Sharks Hole – West Coast – Reefs & Walls

Site Overview

Sharks Hole, on the exposed far north of the west coast, is the site that earns its name - a deep, current-flavoured system of rocky ledges and channels that plunges toward twenty-eight metres and gives Barbados' more adventurous divers their best local shot at sharks. Caribbean reef sharks and the occasional nurse shark cruise the deeper ledges, big barracuda hang in the moving water, and the drop-offs can turn up giant Trevally, eagle rays and passing turtles in the blue water off the north point. It is a wilder, more serious dive than the sheltered southern reefs - cooler in feel, current-swept and depth-hungry - which is precisely why advanced divers seek it out when conditions allow a safe run north. Depths run from about 12 m at the shallowest point to 28 m at the deepest, with most of the dive spent near 22 m. Barbados is the easternmost Caribbean island, sitting where the Atlantic sweeps in to meet the calm Caribbean, and that convergence keeps its waters clear, warm and rich - the sheltered west and south coasts hold healthy reefs and a famed cluster of wrecks, turtles cruise the shallows year-round, and the deeper walls can turn up pelagics and the occasional shark. Conditions around Barbados vary with the season and tide, so confirm the day's plan with your local dive operator before you go