Been to STX several times over the past 3 years. First trip we stayed at a rental villa "SeaView Play" on the North Shore just down the street from Cane Bay Scuba. We did a combination of Shore dives from Cane Bay beach, Boat dives with Cane Bay, and Boat dives with STCroixScuba. During that same Trip Captain ED from SCUBA performed the wedding ceremony for my wife and I on the beach out in front of the villa. It was a 2 week stay with a small group of family and friends. We made many new friends on the island that trip from other dive pros working around the shops on the island to the owner of Above the Cliff, Rowdy's, EAT at Cane Bay amongst others. My wife and I fit in pretty well with the people and the vibe along the north shore and decided to return over the years to visit our new island friends and dive our favorite wall off of Cane Bay. The shore diving off the north shore is amazing. If there is something you looking for then you'll probably find it there. Sharks, sea horses, Eagle Rays, etc. The only thing I haven't seen is Dolphins. The diversity of dive sites around the island is incredible. The pier is an easy and enjoyable night dive. My wife and I did almost a 2 hr dive there once.
The second year back we stayed at the Cottages at Cane Bay. There we got the complete stay and dive package for about 10 days. Accommodations where simple. Bed, Window A/C, Small kitchen, a couch, with a bit of local TV and depending on the time of day somewhat decent internet for posting dive pics to Facebook. We did many dives from shore on our own and jumped on the boat when they where heading to a site we either haven't done or love doing. Shore diving from Cane Bay beach is a bit of kick out to the wall. About a 100 yards or so. My father in law was not a fan and prefers diving from Boats, but my wife and I enjoyed the time kicking out on the surface and taking in the amazing view you get of "The Beast" (The largest mountain on STX) Not a bad way to start a morning and hell we where never in a hurry diving on our own time.
Last year we got a pretty good deal and stayed at Carambola Beach resort. Also on the North shore, nice place and was a great experience and a step up from the Cottages, but can be pretty pricy if you don't catch a special when they have them. That year we dove from the shore there at Carambola and grabbed tanks from the dive shop on site called "The Sandy Bottom" dive shop. Also a great staff of the owner and his wife plus their dog "Deco" I think his name was. Everyone we met on that rock took us in and treated up like family and we have alway felt at home on STX. We now have a few friends that have moved there and will be returning probably next year. We are heading down to Curacao here in a couple of weeks so we'll be missing our STX dive fam this year.