Great dive vacation in St. Lucia

[islanddream]

Sounds good, and thanks for the added info. When I read trip reports, I enjoy them for what they are, but also analyze from the perspective 'Why go there instead of...(Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Bonaire, Curacao, etc...) and 'What more do I need to know to size the place up & plan a trip there?'

I don't recall ever seeing 1st hand the match for St. Lucia's lush rainforest (but I've never been to Saba or Dominica); it is a beautiful place! What had knocked it out of the running for me would be too few dives for a solo 'dive-a-holic' trip, and too expensive airfare for a family trip (I was seeing ~ $900 apiece on an Orbitz check for a week in July; figure $240 round-trip bagged fees with 4 checked bags, 2 adults & a kid, that's nearly 3 grand before housing, food & diving are added, assuming no rental car). About $500 for a 10-tank dive package, $3,500. But if budget housing were good, that might bring cost down to 'doable.' Food for thought; thanks!

Richard.

You're so welcome, Richard. I understand how costs can add up. When we had three kids at home, we spent a lot of money on trips which didn't include diving. We took the kids on a couple of cruises and that was really fun for them to see tropical islands. However, it's nice to be empty-nesters and to be able to dive, dive, dive!

 

[DawgFan]

We each did 14 dives over the seven days we had to dive. Here are the sites we visited:
Day 1: Superman's Flight and Key Hole Pinnacles
Day 2: Anse La Ray Wall and Lesleen M Wreck
Day 3: Fairyland and Turtle Reef
Day 4: Lesleen M Wreck and Anse Couchan
Day 5: Fantasia and Grand Cay
Day 6: Fantasia and Grand Cay
Day 7: Anse Shore North and Anse Shore South

Thank your for the report. I've been interested in St. Lucia but can't really figure out the logistics. Anse Chastenet seems to be close to the good diving spots but it's really expensive. Many of hotels and condos seem to be closer to the area of the island where you stayed. How long was your boat ride to the dive sites?

 

[islanddream]

The boat ride was anywhere from 35-45 minutes. The boat is large and stable and handled the conditions well. The first couple of days the seas were a bit rough. Unless I had lots of money to spend, Anse Chastenet wouldn't be my choice of places to stay because of the cost. I actually enjoyed the ride on the boat because we got to see parts of the island we wouldn't have seen if the reefs were closer to the dive shop.

 

[Bubbles McGee]

St Lucia was great. I don't have a ton of experience, but I really enjoyed it.