Flying on WinAir
- Thread starter pkaquatics
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I'd have to respectfully disagree with the advice to take the ferry vs. flying to Saba. There's no weight restriction and it's cheaper, sure, but it can be rough, seasickness is common (and even if you don't suffer the mal de mar, you may suffer what I call 'sympathetic vomiting') and it gets you in too late to do the first and best dive of the morning with most of the operators.
While the flights might be delayed for bad weather, I'd hate to be on the ferry in bad weather....
Someone else suggested in another thread that if you know the airline offers additional weight allowances for divers and can find that somewhere on the web, PRINT IT OUT and take it with you. The agents may not know.
I have flown to Saba and rather enjoyed it, frankly. We did not have bad weather or any other difficulties. Of course the bulk of our trip was on St. Maarten though and we kept our hotel (actually a condo rental) the whole time, so we only brought over our dive gear and a couple changes of clothes for 3 days / 2 nights on Saba out of the 11 day or so overall trip.
My vote is for Saba Deep as a dive center (very small, very personal, figure max 6 divers a boat). We stayed in the Momo cottages but I wouldn't recommend them - or let me clarify that, since service was fine, the rooms were exactly as advertised, and they had some wonderful homemade banana preserves and breads and whatnot for breakfast. It's not that they weren't nice, they were just very eco-friendly, small and rustic, and after the diving we really wanted a hot shower (granted the solar showers were that ) and air conditioning (that was the kicker). So I wouldn't stay there again, because I now know I like my creature comforts too much after a couple days of diving. Another couple who was there when we were and who reportedly went back to Saba to dive year after year were at Julianas and strongly recommended it.
While the flights might be delayed for bad weather, I'd hate to be on the ferry in bad weather....
Someone else suggested in another thread that if you know the airline offers additional weight allowances for divers and can find that somewhere on the web, PRINT IT OUT and take it with you. The agents may not know.
I have flown to Saba and rather enjoyed it, frankly. We did not have bad weather or any other difficulties. Of course the bulk of our trip was on St. Maarten though and we kept our hotel (actually a condo rental) the whole time, so we only brought over our dive gear and a couple changes of clothes for 3 days / 2 nights on Saba out of the 11 day or so overall trip.
My vote is for Saba Deep as a dive center (very small, very personal, figure max 6 divers a boat). We stayed in the Momo cottages but I wouldn't recommend them - or let me clarify that, since service was fine, the rooms were exactly as advertised, and they had some wonderful homemade banana preserves and breads and whatnot for breakfast. It's not that they weren't nice, they were just very eco-friendly, small and rustic, and after the diving we really wanted a hot shower (granted the solar showers were that ) and air conditioning (that was the kicker). So I wouldn't stay there again, because I now know I like my creature comforts too much after a couple days of diving. Another couple who was there when we were and who reportedly went back to Saba to dive year after year were at Julianas and strongly recommended it.
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scubamickey
I'm a GIRL!
But seasickness can easily be prevented by taking Bonine. A canceled flight can't be fixed.
We had rough seas going out and nobody got sick. Unless you have experienced the ferry you can't really say anything either way about it.
I can tell you about several visitors on Saba while we were there who wished they had reservations on the ferry after all the Winair flights were canceled that day and they missed all their connections home. It became very expensive for them very quickly.
Bonine is less than $10 for a box that will last a long time.
We had rough seas going out and nobody got sick. Unless you have experienced the ferry you can't really say anything either way about it.
I can tell you about several visitors on Saba while we were there who wished they had reservations on the ferry after all the Winair flights were canceled that day and they missed all their connections home. It became very expensive for them very quickly.
Bonine is less than $10 for a box that will last a long time.
We'll have to continue to respectfully disagree about this, I guess. I see the advantages you're talking about...but you still missed that first dive the first day regardless of weather being good, and frankly I'd rather not take Bonine (or any drugs with a possible drowsiness side-effect) before diving. I know many do with no issues, it's just a personal preference.
And while I've not personally experienced the ferry (and do not get motion sick in any event, though I am a sympathetic puker) I did meet people on one of our dives who did come in on it and had to hose their dive gear off. Literally, and that was NOT in bad weather conditions. I'm glad you personally had a better experience - wouldn't wish what they described on anyone. Bottom line though, you can and did make educated comments about flying and possible consequences (cancellations) without flying yourself, from witnessing the experience of others. So I can make similar comments about the ferry from similar second-hand sources, can't I?
I think between us we've illustrated the pros and cons of each from our own (and some second-hand) experience, so others can make an informed decision of which side of the trade-offs appeals to them the most.
And while I've not personally experienced the ferry (and do not get motion sick in any event, though I am a sympathetic puker) I did meet people on one of our dives who did come in on it and had to hose their dive gear off. Literally, and that was NOT in bad weather conditions. I'm glad you personally had a better experience - wouldn't wish what they described on anyone. Bottom line though, you can and did make educated comments about flying and possible consequences (cancellations) without flying yourself, from witnessing the experience of others. So I can make similar comments about the ferry from similar second-hand sources, can't I?
I think between us we've illustrated the pros and cons of each from our own (and some second-hand) experience, so others can make an informed decision of which side of the trade-offs appeals to them the most.
getwet2
Contributor
If you book your entire flight straight through with one airline, (say USAir for example), Winair uses the same baggage allowances as USAir. If you book your flight to St Maarten (SXM) and then book Winair to Saba seperately you could be charged for the extra baggage. I usually use Travelocity, punch in the airport codes, the dates I want and away I go.
Even in the event you are charged for extra baggage, they still take it but sometimes it might be on another flight then the one you are if they can't fit it on. The plane only holds 19 people, the Saba runway is only 1200 feet long, you'll understand when you see it. If you are checking in very close to your Winair departure time they might already have all the baggage they can take on your flight so they bring it the next flight to the Island. It really isn't a problem, I've had more trouble with USAir losing my bags then I have ever had with Winair. If you get to the plane and your carry on looks a little big they will put it in the hold for the flight or make you leave it at the back of the plane under the seats.
As for the boats. If it's rough you'll wish you were on the plane. One Ferry is a Cat called " The Edge" and the other is a V hull called "The Dawn II". "The Edge" isn't too bad but "The Dawn II" can be very nasty and sometimes smelly and you sit below deck, not too many windows either. Both ferries only make the trip to Saba on certain days of the week and only once per day. 'The Dawn II" is way slower then "The Edge" and depending on water conditions it can sometimes take 2+ hours on "The Edge".
Here's a link to "The Dawn II" (V Hull) Saba C-Transport, N.V. DAWN II - The Saba Ferry traveling to Saba & Sint Maarten three times a week.
Here's a link to "The Edge" (CAT) Aqua Mania - ...just add water! - HOME
Look under bookings for trips to Saba by The Edge.
Here's a link to the Saba Tourism site Saba - The Official Website of the Saba Tourist Bureau
I've been to Saba a number of times and I'm going again this August, I've used Winair every time and would recommend it. Yes if the weather is bad it can be a pain but so can the Ferry because it doesn't run to Saba everyday, when it does it usually arrives around noon and leaves around 3pm. So what if you get stuck on the Island just enjoy the extra day, the world will still be there when you get back to it. (You might not want to leave once you're there anyway!)
Not sure about this but I was told when you book your flights right through with the one airline if you happen to miss your flight due to weather it's not as much of a hassle when you finally make it off the Island, the airline will just put you on the next plane that has room. We went for a month last year and when we got to St Maarten USAir had lost 3 of our bags. We had to wait, fill out paper work and ended up missing our Winair flight to Saba and spent the night in SXM (St Maarten), it was the last flight of the day. The next day we went to the airport got new tickets from Winair and were on the first flight to Saba, no problem, no extra charge. That trip we even booked Winair seperately from the rest of our flights. When USAir found our bags Winair brought them over as soon as they could.
I would also highly recommend Saba Divers, but all the dive shops are good in their own way. Saba Deep has the smallest boat, Sea Saba has the largest boat, Saba Divers is just the right size. Saba Divers is owned by "Scout's Place" and the crew that runs the shop is top notch and loads of fun. Also if you dive nitrox there's no extra charge if go with Saba Divers.
Hope this helps you out.
Even in the event you are charged for extra baggage, they still take it but sometimes it might be on another flight then the one you are if they can't fit it on. The plane only holds 19 people, the Saba runway is only 1200 feet long, you'll understand when you see it. If you are checking in very close to your Winair departure time they might already have all the baggage they can take on your flight so they bring it the next flight to the Island. It really isn't a problem, I've had more trouble with USAir losing my bags then I have ever had with Winair. If you get to the plane and your carry on looks a little big they will put it in the hold for the flight or make you leave it at the back of the plane under the seats.
As for the boats. If it's rough you'll wish you were on the plane. One Ferry is a Cat called " The Edge" and the other is a V hull called "The Dawn II". "The Edge" isn't too bad but "The Dawn II" can be very nasty and sometimes smelly and you sit below deck, not too many windows either. Both ferries only make the trip to Saba on certain days of the week and only once per day. 'The Dawn II" is way slower then "The Edge" and depending on water conditions it can sometimes take 2+ hours on "The Edge".
Here's a link to "The Dawn II" (V Hull) Saba C-Transport, N.V. DAWN II - The Saba Ferry traveling to Saba & Sint Maarten three times a week.
Here's a link to "The Edge" (CAT) Aqua Mania - ...just add water! - HOME
Look under bookings for trips to Saba by The Edge.
Here's a link to the Saba Tourism site Saba - The Official Website of the Saba Tourist Bureau
I've been to Saba a number of times and I'm going again this August, I've used Winair every time and would recommend it. Yes if the weather is bad it can be a pain but so can the Ferry because it doesn't run to Saba everyday, when it does it usually arrives around noon and leaves around 3pm. So what if you get stuck on the Island just enjoy the extra day, the world will still be there when you get back to it. (You might not want to leave once you're there anyway!)
Not sure about this but I was told when you book your flights right through with the one airline if you happen to miss your flight due to weather it's not as much of a hassle when you finally make it off the Island, the airline will just put you on the next plane that has room. We went for a month last year and when we got to St Maarten USAir had lost 3 of our bags. We had to wait, fill out paper work and ended up missing our Winair flight to Saba and spent the night in SXM (St Maarten), it was the last flight of the day. The next day we went to the airport got new tickets from Winair and were on the first flight to Saba, no problem, no extra charge. That trip we even booked Winair seperately from the rest of our flights. When USAir found our bags Winair brought them over as soon as they could.
I would also highly recommend Saba Divers, but all the dive shops are good in their own way. Saba Deep has the smallest boat, Sea Saba has the largest boat, Saba Divers is just the right size. Saba Divers is owned by "Scout's Place" and the crew that runs the shop is top notch and loads of fun. Also if you dive nitrox there's no extra charge if go with Saba Divers.
Hope this helps you out.
