Saba Deep, December, 1994. "When we arrived, thinking we would stay at Captain's Quarters, we were informed by the dive operator that he could book us into one of several cottages in Windwardside. Stayed for $71 per night for a couple in our own cottage, The Lookout, a hundred­year­old house with two bedrooms, living room with view, gazebo, kitchen, bathroom with shower. The dive operator coordinates this and the taxi that picks you up in the morning. The taxi's expensive and so we would hitchhike to and from the dock when possible. . . . We loved the island, the people, the dive operation; but we thought the diving rather ordinary and overrated. Call me spoiled by diving in Samoa, Hawaii, Palau, Fiji, and other Pacific spots, but Saba (and most of the Caribbean) is not worth the trip from California for the only OK diving. At least in Saba they try to make it an underwater park, no spearfishing, etc. It's convenient diving because the pinnacles are near the port and you just zip out, dive one tank, come back to the port, have a coke, go out again, come back for lunch, go out one more time. . . . The restaurant/bar above the dive operation is a great waiting room and respite from the incessant generator noise from the power plant. Saba Deep pampers you while being cheery and competent. Well done with lots of personal touches. You can just pay for the dives you do, not by the week. . . . Minor drawbacks besides average diving: you stay uphill, dive downhill, with expensive, slow, and sometimes unreliable taxi service. No beach. Lots of dead time on shore waiting for dives." Tom Harriman and Jan King, Sebastopol, CA

Saba Deep, Juliana's, April, 1995. "Saba Deep is efficient, personable, professional. Three dives daily: first dive deep pinnacle 100-130 ft. Uncrowded boats; beautiful marine park. . . . Saba is laid back; people are friendly, no crime, great climate. Juliana's is comfortable; Franklin and Juliana are gracious hosts. . . . Bad: Boat returns to dock after each dive, though trips to dive sites are short (good), I prefer to remain at sea between dives; boats could be a little bigger with dive platforms." Peter Semel, Baltimore, MD

Sea Saba, November, 1994. "Well-run and personalized operation. Saba is a unique and interesting island, and we plan to return. Accommodations at Cottage Club are excellent, as is Brigadoon Restaurant. We did not see as many pelagics as hoped - maybe next time." Jean & Bob Kirkpatrick, Russellville, KY

Sea Saba, January, 1995. "Seas mostly calm and flat; water temperature 79°; visibility 75­100 feet; could dive own profile; enforced 130­foot limit. Heard a whale." Howard, Mt. Vernon, IL

Sea Saba, Willard's, March, 1995. "Nothing bad. One of the most enjoyable places I have gone to. People friendly, dive operation close to perfect. Balance between safety and allowing divers to dive their experience and comfort level. Stayed at Willard's; truly a unique and comfortable place to stay." Anon., Houston, TX

Sea Saba, Captain Quarters, March, 1995. "Outstanding dive operation with terrific guides (Gordon, Ben, Shivon and Trina). They are safety conscious and protective of the reef; give competent divers the freedom to computer dive their own profiles. . . . Nice diving with large tropicals, good corals and sponges, and occasional pelagics, including sharks. Currents were minimal, the sea quite smooth and visibility was 100+ feet, water temperature 79 degrees. Good variety of sites, although most all dives were fairly deep. . . . Sea Saba picks divers up daily from the inns and transports them down 1200 feet to the dock. Gear is left on the boat after each day's diving. . . . Captain's Quarters is an attractive inn with a great view of the ocean and a nice pool. Due to a mix-up, we stayed in Linda's Cottage, a funky but charming cottage a couple blocks up the hill. Our dive package included breakfast each day at Captain's Quarters that was good and a box lunch (one measly sandwich) which was lousy. The food at Captain's Quarters was pretty good. Other restaurants great dinners. We recommend Lollypops, Brigadoon and the Gatehouse." Reservations are usually necessary, not due to overcrowding, but to make sure the restaurant stayed open. . . . Saba is a lovely, peaceful island. The white cottages with red and green trim paint a beautiful picture, complemented by the warmth and friendliness of the residents. The airstrip (amazingly short) and the 'road that couldn't be built' add to Saba's charm, toss in some nice hiking trails and it all adds up to an "A+" dive destination. . . . Allow lots of time to clear customs, collect baggage, change airlines in St. Maarten - airport is crowded and hectic." Scott and Jann Taylor, Cave Junction, OR

Sea Saba, Juliana's, March, 1995. "Breakfast and bag lunch part of package. Dinner at various restaurants in Windward Side. Dinners expensive. Brigadoon the best. . . . Dive operation excellent with good rental gear, well attended and supplied boats. Dive attendants top notch - accommodating, helpful, patient, considerate and knowledgeable. Tops of the many pinnacles were deep so that many dives necessitated going between 70-120 feet. . . . The people on Saba were friendly, open and pleasant. Saba's topography and the roads and villagers are unique - a great place to visit and not crowded." H.B. Roholt, M.D., Bemidji, MN

Sea Saba, Captain's Quarters, May, 1995. "Sea Saba was an excellent dive operation. They would go where the group wanted and allowed divers as much latitude as they wanted. The diving was very interesting with deep and shallow pinnacle formations, coral covered boulders and great coral and fish. The island of Saba is a step back into another world. Beautiful island and terrific people. No worries. Captain's Quarters is clean, with good food and nice rooms." Mike Bahn, Hastings, MN

Sea Saba, Captain's Quarter, July, 1995. "Great experience. Saba is a beautiful island. Rooms at Captain's Quarters are nice size, clean and most have ocean views; no air­conditioning but it is not needed. Nice fresh water pool. Food was good with an adequate variety. You need to let them know on which nights you will be eating or they will not have dinner. Do the same for other restaurants. Take time to walk around the towns and take some island hikes. . . . Sea Saba is an outstanding dive operation. Employees were most professional and just plain fun to dive with. We were never rushed or made to feel like we were just money on the hoof. Sea Saba is a safe but flexible organization. Visibility was not what I would have like but that's the way it goes. Pinnacle diving is Saba diving. It is different from other Caribbean diving and a neat experience." Dennis Munden, Del Mar, CA

Sea Saba, Captain's Quarters, August, 1995. "Well organized, professionally run, friendly dive operation. Boats well maintained and never overcrowded. Max 12 divers on a boat that could handle twice that. Would always run a second boat rather than overcrowd the first. Maintained record of where everyone had dived and asked for input on site selection so repetition could be avoided. Safety-minded and cautious in the right way -­ assessed current before each dive, gave thorough and accurate briefing, divemaster stayed down until everyone back on boat, could follow divemaster or do own thing, free to dive computer profile. Almost everyone a repeat customer and seasoned diver. . . . Great variety of corals, tropicals, and critters - most spectacular pinnacle dives; nurse and black tip sharks seen on every dive; turtles on almost every pinnacle or reef dive. Coral virtually undamaged on pinnacles, somewhat sandy on reef sites. Night dives good but not outstanding. . . . Captain's Quarters clean and comfortable. Saba truly lives up to its namesake, the 'Unspoiled Queen,' both above and below the water." Cameron & Mandy Harvey, Laguna Beach, CA

Wilson's, Sea Saba, Captain's Quarters, March, 1995. "The good: Beautiful island, quarters, great food, atmosphere, most of hotel staff friendly and helpful. Pinnacle diving a must­see experience. Airport: love the take­off and landing. The bad: The predicted nightmare of flying Winair, wondering when luggage will arrive and running through St. Maarten terminal to catch connecting flight; it's everything everyone says it is. Wilson's dive staff is emotionally dead, that's the only way to put it; shallow briefings, rushed dives, no fresh water; operation needs an attitude adjustment. I wish that we had swum over rather than deal with Winair; and that we dove with Sea Saba more than just one night dive we had with them. Friendly folks, joined us for dinner one night; professional outfit. Water 74 degrees, visibility 50­70 feet." Adrian Vander­Froef, Newtown, CT

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