Saint Martin Dive Ops / sights?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Murphy in NC

Contributor
Messages
208
Reaction score
72
Location
North Carolina
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello,

I don't see any recent posts regarding dive ops in Saint Martin.

We have never been, we are staying on the Dutch side.

Looking for easy, fishy boat dives.

Any info regarding preferred dive operators and or sights would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
where on the dutch side are you staying ?

although we have used others, my go to dive op the last number of years has been Dive Adventures. they have a shop on the water front in simpson bay at the simpson bay resort. they also did have (i assume they still do) a shop at Divi resort and can pick up divers at the dock there.

st maarten is not know for its diving but we have always enjoyed it. we almost always see sharks. we usually see turtles. and there are always plenty of fish. there are a couple of decent wreck dives as well.

we have been here several times so if you need any help pls let me know. i will do my best. many things have changed there since covid and the preceeding hurricanes.

Saba which is a small neighboring island is widely known. some people will spend some time there when they visit st maarten. you can also either fly or take the ferry over for a day trip.
 
Hi Murphy! Info about the Dutch side's diving spots can be found on the environmental management organization's diving page, which has a lot of helpful resources. I am living in St. Maarten and know a bit about the current situation.

I am a new diver, but I dive with SXM Divers out of Cole Bay and have heard good things about Ocean Explorers in Simpson Bay. I am unfamiliar with the French side operators but I think most English-speaking divers go with a Dutch side diving shop anyway.

Pretty much all diving here is done from a boat and the Man of War Shoal Marine Park is the most popular area for diving by far. My experiences at Proselyte Reef, Fish Bowl, and Carib Cargo have been great, but there are beautiful spots outside of the park such as the Gregory and Moonscape. I don't know many spots on the French side besides Creole Rock and Basse Espagnol, but they exist. Generally, diving is thought to be better on the Dutch side anyway. Always plenty of fish, frequently sea turtles and sharks, etc.

Let me know if I can elaborate or help out further! Would be happy to.
 
We did a couple of days on Saba when we were on St Martin. Was a highlight of the trip. Better diving and an interesting island. Too long ago to suggest dive operators but the French side has some really good food!
 
My wife and I dove French side with an operation that is no longer in business. Great diving though.
 
I don't see any recent posts regarding dive ops in Saint Martin. We have never been, we are staying on the Dutch side. Looking for easy, fishy boat dives. Any info regarding preferred dive operators and or sights would be appreciated.

Probably haven't seen recent posts due to the problems of traveling. The Dutch side is a good side to dive on as most of the dive sites are found there. Depending on where you stay might determine the dive op you use.

I have stayed in Simpson Bay (not too far from the airport) and used Ocean Explorers - good op - probably enjoyed 2 wrecks we dove, Porpoise and Gregory II, which were pretty easy swim throughs, more than the other dives we did, but we did see quite a bit of life on all dives. Ocean Explorers is still operating.

If you stay closer to Phillipsburg (Great Bay), there are several ops located there. This is where cruise ships come in. Fenced in parking is available - may cost a couple of dollars. The dive shop I used was wiped out by hurricane Irma - we happened to stop in St. Maarten on a cruise in late Jan. 2020 and as I walked into town I saw someone else took their place. I liked the diving around Great Bay - saw reef sharks on many of the dives.

We had a trip booked for 2017, but Irma hit before we could go. Had thought about going to Saba for a day - as it has been mentioned, it is known for decent dives. Don't know for sure, but that would probably be a scheduling hassle right now, since most of the islands require some form of testing and pre-approval procedures to go through, even from island to island.
 
My wife and I dove French side with an operation that is no longer in business. Great diving though.

Octopus ?
 
Octopus ?

Yep... Things went south.. not to long after. We dove almost 2 weeks over there with them almost everyday. Very nice and was a great setup. Sad to see it go the way it did.

They had a goat that always wanted to get in our car... Loved my wife...
 
Yep... Things went south.. not to long after.

the owners life ended tragically.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom