St. Vincent and St. Lucia

[divesergeant]

Yikes. Just looked at the prices for Young Islnd; about double the others, or am I missing something.

We like the small critters and can spend an entire dive poring over a ten foot diameter coral outcropping.

tvictory, was there someting in particular that would lead you to trying Indigo instead of Dive St Vincent, or just for a change?

I'm not too sure I need to see a Portugese Man-o War. Sure, it'd be cool, but if you don't notice them, ouch.

 

[BTravlin]

I dove two tanks with Dive Fair Helen on St. Lucia and was not impressed. They were disorganized and our departure was behind schedule and even then had to turn around after ten minutes and return to the dock because someone had forgotten a cooler. Prior to booking with them, I had inquired as to whether or not they grouped divers of like skills together and was assured they did. Unfortunately, we found ourselves grouped with brand new divers of less than 20 open water dives. I pointed this out to the DM's at the time but they said it was the best they could do. Our dives ended up being about 40 minutes each because the new divers blew through their air and the DM called the dives for all of us. And these were not deep dives, maybe 60 fsw max. Maybe we caught them at a bad time but I doubt I will book with them again if I return to St. Lucia.

 

[Damselfish]

yeah, Young Island definitely costs more than the other options, but the other places aren't in anywhere near the same league. It's a small private island resort with all sorts of unique features, far from your run-of-the-mill hotel. (Actually it's prices are a lot less than most similar private island resorts you'll find in the Grenadines, and I don't think good diving it so convenient from any of the others. I've even done a couple shore/muck dives right off the beach.) The rooms are in stone and wood cottages, all different, surrounded by dense tropical foliage with outdoor showers - great to wander straight in there in your wetsuit. Level of service is high, and meals are fine dining that you don't really have to dress up for. Unless the weather is really bad meals are served in little thatched roof gazebos on the beach, private or just a few tables in each, with peacocks begging at your table rather than the usual dogs/cats/birds. You have a whole island to explore, fun to check out all the little trails and views and stone construction. It's just a little paradise.

The cheapest rooms are along the water or beach, the cottages get bigger and fancier as you go up the hill, with views (good) and climbs (bad) to go along with it. Works for me - although those cottages up on the hill look pretty neat, I'd rather stay at sea level and not slog up and down for diving, meals, swimming, drinks, everything. IMO "nice place to visit wouldn't want to live up there" applies.

All that said, for a somewhat more traditional hotel option for less money, from what I know I'd probably pick the Mariner, just across the channel on the main island. But Young Island is part of what makes us like this particular trip so much - it's hard to find places that combine luxury and great diving well.

 

[divesergeant]

Young Island does look like a fantastic resort. We checked out their website and it certainly looks like you get your $$$ worth!
DS

 

[donacheson]

FWIW, I've been to St. Vincent 4 or 5 times, always diving with Bill Tewes at Dive St. Vincent.

Don't expect to find any big stuff. Probably the largest thing you'll find is a 2 to 3-foot moray, but the place is loaded with small stuff and Bill and his crew know how to find them. Get lucky and spot the unusual: magnificent urchins, 3 different species of pipefish on one dive, a tiny coral head with 6 species of shrimp, etc. Look to long, shallow dives; I crashed the century mark last August on one dive.

As for places to stay, I avoid Young Island after a miserable dining experience there years ago. Nice bar and lounge, though. On my last trip, I stayed at Mariners Hotel and enjoyed meals at their restaurant, the French Verandah. Both reasonably priced and clean.

 

[divesergeant]

Hi Donacheson,

Thanks, that's exactly what we are after. The big stuff is great, but to spend a long, shallow dive finding the little things that are often over-looked is great.

One of my favorite photos is onde I took of a small anemone shrimp on, oddly enough, an anemone. The variety of colors and textures in it never ceases to enthrall me.

It looks like we'll be heading to St. Vincent soon.

Thanks again,
DS

 

[Strima77]

I dove both St. Lucia and the Grenadines, which are part of St. Vincent. On St. Lucia we stayed at the Sandals Grande in the north and dove with them. We had some great dives including Superman's as mentioned above. Another great one near the Pitons had the name Devil in it but can't remember the full name without checking my logbook.
In the Grenadines I really enjoyed diving on Horseshoe reef by the Tabago Cays and Mareaux (sp?) Gardens. I did another one off Mustique but it wasn't as nice. Wonderful islands to explore by sailboat too.

 

[donacheson]

Hi Donacheson,

Thanks, that's exactly what we are after. The big stuff is great, but to spend a long, shallow dive finding the little things that are often over-looked is great.

One of my favorite photos is onde I took of a small anemone shrimp on, oddly enough, an anemone. The variety of colors and textures in it never ceases to enthrall me.

It looks like we'll be heading to St. Vincent soon.

Thanks again,
DS

A heads up: If Bill is in the boat, he's very direct, not very diplomatic. He's been called a curmudgeon and, IMHO, it's not an entirely inaccurate characterization. However, he can find little stuff and that's all I really care about. Also much to his credit, he's trained and retained some fine divemasters, so you can count on them to find the goodies, as well.

 

[divesergeant]

A heads up: If Bill is in the boat, he's very direct, not very diplomatic. He's been called a curmudgeon and, IMHO, it's not an entirely inaccurate characterization. However, he can find little stuff and that's all I really care about. Also much to his credit, he's trained and retained some fine divemasters, so you can count on them to find the goodies, as well.

At least you know where you stand with him! We can tolerate directness and lack of diplomacy, as long as the atmosphere isn't rude or unfriendly. Rudeness and unfriendliness are recognized in the tip jar.

Anyone else have experiences with this that'll help us weigh our options

DS

 

[BiancaC]

Hi Sarge,
ready to go again? I can highly recommend Indigo Dive in St Vincent http://http://www.indigodive.com/
Kay is runnung a small nice shop and can help you with hotel etc. Don't miss to visit Bequia,
has some great diving too.
Best, Peter (Aquanauts Grenada)