diving in St Maarten,

[mjarbeau]

Hi

My husband and I are going on a cruise to the southern Caribbean in December. Our first stop is St Maarten, the second stop is Dominica. Can anyone tell us how the diving is in either of these locations. I am a new returned diver (certified in 1977 and 1987). He is a public safety diver. I am not sure of the diver masters but I plan on calling the cruise line and getting that information.
Thanks
Michele

 

[Docc]

Hi

My husband and I are going on a cruise to the southern Caribbean in December. Our first stop is St Maarten, the second stop is Dominica. Can anyone tell us how the diving is in either of these locations. I am a new returned diver (certified in 1977 and 1987). He is a public safety diver. I am not sure of the diver masters but I plan on calling the cruise line and getting that information.
Thanks
Michele

Good diving. I recommend Chris and Sally at Octopus Diving in Grand Case on the French side.

Octopus Diving - Scuba Dive and Snorkel in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

 

[ScubaInChicago]

St. Maarten can have some serious wave action on most of the dive sites. Our two trips there this year both had 4-7 footer which seem to be the norm. Just fair warning in case either of you are prone to sea sickness. Otherwise the diving was awesome. I also visited Haiti earlier in the year and heard the diving can be hit or miss. The waves were fierce on the North side and calm on the South (or visa-versa). This also affected the visibility but I would contact the dive shop in the area the cruise line is using to get better information.

Have a great time....

 

[bradshsi]

Another vote for Octopus diving. They are a really great outfit, very friendly and professional.

I did most of my dives with their DM Stuart.

They have a really nice dive boat (a catamaran) and only take a maximum of 6 divers on any trip.

The sites have a decent variety of fish, with about 50+ ft vis when I was there in December.

Weather can be a factor if the trade winds get up. You can end up with pretty lumpy seas which while not affecting the vis too much, can make getting on and off the boat more interesting than one would like.

 

[Jorgy]

Plus 1 on the waves..........getting back on the boat was fun......

We did a Easter Caribbean cruise and dove St. Maarten.......we made the dive plans on our own.......much cheaper than through the cruise line.......

My son and I did the shark awareness dive with Dive Safaris.......it was great, they met the boat at the cruise boat pier and took care of everything.........

Got back in plenty of time…….however, it was only a 1-tank dive………

Dive Safaris - St Maarten's Best Scuba Diving Experience!

Hope this helps......M

 

[confuzioncity]

Yes, watch the waves! Not fun if you're prone to seasickness.

Colleen