Saba Booked For May 2017 - Sint Maarten Worth Diving?

[cleung]

I am booked to go to Saba in May 2017 as my next dive trip. I'll be diving three days with Sea Saba doing three tanks each day except for the third day when I'll do just the morning dives so I can catch the afternoon ferry back to Sint Maarten. I'll be staying at the El Momo cottages - I realize there are some stairs to climb.

I will then stay two nights at the Atrium Resort in Sint Maarten to end up this trip. If anyone has any insights on El Momo, Saba or Sint Maarten, please let me know. Also, after diving eight tanks in Saba, will it be even worthwhile to do any dives in Sint Maarten since I do have a full day there?

 

[jonhall]

Hope to do Saba in 2017 also.

If you're staying at the Atrium, it is in Simpson Bay. Ocean Frontiers dive op is also located there (a little shack on the beach next to Royal Palm Beach resort.) It is a pretty good op. Best sites I went to with them were some wrecks.

Will be interested to see a report from you after your trip on how you got to Saba and back to St. Maarten and how the diving was in Saba.

 

[cleung]

Hope to do Saba in 2017 also.

If you're staying at the Atrium, it is in Simpson Bay. Ocean Frontiers dive op is also located there (a little shack on the beach next to Royal Palm Beach resort.) It is a pretty good op. Best sites I went to with them were some wrecks.

Will be interested to see a report from you after your trip on how you got to Saba and back to St. Maarten and how the diving was in Saba.

Oh we'll definitely be using the ferries to do the crossovers rather than the Winn Air. We have the time for the ferry and we'll save $100 which can be put towards diving/hotels

 

[rick00001967]

the dive shop on the beach near the atrium would be ocean explorers i believe. dive adventures is another shop a quick walk up the road from the atrium. booking is through aquamania. see vinny there.
you may be right that after the dives in saba, st maarten might be a bit of a step down but still decent ocean diving none the less. to be honest we just got back from cozumel and def see more life in st maarten than we did in mexico. except for the night dives on shore which were awesome.
atrium is a great location. you should enjoy that trip for sure.

 

[Nivek Llekots]

If you like close encounters with reef sharks do a couple of dives with Jeff at Ocean Explorers, they are on the beach right next to the Atrium.

Make sure you book ahead as they are very popular with repeat divers and their boat which only takes a max of eight divers fills up quickly!

 

[jonhall]

If you like close encounters with reef sharks do a couple of dives with Jeff at Ocean Explorers, they are on the beach right next to the Atrium.

Did a shark dive with Ocean Explorers in 2014. It was a longer boat ride to get to the area where the sharks were. Think we headed toward Great Bay. Lobsters were the main site on many of the dives out of Simpson Bay and there wasn't much in the way of a reef. That's why I said in earlier post, for me, the better dives with Ocean Explorers were the wrecks.

Dove with an op (Scuba Fun) in Great Bay in 2015 and saw reef sharks, with some close encounters, on almost every dive. Enjoyed the dive sites in this area much more as there was more reef.

 

[cleung]

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess we'll have to see how many sharks we see while in Saba. If we need more, than the shark dive in Sint Maarten is an option but at this point, it doesn't see like any regular dives might be worthwhile especially after diving several days in Saba. From the videos of the Sint Maarten shark dives, it also seems there are less sharks compared to the shark dives in Nassau or Freeport.

 

[ScubaJill]

I am booked to go to Saba in May 2017 as my next dive trip. I'll be diving three days with Sea Saba doing three tanks each day except for the third day when I'll do just the morning dives so I can catch the afternoon ferry back to Sint Maarten. I'll be staying at the El Momo cottages - I realize there are some stairs to climb.

I will then stay two nights at the Atrium Resort in Sint Maarten to end up this trip. If anyone has any insights on El Momo, Saba or Sint Maarten, please let me know. Also, after diving eight tanks in Saba, will it be even worthwhile to do any dives in Sint Maarten since I do have a full day there?

It just depends on how much you like diving. the dive conditions in St. Maarten are usually excellent - warm water, great visibility, sea life, and dive sites are a short boat ride. Those three tank days on Saba can be exhausting, though, and you might welcome a dive break to spend on the beach. I recommend Orient Beach, btw.

 

[rick00001967]

Did a shark dive with Ocean Explorers in 2014. It was a longer boat ride to get to the area where the sharks were. Think we headed toward Great Bay. Lobsters were the main site on many of the dives out of Simpson Bay and there wasn't much in the way of a reef. That's why I said in earlier post, for me, the better dives with Ocean Explorers were the wrecks.

Dove with an op (Scuba Fun) in Great Bay in 2015 and saw reef sharks, with some close encounters, on almost every dive. Enjoyed the dive sites in this area much more as there was more reef.

no question that the sites farther to to south east are better than the ones close to simpson bay.

 

[Jersey]

They are different types of diving. Saba deep, pinnacles, open water, larger animals. SXM has a hard bottom, shoals, some 'wrecks' most of the inshore stuff shallow. I think both types of dives have their place. Another vote for Ocean Explorers on Kimsha Beach and you are right next door. If you want to take in the beaches, Orient is beautiful. I always take my mask fins and snorkel. Also like Friars, Mullet and Dawn Beach. Go to Gran Case for food - everything from haute cuisine to the ladies grilling out at the lolo's (local chicken/ribs/lobster grilled outdoors).