Lovin’ Saint Lucia: Diving in the Shadow of the Iconic Pitons (Part 1)
Whilst we have been lucky enough to dive in much of the Caribbean, Saint Lucia was still on our wish list. Until November, when we got a chance to visit this beautiful island on a 6-night diving trip that would see us enjoy incredible scenery both above and below the waves. We were able to sample three different hotels, dined at a host of local eateries, spoke to local school kids about the ocean and even took a tour into the rainforest canopy. Find out all about this trip over this series of three blogs on Scubaverse.
The Pitons are the most recognisable volcanic peaks in the Caribbean and are the symbol of Saint Lucia. Our first couple of days of diving would be in their shadow and what a backdrop they make. They are in the south of the island, and as we were based in the north, we had a 30-40 minute boat ride to take in the stunning coastline. We watched as pelicans and brown boobies hunted in the shallow water just off the coast, as we put our dive gear together.
Alas extremely heavy rain the day before we arrived had caused havoc with the visibility. The more northern dive sites were to remain un-divable all week. Even the southern dive sites we were heading to now had suffered. We were not holding out much hope for our images. But as we dropped below the surface at our fist site – Superman Drift, we were stunned at the healthy and colourful reef that greeted us. This must be a very special dive in good conditions, as we were delighted with it even though the vis was down to just around 10 meters.
At Keyhole Pinnacles, a moray eel took a shine to us and accompanied us for the majority of the dive. Just when we thought it had settled and found a crevice in the reef that suited, he or she would see us move away and come out free swimming alongside us.
Fairyland and Anste Chastanet also delighted us with sponges, coral and marine life covering every inch of our dives. It was wonderful to see large, healthy elkhorn and staghorn corals. The swim through at the end of the dive, filled with glassfish, was a real treat to finish off this part of our diving.
Saint Lucia is very well known for its beauty. It has to be the most stunning of Caribbean islands with its lush rainforest covering the hills and mountains and tumbling down to the white beaches and sparkling blue water. But for us it was the warmth of the people that put Saint Lucia firmly in our hearts. Our crew at Eastern Caribbean Diving could not have been more helpful and the greeting we got from every member of staff at the Bay Gardens Marina Haven made us feel so welcome.
Nick and Caroline were hosted by:
