Jalousie Hilton St. Lucia

[Buffalo Dave]

Hi,

We'll be spending 11 days at the Jalousie Hilton in St. Lucia in early June. We're not going specifically to dive, but would like to get a tank or two in while we're there.

(A) Anybody know who runs the dive shop at the Jalsousie and how to get hold of them via E-Mail?

(B) Anybody have any recommendations on dive sites there?

(C) Any general advice on the island or the property.


Thanks

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

We visited the Jalousie Hilton a few years back. If I remember correctly I would make the following comments:
1) If you can afford it take the helicopter from the airport cause the roads suck.
2) The resort seemed very nice and I would say you have chosen wisely.
3) We rented a villa on the other side of the Piton up the hill from Anse Chastanet. If you don't like the dive experience with Hilton I would highly recommend the dive op at Anse Chastanet.
4) The diving around the Pitons is very nice. Strewn boulder fields, lots of urchins, crabs and lobsters. Check out a night dive.
5) Most of the dives were drift dives. One not to miss is called Superman's Flight.
6) There is a wreck up toward Castries. A fairly large freighter worth checking out.
7) If you decide to head up the coast for Castries take a water taxi. Its convenient, cheap and you get to see the coast. The town is a cruise ship dock so you know what to expect. There are some really good restaurants.
Good Luck and Good Diving!

 

[DocVikingo]

The Jalousie Hilton St. Lucia is a very nice property. Do spend some time hiking in the area.

Frog's Diving http://www.frogsdiving.com, which started out in the Castries area, I believe now also has a satellite at the Hilton. Both they & the Anse Chastanet http://www.ansechastanet.com dive op are recommended.

As Tim said, Superman's Flight, which also has other names, can be a hoot in good current. I suspect that the wreck to which he is referring is the Lesleen M, a 165' freighter sunk back in the mid-80s. It's decent.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[brizzolatti]

Hey, Dave. I just got back from St Lucia on Monday. I intend to post a report but haven't got round to it yet - pesky work getting in the way. Anyhow, we stayed at Anse Chastanet and Scuba St Lucia is based there on the beach. There were divers who came round from the Hilton to dive with us so it is quite accessible even if you don't stay at Anse Chastanet. I had 5 dives: 2 shore (inc one night - my first!) and 3 boat dives to Superman's Flight, Turtle Reef and Jalousie. My favourites were Superman's Flight and Turtle Reef, the former at the base of Petit Piton and the latter just a 2 minute boat ride off shore at Anse Chastanet. Water was consistently 28 degrees last week and very calm. Visibility was good, too, about 60-80 feet. Healthy looking corals, lots of small reef fish and I also saw The Thing on the night dive (more of which in my report which I promise I will post soon.) Hope that's enough to be going on with!

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

DocVikingo once bubbled...
I suspect that the wreck to which he is referring is the Lesleen M, a 165' freighter sunk back in the mid-80s. It's decent.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

Yep, thats the one.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

O.K. I'll bite....what's "The Thing" ?

Thanks for the great advice everyone. We're pretty jazzed about going.

Brizzolatti, when you say the water was 28, I presume you mean celsius. If not, I'm not going =-) That seems remarkably warm - mid 80's - kool.

So based on that bathwater temperature, would you recommend going with full-foot snorkel fins and no boots, or lugging the heavier fins and boots? Also, 3mm 2 piece wetsuit - will I need it? The shorty half only? Trying to bring as little gear as possible and don't much like the idea of renting (we spent way to much on gear to not bring it along).

How deep is the Lesleen M wreck?

Thanks again all.

And to Tim..... howdy neighbor. The "Buffalo" in Buffalo Dave is my city, not necessarily my general appearance. I regularly visit Rochester - great city.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Buffalo Dave once bubbled...
Also, 3mm 2 piece wetsuit - will I need it? The shorty half only? How deep is the Lesleen M wreck?

I dove a 3 mm shorty the whole week and was never chilled. I use full foot fins. Leave the heavy ones home. The Lesleen M. deck was at about 55 feet if memory serves. The bottom was about 75 feet. Those are guesses. I already packed my dive log. We leave for Cozumel this morning!!!!!

GO BILLS!!

 

[DocVikingo]

I believe that the deck of the wreck is at ~30' & bottom at ~65'.

As regards the wesuit, thermal protection is rather idiosyncratic. To put it in perspective, below is a piece, in part, from my June '00 "Ask RSD" column in "Rodale's Scuba Diving":

"Have you ever been out on the street in the spring or fall and noticed people wearing everything from shorts & T-shirts to full coats with hats & scarves, all apparently in comfort? Well, things are no different underwater. This comfort is highly variable among individuals depending on such factors as percentage of body fat, age & tolerance to thermal discomfort. Other determinants, like how many dives a day over how many days you are planning, are also important. When you ask "What wetsuit should I wear?, you'll get answers ranging all the way from "just a bathing suit" through "5 mm full."

The question is better asked: "What water temps can I anticipate at my destination?" You'll receive a pretty accurate answer to this, and then can decide what's best for you based on your personal thermal comfort needs.

It's always a good idea to come thermally prepared, just in case."

That having been said, expect St. Lucia water temps of 83F plus/minus a degree in June. Personally, if was doing multiple dives over multiple days at that temp, I'd take a 3mm full, although that might be a bit much for some. However, I'd definitely say that a 3mm farmer john would be too much unless you chill very readily.

Whatever you decide on, you will want a complete covering of some sort for reasons of environmental protection.

You're going to have such a good time.

DocVikingo

 

[brizzolatti]

Hey. Yes, celsius! I wore 3mm shorty. Some folks wore skin shirts. Instructors wore full suits. Full foot fins would be fine though I had the boots and heavy ones just cos they're the ones I have.

As for The Thing ... they don't know what it is but it is about 12-15 feet long, about the width of an arm, reddish/brown and looks like a giant centipede/millipede. The day before my night dive, there was a slide show of marine life (there is a photo/video workshop at Scuba St Lucia which is really cool) and they showed a picture of The Thing. The guy said no one knew what it is! It does exist though cos I saw it the next night when I was out. Or at least, I saw about a foot of it in a hole. If you check out the Scuba St Lucia website, I think there is a bit about it.

http://www.scubastlucia.com/

I still haven't written my trip report yet but I have a few days off over Easter so I'll try then.

 

[caymancase]

Stayed at Anse Chastanet a few years ago in July. Never saw a reddish/brown "thing?" but did see my very first frogfish on a shore dive there. "Superman's Flight" is a hoot . As Doc said, if you're prone to getting cold, bring along everything... better safe than sorry... you can always peel off the layers.
Don't forget to check out the beautiful rainforest... a rocky road to get to, but that's part of the adventure.
Have a blast!!! I did! Casey