Hi people,
I was the Captain of the Wind Dancer and can absolutely vouch for the quality of the diving in St Vincent. Critter central and the reefs crawl with crustaceans, nudis, eels and all manner of fish. The leeward side is often flat calm which can lead to good vis but the south side can get lumpy, especially by the airport headland where currents and winds can make your ride out interesting and the vis can suffer! Get a two or three tank trip (or trips) to the leeward side, spend your surface interval on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean....
I took several of my friends (all dive professionals and one a former Captain of the Turks Aggressor) and a well known pro-photographer to St Vincent and they all raved, quite rightly about our time in St Vincent and Bequia. (the pro-photographer, whom I wont name, called St Vincent an undiscovered gem)
IMHO concentrate on this area in the northern part of the Grenadines, I didnt rate the Tobago Cayes or Mayreau Island at all. For a Marine Park its lacking in fish and currents can be tricky. However, if anyone offers you a trip to Sail Rock (5 miles out into the Atlantic from the Cayes) take it. Great great diving, and the only that is really worth doing around here.
Operators- I would go with Indigo Dive. Kay is very much there to stay and will be incredibly helpful with your accomodation queries. On Bequia I would try Dive Bequia. Of course, you could just keep an eye out for Peter Hughes' new boat which will be there sometime in the middle of next year, last i heard.
Dives- What ever you do dont miss the wreck of a tug just outside Admiralty Bay (Bequia) called Stratmanns wreck. The best night dives I have ever done. I would dive all day on and around that wreck, there is just so much to see. Another dont miss site is Anchor Reef off the main island of St Vincent.
I could rave for days about This area. I worked there for 2 years and was still finding new stuff even after all those dives. I also had the pleasure of having Paul Humann aboard and his REEF team in Bequia. They found several previously unrecorded species for this area and a very healthy bio-diversity of fish.
Cant comment about St Lucia, no-one I knew had much to say on the subject, which maybe in itself speaks volumes.
Hope this helps.
Wishing you all good vis....
Simon
PS- Hi Peter, hows tricks?? Bit chilly back here in the UK, cant wait to get back to Costa Rica in 2 weeks!
