Montserrat offers 30 excellent dive sites, each with a rich assortment of marine life, including spotted drums and copper sweepers, and perhaps a large sea turtle. At the rim of the island's marine shelf, where relatively shallow waters suddenly drop off to great depths, divers can plunge into 21m-deep (69-ft.) waters to see mammoth sponges along with large star and brain coral reefs.
A particularly well-managed dive and watersports operation is The Green Monkey, which operates from a wood-sided shack adjacent to Festival Village at Little Bay (tel. 664/496-2960; www.divemontserrat.com). From its premises, Midwest-born Troy Deppermann and his wife, Melanie, conduct PADI-approved snorkeling and dive trips with a conscious eye toward safety and the transfer of information about life below sea level. On their premises is a cubbyhole-size bar, which maintains a thriving business completely independent from anything to do with underwater explorations. On island, their most visible competitors are Emmy and Andrew, who operate the well-respected SeaWolf Diving School (tel. 664/496-7807; www.seawolfdivingschool.com). Prices at both outfits are roughly comparable: One-tank dives cost US$60 (£30), two-tank dives cost US$115 (£58), and one-tank night dives go for US$75 (£38). Snorkeling equipment can be rented for US$15 (£7.50), but it's a lot more fun and informative to participate in a supervised snorkeling trip, by boat. to nearby Rendezvous Bay, site of a teeming offshore reef, for US$35 (£18) per person.
