Advice in St Maarten ??

[ScubaBaby]

Hi Guys

I'm off on a cruise with my non-diving boyfriend and eager to get him "wet" and hopefully hooked!!

As its a cruise, we're only there from 8am-6pm and would like to do a little tour to have a look around but still obviously want to get a try-dive in.

We dock into Great Bay near Phillipsburg and are looking for someone reasonably locally to dive with but always prefer to go on recommendations rather than adverts!

Any advice would be great for any good dive centres and if necessary, transportation options etc!

Much appreciated in advance!!!

Abby :kiss2:

 

[RTRski]

I haven't been there in some time, but St. Maarten diving isn't the greatest. I enjoyed it when I was there, but if you've got someone on the fence I'm not sure it's going to be the best selling point.

The dive operator I used the most was Dive Safaris (Dive Safaris - St Maarten's Best Scuba Diving Experience!) - they appear to have a direct booking offering specifically for Cruise ships with dock pickup. The other operation we did some diving with but weren't as pleased with (search on my name and you'll probably be able to find my trip report from circa 2005) was Dive Adventures aka Aquamania. They weren't awful, just not as good as DS. The third operator down at the Dutch side back then was Ocean Explorers which was well rated but very small; not sure if they do "resort" dives. The DM we really liked from DS, a gent named Jefferson, we later heard had moved to OE. No idea if he's still there.

All three of those dive operators aren't too far from Great Bay - they're just around the bend, one in Pelican Bay and the other 2 a tad further down around Simpson Bay if I remember right. Neither is a "long" drive, traffic permitting. And you'll definitely be better off trying for dives off the Dutch side than out of Grand Case etc.

I freely admit my 'knowledge' is a bit old at this point. A lot can change in the islands in 3-4 years, in terms of business ownership, etc. So hopefully someone newer will chime in for you too.

Good luck getting him properly moistened.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

What other ports are you stopping at? From what I've heard St. Maarten diving isn't very good but the island and beaches are beautiful. If I were you I would enjoy St. Maarten topside and choose another port for diving.

I've been to St. Maarten three times (once for a week straight and twice on a cruise) but never dived there because of what I've heard.

 

[marcaumarc]

There is another thread on St. Martin right now, it's here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/greater-caribbean-bermuda/277538-st-maarten-martin-july.html

Also, our friends at Octopus Diving recommended Ocean Explorers as a good operation on the dutch side (St Maarten Diving). St. Martin isn't considered one of the best places to dive, but we've done it many times and there is plenty to see. Some photos from our last trip are here: SXM - Feb 2009 - Favorites - a set on Flickr and we also have quite a bit of info about dive sites and topside stuff on our web site: Les Fruits de Mer - Extreme Shallow Snorkeling Team

Definitely email me if you have questions. We go there at least once a year. Since we stay on the french side and dive with a center there, I don't know as much about the logistics of doing it from the Dutch side, but maybe could still give some tips. Have fun!

 

[Damselfish]

A very experienced friend of mine dove in St. Maartin and said it stank. But I don't know if that means "stinks for anyone who has dove in the Carribean before" or "would still look cool to a newbie." Depending what your other ports are might want to try diving elsewhere and do St. Maartin topside.

 

[ScubaBaby]

Thank you so much for all your replies - much appreciated!! We're stopping at Nassau, Bahamas but not there for long so arranging some tour with the cruise ship.

St Thomas is the next port of call - have heard its very beautiful and been recommended a fantastic local tour guide called Sunny so hoping to get to see some sites.

Lastly we visit St Maarten which is where I'd hoped to get Gary hooked. He's never been diving in the open ocean just a try dive in a 4-walled swimming pool!! I learnt to dive in Greece where I enjoyed looking at the sandbed and still got hooked but I'm hoping St Maarten is better than that!!!!

I took Gary snorkelling to get him use to being in the water in Mexico. Even though we booked through the tour operator I was appauled by there standards especially as a diver! I really want to make this a positive experience so even if the subject matter isn't super for divers, as long as the dive operators are good I think I can get him to join in!!! I always have my photos of previous dive trips to lure him in with afterwards!!!

Will certainly look into some of the companies mentioned and any more advice would be great!!

Thank you again !

Abby :kiss2:

 

[marcaumarc]

A bunch of the Dutch side sites are just outside the bay where you will be docked. Last time I was there, a cruise ship actually passed nearby while we were diving. You probably won't have a lot of choice in where you go since you'll only have a few hours, but the Prosthelyte (The Prosthelyte - Wreck | Les Fruits De Mer) and the Ro/Ro (The Ro-Ro - Wreck | Les Fruits De Mer) are both right near there. There isn't much left of the wreck of the Prosthelyte, but there are some cool coral mounds with swim-throughs right nearby.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Thank you so much for all your replies - much appreciated!! We're stopping at Nassau, Bahamas but not there for long so arranging some tour with the cruise ship.

St Thomas is the next port of call - have heard its very beautiful and been recommended a fantastic local tour guide called Sunny so hoping to get to see some sites.

Lastly we visit St Maarten which is where I'd hoped to get Gary hooked. He's never been diving in the open ocean just a try dive in a 4-walled swimming pool!! I learnt to dive in Greece where I enjoyed looking at the sandbed and still got hooked but I'm hoping St Maarten is better than that!!!!

I took Gary snorkelling to get him use to being in the water in Mexico. Even though we booked through the tour operator I was appauled by there standards especially as a diver! I really want to make this a positive experience so even if the subject matter isn't super for divers, as long as the dive operators are good I think I can get him to join in!!! I always have my photos of previous dive trips to lure him in with afterwards!!!

Will certainly look into some of the companies mentioned and any more advice would be great!!

Thank you again !

Abby :kiss2:

Having been on a few cruises that stop at St. Maarten and St. Thomas...IMO St. Maarten is a much prettier island than St. Thomas. St. Thomas is also supposed to have better diving. I have dived St. Thomas, but can't make the comparison myself because (as I've said) I never dived St. Maarten. You might want to consider switching your plans, dive St. Thomas, tour St. Maarten.

 

[RTRski]

I was one of those "noob" divers pretty much when the wife and I did our St. Maarten / Saba trip. So my 2005 trip report just oozes enthusiasm about the diving even though at the time after seeing Saba we saw how bland the SXM diving was by comparison. Looking back now, the diving would still be worth doing if we were there - I can't imagine going to a tropical location and NOT diving - but it wasn't stellar.

Reefs were mostly small/low, fair amount of algae, large sandy patches, not huge amounts of fish life. But if you enjoyed diving in Greece over the sand - it'll probably be similar. We did see turtles, stingrays, good size puffers, small reef sharks in the distance, and enough fish and reef structure to be interested. The water is clear and relatively free of currents and surge at most sites so the diving is not challenging to someone not as comfortable in the water. Depending on time of year surface isn't too horribly rough. And it's plenty warm for a 3/2 shorty (or, if you're only doing one dive, even no wetsuit at all) which reduces the weight carrying requirements. All of which can contribute to a more pleasant dive to someone who's new to it.

So please don't take MY comments as saying "the diving sucks" as reason not to give it a try, especially if what you're after is an introduction. "It can only get BETTER than this" when it's fairly easy, clear, warm diving isn't necessarily a horrible selling point.

 

[mikeyjoe]

What other ports are you stopping at? From what I've heard St. Maarten diving isn't very good but the island and beaches are beautiful. If I were you I would enjoy St. Maarten topside and choose another port for diving.

I'd have to agree - the diving there is average at best. The "best" dive I did there a few years ago was a shark awareness dive, but your non-certified friend can't go on that - certified divers only.

Orient Beach is one of the truly great beaches in the Carribean - one you don't want to miss. So, yes, I'd save the dive for another port - what other ones are you visiting?

BTW - St. Maartin has great duty free shopping, too.....