Saba on Caribbean ExplorerII, March 1st- anyone going?

[mrpat]

Looking to see if anyone from this board is on my trip. Can't wait -I've been dry since July in the Galapagos.

 

[morecowbells]

I will be diving in Saba at the end of March. I would love to see a trip report of the dive sites!

 

[deborahdelamar]

Here's info from my log - I count fish, so it's mostly about the fish...

Core Gut - Mountainside/wall into the sea, shoulder area with "smurf hut" bottom is boulders & sand. Depth 40-80. Lots of tropical fish. Fun sightings: red-lipped blennies, redspotted hawkfish, indigo hamlets, creole fish, glasseye snapper, trumpetfish, spotted drum, rainbow wrasse & puddingwifes, black jack.

Third Encounter - Swim to pinnacle top at 90' where there's a huge barrel sponge, then cruise over finger reef. Max depth limited due to nitrox. Black tip, nurse & Caribbean reef sharks, Nassau & tiger groupers, many tropicals.

Tent Reef Wall - Beautiful encrusted wall with sandy bottom. Long dive at 70' max. Rays, sand tilefish, blackbar soldierfish, tiger grouper, many parrotfish.

Tent Reef Deep - Volcanic rock with corals. Depth 50-130. Hawksbill turtle, longsnout butterflyfish, brown garden & spotted moray eels, horse eye jacks, spotted trunkfish, whitespotted filefish.

Big Rock Market - Not commonly visited. Shallow (max 60) 3rd tank. Low profile with big rocks, lots of soft coral, a lava flow shaped like a whale's tail. Spotted eagle ray, nurse shark, barracuda, high hats & spotted drum, clown & rainbow wrasse.

Ladder Labyrinth - Sand flat with sulphur vents, shallow valleys through lava flows. Neat place. Depth 40-70. We startled a peacock flounder with what looked like a light bulb in its mouth. The flounder let go and the light bulb swirled around and deflated -- it was a bandtail puffer! Nurse sharks, hawksbill, masked hamlet, porcupinefish, saddled & redlip blennies, peppermint gobies - lots of other fish. Good place to night dive, too.

Man o' War Shoals - Two pinnacles, side by side in sand, completely blanketed in sponges, stony & soft corals. Max depth low 70's. Out in the blue are Atlantic spadefish, barracuda and jacks. Tons of fish around the pinnacles and in the sand. Lots to investigate.

Hot Springs - Warm sandy slope to 80' with coral gardens. Pick your depth site. Hawksbill & green turtles, tarpon, southern sennet, assorted puffers, goldentail moray, nurse sharks, longsnout seahorses, peppermint basslets, lots of juveniles. A busy site with lots going on in the sand, too. Good place for a night dive.

Babylon - Like the hanging gardens.... Sloping dropoff with lava fingers & boulders to several hundred feet. Green turtle, shy hamlet, barracuda, trumpetfish, many gobies, goatfish, grunts & squirrelfish.

Greer Gut - Coral garden, very pretty with almost white sand. Yellowhead jawfish, sand divers, nurse shark, porcupinefish, many cleaning stations with hogfish, wrasse, gobies.

Hole in the Corner - Coral-encrusted boulders on a sloping ledge to 70'. , Much algae & sponge growth. Two big, beautiful elkhorn corals with polyps out. Nudibrachs, lobster, and many tropical fish.

Torrens Point - Rocky with corals & sponges. Sandy bottom at 55'. Many green turtles, nudibrachs, black jack -- colorful & aquarium-like.

Shark Shoals - Need I say more?! Deep set of pinnacles with lots of current when we were there. Black tip & Carib. reef sharks, rainbow runners, turtles, many reef fish but not many different species.

You'll have a great time discovering Saba!

 

[robint]

Sounds like some great diving. The Explorer Saba/St. Kitts trip is on our wish list for now. We would love a full trip report with pictures when you get back. Please post it on the Liveaboard Forum.

Have a great time!!


robin

 

[morecowbells]

Thank you so much for posting such an informative and detailed trip report. It was especially encouraging to see not that not ALL the good stuff isn't necessarily under 100 feet. My husband and I only have about 15 dives a piece logged and have not gone deeper thatn 80 feet. I am going to have to study my fish guide, sound like there are quite a few speces I have not seen in Cozumel.

 

[robint]

Thank you so much for posting such an informative and detailed trip report. It was especially encouraging to see not that not ALL the good stuff isn't necessarily under 100 feet. My husband and I only have about 15 dives a piece logged and have not gone deeper thatn 80 feet. I am going to have to study my fish guide, sound like there are quite a few speces I have not seen in Cozumel.

You never have to go deep to see good stuff. In fact, I think you can see more between 50-80' as far as fishlife. I never go deeper than that unless there is a specific reason (like a wreck at that depth, a cavern, or blue hole, etc). And since I shoot video, the deeper I go the less light = not good color or resolution on my camcorder.

robin

 

[mrpat]

Thanks so much to all that replied, especially ddebora for the dive site run down. I'll let you all know how it went. Thanks again - Mr. Pat

 

[Underwater Adventures]

Great boat & great itinerary! If you get a chance, do some island excursions.

If you happen to stop on Statia go by Golden Rock Dive center & tell Michelle Rob from SC says Hi! :happywave & pet Duncan for me...