Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius

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Scubaqua/Old Gin House: "Fish Counting with a Side of History", May, 2026, by Morgan Lyons, TX, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 13835.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My May 2026 trip to St Eustatius (Statia) gave me the opportunity to log more fish population surveys for REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation, REEF.org), notch a few new to me fish for my life list (Shortstripe Goby, Soapfish, and juvenile Jackfish, to name a few), learn a bit of Caribbean and US history, and become a human speedbump for a couple of big Hawksbill turtles. It was a fun trip and a nice change of pace for Caribbean diving. Our group of 15 would be diving with Scubaqua Dive Center, one of a handful of dive operators on the small island. All of us were staying at the Gin House, which is not even 100 feet from the shop. The arrangements were made by REEF, which organizes more than a dozen such trips around the world each year. Our party ranged from experienced to very, very experienced divers, meaning everyone knew how to handle their kit and the guides could focus on guiding and not hand holding. I can’t say enough good things about the Scubaqua team. Most have been there for two seasons and some longer. Everyone was helpful, customer and safety-focused, and, especially important, lots of fun to be with and dive with. The staff training provided by owners Marieke and Mike is obvious in the way staff took care of us. The team clearly enjoys being in Statia and at Scubaqua. I was particularly impressed with the willingness of the team to learn how our group likes to dive and then to deliver that experience. They worked to make sure we had the kind of diving we wanted. REEF was last here in 2021, so this crew had not dived with a large REEF group previously. We do things a bit differently than your average vacationing recreational diver who wants to cover a lot of ground and see lots of big stuff. We move slowly, but intentionally, underwater. Think macro-photographer slow. That’s because we’re literally counting fish populations on a particular reef at a particular date and ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites	Scubaqua Old Gin House
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, FL peninsula, FL Keys, North Carolina, Bonaire, Roatan, St. Eustatius
Closest Airport	EUX	Getting There	DFW-MIA-SXM-EUX. Other US airports fly direct to SXM.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	This is a marine park and all dives are guided. But all guides gave us plenty of room to dive.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There was a large fresh water rinse bucket on the boat but it got more than a little crowded with a couple ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here

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Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in St. Eustatius

Scubaqua/Old Gin House: "Fish Counting with a Side of History", May, 2026,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius