Scuba diving is one of the best sports to do on the island. St. Maarten has so much to offer! From schools of brightly coloured fish, to shipwrecks, healthy reefs, turtles, eels, lobsters, stingrays and mostly non-aggressive sharks – the list goes on and on when it comes to St. Maarten’s underwater assets and attractions. It’s no wonder amateur divers travel from all over the world to sample St. Maarten’s scuba diving delights.
Sure, it’s not Saba with its deep and unique underwater geography that has experienced divers flocking to its shores to see its wonders! But it’s better because instead of having to be an experienced and skilled diver, you can take part in a dive at any skill level and still enjoy St. Maarten’s underwater world. Our dive sites are perfect for the newly-certified diver, as most sites aren’t deeper than 60 feet, but each site contains enough scenery and wildlife to entertain even the most skilled diver.
WEEKender was invited to go out last week with Dive Adventures at Pelican’s Aqua Mania Watersports. Their staffers are professional and friendly, made up of skilled divers and patient instructors who teach not only the PADI curriculum but also their own personal tricks and scuba diving hacks that they have perfected over many years and innumerable dives.
Safe and comfortable
The Dive Machine, the dedicated dive boat, is perfect for a two-tank dive. It has enough tank holders to accommodate 25 tanks in the back and offers shade and cushioned waterproof seats in the front for a comfortable journey and surface interval, with a platform at the back of the boat where dive masters will assist two divers at a time to set up for the dives before entering the water with a giant stride entry. It’s also easy to exit the water and the staff will help get you out of your gear and back on the boat with ease.
Everything, from the tanks to the boat and the rental gear, is regularly serviced and kept in great condition to ensure that everyone not only has a comfortable dive, but a safe one as well. Dive Adventures fills its own tanks with an onsite compressor that is always kept in the best condition. Tanks are all filled to 3000psi and checked before being put on the boat and given to guests to assemble with their gear.
When diving with Dive Adventures, you have options: you can either dive in the mornings and do a double tank dive or in the afternoons for a single tanker. They boast two locations: at Divi Little Bay Watersports, you can join a boat dive or do a shore dive; then from Pelican Watersports, the dock makes boat diving easy. (The boat leaves from the dock at Pelican and picks up the divers from Divi).
What to expect
Upon your arrival, the staffers welcome you, sign you in and get your gear organized. The fit and function are checked so that you have just what is best for you. Certified divers are given their tanks and gear to set up themselves, then the dive masters give a final okay. After checking that everything has been set up properly, the gear is loaded onto the boat. Then it’s off to adventure as they smoothly leave the dock and proceed to the chosen dive sites for the day.
Safety procedures and the features of the boat were explained as we departed the anchorage. For our first dive, we headed out to a wreck known as the Carib Cargo, a freighter that has been resting on the sea floor for a couple of decades now. Upon arriving at the dive site, the dive master shared the history of the dive site, what we would most probably see and the appropriate underwater hand signals to use.
They will tell you how to get on and off the boat, what route they will take, and repeat the safety procedures. They’ll help you put on your BCD and instruct you to do a giant stride entry, then signal the boat you’re okay and hold on to the floating safety line and wait for everyone to get in. Once everyone is safely underwater and comfortable, the dive instructor will begin the dive.
Dive Adventures has two full-time dive instructors, Demian and Marco. Both are fun, safe and great at leading dives. The boat captain is Swanney – he drives the boat and picks out the best dive sites depending on weather and availability. Captain Swanney easily cracks jokes and smiles. He stays above water and conducts surface support during the dive.
Dive Adventures is all about safety. They are always conscious of your tank’s air levels, the diver’s locations, and buoyancy control. If you have a problem, they will sort it calmly and efficiently. They also know St. Maarten’s local underwater wildlife behaviour and where to find some of the coolest underwater animals.
When ending the dive, Swanney will help you aboard. Then relax! It’s your surface interval. You can choose ice cold drinks from the cooler to wash away the taste of salt and get rehydrated. Meanwhile, your dive gear gets switched over to a fresh tank and is made ready for your next dive.
Our second dive was to the old Simpson Bay Bridge. When the new bridge was installed, this one was sunk offshore and has since become a great artificial reef, very scenic with large schools of fish, just hanging around. Demian showed us around the bridge where there lies an old sailboat and a fishing boat. He pointed out a large Atlantic Green turtle that he told us is always in the vicinity.
Once our second dive was completed, we headed back to the dock. It was smiles all around as everyone got safely off the boat, and equipment was moved and rinsed. Divers were given the appropriate stamps for their log books, to document their experience.
The takeaway
Diving with Dive Adventures is great because it’s a nice, easy-going atmosphere where all the heavy lifting and unappealing grunt work that sometimes come with scuba diving is taken out of the equation. It’s organized, safe and comfortable. They treat locals the same as guests – well, perhaps with a bit more good natured teasing and jokes. They go out regularly as the dive boat always has hotel guests aboard. They’d be a great company to go out diving with on a regular basis, say every weekend. Everyone needs a diversion and this is a great one! Or consider giving the gift of scuba diving lessons or excursion packages next time you’re stumped for the perfect gift for your adventurous friends.
If you are not certified but still want to try the sport, they offer a Discover Scuba experience. It’s the perfect way to test the waters and see if you want to pursue certification. Those that are certified, but haven’t dived in a while and are a bit rusty, have no fear, you can do a refresher dive with the staff to practice the underwater safety skills you once learned.
Dive Adventures’ prices are super fair – they are in a range depending on the types of dives you are doing, how many you do, and if you are doing a course or not. Prices and booking capabilities are on Aqua Mania’s website: www.stmaarten-activities.com. The summer is the perfect time to get back into scuba; the water is warm and inviting! Come diving!
