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We decided to take advantage of a special introductory fare Spirit Airlines was offering from Atlanta to St. Thomas (around $200) for a February Dive trip. We arrived on St. Thomas the afternoon of Feb 23 to sunny skies and temps in the 80s F and grabbed the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John and then took a very overpriced cab to our condo, the Serendip.
The condo had a nice porch overlooking the water in the distance and was surrounded by flowering bushes. Hummingbirds and small birds called Banaquits would visit often.
The place came with a living room with two beds, a kitchen, and one master bedroom for $200 a night (compare to nearby Westin which was $400 a night when I checked). It was about a 15-minute (but very steep) walk to town or 5 minute drive (good luck finding a spot in downtown Cruz Bay though!) For our morning dives we would usually walk into town to avoid the parking space search. No real chance of oversleeping here as the tons of roosters on the island are happy to wake you up at sunrise.
Diving Highlights:
We dove with Low Key Watersports out of Cruz Bay, St. John. I would recommend them; the crew and store staff was quite knowledgeable and friendly. DM Mike from Boston lead us on most dives and was quite helpful with pointing creatures out and giving diving tips. Low Key let us leave our bag of scuba gear at the shop each morning so we won’t have to lug it back up the steep (very steep!) walk back to our condo. Each day we would walk down to the shop and wade aboard the boat. The crew would get our weights and assign/setup our tanks. We would then climb up to the captain’s deck and enjoy the rides out to the dive spots. Nice views of the surrounding islands as we went out and one day dolphins met us in the harbor on the way back.
We dove some of the following spots with Low Key over the course of our 11 dives:
1. RMS Rhone British Virgin Islands – This was our favorite day dive of the trip.
The Wreck of the RMS Rhone is one of the more famous wreck dives in the Caribbean. Low Key Captain Bob took us to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and one of the Dive Masters hopped on the dock with our passports to clear our way into customs. As we waited in the harbor for the paperwork, one of the other Dive Masters briefed us on the dive. This Royal Mail Steam ship was commissioned for the Royal Mail Packet Company in 1865 to carry mail and passengers from England to the Caribbean. More than 300 passenger cabins were included within her 310-foot length. On the morning of October 29th, 1867 the captain of the Rhone awoke to barometers falling fast and dark black clouds over Tortola. As it was October and hurricane season was thought to be over, he assumed it was just an early winter storm. When the eye came, he tried to make a break for open water away from the rocks and land. He headed out between Peter and Salt Islands. Most people onboard couldn't swim so the crew was ordered to tie in all the passengers (sealing their fate). The Rhone was slowly pushed toward some rocks and finally hit Black Rock Point. The cold water hit the hot boiler causing a big explosion splitting the Rhone in half. The stern sank in 35' while the bow drifted slightly deeper into 80'. The vessel now rests in two main sections off Salt Island, near Black Rock.
As we accompanied our Dive Master Missy down the rope to the bottom, the bow unfolded at 80 feet below, quite a sight to see. We stayed down for a short 25 minutes and enter the mostly intact the cavernous interior briefly at one point. Lots of marine life down here, including puffer fish, sea turtle, and a very large lobster.
For our surface interval we dropped anchor near Salt Island and dined on hummus sandwiches provided by Low Key. After enough time passed, we jumped back for a shallower 60 feet dive to see the middle and stern sections. Swam through the massive propeller and enjoyed watching the bubbles gather at the top from previous divers. See tons of fish, barracuda, more lobster, and a small purple eel. The current is quite strong on this dive. We rub the one of the remarkably preserved portholes for good luck and then surface. The water temp is quite pleasant for these dives. We had forgotten our towels but it is not a big deal as we quickly dry in the hot sun on the deck. As we head back to shore, the Low Key crew rocked out to Kenny Chesney (a resident of St. John) on the boat stereo. Make sure you bring shoes and a shirt/shorts for the required trip through US customs (and check out at the dour photo of Michael Chertoff hanging on the wall).
2. Mingo Cay. It is a short trip out to Mingo Cay from Cruz Bay. The Dive Master Shane took four of us down to 10feet (watch out for the many sea urchins on the sandy floor) and then we followed him through the coral. This is a 50-foot dive for about 45 min; the vis is about 60 feet. Kinda slow for fish activity at first but gets better. See odd shaped file fish, two hawksnest turtles, lots of trumpet fish, and large parrot fish munching away at the coral. When we return near the boat, the DM lets us explore on our own until the time period is up.
3. Cango Cay. We visited this spot several times during our week with Low Key. This is a rocky site near some jetties. After descending down to about 15 feet, we follow the DM between the rocks. We see a large turtle munching on some coral and swim through a school of thousands of baitfish as pelicans swarm the skies overhead. Also spy a shy octopus hiding under a rock and small sea turtle that appears to be irritated by the strong current. The currents came and went here; sometimes it would be quite calm and other times the currents would be ripping. Overall a nice dive spot.
4. Little St. James. Little St. James is located just offshore a swank looking private island in between St. Thomas and St. John. (I need to find a new job that allows me to live the private island lifestyle!). We did several day dives and one night dive here. Explored the “Ledges” on our first dive. The DM leads us through a maze of coral. We see lobster, a Chestnut Moray Eel, large permit and huge grouper. My regulator makes a weird thunking noise with each breath on one of the dives, which is kinda annoying. Our max depth is usually 40 feet for about 45 min. The currents can be quite strong here as well depending on the day.
Our first night dive was done here as well. We met the Dive Master Nate on the bottom. On the boat he had outlined the rules for us: Never get ahead of him and never shine the flashlight in anyone’s eyes to get their attention. If you spot something, simply wiggle your light back and forth and most people will notice. Nate carried an armful of spare lights in case there are any malfunctions or batteries run low.
It is neat to see the corals pulsating in the water and we see lots of lobster (they are everywhere and much more visible then the day time), shrimp, and squirrelfish roaming the reef. Spot a large loggerhead sleeping under a ledge and a huge crab that appears to be missing both of its claws.
At the end of the dive, Nate gathers us in a circle and we switch off our lights to observe the phosphoresce in the water. This is one of the dives that seem to end too quickly even though we are under for about 45 minutes!
Food: St John has some pretty good food choices, although the prices can be quite high (no real surprise in Caribbean) We visited Chilly Billy’s several times for an early lunch and can recommend the bean and cheese burritos and most of the breakfast items. There can sometimes be short wait here as there was the one day we visited. The Tuff 8 race (an eight mile hilly race around the island) had just completed and there were many hungry runners chowing down.
Rhumb Lines has a cheesy name but we were impressed by their tapas menu and enjoyed eating outside in their walled garden. Texas Coast Café in the town square is a good spot for beer and nachos while wild chickens run past you on the sidewalks. Panini Beach Tratorria is good but pricey Italian food with a nice view of the Cruz Bay Harbor (you can watch the Low Key crew unload the boat from their deck). A nearby cheaper option is the decent pizza from Senoritia’s Pizza (voted the best pizza on St. John, not that they appear have much competition) with a nice harbor view at one of their tables. We also had a nice drink and snack of conch fritters at Miss Lucy’s (she was the first woman chef and taxi driver on the island) near Coral Bay. Great views of the water here and goats ramble through the parking lot.
Transport: I’d really recommend getting a car while staying on St. John (we rented a jeep from C&C rentals). The driving here is weird, they drive on the left yet the cars have the American configuration, however you get used to it pretty fast. Check out some driving tours recommended by the book “St. John Feet, Fins, and Four-Wheel Drive” by Pam Gaffin. On one afternoon drive we enjoyed the happy hour at the Maho Bay Campgrounds (free popcorn and a great view of Maho Bay from the bar). You could also use the taxi system, but the fares were quite high. You can easily visit the remote beaches, hiking trails, and plantation ruins if you have a car.
Non-diving activities: The driving tours and hikes are fun. You can also relax on one of many beaches (many of which were uncrowded) and we heard the snorkeling was great in most spots (although we never tried it ourselves). Kids would probably enjoy staying at the Maho Bay Campgrounds as we saw many families happily playing cards together when we visited during happy hour). Shopping and night life are pretty limited, you’d probably be better off staying in St. Thomas if you are into that (although I personally thought St. Thomas appeared to be overdeveloped and swarming with cruise ship tourists during our brief cab ride across it)
In conclusion, a great vacation and fun dive trip.
The condo had a nice porch overlooking the water in the distance and was surrounded by flowering bushes. Hummingbirds and small birds called Banaquits would visit often.
The place came with a living room with two beds, a kitchen, and one master bedroom for $200 a night (compare to nearby Westin which was $400 a night when I checked). It was about a 15-minute (but very steep) walk to town or 5 minute drive (good luck finding a spot in downtown Cruz Bay though!) For our morning dives we would usually walk into town to avoid the parking space search. No real chance of oversleeping here as the tons of roosters on the island are happy to wake you up at sunrise.
Diving Highlights:
We dove with Low Key Watersports out of Cruz Bay, St. John. I would recommend them; the crew and store staff was quite knowledgeable and friendly. DM Mike from Boston lead us on most dives and was quite helpful with pointing creatures out and giving diving tips. Low Key let us leave our bag of scuba gear at the shop each morning so we won’t have to lug it back up the steep (very steep!) walk back to our condo. Each day we would walk down to the shop and wade aboard the boat. The crew would get our weights and assign/setup our tanks. We would then climb up to the captain’s deck and enjoy the rides out to the dive spots. Nice views of the surrounding islands as we went out and one day dolphins met us in the harbor on the way back.
We dove some of the following spots with Low Key over the course of our 11 dives:
1. RMS Rhone British Virgin Islands – This was our favorite day dive of the trip.
The Wreck of the RMS Rhone is one of the more famous wreck dives in the Caribbean. Low Key Captain Bob took us to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and one of the Dive Masters hopped on the dock with our passports to clear our way into customs. As we waited in the harbor for the paperwork, one of the other Dive Masters briefed us on the dive. This Royal Mail Steam ship was commissioned for the Royal Mail Packet Company in 1865 to carry mail and passengers from England to the Caribbean. More than 300 passenger cabins were included within her 310-foot length. On the morning of October 29th, 1867 the captain of the Rhone awoke to barometers falling fast and dark black clouds over Tortola. As it was October and hurricane season was thought to be over, he assumed it was just an early winter storm. When the eye came, he tried to make a break for open water away from the rocks and land. He headed out between Peter and Salt Islands. Most people onboard couldn't swim so the crew was ordered to tie in all the passengers (sealing their fate). The Rhone was slowly pushed toward some rocks and finally hit Black Rock Point. The cold water hit the hot boiler causing a big explosion splitting the Rhone in half. The stern sank in 35' while the bow drifted slightly deeper into 80'. The vessel now rests in two main sections off Salt Island, near Black Rock.
As we accompanied our Dive Master Missy down the rope to the bottom, the bow unfolded at 80 feet below, quite a sight to see. We stayed down for a short 25 minutes and enter the mostly intact the cavernous interior briefly at one point. Lots of marine life down here, including puffer fish, sea turtle, and a very large lobster.
For our surface interval we dropped anchor near Salt Island and dined on hummus sandwiches provided by Low Key. After enough time passed, we jumped back for a shallower 60 feet dive to see the middle and stern sections. Swam through the massive propeller and enjoyed watching the bubbles gather at the top from previous divers. See tons of fish, barracuda, more lobster, and a small purple eel. The current is quite strong on this dive. We rub the one of the remarkably preserved portholes for good luck and then surface. The water temp is quite pleasant for these dives. We had forgotten our towels but it is not a big deal as we quickly dry in the hot sun on the deck. As we head back to shore, the Low Key crew rocked out to Kenny Chesney (a resident of St. John) on the boat stereo. Make sure you bring shoes and a shirt/shorts for the required trip through US customs (and check out at the dour photo of Michael Chertoff hanging on the wall).
2. Mingo Cay. It is a short trip out to Mingo Cay from Cruz Bay. The Dive Master Shane took four of us down to 10feet (watch out for the many sea urchins on the sandy floor) and then we followed him through the coral. This is a 50-foot dive for about 45 min; the vis is about 60 feet. Kinda slow for fish activity at first but gets better. See odd shaped file fish, two hawksnest turtles, lots of trumpet fish, and large parrot fish munching away at the coral. When we return near the boat, the DM lets us explore on our own until the time period is up.
3. Cango Cay. We visited this spot several times during our week with Low Key. This is a rocky site near some jetties. After descending down to about 15 feet, we follow the DM between the rocks. We see a large turtle munching on some coral and swim through a school of thousands of baitfish as pelicans swarm the skies overhead. Also spy a shy octopus hiding under a rock and small sea turtle that appears to be irritated by the strong current. The currents came and went here; sometimes it would be quite calm and other times the currents would be ripping. Overall a nice dive spot.
4. Little St. James. Little St. James is located just offshore a swank looking private island in between St. Thomas and St. John. (I need to find a new job that allows me to live the private island lifestyle!). We did several day dives and one night dive here. Explored the “Ledges” on our first dive. The DM leads us through a maze of coral. We see lobster, a Chestnut Moray Eel, large permit and huge grouper. My regulator makes a weird thunking noise with each breath on one of the dives, which is kinda annoying. Our max depth is usually 40 feet for about 45 min. The currents can be quite strong here as well depending on the day.
Our first night dive was done here as well. We met the Dive Master Nate on the bottom. On the boat he had outlined the rules for us: Never get ahead of him and never shine the flashlight in anyone’s eyes to get their attention. If you spot something, simply wiggle your light back and forth and most people will notice. Nate carried an armful of spare lights in case there are any malfunctions or batteries run low.
It is neat to see the corals pulsating in the water and we see lots of lobster (they are everywhere and much more visible then the day time), shrimp, and squirrelfish roaming the reef. Spot a large loggerhead sleeping under a ledge and a huge crab that appears to be missing both of its claws.
At the end of the dive, Nate gathers us in a circle and we switch off our lights to observe the phosphoresce in the water. This is one of the dives that seem to end too quickly even though we are under for about 45 minutes!
Food: St John has some pretty good food choices, although the prices can be quite high (no real surprise in Caribbean) We visited Chilly Billy’s several times for an early lunch and can recommend the bean and cheese burritos and most of the breakfast items. There can sometimes be short wait here as there was the one day we visited. The Tuff 8 race (an eight mile hilly race around the island) had just completed and there were many hungry runners chowing down.
Rhumb Lines has a cheesy name but we were impressed by their tapas menu and enjoyed eating outside in their walled garden. Texas Coast Café in the town square is a good spot for beer and nachos while wild chickens run past you on the sidewalks. Panini Beach Tratorria is good but pricey Italian food with a nice view of the Cruz Bay Harbor (you can watch the Low Key crew unload the boat from their deck). A nearby cheaper option is the decent pizza from Senoritia’s Pizza (voted the best pizza on St. John, not that they appear have much competition) with a nice harbor view at one of their tables. We also had a nice drink and snack of conch fritters at Miss Lucy’s (she was the first woman chef and taxi driver on the island) near Coral Bay. Great views of the water here and goats ramble through the parking lot.
Transport: I’d really recommend getting a car while staying on St. John (we rented a jeep from C&C rentals). The driving here is weird, they drive on the left yet the cars have the American configuration, however you get used to it pretty fast. Check out some driving tours recommended by the book “St. John Feet, Fins, and Four-Wheel Drive” by Pam Gaffin. On one afternoon drive we enjoyed the happy hour at the Maho Bay Campgrounds (free popcorn and a great view of Maho Bay from the bar). You could also use the taxi system, but the fares were quite high. You can easily visit the remote beaches, hiking trails, and plantation ruins if you have a car.
Non-diving activities: The driving tours and hikes are fun. You can also relax on one of many beaches (many of which were uncrowded) and we heard the snorkeling was great in most spots (although we never tried it ourselves). Kids would probably enjoy staying at the Maho Bay Campgrounds as we saw many families happily playing cards together when we visited during happy hour). Shopping and night life are pretty limited, you’d probably be better off staying in St. Thomas if you are into that (although I personally thought St. Thomas appeared to be overdeveloped and swarming with cruise ship tourists during our brief cab ride across it)
In conclusion, a great vacation and fun dive trip.
