A Haven for Montserrat divers

Montserrat has been gradually establishing itself as one of the Caribbean's top destinations for getting up close and personal with life under the sea, a fact reflected by developments at one of its diving schools.

Those visiting the tropical island can now book scuba diving holiday combos, staying in a villa built specially for sub-aqua enthusiasts, as part of a new project from the Sea Wolf Diving School.

The self-catering villa, Diver's Haven, offers six en suite bedrooms at backpacker prices, for divers during their stay on Montserrat.

Equipped with kitchen, DVD, TV, laundry room and a swimming pool, it also has an honesty bar for a good old honest drink after a hard day's diving.

For around £225 per person, divers can get five nights' accommodation and three days of tank dives. But the Haven is not solely for the use of divers, and those who do not wish to strap a tank on their back and go for a dip can stay in the villa for just £30 a night.

It will operate as a convenient base from which divers can explore the 30 or so untouched diving sites along 13 miles of coastline.

Montserrat is blessed with thronging marine wildlife, thanks largely to the island's active volcano, eruptions from which have improved the fertility of the underwater ecosystem.

As such, specialist scuba tour operators like Snooba Travel and Dive Worldwide, have both recently added Montserrat to their international dive programmes.

For more information on Diver's Haven, visit www.divers-haven.com, while other holiday ideas for Montserrat can be found at www.visitmontserrat.com.

Click here for cheap flights to Montserrat.