Young Island & Bequia Island Diving

[djanni]

Has anyone dived either of these locations? Please let us know what you thought about the diving.

Young Island, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Young Island Resort?

Or

Bequia Island, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Trade Winds at Mimosa?

 

[Damselfish]

I have dove both and enjoyed the diving. I'm sure I've written about it in some other thread.

We've done Young Island 3 times I think, and I'm getting the urge to go back sometime soon. Nice combo of a unique little resort (sort of rustic-luxe) with great service, with a diveboat picking you up at their dock for some pretty nice diving. Not big stuff, but lots of interesting small stuff and some different scenery. If you haven't seen many seahorses or frogfish yet you might get your fill here. No cattle boats, dive as long as you can with no one nagging you, at least with Dive St. Vincent. I'm not sure who's there for other dive ops right now they seem to come and go.

We did Bequia once, it's a neat little island and I didn't get to see enough of it. I'd like to go there again - assuming I can find a nice place with either A/C, or at least screens on the windows. (The place we stayed was pretty nice but at least at the time had neither, just mosquito netting over the bed and we got eaten alive at night.) Surprising variety and quality of restaurants there given the size and remoteness of the place, but it makes sense since it's a popular place with the sailing crowd so lots of biz from those folks. The diving is not better than St. Vincent and maybe not worth the extra trip just for that, but it's also good and I think the unique topside makes it worth the trip.

Can be bit of a pain to get to St. Vincent as it's just the small planes flying there, runway is too small for jets. They're supposed to be building a bigger airport which I imagine will have it's pros and cons, but if they actually do it should at least be easier to get there in a few years (Think 2010 was last I read.) We took the ferry from St Vincent to Bequia but I think it's possible to fly.

 

[djanni]

I have dove both and enjoyed the diving. I'm sure I've written about it in some other thread.

We've done Young Island 3 times I think, and I'm getting the urge to go back sometime soon. Nice combo of a unique little resort (sort of rustic-luxe) with great service, with a diveboat picking you up at their dock for some pretty nice diving. Not big stuff, but lots of interesting small stuff and some different scenery. If you haven't seen many seahorses or frogfish yet you might get your fill here. No cattle boats, dive as long as you can with no one nagging you, at least with Dive St. Vincent. I'm not sure who's there for other dive ops right now they seem to come and go.

We did Bequia once, it's a neat little island and I didn't get to see enough of it. I'd like to go there again - assuming I can find a nice place with either A/C, or at least screens on the windows. (The place we stayed was pretty nice but at least at the time had neither, just mosquito netting over the bed and we got eaten alive at night.) Surprising variety and quality of restaurants there given the size and remoteness of the place, but it makes sense since it's a popular place with the sailing crowd so lots of biz from those folks. The diving is not better than St. Vincent and maybe not worth the extra trip just for that, but it's also good and I think the unique topside makes it worth the trip.

Can be bit of a pain to get to St. Vincent as it's just the small planes flying there, runway is too small for jets. They're supposed to be building a bigger airport which I imagine will have it's pros and cons, but if they actually do it should at least be easier to get there in a few years (Think 2010 was last I read.) We took the ferry from St Vincent to Bequia but I think it's possible to fly.

Can you compare the diving to Curacao, Cozumel or Grand Cayman?

 

[DougY]

Hi,
I also dove with Dive St Vincent and had a great time. I also did a few dives in Bequia.
I preferred St Vincent and Bequia to Grand Cayman, more relaxed and so less like home, better scenary.

However to me the diving does not compare, Grand Cayman is much better.


regards
Doug

 

[Myssi]

I dove with Dive St. Vincent in 2005. It was my first "real" diving experience (other than the pools and frigid quarry back home) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bill Tewes runs an awesome dive operation - small boats (max 6 divers!), individual attention, no rush. I saw seahorses, frogfish, flying gurnards, eels, lobster, jawfish, reef squid, octopus, and so many more. No big things, but lots of critters that are very rare in other places. Lots of nice coral scenery too. Water temps were mid 80's in June, 80 - 100 ft vis, little to no current. I stayed at Young Island, which was fabulous - you can see my review on Trip Advisor.

So far, the only other place I can compare to is Turks and Caicos (dove at West Caicos) which is where I went last year. Maybe I just had some unlucky days, but I really did not see much of anything besides parrotfish and the occasional nurse shark. Water was a little chilly (for me) and vis was maybe 50 ft max. And then there were the cattle boats - 20 - 30 divers on the boat each time we went out.

It all depends of what you're looking for, but for me St. Vincent was way better, both diving and topside.

 

[Damselfish]

Can you compare the diving to Curacao, Cozumel or Grand Cayman?

I haven't been to Coz. St Vincent diving is very different from Curacao or Cayman. All have somewhat different critters, and the underwater topography is very different. Topsides are all very different too. Depends what you like but it's all good.

Of these Curacao would be 3rd on my list, though this is partially because I'm getting tired of it.

If you want walls, swim-throughs, big scenery, more chance of seeing bigger things, you would prefer Cayman diving. Easy to get there. For better or worse you may not feel like you left the US.

If you appreciate little stuff you would like St Vincent diving. You do have alot of mini-wall like areas in St Vincent. I remember a site further north where my husband was trying to get pics of several seahorses hanging on a wall, while I was trying to get him to look at a school of 100s of baracuda swimming behind him. So can be some pretty cool stuff. We're very partial to Young Island, that's also a lot of what makes the trip for us. We'd go there more if it wasn't a pain to get to. Would also go there more if they had A/C - we'd actually probably go there this summer if they had A/C.

 

[chauncy19]

Honeymooned in Bequia in 1990. Did 10-12 dives with Dive Bequia. It was my wife's first time diving and she raves about the experience. Honestly don't remember alot underwater except that there was an abundance of fish life but the clarity was not the best. I'd say in the 60 ft range. But loved the island and the diving.It was a great two weeks!!! Wish I had the time to have seen more of St. Vincent's but only spent a day there. Highly recommend both places if you like to be off the beaten trail. I'd love to go back but I keep going to Bonaire cause just love shore diving. Getting old and lazy I guess. But these islands leave Bonaire in the dust if want a real Caribbean experience IMHO
Bob