St. Maarten, St. Martin, Saba, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Eustatius, Anguilla
A Travel Blog
I’m back in the Ocean. This year, staying closer to home and exploring the Caribbean. Living close by (Florida) has allowed me to dive and visit many of the Caribbean islands already… but I’ve been skipping over many many.
Time to remedy that. I’m on a mission! 😊
I jump off 2025 with a Live Aboard Dive boat out of St. Maarten.
With 29+ distinct named island-nations in the Caribbean, each with their own Immigration; some called countries – some called territories … it’s a project.
Move Move Move. Dive Dive Dive. Another Ferry. Another Flight, Another Live Aboard.
Dry my dive gear. Pack, repack. My plan requires a lot of doubling back and repeats of prior trips. Countless bookings… Its unavoidable – many of these destinations offer only 1-2 options for getting there.
My Caribbean Island adventure will start on the Leeward Islands of the Lessor Antilles. A cluster of small islands.. On most days, you can see the next island.. or maybe next two islands. This characteristic is enchanting.. Always making for fantastic photo’s. Columbus must have been awe-struck… these islands are beautiful!! There are so-many islands that make-up the Leeward’s – I need to break up this blog in Parts…
8 of these Leeward island-nations use Eastern Caribbean Dollars. But all accept US dollars. Pay attention to cash transactions – you often get ECD back ….. That’s not a problem, but make sure you can use it on the next island hop.. otherwise it’s a souvenir. I find it simpler to use a CC as often as possible here.
First up: flights from Orlando to Miami to St. Maarten – I’m on the move again. Back in my element.
Starting slow; A few days exploring the island of Sant Maarten/St. Martin is required 😊 The Dutch Caribbean welcomes me. I often add a few days lead-time before all my live aboard dive boats ….
Diver lesson #99: Never be late for the boat and never trust an airline.
Sant Maarten – the Dutch side of this “two-nation island”, and St. Martin – the French side. Two for one. For my taste, this is NOT a destination. Only a useful transit hub. The island has 70k cars, and three 2-lane roads ☹ During my visit – at least 8 cruise ships came in. Thousands of tourists pile out of the boats, hop in mini-vans – and sit in traffic. Ugg. A big airport, with non-stop arrivals.. people joining cruise ships mostly. Yes, there are a few all-inclusive resorts here – but none that would interest me.. Take a look around, then move on.
I stay at Horizon Beach Hotel, in Phillipsburg. A lower-end hotel.. my preferred plan. It works. This hotel is in-town, near the docks and my dive boat @ Bobbies Marina. Phillipsburg was so-so, at least after the cruise ships pull out each evening. A long strip of beach-bars rule here. Best thing I found in Sant Maarten is an old Dutch fort. Fort Amsterdam - with fantastic views and some interesting history. Also - The Coffee Lounge – my escape in Phillipsburg, and a great place for breakfast and expresso.
On arrival I take a taxi from the airport to Phillipsburg.. and don’t rent a car .. the best plan. No parking,,,and too much traffic = no fun.
St. Martin – the French side. Just an imaginary line, 5km from my hotel. After some effort - I find a taxi for $25. Most drivers only want to sell a tour for $125. After 50 minutes of traffic, the taxi taking me 5km …..Magic – I’m on the French side – another country. I wander the town of Margot. Get greeted with: Bonjour, Vous voulez faire de la plongee?
I climb Fort Louis – feel the different vibe. This is NOT the Dutch Caribbean. This is mini-France. For just an afternoon I explore the North-side. Riding the Public bus on my return trip - $2 – a good plan, faster and comfortable.
My only memorable experience in Maarten/Martin was meeting Jean – the taxi driver for my dive boat.. I randomly meet him in town. Absolutely an entertainment machine !! Jean Jean the dancing machine. Well, he doesn’t dance – but made me laugh for an hour.
Diving begins: Caribbean Explorer II – My live aboard dive ship. 125ft, departing from Bobbies Marina. Disembarking on another Leeward island - St. Kitts. 25 scheduled dives. Diving Saba, and St. Kitts and Nevis. 14 paying divers, 8 crew. Food, diving, new friends.
I do love live aboard dive boats. I only get in 20 dives on this one … skipping the others dives.. They offer up to 5 dives/day on this trip – a little too ambitious for me. The diving was about as expected. Normal Caribbean Marine life. Tons of giant lobster, but just a few Reef Sharks. Coral was very healthy, with plenty of reef fish.
All dives are directly from the ship. Half the divers are Americans, half Italians. I always love sharing dive adventure story’s. And Captain Bob had a few!! Cool he was Captain in PNG. It’s a small world sometimes. Who goes to PNG ? 😊
Saba – dive dive dive. A rock in the Caribbean. Another Dutch territory, associated with St. Eustatius and Bonaire. Saba is famous for the smallest international airport in the world. Occasionally you’ll see a Utube it 😊 Insane landing strip.
The weather wasn’t favorable for diving here this week. Windy, low viz. We did dive several first-rate sites here, but with dark sky’s and rain .... so the Captain modifies our itinerary.. and we push onto St. Kitts early. My passport goes ashore in Saba, without me; and gets stamped.. strange .. I never step on the island ☹ My land tour gets canceled due to the itinerary change. Disappointing, but all part of exploring the planet.
Mooring at Saba’s one-port, one town – was cool. With only one port on the island and just 1-2 hotels, it’s a strange place. A rock in the ocean. No cruise ships here!! Any smaller it would disappear.
Saba diving has more to offer ... so I lose out on that. Saba isn’t a big destination for anyone .... too too tiny. Almost nothing there. A curiosity, and worth a short look.. but unless you are fortunate – and the diving just-right.. It’s not a destination for many people.
I expected to dive the famous Saba Bank on this trip – nearby the island. But we only dive the near-shore reefs. Lots of sea grass – so lots of Green Turtles. I’m told - No organized dive ships go out to Saba Bank – only research ships tagging Tiger sharks!!! I want to go!!
St. Kitts and Nevis – Captain Bob’s plan to move on from Saba early is a good one. The diving in Kitts turns favorable. Cool. Good viz, Calmer winds. It takes a few days for me to adjust to the schedule. Up at 6:00, diving 2x before lunch… then 2x dives after lunch. Exhausting. Only one day do I join in the 5th dive.. a night dive. I do enjoy the night dives.. but it’s demanding to dive 5+ hours per day.. I’m on the easy plan 😊
One or two Shark dives – with a couple of good photos. And always a few wreck dives. For this year’s adventure – I bought a new toy – an Insta 360 camera - to make VR movies. A new project. More to learn. I only use it one day on board ,,, my tether and setup isn’t secure. ☹ More to come on this new hobby.
All too fast, my time on Caribbean Explorer II is over. I disembark on a Saturday morning in St. Kitts. St. Kitts is properly called St. Christopher. Named by Columbus in 1493 after his patron Saint.
St. Kitts and Nevis are British territories. Two islands, only 2 miles apart – joining to form one Country. The vibe again changes.
I rent a car from Avis – downtown near the Port Zante, Basseterre. Exploring the island for two days, left-side driving - getting the feel for this destination. The roads are surprisingly good and uncrowded. Curiously, the Taiwanese built the roads - no idea of the reason or the deal.
Kitts is another big cruise ship destination – with 3-4 there during my visit .. fortunately, the roads and infrastructure here handle the visitors. (guess I need to thank the Taiwanese). St. Kitts isn’t nearly as crowded and intense as St. Maarten. Still… it’s a little cheezie for me. With 2 medical schools and a Veterinary school – it seems like education is its second largest ‘export’ ..?.. I stay again at a lower end hotel – Bird Rock. A car is required with this plan, so it works.
The old British Fortress Brimstone is the most interesting find here. Its guns pointing at St. Eustatius and the near-by bay. Excellent history lessons here of the wars between the French, Spanish, Dutch and English over these Leeward islands. Some changed hands as many as 25 times. Crazy.
All of these islands where originally inhabited by Indian tribes of Arawak, and then Carib (who killed the Arawak). But once colonized by Europeans – the Carib Indians were killed by the Europeans or shipped off to South America – and replaced with slaves from Africa. Back in the 1700-1800’s – Sugar Cane and Salt where valuable export products from here.. (not anymore) … but also, these islands held a strategic location on the Gold and Silver routes out of South America. Lots of Pirates. 😊
Now a-days, all the residents of Kitts get British passports.. a common reason many of Caribbean islands remain territories of England or France or Netherlands. EU and UK passports are valuable.
Driving is easy in St. Kitts.. just remember to stay left – as in the UK. Downtown had a good local coffee shop – Rituals. And I found ‘The Strip’ – a row of beach bars. They do have wild Monkeys – kinda cool. But for the most-part, St. Kitts isn’t my type of place.. It’s a step up from St. Maarten – but just barely.
Nevis might offer more vibe, but I fail to arrange a visit. Plenty of ferries, but I mis-timed the passage and didn’t make it over. Next time – that’s a priority.
Onward onward.
St. Eustatius – called Statia by everyone here. I arrive here via ferry from St. Kitts. An outstanding plan. Makana Ferry. Fast, comfortable, cheap. Just $51. Cool.
Bam. I’m in another country. Another Dutch Caribbean territory. And I’m loving the vibe immediately. NO cruise ships. NO intense car traffic. Almost no cars, almost no people. This is a tiny rock.. like Saba. Nicknamed the Golden Rock. But just enough infrastructure to support a good dive shop and quality restaurants.
And wow, I really enjoy the diving here. The highlight is getting photos of a Seahorse. Always a goal when diving. One site in particular (the Aquarium) is world-class. – I dive it under perfectly conditions. The dive gods are kind sometimes 😊
Using the Old Gin House Hotel, just 20m to the Scubaqua dive shop.. It is a dive-in, dive-out setup. Add 2 high quality restaurants outside my door. Yeah, I’d come back here in a minute.
Interesting thing about Statia.. When I book my diving, I had to wire my payment in advance. The wire went to a bank in Bonaire.. Statia is too small for its own bank. 😊
Statia has an amazing history. Once the main stopping point for ships from Europe. Handling 3000/year at its peek. But,,being located in Hurricane ally – in 1780 – the Great Hurricane stuck. Sinking 78 ships just off shore. Still to this day.. the nearby harbor bottom is littered with wreckage debris. Bottles, barrel rings, plates. And Blue Beads. One of the dives here always includes a treasure hunt for Blue Beads – once used as ‘money’ for the slaves.. Now, a strange keep sake and memory of Statia. The Blue Beads didn’t find me ☹
In Statia, I add a hike up the Quail – the dormant volcano that dominates the island. You see it from every dive. Very photogenic. Just a 2 hour hike, only 661m. But great fun, and cool to add to my visit. It’s crazy to see hundreds of Hermitt crabs rolling down the mountain. Heading to the beach, to exchange shells and begin their journey back up the mountain… Biology rocks!!
And like all these islands; another Fort.. Fort Oranjestad.. an old Dutch fort this time. I do love history lessons.
Time to dry my gear, repack, and travel again. I fly out of Statia on WinAir – (the ferry Schedule does work out for my plans.)
I really love Statia.. Good diving, good hotel, good restaurants. No crowds.. It’s a small place,, but just right for me. I’d love to return here one day!! Onward.
Anguilla - I reach this destination by first flying out to Statia to St. Maarten – just 25 minutes. Passing thru immigration again, and finding a ferry to the nearby island of Anguilla. The transit works perfectly. I arrange for a rental car company to pick me up at the Anguilla ferry-dock.. and I’m off exploring again. Like clockwork.
Anguilla is nothing like the last several islands I visit. It’s flat flat flat. A limestone reef that became an island. Not volcanic, no mountains. Much larger than Saba or Statia.. but still a small place.
The pace here is slow ,,,, slow is an understatement. Fully asleep is a fair description. Other than several high-end all inclusive hotels like 4 Seasons .. there seems to be almost nothing here. Few people, with just enough restaurants to get by., I find a mid-priced hotel – La Vue.
Everything is expensive here. Their business model is different.. Keep prices high, keep low occupancy. No cruise ships, no crowds, no nothing. Different,, but strangely interesting.
Driving the entire island takes maybe 2-hours. With only one notable view point - A Natural Arch.. worthy to seek out, and makes for great photos. And everyone ‘has’ to eat at Sharkie’s – expensive but good.
I dive Anguilla with Scuba Shack – out of Sandy Ground Bay. We dive a local reef and a wreck. Diving was so-so, but I do get a photo of a Dolphin - digging that! This isn’t much of a dive destination.. diving is just something a few tourist do here,, to keep busy as their family drinks on the beach at 4 Seasons.
I would have advised skipping Anguilla,,, until I found Bankie Bankz.. His Dune bar is the best!!! Island Reggae music, with Carib beer – I had no idea,.. Jimmy Buffet recorded a double album here at this bar,, featuring Bankz!!! Wow,, this is a game changer for Anguilla. I come away a fan. I’ve downloaded his music…. Look him up… 😊
Whenever in Anguilla – head straight to Rendezvous Bay, find Bankie Bankz Dune bar.. and don’t move. This is the real deal… I LOVE this bar,, and Bankie’s music.
More Leeward islands on the way.. Onward.
Comentários