St Maarten to Saba

[rgee9]

Hello all,

My family has booked a trip to St Maarten in November, and my wife and I are looking to sneak over to Saba for a few days. We are planning to dive some in St Maarten, and head to Saba on Wed. I know you can take the ferry or fly, but are there any concerns taking the island hopper to Saba after diving?

Are there any other resorts other than Julians worth checking out? What dive op would you recommend?

If you have any great information I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.
Rob Gee

 

[pilot fish]

Hello all,

My family has booked a trip to St Maarten in November, and my wife and I are looking to sneak over to Saba for a few days. We are planning to dive some in St Maarten, and head to Saba on Wed. I know you can take the ferry or fly, but are there any concerns taking the island hopper to Saba after diving?

Are there any other resorts other than Julians worth checking out? What dive op would you recommend?

If you have any great information I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.
Rob Gee

After you dive Saba you won't want to go back to St Mareeten .The fllight over stays low and does not last long. I think they fly under 8000 ft. I loved it over there . Whether its OK to dive and fly with them depends on you nitrogen load, how deep you went, etc but I'd wait to get some info on that from a more reliable source than I. Dive Sea Saba .Good outfit

 

[MakoSince70]

Two years ago my wife and I spent a week in St Martin and a day trip in SABA.
The SABA trip and dives were the climax of a great trip. If you are divers you must spend at least a day at SABA.

The flight with Winn Air is around 12 minutes. We flew at 1200 ft to Saba. We know because we sat behind the pilot and could see the altimeter. Upon the return to St Martin, the pilot asked if there were any divers on board. When we responded yes, he made the return flight at 900 ft. The flight is no problem after diving.

In Saba we dove with Saba Deep. They were perfect. Most likely the best operator I have used. The diving was supreme. We did 3 dives. The first being to 130 ft with subsequent dives being shallower. The dive ops make the first dive the deep penacle dive. If you take the ferry and only spend a day, you will not arrive in time to accomplish the first dive. All dives were perfect. 150ft vis, sharks, hugh numbers of tropicals, turtles and the penacles.

Two years ago, Winn Air was charging around $110 round trip St Martin to Saba. However, I learned if you showed up at the airport and paid in cash, the price dropped to $60. The same price as the ferry.

When booking with Saba Deep, request Vincent as your taxi driver. The airport and dive operations are on opposite sides of the island. Thus you get a tour of this lovely island. Vincent provides an informative and entertaining narative.

The short Winn Air flight is a thrill ride in itself. Just take the flight and you will know what I mean. The flight, Vincent's taxi service, Saba Deeps exceptional service, lunch in the resturant above the dive shop, and three perfect dives. It will make for an unforgetable day.

In St Martin we dove with Ocean Explorers and Dive Mania (located at the Pelican condos)
We were disappointed with OE but very impressed with Dive Mania.

 

[rgee9]

Thanks for the info that is some good info. We are very excited about getting over to Saba. We are more than likely gong to stay to night so we can get in some extra dives.

Thanks for all the help!
ROb

 

[ArizSig]

In St Martin we dove with Ocean Explorers and Dive Mania (located at the Pelican condos)
We were disappointed with OE but very impressed with Dive Mania.

I'm heading to St. Maarten and Saba in May. Would you expand on your experiences with Ocean Explorers and Dive Mania? What did you dislike about OE? What impressed you with Dive Mania?

 

[Scott101]

If I may....

I was certified about 3 years ago with Dive Mania and have since dived with them each year. From my first dive in OW cert to I think it was my 38-50th with them last year, the DM's and staff have always been great. An added bonus was that last year they got a sweet NITROX system and are more than happy to give you a tour. The dive boats are roomy and covered (although they can get a tad full on Cruise ship days) and they keep a 6:1 DM ratio. The dives around St. Maarten aren't on par with Coz, but there are some interesting wrecks and bottom features to keep you busy. One dislike is that since SXM isn't a huge dive destination, I don't think any of the op's have the resources to cater to different levels of divers. Most of the dives are NOT computer dives but more structured ( x depth for y min or 700 psi.) I have noticed in my log that I come up with a lot of air left but I am very good on air.

As you can tell, I have a bias to Dive Mania since I have done about 30+ dives with them and have made some friends but in comparison to the op's in Coz or the Bahamas, the stack up quiet well.

PS. I am heading back to SXM in 10 days and will be able to give you an up to date report on them.

PSS. I am wanting to go over to Saba for a day. The flights are pretty expensive online and was wondering how reliable the " pay at the window " discount was?