teamoctopus
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Saba Trip report.
I just returned from a fantastic 3 day getaway to Saba and thought I should share my experience with you.
I live on St. Martin / St. Maarten and own Octopus Diving in Grand Case on the French side. I have visited Saba a few times before, always staying at Scouts Place, diving with Saba Divers and loved it, so took a close Friend of mine, Keith Elliston for a few days diving.
My Friend Keith took his Open Water Course with Octopus Diving and we also taught his Daughter , Son and Partner to dive. Keith is now an IANTD Advanced Nitrox diver and extremely comfortable in the water.

Keith: I am a scientist, work for CHDI the Huntingtons Disease foundation, and split my time between Princeton, NJ and Concord, MA (and St. Martin as often as possible). When Chris suggested that we take a few days and go diving on Saba, I immediately looked at my calendar, and found a weekend where we could make it happen. It turns out that the weekend that worked best, was labor day weekend. Diving with Chris is always enjoyable, he is the most comfortable and competent Instructor / Diver I have ever met, and having him as my dive buddy for 3 days of diving was not an opportunity to be missed.
Chris: The trip was arranged with Scout's Place and Saba Divers. Barbara and Wolfgang Tooten are fantastic people and we love to stay with them in their quaint and homely Hotel and dive with their Dive Shop, which is always an excellent experience. Barbara and Wolfgang are just like old Friends
The booking process was super easy, we emailed Flight details of our Winair Flights to Barbara, told her how many dives we wanted to do and she set everything up for us, including Dives, accommodation, Taxi, free 32% Nitrox and even our restaurant reservations!
Keith: The trip from Sint. Maarten to Saba was fun and easy. Winair flies Dehavilland DHC-3 Twin Otters one of the most capable STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft available. Twin Otters are used as bush planes in Alaska and Canada, and are often used as jump planes for skydivers, operating off of short strips. The STOL performance is important, as the runway at Saba is officially closed but open to specific flights by Winair using STOL aircraft. And they need the STOL, as the total runway length is just 1300 ft., with less than 1,000 ft usable. This is one short runway, at the base of the mountain that is the island of Saba.
Chris: We arrived at Princess Juliana Airport on Sunday 2nd September 2012. Check in was a breeze and the Winair staff were super friendly. The flight was great too, took just over 10 minutes flying at 2000feet to get to Saba, landing is just an amazing feeling. The take off and landing makes for an exhilarating experience.
Just remember when booking Winair flights, pay the $5 extra Premium for guaranteed seats, otherwise if they are busy you may not have a seat on the plane and be rescheduled for later that day.
Keith: When we landed at Saba, we were met by the Dutch Military turns out that they were planning a set of emergency exercises that would later affect our diving schedule. Barbara Tooten Owner of Saba Divers and Scouts Place, also met us at the airport, with one of the biggest smiles I have seen in a long time. Meeting her for the first time was like meeting an old friend. Chris had told me about Barbara and Wolfgang, and their operations on Saba and how they are like family. He wasnt exaggerating. Barbara (and Lulu) helped us gather our things, and amidst quick updates and lively conversation, drove us up the mountain to Windwardside to Scouts place and the Saba Divers dive shop.
Chris: Scout's place was the same as the last time I was there, smiling faces and well kept room and Hotel. It's clean, tidy and extremely homely. Our room was great, not too big, not too small, bathroom was clean, beds were comfortable and 110V sockets were available.
Our first dive was to be a 1 tank dive in the afternoon so we had plenty of time for a bite to eat before heading down to the Dock.
Saba is basically a huge pinnacle jutting out of the Caribbean Sea. It is just a breathtaking Island and nothing like you have ever seen before. It reminds me of the Movie Lord of the Rings with names of the small villages like The Bottom or Windwardside.
There are some great restaurants and bars on the Windwardside, but don't expect Casino's or a Hard Rock Cafe!
Keith: Upon our arrival, Barbara introduced us to the hotel and dive shop staff, gave us a quick orientation to the hotel, restaurant and dive shop, and then helped us fill out the necessary forms for our dives. We planned out our dives the first to be that afternoon, with 4-5 more over the next two days. Chris and I wandered through the dive shop, and found a couple of quick purchases (gifts and something for ourselves), before settling into our room. The room was great clean tile floors, two beds, desks, table and chest. We stowed our stuff (seems I always have twice as much stuff as Chris I need to learn to pack less stuff!), and oriented ourselves. The restaurant is just down from the room, and has a nice bar (no drinking before diving, but the beer after our first dive was great). We had lunch with Barbara first sitting out on the large, covered deck, but moving inside when the wind started to howl. The view from the deck is amazing, looking out over the town to the sea, between two peaks.
Chris: Our first dive was a 1 tank afternoon dive so we had plenty of time for a bite to eat before heading down to the Dock.
Saba is basically a huge pinnacle jutting out of the Caribbean Sea. It is just a breathtaking Island and nothing like you have ever seen before. It reminds me of the Movie Lord of the Rings with names of the small villages like The Bottom or Windwardside.
There are some great restaurants and bars on the Windwardside, but don't expect Casino's or a Hard Rock Cafe!
After lunch at Scouts Place (try the Club Sandwich!) we were picked up by our Cab driver, which is included in the price, and we headed down to the Harbor to meet our host's for the next few days.
Micheal Hood and Caroline Levy were our Instructors and Dive Guides, and currently run the dive operation at Saba Divers, and they are really doing a fantastic job.
Luckily for Keith and meI we dove were diving in September, which as you may know is the Low season in the Caribbean due to Hurricane season, and therefore we had the boat to ourselves.
Caroline and Michael took our gear out to the boat, checked our paperwork and then we headed to the boat. Boarding isn't too easy. This isn't due to the boat, but due to the design of the dock. With Michael and Caroline's help it did make it easier.
Before we boarded we were given a very detailed boat briefing, being a Boat Captain and Dive Shop owner I am always looking for the O2 Kit, flares, fire extinguisher, First Aid Kit etc.., and I can honestly say, everything was present and correct.
We analyzed our 32% Nitrox which was FREE (this is a very nice touch!) and Michael and Caroline offered to set up our equipment. Personally this is something that I like to do (I am a creature of habit) as I dive with a wing and harness, there is a certain way I like it rigged. Keith also set up his own gear as most of it was new. But our host's offered all the same!
Keith: The cab ride to the dive operation is a trip in itself. The cab wound its way up, down around the mountain, working its way through The Bottom, past the medical school, and down the long and twisting, switchback hill into the harbor. As we came into the harbor, I was struck by how small the harbor actually is. There are basically two docking areas that are not much more than breakwaters, one that is 8 feet or so above the water line, where the ferry from St. Martin docks, and the other on the opposite side that is half the height, where the lobster boats and dive boats dock when possible. We watched as Michael brought the dive boat (Big Blue) into the harbor, and alongside the taller dock. The seas were rough, but he deftly maneuvered the boat dockside, while Caroline climbed up to the dock and secured the boat. Looking at the sea, I knew that we could be in for some rocking and rolling for our afternoon dive. We had a chat with Michael, and he told us it might be rough, and offered to postpone the dive however Chris and I are both comfortable on the sea, and we all agreed to head out for the dive.
Babylon
Chris: Our First first dive site was a check out dive, reasonably shallow at 60 feet, no current and just a nice relaxing dive. The
coral here in Saba is in great shape and there was an abundance of Marine Life as is usual in Saba was present.
One great aspect of this dive is the underwater Hot Spring;, you put your hand in the yellow sand and you can feel the hot heat pretty awesome!
Dive time was around 50 Minutes and we were shown lot's of really cool critters by Michael.
Keith: Since I dont dive as often as Chris (reminder to self, look into buying a dive shop in the Caribbean), it takes me a little longer to get ready to go on the first dive, and I have to remember the routines of calming and controlling my breath, and using my lung volume to control my descent. It was pretty great for me, having 3 extremely experienced divers to dive with. Michael gave us a very thorough briefing on the site, including the hot springs that we would encounter. As we descended on Babylon, I was amazed at the health of the reef structure. The corals are large and healthy, with little sign of damage (ok, there was a sponge that a turtle had apparently be munching on, but the site is in fantastic shape I can see why divers come to little Saba Island for the diving). As we made our way through the site, we descended down a cut to a sandy slope. We followed the slope up to an area of yellow sand, where Michael made a sign for high temperature he then put his hand on the sand... and Chris and I followed suit. The heat passing up through the sand is clear, and you can see schleren lines in the water from the temperature gradient. This is the first time I had seen anything like this. We continued our dive up through the rocks, before heading up for our safety stop.
Chris: After the dive we jumped back on the boat where Caroline was waiting and we headed back to shore. Again all our gear was removed, washed and hung out to dry by our crew, and we were left to enjoy a beer before our taxi took us back up the hill to Scouts Place.
That evening we had dinner at Brigadoon hosted and owned by Michael and Tricia, fantastic food and reasonably priced. A must do while on Saba.
Keith: Before dinner, Chris and I chilled out in the restaurant, had a beer, and reviewed the events of the day. There was free wifi, so we also took the opportunity to check email and check in with the ladies at home. Around a quarter after 7, Barbara met up with us, and after a bit, we walked over to Brigadoon. The restaurant is quite charming and one of the fancier restaurants on the island. We were enthusiastically greeted by our hostess, a flamboyant and witty Louisiana Belle named Tricia. She greeted Barbara with great familiarity, and welcomed Lulu, Chris and I to the restaurant. We were seated at a table for four, near the door on the porch. Our waiter gave us the briefing on the menu, we ordered a bottle Merlot, and decided on our appetizers. I had the Hummus and Falafal (which Caroline tells me that they are famous for on the island and it was delicious), while Chris had the fish cakes. After some encouragement, Barbara helped me finish off the Hummus which was a bit too much for me to finish myself. For our mains, Chris and Barbara had the veal special, while I had the Tuna (Rare, sashimi grade tuna over a bed of romaine with a special vinaigrette dressing again, delicious). We all enjoyed our meals, with a glass (or two) of wine to accompany them. Dessert for me was their famous avocado coconut cheesecake with a pistachio crust (I thought it could have used a touch more avocado, but was delicious nonetheless). Brigadoon is known for their homemade cheesecakes, the constituents of which tend to change on a weekly basis. Chris had the chocolate brownie, which was quite rich. We finished off the wine, and then walked back to Scouts, where Barbara and Lulu wished us a goodnight. A fantastic first day in Saba!
Monday 3rd September 2012
Chris: Our Taxi taxi was on time at 9am to take us to the harbor for our 2 tank day of diving.
Due to the fact that Since the Dutch Marines were going to close down the Harbor for a training exercise, our planned 3 tank trip turned into a 2 tank trip, Keith and I weren't too bothered as it gave us a bit more time to check out the Island.
Mt. Michel and The Twilight Zone
The First first dive was a deep dive at Mt. Michelle, followed by another Deep dive at Twilight Zone.
Both dives were amazing, with free swimming Nurse Sharks, a huge Green Moray, Jacks and thousands of fish on Mt. Michelle, followed by the highlight of the trip for me, a large Bright Yellow Frogfish which can be seen on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/southdevondiver
Michael and Caroline were again offering the perfect VIP treatment allowing us to return to shore during dives to relax on our longer than normal surface interval to maximize bottom time!
Keith: Our morning started out with breakfast at the restaurant at Scouts Place. The continental is included with the room, but I opted for the upgrade to the American breakfast (two eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, etc.). Breakfast and coffee (and a quick check of email) was a great start to the day, and we met up with the driver and headed to the harbor. On these dives, I was bringing my Nikon L20 (point and shoot) with its Fantasea housing. This setup has served me pretty well over the past few years but is due for an upgrade (I think the new Olympus PEN with housing is next for me). Caroline briefed us for our first dive on Mt. Michel, a pinnacle rising out of the sea floor some 150m below, to twin peaks at about 29m. We planned our dive to around 30m, where we would slowly circle up the pinnacle and explore the twin peaks. These pinnacles are extraordinary structures remnants of the volcanic past of Saba, as they rise as spires directly from the sea floor. We saw several large Hawksbill turtles, amazing corals, and lots of marine life. I got one nice shot of a colorful shrimp as well. We accomplished the dive with no Deco required and did our safety stop as per usual.
Part 2 to follow!
I just returned from a fantastic 3 day getaway to Saba and thought I should share my experience with you.
I live on St. Martin / St. Maarten and own Octopus Diving in Grand Case on the French side. I have visited Saba a few times before, always staying at Scouts Place, diving with Saba Divers and loved it, so took a close Friend of mine, Keith Elliston for a few days diving.
My Friend Keith took his Open Water Course with Octopus Diving and we also taught his Daughter , Son and Partner to dive. Keith is now an IANTD Advanced Nitrox diver and extremely comfortable in the water.

Keith: I am a scientist, work for CHDI the Huntingtons Disease foundation, and split my time between Princeton, NJ and Concord, MA (and St. Martin as often as possible). When Chris suggested that we take a few days and go diving on Saba, I immediately looked at my calendar, and found a weekend where we could make it happen. It turns out that the weekend that worked best, was labor day weekend. Diving with Chris is always enjoyable, he is the most comfortable and competent Instructor / Diver I have ever met, and having him as my dive buddy for 3 days of diving was not an opportunity to be missed.
Chris: The trip was arranged with Scout's Place and Saba Divers. Barbara and Wolfgang Tooten are fantastic people and we love to stay with them in their quaint and homely Hotel and dive with their Dive Shop, which is always an excellent experience. Barbara and Wolfgang are just like old Friends
The booking process was super easy, we emailed Flight details of our Winair Flights to Barbara, told her how many dives we wanted to do and she set everything up for us, including Dives, accommodation, Taxi, free 32% Nitrox and even our restaurant reservations!
Keith: The trip from Sint. Maarten to Saba was fun and easy. Winair flies Dehavilland DHC-3 Twin Otters one of the most capable STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft available. Twin Otters are used as bush planes in Alaska and Canada, and are often used as jump planes for skydivers, operating off of short strips. The STOL performance is important, as the runway at Saba is officially closed but open to specific flights by Winair using STOL aircraft. And they need the STOL, as the total runway length is just 1300 ft., with less than 1,000 ft usable. This is one short runway, at the base of the mountain that is the island of Saba.
Chris: We arrived at Princess Juliana Airport on Sunday 2nd September 2012. Check in was a breeze and the Winair staff were super friendly. The flight was great too, took just over 10 minutes flying at 2000feet to get to Saba, landing is just an amazing feeling. The take off and landing makes for an exhilarating experience.
Just remember when booking Winair flights, pay the $5 extra Premium for guaranteed seats, otherwise if they are busy you may not have a seat on the plane and be rescheduled for later that day.
Keith: When we landed at Saba, we were met by the Dutch Military turns out that they were planning a set of emergency exercises that would later affect our diving schedule. Barbara Tooten Owner of Saba Divers and Scouts Place, also met us at the airport, with one of the biggest smiles I have seen in a long time. Meeting her for the first time was like meeting an old friend. Chris had told me about Barbara and Wolfgang, and their operations on Saba and how they are like family. He wasnt exaggerating. Barbara (and Lulu) helped us gather our things, and amidst quick updates and lively conversation, drove us up the mountain to Windwardside to Scouts place and the Saba Divers dive shop.
Chris: Scout's place was the same as the last time I was there, smiling faces and well kept room and Hotel. It's clean, tidy and extremely homely. Our room was great, not too big, not too small, bathroom was clean, beds were comfortable and 110V sockets were available.
Our first dive was to be a 1 tank dive in the afternoon so we had plenty of time for a bite to eat before heading down to the Dock.
Saba is basically a huge pinnacle jutting out of the Caribbean Sea. It is just a breathtaking Island and nothing like you have ever seen before. It reminds me of the Movie Lord of the Rings with names of the small villages like The Bottom or Windwardside.
There are some great restaurants and bars on the Windwardside, but don't expect Casino's or a Hard Rock Cafe!
Keith: Upon our arrival, Barbara introduced us to the hotel and dive shop staff, gave us a quick orientation to the hotel, restaurant and dive shop, and then helped us fill out the necessary forms for our dives. We planned out our dives the first to be that afternoon, with 4-5 more over the next two days. Chris and I wandered through the dive shop, and found a couple of quick purchases (gifts and something for ourselves), before settling into our room. The room was great clean tile floors, two beds, desks, table and chest. We stowed our stuff (seems I always have twice as much stuff as Chris I need to learn to pack less stuff!), and oriented ourselves. The restaurant is just down from the room, and has a nice bar (no drinking before diving, but the beer after our first dive was great). We had lunch with Barbara first sitting out on the large, covered deck, but moving inside when the wind started to howl. The view from the deck is amazing, looking out over the town to the sea, between two peaks.
Chris: Our first dive was a 1 tank afternoon dive so we had plenty of time for a bite to eat before heading down to the Dock.
Saba is basically a huge pinnacle jutting out of the Caribbean Sea. It is just a breathtaking Island and nothing like you have ever seen before. It reminds me of the Movie Lord of the Rings with names of the small villages like The Bottom or Windwardside.
There are some great restaurants and bars on the Windwardside, but don't expect Casino's or a Hard Rock Cafe!
After lunch at Scouts Place (try the Club Sandwich!) we were picked up by our Cab driver, which is included in the price, and we headed down to the Harbor to meet our host's for the next few days.
Micheal Hood and Caroline Levy were our Instructors and Dive Guides, and currently run the dive operation at Saba Divers, and they are really doing a fantastic job.
Luckily for Keith and meI we dove were diving in September, which as you may know is the Low season in the Caribbean due to Hurricane season, and therefore we had the boat to ourselves.
Caroline and Michael took our gear out to the boat, checked our paperwork and then we headed to the boat. Boarding isn't too easy. This isn't due to the boat, but due to the design of the dock. With Michael and Caroline's help it did make it easier.
Before we boarded we were given a very detailed boat briefing, being a Boat Captain and Dive Shop owner I am always looking for the O2 Kit, flares, fire extinguisher, First Aid Kit etc.., and I can honestly say, everything was present and correct.
We analyzed our 32% Nitrox which was FREE (this is a very nice touch!) and Michael and Caroline offered to set up our equipment. Personally this is something that I like to do (I am a creature of habit) as I dive with a wing and harness, there is a certain way I like it rigged. Keith also set up his own gear as most of it was new. But our host's offered all the same!
Keith: The cab ride to the dive operation is a trip in itself. The cab wound its way up, down around the mountain, working its way through The Bottom, past the medical school, and down the long and twisting, switchback hill into the harbor. As we came into the harbor, I was struck by how small the harbor actually is. There are basically two docking areas that are not much more than breakwaters, one that is 8 feet or so above the water line, where the ferry from St. Martin docks, and the other on the opposite side that is half the height, where the lobster boats and dive boats dock when possible. We watched as Michael brought the dive boat (Big Blue) into the harbor, and alongside the taller dock. The seas were rough, but he deftly maneuvered the boat dockside, while Caroline climbed up to the dock and secured the boat. Looking at the sea, I knew that we could be in for some rocking and rolling for our afternoon dive. We had a chat with Michael, and he told us it might be rough, and offered to postpone the dive however Chris and I are both comfortable on the sea, and we all agreed to head out for the dive.
Babylon
Chris: Our First first dive site was a check out dive, reasonably shallow at 60 feet, no current and just a nice relaxing dive. The
coral here in Saba is in great shape and there was an abundance of Marine Life as is usual in Saba was present.
One great aspect of this dive is the underwater Hot Spring;, you put your hand in the yellow sand and you can feel the hot heat pretty awesome!
Dive time was around 50 Minutes and we were shown lot's of really cool critters by Michael.
Keith: Since I dont dive as often as Chris (reminder to self, look into buying a dive shop in the Caribbean), it takes me a little longer to get ready to go on the first dive, and I have to remember the routines of calming and controlling my breath, and using my lung volume to control my descent. It was pretty great for me, having 3 extremely experienced divers to dive with. Michael gave us a very thorough briefing on the site, including the hot springs that we would encounter. As we descended on Babylon, I was amazed at the health of the reef structure. The corals are large and healthy, with little sign of damage (ok, there was a sponge that a turtle had apparently be munching on, but the site is in fantastic shape I can see why divers come to little Saba Island for the diving). As we made our way through the site, we descended down a cut to a sandy slope. We followed the slope up to an area of yellow sand, where Michael made a sign for high temperature he then put his hand on the sand... and Chris and I followed suit. The heat passing up through the sand is clear, and you can see schleren lines in the water from the temperature gradient. This is the first time I had seen anything like this. We continued our dive up through the rocks, before heading up for our safety stop.
Chris: After the dive we jumped back on the boat where Caroline was waiting and we headed back to shore. Again all our gear was removed, washed and hung out to dry by our crew, and we were left to enjoy a beer before our taxi took us back up the hill to Scouts Place.
That evening we had dinner at Brigadoon hosted and owned by Michael and Tricia, fantastic food and reasonably priced. A must do while on Saba.
Keith: Before dinner, Chris and I chilled out in the restaurant, had a beer, and reviewed the events of the day. There was free wifi, so we also took the opportunity to check email and check in with the ladies at home. Around a quarter after 7, Barbara met up with us, and after a bit, we walked over to Brigadoon. The restaurant is quite charming and one of the fancier restaurants on the island. We were enthusiastically greeted by our hostess, a flamboyant and witty Louisiana Belle named Tricia. She greeted Barbara with great familiarity, and welcomed Lulu, Chris and I to the restaurant. We were seated at a table for four, near the door on the porch. Our waiter gave us the briefing on the menu, we ordered a bottle Merlot, and decided on our appetizers. I had the Hummus and Falafal (which Caroline tells me that they are famous for on the island and it was delicious), while Chris had the fish cakes. After some encouragement, Barbara helped me finish off the Hummus which was a bit too much for me to finish myself. For our mains, Chris and Barbara had the veal special, while I had the Tuna (Rare, sashimi grade tuna over a bed of romaine with a special vinaigrette dressing again, delicious). We all enjoyed our meals, with a glass (or two) of wine to accompany them. Dessert for me was their famous avocado coconut cheesecake with a pistachio crust (I thought it could have used a touch more avocado, but was delicious nonetheless). Brigadoon is known for their homemade cheesecakes, the constituents of which tend to change on a weekly basis. Chris had the chocolate brownie, which was quite rich. We finished off the wine, and then walked back to Scouts, where Barbara and Lulu wished us a goodnight. A fantastic first day in Saba!
Monday 3rd September 2012
Chris: Our Taxi taxi was on time at 9am to take us to the harbor for our 2 tank day of diving.
Due to the fact that Since the Dutch Marines were going to close down the Harbor for a training exercise, our planned 3 tank trip turned into a 2 tank trip, Keith and I weren't too bothered as it gave us a bit more time to check out the Island.
Mt. Michel and The Twilight Zone
The First first dive was a deep dive at Mt. Michelle, followed by another Deep dive at Twilight Zone.
Both dives were amazing, with free swimming Nurse Sharks, a huge Green Moray, Jacks and thousands of fish on Mt. Michelle, followed by the highlight of the trip for me, a large Bright Yellow Frogfish which can be seen on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/southdevondiver
Michael and Caroline were again offering the perfect VIP treatment allowing us to return to shore during dives to relax on our longer than normal surface interval to maximize bottom time!
Keith: Our morning started out with breakfast at the restaurant at Scouts Place. The continental is included with the room, but I opted for the upgrade to the American breakfast (two eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, etc.). Breakfast and coffee (and a quick check of email) was a great start to the day, and we met up with the driver and headed to the harbor. On these dives, I was bringing my Nikon L20 (point and shoot) with its Fantasea housing. This setup has served me pretty well over the past few years but is due for an upgrade (I think the new Olympus PEN with housing is next for me). Caroline briefed us for our first dive on Mt. Michel, a pinnacle rising out of the sea floor some 150m below, to twin peaks at about 29m. We planned our dive to around 30m, where we would slowly circle up the pinnacle and explore the twin peaks. These pinnacles are extraordinary structures remnants of the volcanic past of Saba, as they rise as spires directly from the sea floor. We saw several large Hawksbill turtles, amazing corals, and lots of marine life. I got one nice shot of a colorful shrimp as well. We accomplished the dive with no Deco required and did our safety stop as per usual.
Part 2 to follow!
