’re hoping to see more of. Reefs or wrecks? Take your pick or find a well-balanced mix of both!

Expert tip: There are lots of things that Curaçao is known for - great dive sites are one of them! Other great places to go scuba diving in Curaçao include Alice in Wonderland, the Mushroom Forest, and the Tugboat.

3. Sandals Grenada

Grenada is known as the wreck diving capital of the Caribbean. Interestingly, many of these are genuine wrecks and not boats that were sunk for the purpose of becoming artificial reefs. This fact alone can make scuba diving on this island extra exciting. Around Grenada and Carriacou, you’ll find a number of shipwrecks including the Mighty Bianca C. This is a 590-ft long, 18,000-ton Italian liner that sunk off the coast of Grenada in 1961.

Aside from the wrecks that have evolved over time into thriving artificial reefs teeming with marine life, there are lots of other reasons to go scuba diving in Grenada. One of these is to explore the world’s first Underwater Sculpture Park. While diving here, you can scope sculptures of all kinds and admire the marine life as well. If you go scuba diving in Grenada, you might see turtles, octopuses, nurse sharks, barracuda, and lots more.

From Sandals Resorts, you can also explore reefs like Purple Rain. This is considered to be one of the healthiest reefs in Grenada. The reef gets its name from the purple creole wrasse that appear to be literally raining down on the reef. Other sightings here include scrawled filefish, black durgon, and vibrant corals in hues of yellow, purple, and orange, as well as coral whips and deep-water gorgonians.

4. The Sandals Resorts in Saint Lucia

Lush and mountainous, Saint Lucia’s beauty extends beneath the ocean. Underwater explorers can expect to see lots of sea creatures off the coasts of this island. Sightings can include eels, sea snakes, lobsters, crabs, octopuses, and tropical fishes of all kinds.

Some of the best scuba diving sites in Saint Lucia include Fairyland (lots of sponges and sea turtles) near Anse Chastanet and Keyhole Pinnacle. Keyhole Pinnacle stands out because of its four volcanic peaks that rise almost to the surface. At the tops of these, you’ll see black and orange gorgonians that are home to trumpet fish, filefish, and more. Grouper, jack, snapper, and even seahorses are also frequently spotted here. Both of these dive sites are suitable for more advanced divers.

Novice divers might enjoy the Anse Cochon North and South Reef. Sightings here can include spotted drums, goatfish, parrot fish, yellow snappers, grunts, damsel fish, Chromis, and wrasse. The maximum depth of this reef is 40ft. These dive sites and a range of others including the Anse Chastanet Reef are accessible from Sandals Resorts in Saint Lucia.

Expert tip: Want to dive as much as possible during your island getaway? Guests of Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Regency La Toc, and Sandals Halcyon Beach can enjoy free snorkeling and scuba diving (up to 2 tanks a day). All you’ll need to do is book your excursion and the boat crew will take you to the best spots!

5. The Sandals Resorts in Barbados

Barbados is one of those islands where you'll probably want to spend as much time as possible outside admiring the natural beauty and basking in the sunshine. For a scuba diving vacation, Sandals Resorts in Barbados are ideal. These resorts make it possible for scuba divers to have a truly amazing experience exploring shipwrecks and getting better acquainted with the marine life of the islands.

Easy, relaxed, and fun are some of the words you’ll probably use to describe your dive experience on this island. While scuba diving in Barbados, you’ll truly feel as though you’re in a whole new world. Diving here will be a blast whether you're new to scuba or you’ve got plenty of dives under your belt.

Barbados is great for a couples dive trip and during this experience, you can expect to spot a variety of marine life including turtles, octopuses, sea horses, batfish, eels, porcupine fish, and more. Carlisle Bay is one of the best places to dive in Barbados. There are quite a few wreck dive locations in this area that can be explored during a scuba excursion. Some of these wrecks include the Berwyn, Ce-Trek, Eillon, Cornwallis, and the Barge. Notably, the Cornwallis was sunk by a torpedo during World War II. When you set up a dive trip from Sandals Resorts, you can easily check out some of these wreck locations.

Expert tip: When planning your awesome scuba diving couples vacation in Barbados, you’ll have two Sandals Resorts to choose from - Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados. Staying at either resort will give you access to gourmet restaurants, pools, and unlimited cocktails at the other property!

Sandals Resorts are ideal for a dive vacation

Scuba diving in the Caribbean is an exciting experience. We attribute this to the region's healthy, life-giving reefs. From the vantage point of a dive resort like Sandals Resorts, scuba diving is sure to impress.

At all Sandals Resorts, you can expect to have a great scuba diving experience. The resorts listed above are the favorites amongst guests, but no matter which of these you choose to stay at, you can enjoy a fun and luxurious vacation filled with quality inclusions that will set your mind at ease.