Reefwander

Antigua · Antigua and Barbuda · Reef · Coral garden

Red Rocks

Huge barrel sponges among sea fans and sea plumes

Red Rocks is a dense sloping soft-coral reef on the leeward side of Antigua, about a quarter of a mile off shore. Huge barrel sponges, tube sponges, sea fans, sea whips and sea plumes grow between hard corals, and the deep overhangs and sandy gullies hold spiny lobsters and nurse sharks.

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Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Red Rocks: typical dive 11–23 m (36–75 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit11 m23 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Antigua and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The slope is covered in soft corals, with huge barrel sponges, tube sponges, sea fans, sea whips, sea rods, sea fingers and sea plumes among the hard corals, and it runs from 11 to 23 m (35 to 75 ft). Giant Caribbean spiny lobsters and nurse sharks shelter in the deep overhangs and sandy gullies along the route, and at the foot of the slope a sandy seabed at 21 m (70 ft) hides southern stingrays and brown garden eels. Water clarity at this site is usually 18 to 30 m (60 to 100 ft).

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for Red Rocks
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairFairFairFairGoodPrime

Season follows Antigua: December to April brings the best visibility; May to November has calmer seas, and July to October is hurricane season.

Sources

  1. Antigua Scuba Dive Sites | DiveCarib — DiveCarib

More dive sites in Antigua

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Large adult nurse sharks along a reef of overhangs

12–21 mintermediate

Very large tarpon under an overhanging rock

6–18 mintermediate

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