Antigua has a well developed tourism industry and hundreds of white sand beaches, however this island is not well known for its scuba diving. When compared to the reefs and corals surrounding other Caribbean islands, many divers look elsewhere in the Caribbean.
 If you are looking for a more rounded holiday with a lighter focus on diving and more time spent on the beach, you may want to consider Antigua. The island is also popular with sailors drawn by the excellent conditions and the island's famous Sailing Week, held every April.
Antigua also boasts a rich maritime history dating from when it was the headquarters of the British Naval fleet in the West Indies. Nelson was stationed here in the 1780’s hence the dock is now appropriately called Nelson's Dockyard and is well worth a visit.

Generally a nice climate all year round with little seasonal variation. During the winter temeratures get as low as 23°C rising to 30°C and lows of 26°C rising to 31°C  during the summer. The rainy season runs from September to December, so you may need some wet weather clothing.

December to May

Although being a good all year round destination, frigid temperatures in other areas of the world seems to spur travellers to visit the island during the popular Caribbean tourist season of mid-December to mid-April. However the hurricane season is June to November.

The island is set on a shallow bank so most of the diving is shallow apart from certain points around the island. This makes for good introductory diving and snorkelling on the islands reefs. Most dive sites have little or no currents and the water temperature averages about 80 F (25 C). Underwater visibility ranges from 50 to 140 feet, and tropical marine plants and animals are visible on most dives however the reef is not as pretty as the other Caribbean islands. Antigua's dive facilities are far superior to those available on its sister island Barbuda, hence most dives sites are on Antigua. Distances from shore to site are in some cases no more than five minutes and at most 40 minutes away.

Many major airlines such as American, US Airways, Virgin-Atlantic, Delta, and British Airways fly regularly to Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport from North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Taxis can be caught outside the airport to take vacationers to their choice destination on the island.
Cruise liners arrive into the deep water harbour at St. John’s, this is a popular destination within the Caribbean. This option appeals to travellers who want to get a small flavour of more than one island in the Caribbean.

The island has a rich maritime history, which is worth exploring. Other activities worth considering include:

• Sailing
• Cricket
• Tennis
• Walking
• Hiking & Golf

The diving on the island doesn’t put this island at the top of many peoples list.