Dive Review of
Dive Statia in
St. Eustatius

Los Roques, Venezuela; Galapagos Islands; Malpelo,Columbia; Cozumel;
Indonesia x 3; GBR,Australia; Costa Rica; Sea of Cortez; Pemba Island,
Tanzania; Bay Islands,Honduras[Unspecified]

Dive Conditions

Dive master requested that we follow general dive plan, signal when tank
1/2 empty, stay no longer than 60 minutes.  Otherwise, we were generally
left to dive our computers.  

[None]  

Overall Rating

We were travelling through the Leeward Islands on a private yacht.  Statia
is a beautiful, quiet, friendly Dutch island with the only real anchorage
being Oranje Bay. Dive shops are an easy dighy ride to shore. A large
portion of reefs is a protected marine park, and the marine life and corals
here were healthier than any other island that we visited on this trip. We
found Statia marine life much more prolific and interesting than the much
touted Saba Island next door.  There are many old wrecks within the park,
and valuable artifacts were vanishing. Consequently, all diving must be
guided. The marine life has benefited from such oversight. Overall, the
BVI's and Leeward Islands are the most expensive dive operations we have
encountered, but Statia is more affordable than most. The island medical
school has a decompression chamber.

Rudy and Rinda own Dive Stacia and are experienced professionals who worked
in the dive trade in the Caymens before seeking a quieter lifestyle and
settled on Statia. They are the oldest dive operation on the island, and
know the underwater topography well. They are happy to accomodate divers
above water as well as below, giving advice about island hiking, dining,
and shopping. Rudy even gave us transportation to trailhead the day we
decided to hike up the "Quill", the dormant volcano that formed
the island.  The second day we dove, we were combined with a group of
younger, apparently less experienced divers who wanted to dive a newly (2
yrs) sunk wreck (the Charley Brown) in the bay. My husband and I had
expected a reef "critter" dive and returned to the dive boat very
diappointed. Rudy promptly and without urging did not charge us for that
dive, and gave us exactly what we wanted on the next dive! Anchor Point
divesite was lovely: Hawksbill turtle, squid, seahorse, nurse shark,
moreys, juvenile drum, barracuda....and a beautiful old anchor colorfully
encrusted and lying upright on its side with one end deeply secured in the
seabed. A photographer's dream.  

There are MANY places to eat on Statia, but a local must is Laura and Win's
King's Well. Win is from Germany, Laura is Irish and dining with them is
more like being guests in a home than in a restaurant. You can expect to be
met by their two harlequin Great Danes and a couple of cats, serenaded by
tiny "honey sippers" who come to Laura's bird-feeders, and
interrogated by her macaws. You make your own drinks on the honor system
while Win prepares your dinner. He specializes in German cuisine.  You will
need to book in advance.   

Be sure to reserve enough time for some hiking while on St. Eustatcius. 
The trail up to the Quill is well marked but best attempted  early in the
morning as the heat and humidity are fierce! You can descend into the
crater if you wish, but the climb out is strenuous. The tropical forest
within the crater is dense; you expect to encounter a dinosaur around every
turn!  The view from the top of the Quill is magnificent. It would be a
shame to visit this gem of an island without visiting its peak.

   

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