Great Diving in Saba - Dutch Antilles

[ezodeiko]

Hi Everyone,
New to this forum, but thought it would be nice to share. I just returned from diving in the island nation of Saba, with Sea Saba Dive Shop. Ellie, Dave, Mel, and everyone else at Sea Saba were great! Upon recommendation of my Dive Shop, Underwater World, in Horsham, PA, I contacted Sea Saba three to four weeks prior to my trip to Saint Martin.
Sea Saba took time to understand my dive needs, recommended a few different dive sites and options, and also helped me understand and arrange transportation to Saba aboard “The Edge” high-speed ferry, one of two which visit the island daily. (If you would like to do a morning dive, it seems that you need to spend the night on Saba, as the earliest the ferries arrive at Saba is 10:00am.) When I arrived at Saba, Dave was there to meet me at the dock, and arranged for a taxi to take me into town for a little exploring before my dive.
The boat was equipped with fresh water, all the correct dive gear, and a dry berth for the girls to change. I had guessed the wrong size for my fins, and they even made a special trip back to the dive shop to get the right size! We had a pre-dive review, and while a buddy was encouraged, it was not mandatory. (Ellie was kind enough to be my buddy!)
A week or two after I returned home, Sea Refunded emailed me to say they were going to refund me the cost of a dive computer I rented, when they discovered it was left on the counter in the store and never used. (I totally forgot I had rented it and dove without it!) They contacted me about this all on their own, and the money was back in my account within days.
Good luck!

[divesergeant]

ezodeiko,

Thanls for taking the time to post. We've been thinking about diving Saba and it is always nice to hear some feedback.

Did you stay over on the island, or commute over for a day?

DS

[DeputyDan]

Went to Saba for 10 days this year - Used Sea Saba and stayed at the cottage club. There were a few bumps in the trip but I would rate the lodging and the dive operation a solid A and would definitely use them again!

[divesergeant]

Thanks DeputyDan,

Looks like we should move Saba up toward the top of our must-go-to place list. So many islands, so little time....

DS

[Tim Ingersoll]

You really can't go wrong with Saba. Still one of the most unique and beautiful all round dive destinations.

[ezodeiko]

RE: divesergeant,

No, I did not spend the night on Saba, though I wish I did. Apparently all the deeper dives are done in the morning (60ft+) and the shallower ones in the afternoon. There seems to be only smaller hotels/B&Bs on Saba, but all my serious dive friends say it’s one of the top places to dive in the Caribbean. While walking around the little town at the top of the Island, I visited the Saba tourism office, and apparently last year Travel and Leisure magazine rated Saba as the top 'undiscovered' dive site in the Caribbean. The island also has a lot of hiking, and some of the people on the dive boat said there are some small little bars for something to do at night, but there isn't really any 'nightlife' there per say; much more on Saint Martin. If you go, have a great time!

[divesergeant]

Thanks! We keep looking at it for a trip, and then keep going back to our opld friends on Grand Cayman.

We'll simply have to get there soon.
DS

[syd2315]

My wife and I always try to find less touristy places to vacation. We are excited to check out Saba. We rented a cottage and I will be diving with SeaSaba. 2 months and a couple days to go...

[catskill diver]

syd2315 - looks like your there before us on march 14 to 21. would love feedback during or after if you could. thanks cat

[trim2gofast]

This is great info. We returned from diving in Grand Cayman last night and will be going to St. Martin in April. I was just starting my dive site research for my next trip. I guess I am ready for the next vacation as I look out at 2-plus feet of snow in my back yard.

[catskill diver]

gofast,
the win-air connecting flight to Saba is only slightly more than the ferry and looks to worth the price of admission, its listed as the shortest commercial airstrip in the world.The flight also flys low enough to not worry about the no-fly rule. SeaSaba put an awsome pkg together for us. 7 nights at a place called El Momo (rustic) with a kitchen and 12 dives for under $900/per. Lynn the owner has been very responsive in e-mails answering ALL my questions. The island boasts zero crime and views that put them on the 1000 places to visit before you die. Can give you more info after we get back. C D

[syd2315]

syd2315 - looks like your there before us on march 14 to 21. would love feedback during or after if you could. thanks cat

We're there March 11-19. I'm diving with SeaSaba who are you with?

[ScubaMarc]

gofast,
the win-air connecting flight to Saba is only slightly more than the ferry and looks to worth the price of admission,

be very careful with win air, i went to saba 2X and both times had issues with winair.

1st time the luggage with gear was left off the plane, arrived a few hours later after my 1st 2 dives. There excuse, "we did not think you needed it"

2nd time the airline does not accept credit cards without an email with a photocopy of a license or passport. I will not send sensitive personal info through email so we landed in St martin, went to the main office, got credit card approval for the flight. Next day went to the airport, our tickets were refunded for lack of approval. 1 hour later, sitting on a nice ferry with plenty of room for luggage and feet, plenty of free beer and drinks. Not a bad 90 mintue ride.

Another issue with the plane, it is on the opposite side of the island where the dive boat are. The ferry docks right next to the dive boats, so if you want to dive the 1st day, save a 30-60(+plane unloading time) minute taxi ride(FYI, cool ride)

[catskill diver]

scubamarc -This is upsetting to hear!! How long ago did this happen? Win-air even sent a e-mail to confirm and wanted our flight info in and out of st. marteen. Sure hope there is not a problem as we are on the last plane for the night and first to the morning. We have become very particular w/ whats put in the carry on. Was there a problem with the carry on size as well.
Syd2315 - We are with seasaba as well, heard from dandydon (a SB member ) that seasaba left him at the airport. guess we will roll with the changes !?! Any other concerns or suggestions - we would love to hear. C. D.

[ScubaMarc]

scubamarc -This is upsetting to hear!! How long ago did this happen? Win-air even sent a e-mail to confirm and wanted our flight info in and out of st. marteen. Sure hope there is not a problem as we are on the last plane for the night and first to the morning. We have become very particular w/ whats put in the carry on. Was there a problem with the carry on size as well.
Syd2315 - We are with seasaba as well, heard from dandydon (a SB member ) that seasaba left him at the airport. guess we will roll with the changes !?! Any other concerns or suggestions - we would love to hear. C. D.


2007 and 2008
carry on should be ok, the luggage was issue. I think i rememberer people putting their luggage on the plane themselves. Check this option out.
I used sea saba as well and was they were very good with me. I stayed at scouts.

[trim2gofast]

Thanks for that info. We are staying at a time share in St. Martin, so will do Saba as a day trip. I will look into the idea of flying over. Thanks for the info.