2000 Chapbook

French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten are two islands in one, with wonderful beaches, superb hotels, fine cuisine and poor diving, a situation that was not improved when the island was trashed by a hurricane in 1995.... Watch out for Eurotrash, shady characters who are drawn to the nude beaches and like to prey on tourists.... Make the short air or ferry trip to tiny Saba to dive. However, if you do decide to dive here, do it with Ocean Explorers....

Aqua Mania/Pelican Resort, February 1999, William Edwards, Placerville, CA. Vis: 60-80 ft. Water: 76-77 degrees. Very large Resort and Casino on Simpson Bay, on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. Our one-bedroom unit was roomy and well-equipped but old and a little worn. Nice restaurant on premises and other excellent ones nearby. Aqua Mania on the premises. Personnel were congenial but they baby-sat the divers too much. Strict regulations of depth (60 ft.) and time (40 minutes) on all dives. Dive boat was roomy and new. Diving so-so. Large barracuda, some eels, a ray and a variety of tropical fish.