St. Maarten, Philispburg

[sandrascuba]

A 3 mil mil suit should be fine if you're not the type that gets cold in warm water with repetitive diving. We use Saba Deep as they return to the harbor between dives giving you a chance to get out of the wetsuit completely and warm up. They have a nice little restaurant above the dive shop. Order your meal before walking down to the boat and it will be ready and piping hot when you return from the dive.

Have fun and enjoy.

Sandra

 

[k8brandt]

Dive Adventures in Simpson Bay is where we got our OW certs. Mike's Maze & The Bridge were our favorite dive sites. If you use them tell Vinnie that Bruce & Kathy from VA sent you. We also got over to Saba for two dives (took The Edge II over) and LOVED IT! So much so, when we go back in September, we're arranging an overnight trip.

"Sport Diver" has a great article on Saba in the most recent issue.

P.S., I was in a 3-mil shorty and was fine.

 

[Pamdiv]

Baie Rouge is my favorite beach. Say hello to Gus for me. (1st BBQ shack from the stairs). Orient Beach is great if you like looking at naked people. Dive Safaris at Simpson Bay is my go-to for dive ops in St. Maarten. Saba diving is supreme. Saba Deep is an awesome dive op. If you get an opportunity, stay overnight at Saba. The peace is overwhelming. Check out Lee's Barbeque at Simpson Bay, yummy! The party's at Cherie's.
Pam

 

[CoyKoi]

Ditto to the recommendations for Aquamania (Dive Adventures). We've been to St Maarten several times and appreciated Vinny, Mikey and Mano and the rest of the staff. Mikey is a fantastic dive leader. He is so comfortable and familiar with all the dive sites, you'd think he was really a fish disguised as a man.

Our favorite dive sites are the wreck of the Porpoise -- a tug boat sunk as a diver attraction that sits upright and is only about 3 minutes from Simpson Bay. It sits in 100' and has some awesome swim throughs, and loads of fish. The goatfish were so thick the times we dove there, I could hardly see the wreck. We also like Proselyte Reef, Elevator Shaft and Grouper Reef -- all very fishey and fun sites. I found diving there comparable to most reef sites near Tavernier, FL and Marathon, FL.

We've dove there in October and May and viz was 80+' both times. Surface conditions are generally calm, but you may get 2-3' once in a while. We wore 3mil suits and were comfortable.

Ditto also on taking the EDGE to Saba for a day. Man O' War Shoals is a not-to-be-missed dive site: two sea mounts that come within about 25' of the surface. Max depth ~75'. The current can be a bit of a challenge. If you encounter this, just tuck into the lee of the sea mount and enjoy the incredible variety of healthy coral, gorgonians, turtles, and more fish that you can shake a lobstertail at.

 

[scuba_guy62]

Had a great week on St. Maarten. Awesome food and great diving. We dove with Sea Safaris out of the Simpson Bay shop and were extremely pleased with the level of service. I would certainly go back and dive St. Maarten for a week or two. Did a quick trip over to Saba on the edge and only managed two dives. Out of the two one was quite good the other so so. If I do return to Saba I will likely try a different operator than the one we used. This was a great vacation and many thanks for all the little hints and tidbits of information...helped out immensely. I will post more info. later. Ciao.

 

[RTRski]

Actually I'd recommend taking the flight over rather than the ferry. Ferry only gets you there in time for the second dive, so you've missed the deeper site opportunity. Flight is low-altitude enough you can safely take it after diving on the way back as well.

Plus the ferry is often a bit of a rough ride for those with tender stomachs....

Scubaguy - would be interested to hear who you dove with that you were less than satified with, and what your sites were at Saba. I didn't have a bad dive there the whole time although conditions and sites do vary somewhat. Was there weather limiting choices, or some other issue?

 

[scuba_guy62]

The first dive we did was at Ladder Bay and the site was named 50/50. I thought that was quite a good dive and I'm sure somewhat representative of Saba diving. The second dive was called Hot Springs and for me was just okay. The person leading the dive seemed quite preoccupied with a small coral head and maybe finding one particular species of marine life so the dive seemed not to really fit the profile from the briefing and was a bit underwhelming. I am not trying to paint a negative picture of our dive operator in fact the operator from my limited experience (just two quick dives) seemed fine in regard to the boat (big boat) and the level of safety and attention to safety and conservation. We had prebooked a lunch which was very mediocre and not overly satisfying so I would bring my own food if doing that again. By mid day after that first dive we were quite hungry. It wasn't a particularly bad day just didn't live up to my expectations given the cost for the day and the somewhat hectic pace which is to be expected given the timings. I personally had no problems on the ferry though many were sick and I can see that a day trip is a less than ideal method for visiting as we basically got off the ferry, onto the dive boat...did our dives then back on the ferry. We didn't have enough time to move past the dock. We had a nice chat with a couple from Germany who were on a honeymoon trip and had spent a few days diving on the island and they had some good things to say about their days on the island. I suppose it just comes down to some days and some trips really shine and some are just okay. It is also unfortunate that some who work on the boat find the need to disparage the diving on St. Maarten while those we dove with on St. Maarten choose not to reciprocate in kind and in fact encouraged us to try and experience all that the region has to offer. Of course personal experiences are subjective and I'm sure there were those on the same dive that might have found it fine or even first rate. It is certainly a destination I hope to return to in the near future for a lengthier stay. There seems to be a few different operations to dive with and I am sure I will find the right fit for future dive needs and be able to enjoy the whole experience at a much more relaxed pace.