St Lucia— tell me your thoughts

[Catito]

Hi:

Considering St Lucia for a dive trip. Were you ther pre-COVID-19? Nice dives?

Can anyone compare it to Cozumel and Bonaire?

Thanks

 

[Trailboss123]

Hi:

Considering St Lucia for a dive trip. Were you ther pre-COVID-19? Nice dives?

Can anyone compare it to Cozumel and Bonaire?

Thanks

Great question and oddly coincidental. I have just been inquiring among friends about a St. Croix/Coz/Bonaire comparison.
I have never been to St. Lucia, so not able to compare-- but I can provide plenty of feedback and opinion on Bonaire and Cozumel. Outside of the USA, my most dived locations.

 

[Catito]

Great question and oddly coincidental. I have just been inquiring among friends about a St. Croix/Coz/Bonaire comparison.
I have never been to St. Lucia, so not able to compare-- but I can provide plenty of feedback and opinion on Bonaire and Cozumel. Outside fo the USA, my most dived locations.

Thank you. Love Bonaire. Never made it to Cozumel (new diver Oct 2019). Drift dive all the time in Palm Beach County— going tomorrow. Surprised to see Coz is drift. Considering St Lucia vs Coz. What do you love about Coz?

 

[rick00001967]

nothing similar about st lucia and coz. we spent 2 weeks in marigot bay about 10 years ago. dived with Dive Fair Helen. back then at least, the crew was great. fantastic on board home made lunch between dives. and the views of the pitons is spectacular from the water. diving was so so. there was a ton of coral bleaching when we were there. water were extremely warm. too warm. expensive place to go. we went off season and got some great deals. but i would not spend 2 weeks in marigot bay again. our original plan was to spend a week in one part of the island and the second week in another part. but things changed haha if the trip is based on diving there are better places to go for sure. bonaire (i have never been), curacao, grand cayman, coz, etc

 

[davehicks]

Saint Lucia is just ok. Went there about 4-5 years ago and stayed at a nice resort. It's a pretty location, there are some nice accommodations, some interesting history and culture. But the diving is not spectacular. No interesting topography, usual Caribbean critters, etc. Cozumel or Cayman are better, and then Cuba is far far superior to any other location in that area.

 

[Trailboss123]

Thank you. Love Bonaire. Never made it to Cozumel (new diver Oct 2019). Drift dive all the time in Palm Beach County— going tomorrow. Surprised to see Coz is drift. Considering St Lucia vs Coz. What do you love about Coz?

Cozumel is all about drift diving. Very similar to West Palm, Boynton, Jupiter in terms of that equation. However, they are very different in other respects. Cozumel is much more diverse. Amazing wall, deep dives and swimthroughs; food, culture. Go to Cozumel if you have never been and are comparing options. No brainer!

 

[Redfoot]

I have heard St Lucia is great if you want to go with someone (i.e significant other) who does not dive. Stay at a nice beachfront resort, do a couple morning dives and then spend the rest of the day being a beach bum or tourist. Not life changing dives, or anything monumental, but much better than the alternative of NOT diving at all on vacation. I believe the reefs are relatively close to shore, so you can do a 2 tank morning trip and be back well before lunch. Anse Chasnet advertises heavily in the PADI magazine, there is also a Sandals there and a few other of the larger all inclusive chain resorts.

I am also a relatively new certified diver (April 2019) and have been to Turks and Caicos (Aggressor) and Cayman Brac Beach Resort.

Was supposed to board the Aquacat tomorrow for a week of Bahamas diving...... Rebooked for June 2021.

If things settle down, I would love to do a Coz trip this fall, I have the vacation days, and reading the Coz trip reports @jlyle posted during lock-down sealed the deal.

 

[Redfoot]

I saw your post in the other thread as well about St Lucia:

Here is the resort I mentioned with onsite dive shop:

Anse Chastanet Resort | St Lucia Resorts | Caribbean's Most Romantic

Here is the higher end sister to Anse Chastnet:

Home | Jade Mountain St Lucia - St Lucia's Most Romantic Luxury Resort

Sandals (Diving included)
Saint Lucia All-Inclusive Resorts | Adults-only | 1-888-SANDALS

Here is general info:

Saint Lucia Caribbean Island | Official Tourism Website | Let Her Inspire You

 

[Catito]

I saw your post in the other thread as well about St Lucia:

Here is the resort I mentioned with onsite dive shop:

Anse Chastanet Resort | St Lucia Resorts | Caribbean's Most Romantic

Here is the higher end sister to Anse Chastnet:

Home | Jade Mountain St Lucia - St Lucia's Most Romantic Luxury Resort

Sandals (Diving included)
Saint Lucia All-Inclusive Resorts | Adults-only | 1-888-SANDALS

Here is general info:

Saint Lucia Caribbean Island | Official Tourism Website | Let Her Inspire You

Thank you very much. Our Cayman trip has been moved three times due to COVID. Have snorkeled Turks and Caicos and Cayman extensively. Looking forward to diving.

 

[Hoag]

I went to St Lucia several years ago, and here is my impression.

St Lucia is a spectacularly beautiful island for a vacation. (I stayed at a resort known as "LeSport", I don't even know if it is still there to be honest.) The diving ranged from unimpressive to mediocre. We saw very little fish life and although there were many volcanic formations, there was really very little coral. There were volcanic seamounts, but IIRC they were relatively sterile for lack of a better word.

My recommendation would be that if you are looking for a dive trip, then there are far better places to go and St. Lucia should be put fairly far down you list of dive destinations. If, however you are looking to get away for a week or two in a tropical paradise, then St. Lucia should be near the top of your list.

Keep in mind, my info/opinion is several years old and things might have changed. It is also nothing more than my opinion based on a single trip.