Is Saba for novice divers?

[Pamdiv]

I was a newbie when we dove Saba. We skipped the first dive, which is a deep one, and dove the next two. They were great dives and except for having some trouble adjusting to some surge on one of them. (Today, I would have no trouble with it.) SeaSaba is my recommendation. They were EXTREMELY helpful to this newbie both in water and topside. I have never seen such pristine conditions than I did in Saba. You are in for some great diving.
We stayed at Queen's Garden in Bottom and it was very comfortable. Saba is a unique island. It's quaintness and beauty is refreshing. I would say it's a 'don't miss' dive experience, and I hope to go back soon now that I have more experience in the water.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hello! I've searched every thread I could find under "Saba," and am confused. Some posts claim they did ther OW dives at Saba, yet others claim it is not for novice divers, since it has a number of deep dives to 100 feet or more.

We are 4 novice divers with 4 to 12 dives in the US and BV Islands over the last 2 summers, and are considering a 12 - 14 day trip next May to St Martin - Saba - St Barth. Nearly every post, or reply to a St M post says, "ya gotta dive Saba." We don't just plan to dive, but also get some r & r - I know, no beach on Saba. So, we'd like to dive Saba to 60 - 80' max.


Hi Alashas,

I'm heading to Saba for a week in October with SeaSaba and Juliana's. From what I've read of other divers' experiences, the best dives in Saba are the deep ones (pinnacles for the most part), while the shallower dives are still very good. (See if you can gain access to the Undercurrent site's reader reports:

http://undercurrent.org/


I'll be diving Nitrox while there. I think that, unless you have a very liberal computer, the bottom time at pinnacles whose tops are at 60 to 80 feet would be minimal on air. Other than that, I've never felt that deep dives are prohibitive for newbies, as long as you're comfortable in the water, decent on air and very conscientious about keeping tabs of your computer.

If I were looking for the ideal newbie spot out of the places I've experienced, it would be Bonaire. Dominica would be another choice a bit closer to Saba, as would St. Vincent where the best dives are VERY shallow (critter city!!).

Have a great trip, wherever you end up!

Regards,

 

[docmartin]

just got back from saba, statia and anguilla. you can do saba as a beginner as others suggest by sittin gout the first dive. if you go with sea saba this means sitting on the boat and - depending on your sea legs - getting sea sick while the others are diving. they do not return to the harbor after the first dive. the other operations do return to the harbor between dives which makes them pereferable in my opinion for someone like you. you could sleep longer and come down in time for the second dive. air conditioning was not necessary because of the altitude and the breeze - at least as far as temperature. however, humidity was an issue without the AC. nothing ever feels quite dry. not a big issue for me but my wife was annoyed.
personally, for your type of group i would recommend statia instead of saba. shallower sites, great fish life (it must have improved a lot over the past years because some older reports mention saba's fish life was better. i found the opposite to be true on our trip) and much more convenient from a logistical point of view. on statia you walk to the dive shop on saba you alwayd need to shuttle to the harbor which takes 15-20 minutes. if you do 3 dives you won't get back to your hotel before late whereas on statia you can go to your room, have lunch etc.
by the way, if you like sharks go for an evening snorkel in the statia harbor. there is a short dock and you can see sharks cruising by. saw more sharks in the harbor than on my statia and saba dives combined.

 

[reefsong]

All of the dive operators on Saba pick up their clients at their individual hotels and drive them to the pier/boats. In fact, the island is so steep, that no matter which town you stay in, even at The Bottom, the pier is just too far away and too difficult to get to on foot. You really don't have to factor that into your consideration of which operator to use. Windwardside is way up on the mountain and so cool and breezy that you probably won't need A/C. An open window and a ceiling fan are probably sufficient. Bugs are not much of an issue.