Hi All,
St. Maarten isn't a destination I'd normally pick, but we found a last second deal and are taking the kids away for a week.
Never been to St. Maarten and had a few questions for anyone that may have been there recently.
- Big one on the diving....I know it's not going to be amazing, but overall are there interesting dive sites?
- If so, can anyone recommend a good shop that doesn't cater to the cruise ships and isn't a cattle boat, and maybe will take experienced divers to some more out the way/more interesting sites if they exist?
- Viz? Any good? What should we expect over July 4th week?
- Anything else you might want to add about the place, I'd love to know!
I did have a quick search, but thought I'd ask specifics.
Cheers!
I dived in St. Maarten last summer. While some of the dive sites are better than others, at least for multiple dives, I thought it was pretty good diving. Visibility is generally good. Though you'll get some swells, there is almost no current. You'll find the better diving off of the Dutch side, as the French side's dive sites are fairly shallow and the deeper sites are always at the mercy of the weather and the skills of those on the boats. For pricing, I found the French side to be more expensive. I liked Dive Adventures. The divemaster and boat captain were very personable.
Here are some good dives sites: Teigland (mid-70s feet), Mike's Maze I and II (50-60 feet), Proselyte (50 feet), Fishbowl (60-70 feet), The Gregory/Long Bay (50-60 feet), Lucy's Barge (50-60 feet), Carib Cargo (60-70 feet), Moonhole (60-70 feet). Moonhole is for more advanced divers. It's also halfway to St. Barts. I'll add some footage to this thread once I can get it uploaded.
Thanks, Kathy. Yeah after having a quick scan online....I'll probably just opt to jump on the quick flight over. After pricing it, it's probably only about $70 more. Wondering if I can get 3 dives in that day if I take the first flight there and the last one back?
Any suggestions of dive sites that are above and beyond the norm for the caribbean? I saw Shark Shoal and some of the other pinnacles out west of the island. They seem to sound fun?
Bit of a risk I guess too taking a flight back that same day, but hopefully it keeps the altitude low enough to be a low risk for someone in decent health.
For Saba, if you catch the early flight, you'll be able to get the first dive of the day, which is the deepest dive. I went with Saba Divers. Because the dives sites are so close to the island, you'll be able to catch the last flight out, which is around 5:30 pm or so (if I recall correctly). All of the dive sites are spectacular, a least the ones I went on. Most are more advanced than what I did in St. Maarten. I would recommend staying the night, if you can. The flight is all of 12 minutes and they keep it at a low altitude. I posted about it somewhere on here.
Good sites: Babylon (~100 feet), Man of War (70 feet), Torren's Point (40-50 feet), Tent Reef Wall (120 feet), Diamond Rock (80-90 feet), Hot Springs (70-80 feet). Multi-level dives, few square profiles.
