Photo Caption: Scuba Diving in Antigua (Photo courtesy Nicholas Barraque for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority)

Antigua and Barbuda has earned 12 honours in Scuba Diving magazine’s 2027 Readers’ Choice Awards. The destination was recognised in categories including Beginner Diving, Advanced Diving, Wall Diving, Wreck Diving and Underwater Photography, as well as Big Animals and Cavern, Grotto and Cave Diving.

Now in its 34th year, the awards drew nearly 11,000 votes from readers. The recognition puts a spotlight on Antigua as a scuba diving destination where variety of boat dives are available off Antigua and visitors able to explore coral formations on the west coast within the Caribbean Sea or head south where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean for rock overhangs and wreck sites.

“Two dives in Antigua can feel like entirely different experiences,” said Charmaine Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. “You can spend a dive watching schools of fish move across the coral at Cades Reef, then explore the rock formations off English Harbour on another outing. This recognition from Scuba Diving readers is an opportunity to introduce more travellers to that range and to our incredible local dive operators who help them experience these dives.”

For divers wishing to explore Antigua, in the west, Cades Reef offers a gentler introduction to diving. Its shallower sections are home to coral formations and schools of reef fish, giving newer divers a place to build confidence and underwater photographers time to explore the details of the reef. Local dive operators in Jolly Harbour run boat trips to the area.

Off the south coast near English Harbour, the cliffs below Shirley Heights give way to dramatic underwater rock formations. At Sunken Rock, just outside Indian Creek, a submerged rocky peninsula reaches depths of approximately 130 feet. The site offers experienced divers the chance to encounter eagle rays, turtles and larger fish, including sharks. Wreck dives along the south coast offer another way to explore this part of the island.

PADI dive operators in Jolly Harbour and English Harbour can help visitors choose boat dives suited to their certification, experience and interests. For more information on visiting Antigua and Barbuda, go to visitantiguabarbuda.com.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda earns 12 honours in Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2027 Readers’ Choice Awards.