Christiansted or Fredriksted and a couple of other questions

[Craig66]

Background: Three divers. First time to St Croix. Priorities: Prolonged bottom times. Photographers and videographers wanting shallower reefs with good light and macro opportunities. 4-5 dives per day. Interested in diving with N2 or SCUBA.

At first look it would seem that for shallower longer dives that the west side is better with N2 being the best option as they are more focused on the west side. Is this correct.

Along those lines, it would seem that staying in Fredrickstad with easier access to and choosing N2 is probably the best bet as we would have good access to the West side for shallower boat dives and the pier. Christiansted will only be 30 mins away (15 miles) with no traffic so that we could access the N2 Northside boats and shore dives fairly easily. Is this correct or am I missing something (like horrendous traffic, underwhelming dives on the west side, little to do and eat on the west side) or perhaps it really doesn't matter as we will be back and forth between the two sides several times and with ease.

As far as bottom times can we expect reasonable bottom times with both outfits (55-60 mins) or will we be recalled to the boat at 40-45 mins to speed up the schedule?

Thanks

 

[They call me Tater]

I've only been with N2the Blue and they are great folks, but I suspect SCUBA would treat you good also. You seem to have a pretty good idea of the island. Shore diving is at the pier, Cane Bay, or Carambola. There are some very nice relatively shallow boat sites on the west end also.

N2 will give you time. They don't run a strict schedule....island time.

Christiansted has more bars, restaurants, shops, etc. Like most destinations, it depends on what you like. We went in January when it was pretty breezy so there was little diving done other than the west end but we prefer relaxing on the beach over partying. ( We can party where it's cold. We pay for sun and water) Having said that we enjoyed exploring the island and the restaurants as well. We are going back in March and will again stay on the beach in the west end.

There are fewer restaurantso on the west end but you can find some really good food there. We liked Pollys and the Rainbow beach bar. There are a few other places we just didn't get to.

Driving around is pretty easy except navigation is by landmark and I found it easy to miss a turn now and then.

I don't claim to be a St. Croix expert but I would like to be one some day! I look forward to your trip report.

 

[morecowbells]

We are making our first visit to St. Croix the first week of February. Initially we were looking at staying in either Frederiksted or Cane Bay. Out of the three of us, one is a non diver. I heard the restaurant 'Eat at Cane Bay' closed and not sure if there is much in F'stad for a non-diver, we ended up booking at Coaksley Bay. I figure that no matter where we stay, we will be doing a fair amount of diving to get to the dive sites. Still trying to figure out which dive op to use. Will let you know how our diving experience went.

 

[tendi]

Slightly hijacking this thread. We(2 divers) just booked flights and we have similar questions. We'd like to do some shore diving on our own and we're trying to figure out where to stay. We don't plan to do too many dives so we'll have more down time than normal. Because of that, we wouldn't mind paying extra for a nice view/pool/etc. We plan to stay in the <$200/night range. We'll have a car so easy enough to drive to Cane Bay or wherever to dive. Any suggestions on where to stay would be appreciated.

 

[rakay]

We went in August 2015. Dove with N2theBlue. We were happy with the diving and staff here. Small shop but great people. We are underwater photographers and this is the shop to use. They understand what underwater photography is all about. We had easy, long dives. Got some awesome photos too!
We stayed at Sandcastle near Frederiksted and rented and apartment room with a kitchen. They have a restaurant and pool onsite. It is on the beach. It is not a five star hotel but it was fine. It is dated but this is an island...not the mainland US. The staff at the hotel were very helpful and friendly. This is the quiet end of the island and the calmest ocean area. There are several places to eat and the town is not very far. It is best to rent a car. You will need one to explore and get to the dive shop in town.
We dove the Frederiksted Pier several times. Frog fish, seahorses and seahorses. Octopus. Banded coral shrimp. It would certainly do this again.
Cane Bay is pretty far from this area. We have a friend that works for the dive shop there so we drove over. It is a drive and don't do it once it is dark. It's hard to find.
It did not seem like there was much in that area.
We never made it to Christiansted. We go mostly to dive and photograph so we did not take the time to check it out.
If you want more info, you can PM me.

 

[tendi]

Thanks for the info! Has anyone been diving on the west side AND the north side? I'm wondering how they compare. I'm not as concerned about photography. I take pics but I'm not very serious about it and would rather dive somewhere and see more even if it means it's poor conditions for photography.

Rakay, when you say "Cane Bay is pretty far" can you quantify that? Is it 15 min? 30 min?

 

[Scared Silly]

We have dove both the north and west side. More diving on the north side especially from shore. As for places to stay, on our last trip we stayed here: Northside Valley | St. Croix Eco Villas. We buy groceries and do most of our own cooking. We used Cane Bay Dive Shop for our diving. On days they dove the north side we just met them at the Fredrickstad pier. Other days we drove over the hill to Cane Bay (20 minutes or so). Which usually meant a stop at the Mt. Pellier Domino Club on the way back. As for Christiansted I would not stay there. Cane Bay has a couple of cabanas that they rent out - we have stayed at them also.

 

[They call me Tater]

Like I said earlier, it all depends on what one likes such as favorite ice cream flavor. That is what I really like the most....there are choices and some variety on a relatively small island.
Counting the days.

 

[KathyV]

Sadly we didn't have much chance to do land-based diving on St. Croix, we spent the first week on a liveaboard and the second week in an apartment (and did much of our own cooking) but I came down with bronchitis and so we only had the chance to snorkel and dive the Fredricksted Pier (fantastic!) near the end of our vacation.

But I do remember that there was quite a bit a driving to get around St. Croix and that they drive on the left side of the road. I am thinking of the trips between Fredricksted and Christiansted and also the drive out to the Divi Resort to go to the casino. But the roads were good and fairly well marked and the drives never seemed excessively long. We drove to Cane Bay to take a look at it but we couldn't dive. I would like to go back to St. Croix some day for a land-based dive trip because we couldn't really take advantage of all it had to offer.

I think we stayed away from the towns but nearest to Fredricksted. I do remember liking Fredricksted more than Christiansted because it was more of a "quaint village" but St. Croix is nice in general and I think you will enjoy your dive vacation. But be aware that there are some "more dangerous" neighborhoods on St. Croix so keep on the main roads or make enquiries before venturing too far "off the beaten path"!

And keep in mind that the cruise ships dock in Fredricksted and you will want to avoid all the tourist traffic on cruise ship days.

Be sure to take the tour of the Cruzan Rum Factory that really was a lot of fun!

Here is the link to a site that will "whet your appetite" for your upcoming trip. It is for the Christiansted Harbor Cam and it is my favorite live, streaming, Caribbean web cam. I love seeing the movement of the water and trees and to watch the people and boats coming and going. It gives me a "tropical fix" when I am stuck here in the Midwest on December 30th. Have fun!

Official Page for Live St. Croix Web Cam in Christiansted | GoToStCroix.com

 

[N2theBlue StCroix STX]

Greetings all!
St. Croix is rather unique in the surrounding islands in that we have a Pier (One of the Seven Jewels of the Caribbean), Canyons, Reef, Walls, Wrecks, and spectacular night dives all on the same island. St. Croix is great for beginners, advanced, tec divers, photographers, boat divers, and shore divers. Depending on what you are looking to see, you've several options to choose from.


St. Croix is ~37 miles long, 42,000 population, with winds/waves going from East to West. There are 5 dive shops, each with a particular focus, location, and how many people they take on the boats. The far east is sparsely inhabited and very dry with grasses, shrubs, and cactus. The middle of the island (Christiansted) is the heavy population center. The west is the Rainforest and large, green estates. No diving on the south shore due to the wave break. Almost nobody has a home or resort on this side due to the waves/winds (except Divi resort and Casino). It takes about 30 minutes to get from the far east/PointUdall/Divi to Christiansted and another 30 minutes from Christiansted to the west/Frederiksted, and the north shore (Cane Bay) is about 25 minutes from both Frederiksted and Christiansted (kind of a triangle, but with slower/twisty/steeper roads going to Cane). There are very few cruise ships to St. Croix, perhaps 8-10 in January (peak) and 0-2 per month in July-October, but there are so many calm water dive sites in the west, cruiseship day only limits/restricts diving the Pier.


+ The West side (Frederiksted-side) of the island the calm leeward/shadow of the island and ideal for calm diving. There are about 40+dive sites on the west, including The Pier and all the major Wreck dives. Long, gentle sloping terrain to ~55', then a drop off to about 100' is the overall profile on the West. Reef diving is unique in each location. Beaches are large and calm (Rainbow Beach, Frederiksted Beach) and great for paddleboarding. This western side is the home of N2theBlue Scuba Diving. It does get deeper, but we keep it in Recreational limits and try to mix a Deep Dive (shorter time) with a longer time mid/shallower dive (40-60').
== With 40+ sites, its beautiful and easy.
Deep Wrecks, Shallow Wrecks
Several different reef types, profiles, and terrain.
Night Dive the Pier (bio-luminescence, octopus, seahorses, etc.)
The Pier (rated #2 structure dive by Sport Diver Magazine)
Mixed terrain, Cables from the old submarine base
Each site features different creatures, corals, and relief. You can see photos on www.facebook.com/N2theBlue


+ The NorthWest side of the island can have 2-5' waves and 100 yards off shore is the Wall dropping from ~40' to 900'+ deep and a rather steep slope. About a dozen+ dive sites total from SweetBottom to CaneBay.

+ Christmas Winds start around Christmas and last about 2 months. These winds can bring 5-8' waves along the north and south shores.



+ The North-Central is the famous, underwater Salt River Canyon and served by several dive shops (N2theBlue, CaneBay, DiveExperience, and St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures).


+ The North-East diving is the barrier reef protecting Christiansted to a bit further east. Waves can be 2-5' most of the year.


+ The South doesn't have any dive operators and sparse diving due to the wind/waves typically come from this direction (ESE).


+ Whales can be heard late February and most of March. This is the time Humpback Whales are calving their young.


+ Seahorses are everywhere on the Frederiksted Pier. Be sure to hire a Divemaster to point them out.


+ Turtles make a great sight all year. Green Turtles, Hawksbill, Leatherback... all grand.


+ Water Temp is ~77'F in February and ~85'F in October.


+ Water Viz ranges from ~120' on good days, ~60-70' on most days, and ~30' on bad days (higher winds/waves).


What are the MUST SEE DIVES of St. Croix?
(1) The Frederiksted Pier -- WEST/FREDERIKSTED -- One of the Seven Jewels of the Caribbean. Also, #1 place in the Caribbean to find seahorses. Its like diving a Gothic Catherdral with pylons reaching towards the sky and the stained glass windows are replaced with a dazzling display of corals and sponges. There are still two sections of the old pier (destroyed by hurricane Hugo in 1989) with over 50 years of growth, too. This dive site will easily take several dives to explore, from the end at 90' (known as Three Amigos), to the end of the cement walkway at 42', or near shore and the old Pier remnants at 20'.




(2) Night Dive -- WEST/FREDERIKSTED -- The Frederiksted Pier. Bio-luminescence is a highlight! Moreover, the colors EXPLODE at night under your dive-light! Also, there are other creatures that come out at night... especially Octopus.




(3) The Salt River Canyon / The Wall -- NORTH SHORE -- 100 yards off shore and at ~40' deep, the Wall drops to several thousand feet deep (deepest point: ~13,500'). This brings a diversity of life that is not often seen in the world. Because this is on the north shore, conditions can be a bit chopy/bumpy. Waves can be knee high or 5'. Salt River Canyon is a boat ride to get to unless you use one of the dive companies that have a boat directly in the Salt River Marina. Salt River is a prehistoric underwater carved canyon/river/waterfall. Brilliant.




(4) The Wrecks -- WEST/FREDERIKSTED -- A: Deep Wrecks (2 @ 72-110'); B: Shallow Wrecks(3 @ 35-60'), C: Armageddon (the massive wreckage of the old Pier dropped at 90-120'). These are all quite close to each other.




(5) The Reefs -- WEST/FREDERIKSTED -- Calm waters, extended dives, and water features that can have the dive be 30-55', or 55-120'. There's a ridge on the west where dives can be either deep or shallow. The waters are almost always calm because this is on the wind-protected side of the island. The cover-story of a magazine was divesite: The Swirling Reef of Death. You'll have to ask for the funny story from the captain. There are over 40 divesites for both shallow and deep dives that'll keep you delighted. Very easy to book a 3-5 day package and see a lot! HUGE beaches for the non-divers, stand up paddleboarding, and the charming laid-back rest you've been looking for.




Please note: When Cruise Ships are in port, the US Dept of Homeland Security does not permit diving on The Pier (until after it departs). There are very few cruise ships to St. Croix, perhaps 8-10 in January (peak) and 0-2 per month in July-October, but there are so many calm water dive sites in the west, cruiseship day only limits/restricts diving the Pier.




Loads of options for dive companies that will rent gear, guide dives at the shore, or take you on a boat dive. TripAdvisor.com is a great resource to find out more. Lots of parking 100 steps away from The Pier.




As for food and restaurants -- ahhh, well. There are so many to talk about! Again, TripAdvisor is a good start. A few favorites come to mind: Pier69, Polly's Cafe, Lost Dog Pizza, Rose's Dream Cuisine, Rowdy Joes, Angry Nates, Savant, Pickled Greek -- and SO MANY MORE for that one particular dish or night of the week when they feature what they're known for (Coconut's sunday texas BBQ, Turtles after Dark's drunken lobster, etc.).




Enjoy your travels and Enjoy St. Croix!