St Martin/Sint Maarten

[Phil from the cold]

I have been to St-Maarten 15 times in 10 years and tried more or less all the dive shops : even if Saba if more spectacular, you still have great diving in St-Marteen if the dive shops don't always go to the same place..

After a couple of years Scuba Fun re-opened in Anse Marcel this January, they have a great boat, very fast, they can go very fast to every single dive spot on the island, All the equipment is new and the time is really Friendly, definitely the place to go

 

[Jersey]

Hey Wrybosome. If you have the opportunity to meet Big Mike, you will understand why he is such a memorable character to those who have the pleasure of meeting and diving with him! My regret is that Saba was my first 'real' dive trip away from the great northeast and I was not yet fully comfortable and relaxed enough to enjoy my surroundings (it remains on our list of 'must do again' locations). That said, I felt incredibly secure diving w/ Big Mike (he was my buddy). He goes in no exposure suit, no weights, a threadbare BC barely clipped around him. Big tall man, kind of grizzled and gruff but boy can he dive! We were a three pac hence my pairing w/ Mike, 1 of our group is a well seasoned DM and even he had to admit Mike runs a tight, top notch operation and is exactly the kind of guy we want to seek out. We take our diving seriously and want an op that mirrors our focus. You know the saying - there are old divers and bold divers, but no old, bold divers... Saba Deep aside, I've heard nothing but good things about all the ops on Saba.

As Phil ftc says above the SXM diving is good, add yummy food, shopping (especially jewelry!) and casinos and SXM is a good vacation spot. Plus non-stop flights from Philly on USAir. I notice your location states Philly. Where 'bouts? Do you do any local diving as well? Enjoy your trip!

Lin

 

[wrybosome]

Plus non-stop flights from Philly on USAir. I notice your location states Philly. Where 'bouts? Do you do any local diving as well? Enjoy your trip!

Lin

Hey Lin, I'm in Malvern PA, about 60 minutes west of Philly near West Chester. Do I dive locally? Well, I'm starting too. I certified back in '93 at underwater world in horsham with Bob Burns who captains now on the Dina Dee out of barnegat inlet. I did my checkouts up at dutch and then some vacations diving in the Bahamas. Then I just dropped out because I couldn't do the carribean trips ($$, then family). I honestly didn't know that people dived up here on the east coast.

So now I just redid my OW cert and have gone up to the quarry a few more times. I'm looking to get involved in the Jersey/NY/NC diving but I need to take it slow since I don't have all the gear or the comfort level and don't want to get in over my head so to speak.

The dive shop I use runs a club called keystone divers association, they meet first wednesday each month and have a speaker. Last night it was Dan Crowell talking about the Oriskany, off Pensacola (would love to get good enough to do that dive!). This has been a great way to meet some of the locals since 20 - 40 show up each time.

I'm looking at doing a few of the inshore wrecks like the Mohawk or the Stolt this summer either on Tuna Seazure or Old Salty. Different people are giving different perspectives on the whole thing, for instance one guy says I wouldn't need an SMB or alternate air or a reel. Another says the opposite.

If you dive locally, what's your take for where a noob should start on the east coast?

 

[getwet2]

Saba is a different story - top notch, pinnacles, deep, large pelagics and fish. Love to get over there! Wry - who are you diving with on Saba? I like diving Saba Deep w/ Big Mike, a very interesting guy!

2 thumbs up for Big Mike............but he doesn't like Ping Pong Players for some reason???????

 

[kbkremer1]

I was in sxm for 3 weeks helping my buddy build his house over in Pond on the east side of the island. It was my first time down there but as for him, he's been going there and diving for the past 25 years. The place he took me diving, which was often, was to Ocean Explorers. Jefferson the dive master was great. We looked into Octopus but it seemed like the boat ride was taking you down to the side of the island where Ocean Explorers was. As far as food, you almost need to rent a car to get over the island to the different places to eat. In Marigot there were some nice places in the harbor. You can find some pretty good lunch roadside cafes pretty cheap. It all depends on where you go. It will be more expensive in the tourist area. Also on the french side you can ask them to match dollar for dollar, since the euro is worth more than US dollar. My buddy knows everywhere there since he will be moving there soon I will be down there as often as I can. Hope this helped you.... Keith

 

[Jersey]

Hey Wry - we are neighbors I'm down the street, or at least Rte 252, in Media, 'everybody's home town'! Enjoy SXM and Saba, all the info you've gotten here is spot on based on my experiences. And yes - you do need a car unless you plan to stay at your resort which would just be a waste!

For local Jersey diving, you may want to check out East Coast Dive in Northfield, just outside AC - - Welcome to EastCoast Diving. (Disclaimer - my better half does dive master stuff for them and I think a couple of their employees/volunteers lurk around SB) Anyway, they offer a dive master escort/buddy for those looking to get their feet wet in Jersey diving. Yes, diving NJ is another hidden gem of the Garden State - great diving, especially for the seafood lovers. Nothing beats fresh lobster, flounder, tautog, mussels, scallops..ok, I'm ready for lunch! They dive the Atlantus out of AC run by the Larsen brothers Brian and Andrew (Larsens Marina in Sea Isle). (Good guys, almost said kids, as I remember them gassing up my waverunner 15 years ago...Other boarders have dove them as well - see the local diving section) They also schedule trips on the Ursula (Sea Isle) and the Dina Dee. Their website lists planned dive sites (sites subject to change given the Capt and conditions) and quite a few are on the shallow side this year.

As for gear - most of the boats and shops have specific requirements. Usually the boat/shop website lists local diving requirement/equipment list. I would not venture out without a pony bottle, SBM and reel, however, if you are doing escorted or training dives, those can be overlooked. You can also rent pony, wetsuit (7 mm farmer John), dry suit, etc. I've agreed to do some local diving this summer - usually I like to sleep on Sat and Sun morning, I dive wet so lots of lead and getting back up the ladder can be a challenge as both knees are compromised from skiing injuries.

East Coast has a dive club as well. Gary Gentile (Philadelphian and Doria diver) was guest speaker at the March meeting, interesting guy.

For more local diving see Blue Horizon on Delaware Ave - did my initial training w/ them, great guys - or Adventure Scuba formerly in Plymouth Meeting, now over in Bridgeport - took Nitrox w/ them and a group trip to Bonaire, very interesting group of owners, all very nice. Adventure seems a bit more tech - deeper, planned deco, doubles plus ponies and rebreathers (even in Bonaire).

Above based on my experience only, your mileage may vary and not to say there aren't other great boats/shops around, I just haven't dealt with them. I will be up the quarry at some point late summer as hopefully my brother and nephew get their stuff together, take the course and get their cards! Hope this helps!
Lin

 

[swimbody]

Good afternoon, wanted to jump in on this and ask a few questions. My wonderful girlfriend and I are headed to St. Martin in June or July. We have a very flexible schedule as I am an airline pilot and I take my time off as I get it. We were both certified last year in Austin, TX and chose our first trip to Roatan. I can't say how much it blew our minds. The diving was superb as everyone here knows. I knew that it would be hard to beat and I would just assume us head down there again this year but we're new to the Carib traveling life style and we want to see everything. St. Martin has a Radisson that I can use my thousands of points on. Seems like they are in a continual process of renovating, but its free so I digress.

I keep reading here that the diving is not so good compared to the aforementioned motherland. We both went down to 130' on our trip to Roatan (Hole in the Wall) and dove El Aguila plus 8 other dives. We dove mostly at 50-80' as you guys all know Roatan so depth is not something scary to us. i actually prefer it because of temp in the Summer. The gf will go anywhere I go. I have read about Saba. I want to go there while in St. Martin. How should we do it? How long is the boat trip? Is it worth it to fly? How much does an expedition day trip cost over there and where does it leave from? My girlfriend told me over and over before we arrived in Roatan that she was seasick prone but she was better than I was. I'm sorry about the diatribe. Just curious. I promise to read all the other posts.

Peace and thank god its Summer

 

[getwet2]

Hey Swimbody.........

Only 2 ways to get to Saba, by boat or by plane and both can be frustrating at times. The plane is a Twin Otter, only holds 19 people, takes about 15 minutes and it only flies into Saba during daylight and when the weather is just right and that usual means no rain or wind. If there is wind it has to be in the right direction for landing as the runway is on a slight slope and it sits at the very edge of the Island. Island on one side and ocean on the other 3, about 100 down +/-, it's also only 1200 feet long hence the Twin Otters. Take off's are great!

If you both tend to get seasick then it's probably going to be the plane, which is a great flight, and landing! Great view of Saba at 1500 feet. I've taken the boat 2 times before and both times there have been people heaving, it's the ocean, it's going to have large swells and waves, go figure? That's what they invented Seasickness pills for, just be sure to take it WELL BEFORE you get on the boat.

Check here for flight prices Fly winair

You can book Winair on line or call, I did it on line in January, used my credit card and everything was good, no problems. You could probably just call Winair when you get to St Maarten.

The only problem with Saba is that you can usually get on no problem but getting off is sometimes questionable. The plane in the morning is usually good but it can be cancelled in the afternoon and stay that way for days depending on the weather. I've been there when it has been totally cancelled for 2-3 days in a row. The boat is the most secure way on & off the Island but I have seen that cancelled as well, last August for example and that was due to the way the waves were coming into Fort Bay, that is the name of Saba's harbor.

You can book The Edge, which is a high speed Cat ferry here: Aqua Mania - ...just add water!

Again you can do it on line or call them when you get to SXM (St Maarten). You get this ferry at Pelican Marina, about 10 mins from the airport. They can also arrange the whole trip for you, diving & round trip boat fares. The ferry will take anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on Sea conditions.

There is also another boat called the Dawn II, but it's a V hull and more prone to rocking so I'd stay away from that one.

For diving on Saba I recommend Saba Deep, I've used Saba Divers before and they are good but you have more flexibility with Saba Deep. If you book the package through Pelican Marina this is who they will use.

It's a great little gem of an Island but you have to go with the flow of the weather. If it was easy to get to everyone would go there and then it wouldn't be Saba.

Hope this helps ya!

Have a great time.

 

[macpat]

Hi Swimbody,

I've been to the Radisson St-Martin last month, the place is huge...they re-opened last December that's why they were still renovating but it was almost finished when I was there, it should be completely good for the summer. The place is really incredible... you will love it.
They have a dive operator on the marina, 2 minutes walk from the resort, it's called Scuba Fun, those guys are great.. wonderfull boat, brand new equipment..professional and very friendly team, safe diving...My wife was really scared, even too scared to snorkel, I finally had her try scuba first in the pool of the resort then in the sea.. she did it and now she wants to get certified ( that will be another story... lol !) Thanks to Elaine, the boat captain who is also an instructor, she was so patient.. I was impressed that my wife finally did it..
I went to Saba, they made all the arrangment for me.

 

[wrybosome]

Off to St Maarten and Saba in the morning! One more hour at work then I AM ON VACATION!!!!

Will post a description of the dive ops and diving when I'm back.