Here is some information I gave to another SB'er regarding our trip to Saba in March:
Our trip to Saba was fabulous! We go to Coz quite a bit and love it there but decided to try something new. We were not disappointed. It was a very long day getting to Saba from Arizona. We left PHX at 1:00 AM on Saturday morning; had a quick layover and plane change in Charlotte; flew from Charlotte to St. Maarten; and then took a 90-minute ferry ride to Saba. There are only two ways to get from St. Maarten to Saba....on a very small plane or the ferry.
Like Coz, Saba has a marine park with strict rules about not hunting, touching, or playing with the critters. You also are accompanied by a DM on all dives. The island is a dormant volcano and it rises close to 3,000 feet out of the sea. It is lush, tropical, green, and reminds me of the island on the old show "Fantasy Island." There are no big hotels, no beaches, no fancy shops or restaurants. There are small hotels and very good small restaurants on the island. The people are so nice! There are three "towns" on the island and we stayed in Windward at Julianna's Place. Our room was spacious, it had a balcony with a "to die for view of the sea," and everything was clean. There's no crime on the island so locking a door is not necessary. We left laptops, cameras, money, dive gear, etc. in our room and never had anything touched. There's a small restaurant at the hotel....The Tropics Cafe....which was good. We also ate at other restaurants in Windward.
When we booked the trip we booked a package with Julianna's Place and Sea Saba Advanced Dive Center. I have to say that the dive shop is probably the most organized and conscientious shop we've ever used. They know how to run a good shop and great dive boats. We never had more than 10 divers on our boat during the entire week. The captains and DM's were outstanding and gave the most thorough briefings we've ever heard. They even used a whiteboard to draw a picture of the dive site so you could understand the topography and the route really well before you hit the water. Our dives ranged from a minimum of 45-50 feet to a maximum of about 120 feet. On the deeper dives there was no pressure to dive to the maximum depth, in fact, I think I hit 101 ft. only once during the trip.
After diving each day you leave your gear on the boat and the crew takes care of it. You can take back to your room anything you want....computers, regs, etc....and they have your BCD set up on a tank the next day. Your wetsuit gets hosed off with fresh water and hung up on a rack on the boat and is ready for you the next day. If you dive Nitrox they test the tanks right on the boat and you watch and sign a form. What we loved the most is, for most dives, it's only about a 5 minute boat ride to the dive site! I think the longest ride was about 10 minutes. Loved it! The underwater topography is so interesting....seamounts, pinnacles, reefs, white sand, dark sand, etc. We saw the usual suspects---turtles, eels, sharks, rays, and TONS of fish. The reefs are very healthy. I think the sponges and coral heads in Coz, however, are more vibrant in color than in Saba. In Coz, you can see 10 - 15 dive boats in the same vicinity on places like Palancar Reef. In Saba, you might see one or two other dive boats in the same vicinity you're in. The boats actually tie up to a buoy, and only one boat per buoy is allowed.
There is one very steep and winding road on the island that takes you from the hotel to the harbor. We were picked up every morning in a van and taken to the harbor and after diving the van was there to take us back to the hotel. We never had to call for a taxi because the van/driver was part of the package. To tell you the truth, I'm so glad WE didn't have to drive the road. If a person is afraid of heights, Saba isn't a good place to visit!
I hope this helps you to make a decision about Saba. It's a great place to dive, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the island and it's people!
. WinAir is as professional as any airline I have flown, considering that they are mostly (All?) island hoppers with Twin Otters. Their safety record is very good. Their issues tend to be wind direction and rain. Consider that it is a 15 minute flight so it should not be a problem.
