St Croix USVI in July

[Dutchman]

Wife & I would like to spend a week on St Croix. Where to stay. Friend likes DIVI Resort. Any other good resorts and dive spots? Wife snorkels’ while I dive. She shops while I dive. She sleeps while I dive. Kinda get the picture.

 

[scubajcf]

Diving up in Cane Bay is best. Cane Bay Dive Shop is right across from beach. Cane Bay is a little off the beaten path, but there are some nice condos up there.

Christiansted is more the resort area (more urban than local). SCUBA runs the nicest boat out of Christiansted Harbor.

Anchor dive runs a nice boat and some Kayak tours to do something fun.

GREAT Diving. If you run into a divemaster named Leslie (she works with Cane Bay and Anchor). Tell her John in AZ says hi. She'll know me.

Have a fun time.

 

[mobster75]

I stayed at the Carambola Resort last July with my buddy. It was a bit pricey but very nice accomodations and very nice staff. I just don't recommend eating in their dining room much as the food is pretty standard but the cost was high! There are a lot of good restaurants to be had all over the island. Carambola is also close to Cane Bay (you have to drive past the Bay and dive shop on the way from the airport) and definitely a good dive spot.

Right near Cane Bay was a small place on the beach I really enjoyed having breakfast at called "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem!". The food was your typical breakfast diner stuff, but good food and the view is fabulous as its right on the beach in the sand and you overlook the surf and rocks.

Someone mentioned Christiansted being urban. It is - by St. Croix standards. It's pretty quiet though even when everything is open. Which some people (like myself) really enjoy.

If you want a relaxing vacation where you can snorkel/scuba, enjoy a variety of restaurants over the island and some local shopping, then St. Croix is a good choice! (I'm heading back there on 7/29 myself)

 

[Scared Silly]

My vote is with Cane Bay ... Great setting quiet both shore and boat diving. Do not forget to visit the beer drinking pigs. That said if the wife is not diving this might not be the place because it is off at its own site so she would need to drive to shop, etc.

 

[mobster75]

Well, if his wife doesn't dive, then he could go with one of the operators out of Christiansted so while he's on the boat, she can shop around in C'sted. Not a bad idea.

 

[stcroix2]

We've stayed at the Condos at Sugar Beach. Depending upon what you are looking for, that is a decent place to stay. Too far to walk to downtown Christiansted, however. try www.gotostcroix.com to find names of hotels, and locations. Others may offer more insight into lodging. Christiansted dive operations are St Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (SCUBA) and Dive Experience. Both shops cater to the tourist crowd and both hit the same northshore dive sites. It is a bit of a boat ride, this time of year to make it over to the "wall" dives at Salt River, Cane Bay, Northstar and Carambola. If you dive with Anchor Dive Center, they are located right at Salt River, so your surface interval/s are accomplished on-shore. Cane bay, pretty much the same. Anchor has a regular dive boat (wide beam, 16 passenger) where as Cane Bay uses inflatables, with a removable dive hatch on the floor. This time of year the north shore can get rough, so some of the Christiansted dive operators cancel occassionally. Out on the west end (remember this island is 25 miles east to west, 7 miles north to south), Scuba Shack, N2 Blue and Scuba West regularily dive that area, and make it as far back east as Northstar, if the weather is good. Personally we dive exclusively with N2 Blue. They have a small "6-pack" boat, have unparralleled friendly service. We have logged dozens of 70+ minute dives. Derrick and Anne have dedicated themselves to the small, customer-friendly Dive Shop atmosphere.

Hope this helps!

Keith

 

[Linthorn]

Mobster, are you staying at Carambola? Going there 7/26 for a week. Diving with Anchor. Can't wait.

 

[Sail 'n Dive]

For the sake of your relationship, make sure you end up somewhere your partner will be happy. Cane Bay ? hmmm, not sure, its rather diver oriented. C'sted has shopping, restuarants, cafes, etc. and SCUBA runs an excellent operation. my $0.02.

 

[TheRedHead]

Personally we dive exclusively with N2 Blue. They have a small "6-pack" boat, have unparralleled friendly service. We have logged dozens of 70+ minute dives. Derrick and Anne have dedicated themselves to the small, customer-friendly Dive Shop atmosphere.

I 2nd N2theblue for excellent service and small boat. The boat has a door and you sit down, gear up and just make a controlled seated entry. We stayed near Christianstad and rented a car from Cars by Judi. We would drive to Cane Bay and Frederickstead to dive. We dove Cane Bay Wall numerous times from shore and the Coakley Bay wrecks with N2theBlue. We also had some 70 minute 2nd dives on sites like Spratt's Hole with N2theBlue.

 

[CobaltDiver]

STX2 gives a very accurate account of the island. Christiansted definitely will offer more for the non diver. DIVI is a nice resort, but if you want to go anywhere it is quite the drive or cab ride to get anywhere. The Buccaneer is the nicest of the resorts. If you want conviences, reasonable price and not bad accomodation, but a little dated take a look at Hotel on the Cay. It is a small island right in the harbor, and very convienent.

The dive is wonderful. The water has warmed up to about 82. The visibility varies at the moment depending on the time of day and sea conditions. I work for Dive Experience in Christiansted. www.divexp.com. We have a medium sized boat, but provide a high level of service. I have dove with most of the shops on the island, and I highly recommed N2 the Blue or Scuba Shack if you are interested in diving the wrecks of the West end. They rarely dive the North shore or Long reef.

I hope you have a great trip.