Members of the Brazilian Aquanauta club with Scubaqua dive master Lilian Peters (second from right) and instructor Laura Aubac (third from left).
ST. EUSTATIUS--“Forget Rio, Statia is the place to be,” according to ten Brazilian divers that invaded the exotic waters of St. Eustatius this week. Despite negotiating five flight connections to reach Statia, the aquatic explorers that are members of a southern Brazilian dive club Aquanauta believe that the destination “is well worth it.”
Reinaldo Alberti is the leader of Aquanauta. “Statia has got to be in the top-10 dives on planet Earth,” he said. “What you see below is a world of colour, creatures and shipwrecks that fascinate and totally animate the senses.”
But the Brazilian invasion of Statia was not a last-minute affair. Ingrid Walther, co-owner of Scubaqua Dive Centre, which hosted and housed members of the club in the Old Gin House explains. “The Brazilian visit was sparked by a chance meeting with Alberti at the Dema Diving Show in Las Vegas last year. We invited him to Statia, so he could first see our sea and wonder at our wonders for himself. We also introduced him to non-diving activities such as a historical walking tour by island historian Walter Hellebrand to show the full scope of what Statia has to offer. He was convinced and returned this week with his club members.”
Alberti thought it was special that the importance of diving tourism was even referenced in the island’s coat-of-arms through an angelfish. “It may be a small sign of wonder in a coat of arms but beneath the waves, a world of fascinating experience awaits the curious diver,” he said.
The youngest, yet experienced, diver of the club Filip Bell is full of praise for the whole diving experience on the island. “It is like stepping back in time above and below the waves. The monuments, the dive, the charm and the culture are unique and kidnap your mind completely from the humdrum of everyday work and worries. It makes me think of [actor Arnold – Ed.] Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movie: ‘I’ll be back.’”
