Beautiful, heavily forested island, pretty reefs, tiny fish, diving managed and controlled. . . . Anse Chastenet hotel is located on the southwestern part of island, near the Pitons, where the better diving is; elsewhere not much underwater worth seeing. . . . Year-round high 80 's days, low 70 's nights, afternoon cloudburst common; in the hurricane belt. . . . Some problems have been reported recently with dive boats being blown up as a result of turf wars over tourists . . . West of Barbados in the Windward Island chain. . . .

Anse Chastenet, December 1996, John and Gwen Kontnik, Lakewood, CO. "We have over 500 dives. Anse Chastanet was one of lowest points of our travels. Arrived at 1:30 a.m.; our reserved unit had been switched to a nightmare; very old unit, not in keeping with the rest of the resort. Two showers, but only one could be used at a time due to no water pressure; one flooded the hallway between the bedrooms. Part of deck was rotten wood; guard rail pulled away from its supports; doors could not be closed animal droppings in and­above the closets. . . . Dive operation had one of three dive boats in operation and bringing on resort divers to dive. Should have had 12­15 people; instead 24­28 people. Dives very restrictive and led at all times (including shore dives). Two dives a day and night dives maybe Tues. and Thurs. Dive staff did a good job despite the bad situation. Diving typical Caribbean with no large fish. . . . Food was good but they should give the French cuisine a rest once in awhile. Staff (dive, restaurant, grounds etc.) very helpful and nice but management cold and unresponsive."

Anse Chastenet, March 1997, David Bryan, Stowe, VT. "Wonderful rooms, below average food, perfunctory service, crowded beach, diving for experienced diver, much dead coral. vis: 60­80 ft. water: 78­80 degrees. . . . Stay away from towns, you will be accosted for money, cigarettes, etc. Cars may be broken into. Our departure flight was canceled because "no plane available." Geographically, St. Lucia is spectacular."

Oasis Marigot, August 1997, Don Cox and Ellen Rucker, Madison, WI. "Water 84 degrees, dives 45 minutes. Bay, resort and Island are all spectacular. The on-site dive operation is small but eager to please. Mice people. Enjoyed diving immensely. Lots of diversity in small fish and critters. Also diverse and interesting site with currents from zero to dramatic. We enjoyed Diving with Rosemand and Glvis. They were also wonderful with our 12 year old daughter, a junior diver."

Sandals, April 1997, Les Levinowitz, Brooklyn, NY. "World class resort. Great for those with non diving companions. All dives guided. Great and professional staff. No dock-getting on boat can be rough. Two tank dives 2 or 3 times a week. vis: 60-80 ft. water: 80 degrees. All dives guided, max depth about 75-85. Trips to Anse Chastanet sites take 45 minutes, but worth it. Oxygen and first aid on boats. Rinse tank on shore and "dipping" tank on boat. Boat has shade. Resort is all inclusive. No tipping allowed. Good value for the buck. Basic emergency repairs done free and with a smile. Gear included. Bring your own skin!"

Copyright 1998 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.