Trip Report Dive Sint Maarten - St. Maarten

[nelson]

I'll chime in also. In St. Maarten, one is likely to see grouper, coral crab, burrfish, lion fish, slipper lobster, barracuda, the largest lobsters I've seen anywhere, and some pretty big reef sharks. Of course, there are plenty of the other common reef fish. Some of the same life you would see elsewhere. There are also a couple of decent wrecks that are fun to swim through.

A difference, in my opinion, is the topography: one would see much more variety in places like Coz or Grand Cayman (tunnels, canyons, walls, etc...) In Coz, you only have to go as far a the Marine Park to find great dive sites. In GC, one could stay on different ends of the island and dive only that side for great dive sites. On St. Maarten, I believe one has to dive the SE and the SW sides of the island to get some variety. Most dive sites are on the Dutch side and I can't comment on the few sites on the French side. A day trip to dive in Saba can also be arranged.

The island itself is, again in my opinion, a great island to visit. It's pretty easy to drive around, Phillipsburg is nice beach town to walk through, and the food is really good.

yup to the topside part... we were there in January and enjoyed the island..... it's on the "cheaper" side of accommodation prices compared to GC, and TCI for 2024... so I wouldn't mind a re-visit if I could also now get a few dives in... love those groupers & reef sharks..... plus it's a straight shot from JFK....

 

[DiveProKoko]

..... plus it's a straight shot from JFK....

So is Bonaire....

 

[nelson]

So is Bonaire....

yes, but I have a non-diving spouse....

 

[jonhall]

plus it's a straight shot from JFK

If I had a direct flight to anyplace in the Caribbean from Indianapolis, my (now) non-diving spouse and I would have taken several more trips than we already have - to anywhere!!

 

[PACKRMAN]

Did you see anything good? Any big stuff?? How would you compare the diving to Turks, Coz, BVI etc?? thanks

St Maarten is a place to dive when you're on vacation. It is not a DIVE vacation. If you're looking for a week of great diving go to the other places. If you want to get wet one morning, St Maarten

 

[jmcgilroy]

Thanks for the report. I'm looking at St. Martin just because I haven't been there. It looks like there's a ferry from St Martin to St Eustatius...maybe 4 days on each. Anyone stay at Divi Little Bay on St Martin? I've been to Bonaire (x#3), Curacao, Belize, Grand Cayman and Roatan and always looking for somewhere new.

 

[nodakdive]

Thanks for the report. I'm looking at St. Martin just because I haven't been there. It looks like there's a ferry from St Martin to St Eustatius...maybe 4 days on each. Anyone stay at Divi Little Bay on St Martin? I've been to Bonaire (x#3), Curacao, Belize, Grand Cayman and Roatan and always looking for somewhere new.

I notice that Cozumel isn't on your list. Based on where you've been and your desire to go someplace new, that might be a nice choice too.

 

[jonhall]

Anyone stay at Divi Little Bay on St Martin?

Since no-one has responded yet -

A friend of mine is a Divi Resort Vacation Owner. Little Bay in St. Maarten is where his family traveled for several years and they enjoyed it.

My only experience with it was to have stayed next door at the Belair Beach Hotel - the only other resort around the bay. Here's what I can say.

It is located on the Dutch side in Philipsburg. Although a walk to town (the boardwalk) is doable, a car would be more convenient. The resort is on a peninsula with the Divi Little Bay Beach on one side and a nice view of Great Bay on the other side. There are different types of units which would provide different views - some units look nicer than others.

Although the beaches to Divi and Belair Beach Hotel run together, the sand at BBH was much whiter and fluffier. There is a lesser known beach on the other side of BBH that is the same type of sand as BBH and little used - like a private beach. Full disclosure - this was in 2015 before Hurricane Irma in 2017 (which came through about 3 weeks before we were going to return) wiped out a lot of the beach. The buildings held up pretty well. The beaches have recovered but I can't say how well in Little Bay. The Great Bay beach looked to have recovered when I last saw it, when on a cruise in late 2019.

AquaMania has a little kiosk on the beach for water sports - jet skis and scuba diving can be booked. Not far away is a protected marine park with an underwater sidewalk - it can be snorkeled or dived - can't remember if it can be easily walked to or not. On the other side of Great Bay, where cruise ships dock, there are some dive ops. There are several decent dive sites nearby.

We walked over to Divi and picked up a pizza which was very good. We also went over one day for the breakfast buffet and enjoyed it - even though it was several years ago, I remember the French toast!!

Divi is in a great location - I would stay there!

 

[jmcgilroy]

I notice that Cozumel isn't on your list. Based on where you've been and your desire to go someplace new, that might be a nice choice too.

I know I'm missing out with Cozumel but I just can't get by with Mexico's corrupt government. Many examples of Custom Agents charging "import tax" on your camera equipment etc. I wonder if they realize how wealthy they could be if they had a safe, stable government. I know others have had great experiences but in my mind, it's a hurdle I can't get by.

 

[jmcgilroy]

A friend of mine is a Divi Resort Vacation Owner. Little Bay in St. Maarten is where his family traveled for several years and they enjoyed it.

Jon, Thanks...Divi is actually first on my "short list". Maybe a ferry trip to Saba or Statia. Good to hear your input.