ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (November 5, 2026) – 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.
###
ABOUT ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Antigua (pronounced An-tee’ga) and Barbuda (Bar-byew’da) is located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. The twin-island paradise offers visitors two uniquely distinct experiences, ideal temperatures year-round, a rich history, vibrant culture, exhilarating excursions, award-winning resorts, mouth-watering cuisine and 365 stunning pink and white-sand beaches – one for every day of the year. The largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, Antigua comprises 108-square miles with rich history and spectacular topography that provides a variety of popular sightseeing opportunities. Nelson’s Dockyard, the only remaining example of a Georgian fort a listed UNESCO World Heritage site, is perhaps the most renowned landmark. Antigua’s tourism events calendar includes the Antigua and Barbuda Wellness Month, Run in Paradise, prestigious Antigua Sailing Week, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, Antigua and Barbuda Art Week and the annual Antigua Carnival; known as the Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival. Barbuda, Antigua’s smaller sister island, is the ultimate celebrity hideaway. The island lies 27 miles north-east of Antigua and is just a 15-minute plane ride away. Barbuda is known for its untouched 11-mile stretch of pink sand beach and as the home of the largest Frigate Bird Sanctuary in the Western Hemisphere. Find more information on Antigua & Barbuda at: www.visitantiguabarbuda.com
For Antigua and Barbuda media enquiries, please contact:
Maria Blackman
Marketing Communications Manager
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority
T: 1 (268) 562 7600/464-7601
E: maria.blackman@visitaandb.com
Kayla Christian
Marketing Communications Officer
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority
T:1(268) 562 7600 / 464-7665
E: kayla.christian@visitaandb.com
