Haiti offers a quality of diving that may surprise many people. Once known as a prime tourist destination, this country has undergone so much political unrest and environmental degradation over the past few decades that it has become one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite this, much work is going into reviving the tourism industry and one of the main places to start is by attracting divers to the waters surrounding the country.
Haiti has a lot going for it. There are pristine and colorful coral reefs a few miles offshore and these can be reached by boat. While the waters have been overfished and there is not an overabundance of marine life that divers would find in most other Caribbean countries, steps are being taken to create protected areas in the country so that the sea life can bounce back and flourish once again.
Magnificent sea life can be found in Haiti if you know where to find it. Divers that visit the Arcadins Islands, which consists of three small islands, situated 16 km (10 miles) off the island of Gonave and 8 km (5 miles) west of mainland Haiti often encounter soft coral, hard coral, staghorn coral, and a variety of fish life. In fact, the Gonave area is the site of amazing black coral.
One of the main dive sites in the Haitian waters is Amani. Amani is near St. Marc and it is here that divers will find the world famous Zombie Hole. This is a hole that extends to a depth of 137 m (450 feet). The most thrilling part of the dive into the depths of the Zombie Hole is the amazing Elephant Ear Sponge. What makes this sponge so special? It is known to be the largest sponge in the world.
The Elephant Ear Sponge is a large, flat sponge that is usually red, orange, or yellow in color. It has a base like a trunk and is highly perforated. It is also extremely absorbent, which makes it a target for those who wish to harvest it for a variety of purposes, particularly in the world of art for cleaning pottery. These sponges are living creatures with a colony of cells living inside it. The tiny holes in the sponge take water in and send it back out and the individual cells take food from this water. It is a very sophisticated system for such a simple animal.
In the Zombie Hole, the Elephant Ear Sponge is located at a depth of approximately 40 m (130 feet). There are also other creatures that live and lurk in the depths of the Zombie Hole, including sponge tubes, black coral, blue tang, and sea urchins. The area of St. Marc also offers wreck diving and the Mary Celeste, which sank in 1884, is there for divers to enjoy.
There is also diving to be had in Bizoton, in the Bay of Port-au-Prince, but this is not diving for the faint of heart. The water here is still very polluted, but beneath the surface there is a wreck to explore- The Seasprite which was a ferry transporting cocaine and possibly passengers that sank in the late 1990s. These days it is one of the few places that attracts divers and is home to sea life and there are groupers, snappers, young fish, jellyfish urchins, fireworms, and thorny oysters to be seen.
It is plain to see that there are mysteries to behold beneath the waves of Haiti, whether in the polluted waters of the Bay or in the pristine waters further out from the coast. For those who wish to dive there and experience the Zombie Hole and other dive sites it is highly recommended that you book everything well in advance to be sure the dive operator will be available that day and not away from the shop. After all, since there are few divers visiting the region the dive operators don’t always need to be on duty so it is better to be safe than sorry.
Haiti has been known as a land of devastation over the past few decades, but it is a land that is slowly bouncing back. There is still some political instability that is holding back development, but the people of Haiti know that they have a good thing going for them and that their island is truly a paradise. The deforestation and pollution of the coastline has created the need for a massive cleanup and the reefs near the coast are suffering because of it. The waters have also been fished out. However, once divers get further out, there is still so much to see and do and the Zombie Hole is one of the major highlights of the journey. Discussion is ongoing, proposals have been made to begin creating protected marine environments in Haiti, and surveys are underway to determine the best possible sites for these protected areas.
With sites like the Zombie Hole, the black coral, and the other marine life that is available, Haiti is a dive destination that is worth the trip. And possibly one of the very best things about going to Haiti to dive, particularly year after year, is watching the sea life come into its own and bounce back and watch the country itself come into its own in the tourist industry once again.