sactomags
Guest
(Our travels took us to St. Maarten, Saba, and Key West. I'll write separate on each locale.)
We took The Edge Ferry from St. Maarten to Saba on Nov. 28. The 1 hr. 15 minute right was pretty smooth until we got close to Saba, then the rollers were starting and by the time we were met by the dive boat (Big Blue, Saba Divers), rollers were around 5 feet (still mild compared to some situations we've faced in Monterey, California).
During our three days there, we dove 5 of the 30 sites offered on Saba: Diamond Rock, Hole in the Coner, Man O'War Shoals, Twilight Zone and Tent Reef Ledge. We saw black tip sharks, eels (including a rare golden eel), peacock flouder (pointed out by my sharp-eyed husband who can't see things above water, but once he's under, watch out). A charming barracuda took a shining to my husband and hung out between us at Diamond Rock for about 2-3 minutes ... seemed to be smiling the entire time.
We dove with Saba Divers, which from everyone else's comments "caters to the European market." However, that being said, we were catered to quite well, thank you. Although we were the only Americans on the boat (which only holds 10 people MAX -- and we had a maximum of 7 for our entire time, usually was only 5 of us), you would not have thought anything. They were well-informed of the local critters, gave thorough dive briefings, and were very helpful with camera/video gear.
We stayed at Scout's Place, which has been completely renovated since the last hurricane went through. We saw some of the "during" pics from their renovation, and boy, did they have a lot to do.
The people on Saba are generous spirits who welcomed us into their homes with open arms. The scenery is lovely, the quiet is just what we wanted, and the diving was incredible. What more could one ask? Well, I don't want it to become "spoiled." but I can heartily recommend it.
We enjoyed it so much, we are going back next year for our 10 year anniversary. Want more info? Let me know ...
Margaret
We took The Edge Ferry from St. Maarten to Saba on Nov. 28. The 1 hr. 15 minute right was pretty smooth until we got close to Saba, then the rollers were starting and by the time we were met by the dive boat (Big Blue, Saba Divers), rollers were around 5 feet (still mild compared to some situations we've faced in Monterey, California).
During our three days there, we dove 5 of the 30 sites offered on Saba: Diamond Rock, Hole in the Coner, Man O'War Shoals, Twilight Zone and Tent Reef Ledge. We saw black tip sharks, eels (including a rare golden eel), peacock flouder (pointed out by my sharp-eyed husband who can't see things above water, but once he's under, watch out). A charming barracuda took a shining to my husband and hung out between us at Diamond Rock for about 2-3 minutes ... seemed to be smiling the entire time.
We dove with Saba Divers, which from everyone else's comments "caters to the European market." However, that being said, we were catered to quite well, thank you. Although we were the only Americans on the boat (which only holds 10 people MAX -- and we had a maximum of 7 for our entire time, usually was only 5 of us), you would not have thought anything. They were well-informed of the local critters, gave thorough dive briefings, and were very helpful with camera/video gear.
We stayed at Scout's Place, which has been completely renovated since the last hurricane went through. We saw some of the "during" pics from their renovation, and boy, did they have a lot to do.
The people on Saba are generous spirits who welcomed us into their homes with open arms. The scenery is lovely, the quiet is just what we wanted, and the diving was incredible. What more could one ask? Well, I don't want it to become "spoiled." but I can heartily recommend it.
We enjoyed it so much, we are going back next year for our 10 year anniversary. Want more info? Let me know ...
Margaret
