Antigua is the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands. It is situated in the middle of this group, in Eastern Caribbean. There are 365 sugar-white sand beaches, one for each day of the year, according to the locals sayings.
Cade’s Reef is located on the southwestern side of Antigua. It is one of Antigua’s most famous snorkeling dive site. The reef extends in 3.2 km/2 mi long, parallel to the southwest coast of Antigua, offering great reef fish and coral reef. Anyone who likes snorkeling, may have the opportunity to find a large variety of reef fish and colorful corals. The marine life includes sea fans, sponges, moray eels, sea turtles, sergeant majors, batfish, spadefish, barracuda, octupus, sea urchins and even the nurse shark. Because of the rich marine life, a park named ”Underwater Cade’s Reef Antigua Park” has been created in a specific area of Cade’s Reef.
The temperature of water is pretty stable all over the year, at about 25˚C/77˚F. The maximum depth is at 8 m/26 ft, while the average depth is at 5 m/16 ft. Water visibility ranges between 10 m/32 ft and 30 m/98 ft. This is very important for a snorkeler who wants to see clearly the bottom, where fish are hiding. Generally, the weather in Antigua is quite stable. However, in case of unpredictable weather conditions, there are many sheltered sites, especially on the west and the south, where snorkelers will be safe.
