Diving in St John - how does it stack up?

[littleguppie]

We are heading to St John 2/14-2/21 and are debating whether or not to dive. I haven't really heard very much on the board regarding 'great diving' in St John. I looked through my Diver Magazines and they basically gloss over St John and go more for the BVIs. Can anyone let me know how the diving stacks up compared to other places, what I can expect to see and where the best sites are to not miss?

We just did a 4 day liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef so I think I'm just spoiled now!

 

[robv1954]

Hi, St John may not get alot of attention when it comes to diving, but I think it has some great diving. Theres plenty of marine life and the coral is healthy. There are a number of dive ops on island that offer a good choice of options. Low Key is in Cruz bay and is probably the least expensive, but they tend to dive by time and go to the most used sites. They are a fun group and I enjoyed diving with them. I highly recomend www.downunderstjohn.com, they cost a bit more but they go out of their way to make sure you have a great time, they dive your air and take you to some of the lesser known dive sites. You might try checking out www.stjohndiveadventures.com, Larry is a great guy, he took me out on a couple of dives with just me and one of his friends, we had a great time diving the south side out of Coral Bay. He's not always available thou, so give him a call and see. Any way St John has alot of good dive sites and day trips to the BVI's is always an opyion. Have a great trip. And the snorkeling around the island is great also, some of the best beach access I know of.

 

[fins]

I dove with Low Key a couple years ago and had a great time. While the sites were not as lush and pristine as some locations we did encounter a few nice swimthroughs and lots of marine life (small stuff, lobsters, stingrays, etc.) Did my all time favorite night dive while there. Lots of color on the reef, tarpon flashing in and out of view just off the edge of the reef, hung out with a stingray under the boat at the end of the dive. Also, I never felt rushed with Low Key. Of all the dives we did the only one that I would call short would be a drift dive where the current got us to our pickup point more quickly than anticipated.

Be aware that most of the dives we did were fairly shallow and on a couple sites there was a fairly significant current (but most sites were as calm as could be)

One other thing nice about Low Key was that most of the sites are close by so most mornings we were done with two tank dives and back at the shop by noon.

One con about Low Key is the parking situation in Cruz Bay. While the shop does have spots reserved if you miss out on those it can be kind of tough to find free parking. Although there is a pay lot nearby where you can park all day for a few bucks.

 

[Amy 9584]

What company did you do the live aboard with for Great Barrier Reef?

Check out the Nekton Pilot live aboard in Belize...world's second largest barrier reef.
It uses SWATH technology (small water area, twin hull) so no one gets seasick!!!

Absolutley amazing diving!

 

[parzdiver]

I've been to St. John the past few summers due to a great friend with a time share at the Westin. We have mostly dove with the resort operation, Cruz Bay Watersports, which mostly goes to shallow reefs. I've heard good things about Low Key.

The Rhone is a great trip, but it is a long trip over to BVI.

This year we did a private charter with a DM who worked at Cruz Bay last year. She works a couple charters via either a 28' Mako power boat or a sail boat. We did some great sites the regular operations don't hit and they will customize the itinerary to what you want. If you only have a couple divers, it will be a bit expensive, but with four to six, I think the price is well worth it.

 

[OceanObsessed]

Can anyone recommend a good hotel right on the beach, or short walking distance, in Cruz Bay, St. Johns?

 

[billvi]

There are no "hotels" in downtown Cruz Bay. There are some condos and b&b type places. None of those are on a beach. The nearest beaches to Cruz Bay are a taxi ride away unless you really are into walking. The two hotels on the beach in St John are the Westin and Caneel Bay. Caneel Bay being the MORE expensive. Both of them have dive shops on site.

 

[Bronson]

I have many fond memories of St. Johns including the diving. The Rhone was fun. It is a very relaxed island and although there are more lush reefs to dive in the world St Johns has a special place in my heart. Lost of fantastic restaurants and a great bar that i spent many an afternoon enjoying the beer and ambiance and even fell in love with Jimmy Buffet's music there. I rented a house. Do take a trip to BVIs with Salt Island and Tortolla. enjoy!