DiverDonn
Contributor
Recently returned from 10 day trip with 3 Buddies to Saba & 'Statia. I have visited both islands before, but this was a first for my Friends. The flights were as expected, with Winair constantly changing thier flights and no longer giving Divers any weight allowances ( we each paid an extra $25/flight for each leg flown).
First, let me say that when we decided to do this trip, I contacted Lynn and Mel at Sea Saba.com and they handled all the land,hotel and diving arrangements. Everytime there was a Winair schedule change, she was able to change our schedule as well so as to maximize our diving. They saved me a ton of work, and I highly recommend them.
On Statia we stayed at Old Gin House and dove with Golden Rock Divers. I have stayed at other places on Statia and dove with other Operators, but OGH is supposed to be one of the best place to stay so we tried it. I think OGH is probably the best hotel on the island, but it is certainly in need of sprucing up. some rooms have refrigerators and working Air, while others don't. The Wireless Internet was very sporadic. The restaurant was OK but after trying several restaurants on the Island, The Blue Bead Cafe was unanimously our favorite place to eat.
The folks at Golden Rock Divers (Michelle & Glenn) were great and went out of their way to accommodate. They run a clean, professional operation and the only real negative is that their boats are a little basic with no amenities. The diving is mostly shallower but the animal life below the surface was plentiful, Lots of Eels, Rays, Small fish and sharks and a few huge 'Cuda and turtles. This was fun, interesting diving and the only thing that was disappointing was the dominance of the Oil terminal on the island.I guess it is the principal money earner for the island and it appears that it surpasses tourists and divers in importance to the local governent.
After 4 days of diving 'Statia we caught the puddle jumper over to Saba. I sat on the left side of the plane so my buddies could all sit on the right and get the full benefit of that landing. They all agreed it was as exciting as I predicted; and we have some decent videos of the approach and landing as well.
We were met at the Airport by our driver/taxi and taken to Julianas where we were staying. It has been several years since I have been to Saba and I was very pleased with the new young couple (Wim & Johanna) that own and run the hotel now. They have updated several areas as well as the rooms and ANYTHING we requested or needed, they took care of. The free wireless internet was also always available. We all agreed it was considerably nicer than OGH on Statia, and by the time we left Saba, we all felt like family. The changes that were made to next-door Tropics Cafe were also very impressive and the two men that now run it for Lunch and Dinners are great cooks. We thought the food there was among the best on the island:Fresh and well prepared and presented. The Brigadoon restaurant in Windwardside was about the same with good but not exceptional food, The RainForst Cafe at the ecolodge was disappointing and not worth the trip. The best meal on the island (even slightly better than the Tropics), was at the Gate House where Michel and Lilianne made us feel welcome and served an incredible repast.
Last but not least, is of course, the Diving on Saba. The Marine Park Rules are still rigidly enforced and this can be seen in the quality of the water, coral and fish. The deep dives that Saba is known for-the pinnacles- are still breathtaking, even after my fifth or sixth dives on them. There are not as many small fish as there are on Statia except for a few sites like Tent Reef, but there is an equal or greater number of bigger fish including Rays and sharks and the coral can be stunning. I will be posting some pix as soon as I can. Diamond Rock, Manta and Ladder Labrynthe are all must-do dives. The SeaSaba boats are very well equipped and all have Fresh Water and Lemonade available and sometimes homemade snacks. THere was plenty of room and after bringing our gear down to the boats the first morning we didn't have to do anything until the last day when all our gear, newly rinsed, was returned to our Hotel.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the people of SeaSaba. Lynn and John were always around and they have compiled an incredible staff of dive masters and captains and general staff that seemed to only want to make our trip perfect. They handled all arrangements and followed up on everything from flight check-ins to making sure that we would have a taxi available to take us to wherever we wanted to go in the evening. They have raised the art of Dive Shop Customer Service to a new level. I wish they would open a world wide dive travel service.
All of my Dive Buddies agreed that they would return to Saba, and that the diving was everything they expected.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to PM me or post them.
DD
First, let me say that when we decided to do this trip, I contacted Lynn and Mel at Sea Saba.com and they handled all the land,hotel and diving arrangements. Everytime there was a Winair schedule change, she was able to change our schedule as well so as to maximize our diving. They saved me a ton of work, and I highly recommend them.
On Statia we stayed at Old Gin House and dove with Golden Rock Divers. I have stayed at other places on Statia and dove with other Operators, but OGH is supposed to be one of the best place to stay so we tried it. I think OGH is probably the best hotel on the island, but it is certainly in need of sprucing up. some rooms have refrigerators and working Air, while others don't. The Wireless Internet was very sporadic. The restaurant was OK but after trying several restaurants on the Island, The Blue Bead Cafe was unanimously our favorite place to eat.
The folks at Golden Rock Divers (Michelle & Glenn) were great and went out of their way to accommodate. They run a clean, professional operation and the only real negative is that their boats are a little basic with no amenities. The diving is mostly shallower but the animal life below the surface was plentiful, Lots of Eels, Rays, Small fish and sharks and a few huge 'Cuda and turtles. This was fun, interesting diving and the only thing that was disappointing was the dominance of the Oil terminal on the island.I guess it is the principal money earner for the island and it appears that it surpasses tourists and divers in importance to the local governent.
After 4 days of diving 'Statia we caught the puddle jumper over to Saba. I sat on the left side of the plane so my buddies could all sit on the right and get the full benefit of that landing. They all agreed it was as exciting as I predicted; and we have some decent videos of the approach and landing as well.
We were met at the Airport by our driver/taxi and taken to Julianas where we were staying. It has been several years since I have been to Saba and I was very pleased with the new young couple (Wim & Johanna) that own and run the hotel now. They have updated several areas as well as the rooms and ANYTHING we requested or needed, they took care of. The free wireless internet was also always available. We all agreed it was considerably nicer than OGH on Statia, and by the time we left Saba, we all felt like family. The changes that were made to next-door Tropics Cafe were also very impressive and the two men that now run it for Lunch and Dinners are great cooks. We thought the food there was among the best on the island:Fresh and well prepared and presented. The Brigadoon restaurant in Windwardside was about the same with good but not exceptional food, The RainForst Cafe at the ecolodge was disappointing and not worth the trip. The best meal on the island (even slightly better than the Tropics), was at the Gate House where Michel and Lilianne made us feel welcome and served an incredible repast.
Last but not least, is of course, the Diving on Saba. The Marine Park Rules are still rigidly enforced and this can be seen in the quality of the water, coral and fish. The deep dives that Saba is known for-the pinnacles- are still breathtaking, even after my fifth or sixth dives on them. There are not as many small fish as there are on Statia except for a few sites like Tent Reef, but there is an equal or greater number of bigger fish including Rays and sharks and the coral can be stunning. I will be posting some pix as soon as I can. Diamond Rock, Manta and Ladder Labrynthe are all must-do dives. The SeaSaba boats are very well equipped and all have Fresh Water and Lemonade available and sometimes homemade snacks. THere was plenty of room and after bringing our gear down to the boats the first morning we didn't have to do anything until the last day when all our gear, newly rinsed, was returned to our Hotel.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the people of SeaSaba. Lynn and John were always around and they have compiled an incredible staff of dive masters and captains and general staff that seemed to only want to make our trip perfect. They handled all arrangements and followed up on everything from flight check-ins to making sure that we would have a taxi available to take us to wherever we wanted to go in the evening. They have raised the art of Dive Shop Customer Service to a new level. I wish they would open a world wide dive travel service.
All of my Dive Buddies agreed that they would return to Saba, and that the diving was everything they expected.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to PM me or post them.
DD
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