San Juan , St Maarten - who do you recommend?

[John Yaskowich]

My wife and I will be taking a cruise next winter (Feb 09) on the Celebrity Solstice. The stops are San Juan PR, St Kitts, and St Maarten (Netherlands Antillies). I would like to make a couple of dives in each of San Juan and St Maarten (St Kitts is already booked for an ATV ride in the rainforest!). I am looking for recommendations of dive shops and dive locations in each.

The Solstice is going to be wonderful - Celebrity's famous hospitality and a brand new ship (launching Dec 08).

[malley1717]

St. Maarten is not known for it's diving, but i think the diving is pretty good. Less than a mile from the cruise ship dock are two ops, Dive Safaris, and Scuba Fun. I have dove with dive safaris, and i would recommend them for what you need. Very accomodating, great service. I have not had any expirence with Scuba Fun.

[scubamarc]

I do not know about the cruise, but I went to st martin/Saba last year and the diving was very good. I enjoy st martin as much as Saba. Different scenery. there is no shore dives so u need to book with the cruise.

here are pictures from last year. Marc's Dives/St Martin / Saba 2007

[NoTime58]

Originally Posted by scubamarc

I do not know about the cruise, but I went to st martin/Saba last year and the diving was very good. I enjoy st martin as much as Saba. Different scenery. there is no shore dives so u need to book with the cruise.

here are pictures from last year. Marc's Dives/St Martin / Saba 2007

Those are some great pictures, evidently you had excellent visibality !!!

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by scubamarc

I do not know about the cruise, but I went to st martin/Saba last year and the diving was very good. I enjoy st martin as much as Saba. Different scenery. there is no shore dives so u need to book with the cruise.

here are pictures from last year. Marc's Dives/St Martin / Saba 2007

Great Pictures. I was about to blow off St. Maarten as a dive site, but now I'm rethinking that. Who did you dive with, and where on the island are they?

The listed specs on your photos say "no flash" - is that correct? What camera are you using? I'm new to diving and would love to eventually take pictures as good as yours.

[scubamarc]

Originally Posted by heydn62

Great Pictures. I was about to blow off St. Maarten as a dive site, but now I'm rethinking that. Who did you dive with, and where on the island are they?

The listed specs on your photos say "no flash" - is that correct? What camera are you using? I'm new to diving and would love to eventually take pictures as good as yours.

Ocean Explorers Dive Center

Simpson Bay beach



I am using a canon g7 with strobe. Which picture says no flash. I had my strobe on for each pictures. Maybe it was a shallower picture so I did not need the strobe.

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by scubamarc

Ocean Explorers Dive Center

Simpson Bay beach



I am using a canon g7 with strobe. Which picture says no flash. I had my strobe on for each pictures. Maybe it was a shallower picture so I did not need the strobe.

I doublechecked the first few photos from St. Maarten. Not all say "FLASH: No", but many do, including the nurse sharks, barracuda, and sting ray.

[scubasamurai]

st marteens the reef is pretty plain and washed out, but the vis is great and there are plently of fish and all, but if i were you i would do san juan. i did enjoy diving in st marteen( i know i mix the french and dutch side names all the time) and just like looking around the reefs, but the "bang of color" didn;t seem all that there. not too sure about san juan

i used dive adventures and dive safaris, but on the dutch side by the pelican resort areas

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by scubamarc

here are pictures from last year. Marc's Dives/St Martin / Saba 2007

Is that a white tip shark I see in one of the St. Maarten pics?

[scubamarc]

Originally Posted by heydn62

Is that a white tip shark I see in one of the St. Maarten pics?

The tips are black, so I thought it was the black tip. I turn my head, there he was, by the time I turned my camera he was about 50-100 feet away.