MARIA ROSA - Negril
The Maria Rosa is one of those wrecks we keep coming back to in Negril. It’s a proper steamship, 76 metres long, built in 1931 and it went down on the Pedro Banks in 1962. Now, it’s broken up quite a bit over the years, but you can still get a real sense of its scale. We love finning along the deck plates, imagining the cargo hold when it was full. There are big sections of the hull still standing proud, forming swim-throughs for eager divers. Look inside the more sheltered parts, and you'll often spot nurse sharks tucked away, or moray eels peeking from crevices. We’ve seen huge schools of snapper here, just hanging over the wreck like a shimmering cloud. This isn't a deep dive, sitting at around 5 metres, so you get incredible bottom time. That means plenty of opportunity to really scrutinise the details, the barnacles, the way the coral has started to reclaim the metal. It’s ideal for photographers looking for interesting light play through the structure, and it’s a brilliant site for newer wreck divers to get a feel for exploring something man-made.
- Location
- Negril, Jamaica, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 16.947884, -77.826220
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 5m
Best Time to Dive in Negril
The warmest water temperatures in Negril occur in January, averaging 27.5°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.5°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.5°C (air: 25.7°C)
- February: 27.5°C (air: 25.5°C)
- March: 27.5°C (air: 26.0°C)
- April: 27.5°C (air: 26.7°C)
- May: 27.5°C (air: 27.5°C)
- June: 27.5°C (air: 27.9°C)
- July: 27.5°C (air: 28.3°C)
- August: 27.5°C (air: 28.4°C)
- September: 27.5°C (air: 28.2°C)
- October: 27.5°C (air: 27.5°C)
- November: 27.5°C (air: 26.5°C)
- December: 27.5°C (air: 26.1°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Negril
- ATALANTA - 7m (wreck)
- AVATAR TWO - 20m (wreck)
- Deep Plane - 20-30m (wreck)
- MALIBU - 25m (wreck)
- SEA ISLAND - 26m (wreck)
- SEA ROAMER - 1m (wreck)
- Shallow Plane - 8-14m (wreck)
- Throne Room - 12-20m (cave)
- VEGA - 11m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to MARIA ROSA
Marine Life in Negril
Home to 211 recorded species including 178 reef fish, 19 hard corals, 3 sea urchins, 2 other, 2 jellyfish, 2 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Lettuce Coral (Agaricia agaricites) - Hard Corals
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Finger Coral (Porites porites) - Hard Corals
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- Greenblotch Parrotfish (Sparisoma atomarium) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Graysby (Cephalopholis cruentata) - Reef Fish
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor) - Reef Fish
- Hogfish (Bodianus rufus) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for MARIA ROSA
Based on average water temperature of 27.5°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories