Which of the two dive operators did you dive with?
I was with Dive St. Helena. Highly recommended, safe, fun and helpful. DM Craig sought the best dive sites depending on the conditions and looked for opportunities to take us to some very unusual spots.
You said "Water temp was around 78 (25C), with some surprising thermoclines". Any guesses as to how cold it got?
Probably down to 75F, which doesn't sound like much but it was sharp edged and chilly. This was in early March (late summer); I don't know how cold it gets in the winter.
Any restaurant recommendations for lunch or dinner?
Ann's Place. Fantastic pan-fried fish lunches and dinners, plus all the trimmings and a beer for about £12. I wish I could drop in there anytime. The Mantis was also good. Look for the Fish Fry at the 'Yacht Club' down in the warf area: Once each week in the evening the whole town (seemingly) gets together for fried fish or conger eel and chips, and lots of drinks. It's quite the social event and loads of fun!
Food was actually kind of a problem for me. I like to eat healthy and planned on using the kitchenette at my bungalow (The Williams Estate) for most of my meals. But the grocery stores are small and rarely have much other than a few basics, canned food, sodas, and junk food. Few or no veggies, little meat, no eggs at all. So I went to town and ate out as much as possible, which was not what I intended but the meals were good.
I understand that credit cards are not widely used. Did you exchange USD for St. Helena Pounds or were you able to get by with USDs or British Pounds?
Money is an issue. I didn't bring any British pounds, but I would recommend having at least a little to use for the first couple of days (GBP=SHP, accepted everywhere). There is a 20 pound fee on arrival but immigration
does accept USD. No place else accepts dollars or rand that I saw, and the only places that accept a credit card are the bank and one grocery store in Jamestown.
Instead of bringing cash, I put the Saint Helena Bank Tourist Card app on my phone before arrival and pre-loaded it with several hundred St Helena pounds (didn't spend it all, food was less expensive than I expected). That worked out well. Many shops and restaurants accept the tourist card and may give you extra cash back if you want it. The bank can exchange cash or draw from a credit card but they have banker's hours, and flights always arrive on Saturdays -- so you should have some pounds or the Tourist Card App before arrival, otherwise you might go hungry for a couple days. There is a small bank kiosk at the airport that may be open on flight arrivals, if you're in need. There are no ATMs. Many places are closed on Saturdays and almost everything is closed on Sunday, so plan on buying groceries immediately or eating at a hotel.
