cleung
Contributor
Just got back from a dive trip to Saba and St Maarten in May so I thought that I would post this review. Flew into SXM and cab was $25 to Philipsburg to catch the Dawn II ferry to Saba. Also took the Edge ferry on the return trip which was a better boat but both ferries offered free beers for the 1.5 hour crossings.
Saba Hotel - El Momo Resort
Pros
- relatively inexpensive (was booked through Sea Saba dive/hotel package)
- awesome views of the island and ocean from the room decks
- no worries about mosquitoes as the place was pretty high up on the mountain
Cons
- need to take MANY steep steps up to the resort and to the rooms, few railings so need to be careful especially at night
- bathrooms are external to rooms and use only compose toilets (no tissues can be thrown in)
- no locks on doors so need to bring own lock box/safe although facility is very high up (steps)
- no screens on windows although there wasn't any major flying insect issues
- in addition to steep steps, need to take steep road to Windermere town
- breakfasts were reported to be nothing special and pricey for what you get at the hotel restaurant which does not operate all the time
Conclusion on El Momo
I would not recommend El Momo unless you are okay with many steep steps plus the steep road to town. If you have lots of luggage and scuba gear, you need to bring them up these steps at least for arrival until you can just leave them with the dive operator.
Sea Saba - Dive Shop Used
Pros
- service and advance email communications from Lynn was great as she facilitated transfers from ferry dock as well as hotel to dive boat and back each day
- also helps with any reservations needed with local restaurants plus other travel needs
- best dive boats at Saba
- scuba gear can remain on dive boats for duration of stay
- dive site briefings by divemasters are good and they help change tanks
- dive shop in town has nice selection of divewear
- offers a printout of your dives taken along with dive log data (depth, time, marine life seen)
Cons
- unlike other destinations, divemasters here do not monitor air from divers during dives but ask you to let them know when half tank is up (I did not see any divers actually do this when half tank was up)
- divemasters do not always keep groups together as divers are allowed to go off on their own with their buddies but we did see some divers get separated and go up on their own without the divemasters knowing
- no snacks offered on board dive boats
Conclusion about Sea Saba
My dive buddy and I were experienced divers so the differences with way the divemasters here worked didn't really affect us. But we could see potential safety issues for some divers who are less experienced as we did see a diver go up on his own after running low on air.
The dive sites were pretty good and marine life was healthy. In addition to usual tropical Caribbean fish we saw, we particularly enjoyed the seahorses at Tent Reef which were twice as large as the ones I've seen elsewhere and the tarpons who hung out with us during our safety stops at Ladder Labyrinth. The seas grass section of Tent Reef also had the most sea turtles I've ever seen during any one dive. The pinnacles at Diamond Rock, Third Encounter (Needle) and Man O War were also quite pretty.
Saba is a nice place to dive and if I were to come again, I would use Sea Saba again but not stay at the El Momo.
Saba Hotel - El Momo Resort
Pros
- relatively inexpensive (was booked through Sea Saba dive/hotel package)
- awesome views of the island and ocean from the room decks
- no worries about mosquitoes as the place was pretty high up on the mountain
Cons
- need to take MANY steep steps up to the resort and to the rooms, few railings so need to be careful especially at night
- bathrooms are external to rooms and use only compose toilets (no tissues can be thrown in)
- no locks on doors so need to bring own lock box/safe although facility is very high up (steps)
- no screens on windows although there wasn't any major flying insect issues
- in addition to steep steps, need to take steep road to Windermere town
- breakfasts were reported to be nothing special and pricey for what you get at the hotel restaurant which does not operate all the time
Conclusion on El Momo
I would not recommend El Momo unless you are okay with many steep steps plus the steep road to town. If you have lots of luggage and scuba gear, you need to bring them up these steps at least for arrival until you can just leave them with the dive operator.
Sea Saba - Dive Shop Used
Pros
- service and advance email communications from Lynn was great as she facilitated transfers from ferry dock as well as hotel to dive boat and back each day
- also helps with any reservations needed with local restaurants plus other travel needs
- best dive boats at Saba
- scuba gear can remain on dive boats for duration of stay
- dive site briefings by divemasters are good and they help change tanks
- dive shop in town has nice selection of divewear
- offers a printout of your dives taken along with dive log data (depth, time, marine life seen)
Cons
- unlike other destinations, divemasters here do not monitor air from divers during dives but ask you to let them know when half tank is up (I did not see any divers actually do this when half tank was up)
- divemasters do not always keep groups together as divers are allowed to go off on their own with their buddies but we did see some divers get separated and go up on their own without the divemasters knowing
- no snacks offered on board dive boats
Conclusion about Sea Saba
My dive buddy and I were experienced divers so the differences with way the divemasters here worked didn't really affect us. But we could see potential safety issues for some divers who are less experienced as we did see a diver go up on his own after running low on air.
The dive sites were pretty good and marine life was healthy. In addition to usual tropical Caribbean fish we saw, we particularly enjoyed the seahorses at Tent Reef which were twice as large as the ones I've seen elsewhere and the tarpons who hung out with us during our safety stops at Ladder Labyrinth. The seas grass section of Tent Reef also had the most sea turtles I've ever seen during any one dive. The pinnacles at Diamond Rock, Third Encounter (Needle) and Man O War were also quite pretty.
Saba is a nice place to dive and if I were to come again, I would use Sea Saba again but not stay at the El Momo.