Scuba Diving & Snorkeling in St Lucia

After talking to many islanders, I found the large majority of people on the island rated the beaches at Anse Chastanet and Anse Des Pitons the best on the island for snorkelling and scuba diving. Both located on the west side of the island and blessed with the warm waters of the Caribbean, one could drive between the two beaches in less than half an hour.

It should be said here that ALL BEACHES ON ST LUCIA ARE PUBLIC. Therefore, everyone has the right to access the beaches, even if they are located and primarily used by private resorts.

Always eager to get in to the water, my husband and I are consistently keen snorkelers, and upon this trip I even had a go at underwater photography, with some pretty poor results! (Therefore I will be using and accrediting other peoples pictures so I can still illustrate a few of the awesome fish we saw whilst snorkeling and scuba diving.)



The trip to Anse Chastanet was our first real chance to explore on our own. The road north of Soufrière splits at the Hummingbird Resort and leads straight to the Anse Chastanet Resort. The road is best traveled by 4x4 and is quite tight, so watch those corners and your speed! The best snorkel site is on the left / south side of the beach, as seen here:



Our bags were thrown in the sand and we ran in to the sea with our snorkels. Within a few strokes we were met with schools of Sergeant Majors fish. A little further out and towards the cliff face, fish of different shapes and sizes. Damselfish, Butterflyfish and Wrasse could be seen flitting between rocks and open water; the tiniest fish protecting territory chased off larger individuals; Barracudas partially hid away in the shadows.


Sergeant Major's (courtesy of museumsinthesea.com)


Damselfish (courtesy of subtropicalenvironments.homestead.com)


Great Barracuda (courtesy of e-themes.info)

We revisted this site on several occasions, each time I spent hours on my own, basking in the biodiversity, memorized by the peaceful yet pulsating environment.

On one occasion I rescued a girl who had become scared after feeling a current pulling her. I heard her screaming for help and immediately called to the life guard. I bombed over to her, desperately hoping it wasn't a shark attack (dramatic I know), and asked her nicely not to pull me under, before turning her on her back and softly talking to her while we swam towards shore.

The lifeguard took his time, and when he returned to his post once the girl had gone, he ignored me. No 'thank you', no 'well done' - nothing. I wish I'd written down his name so I could print it here. He works for the Anse Chastanet Resort and once word spread that I was a writer, he came to me with a dribbling apology.

We had wanted to scuba dive at Anse Chastenet, but were advised resort policy states that we must complete a shore dive first. We decided not to as we had already snorkelled the area several times, it seemed a bit over the top, but hey ho! Next stop, The Jalousie Plantation!

Within an hour of arriving at The Jalousie Plantation resort we had ditched our bags and were in the Caribbean Sea. The first area we entered was in the centre of the beach; not so good. We walked towards the sheer face of the Petit Piton and entered the water. Wow! The water was teaming with a diverse range of fish; an intoxicating array of colour, that was visible as soon as we were only a few metres offshore.



Male Parrotfish dazzled my senses every time I saw them; their colours are an exquisite mix of blue's, greens, yellows, oranges, purples and pinks. An important part of the marine ecosystem, their parrot-like beaks chomp on the seaweed that grows on corals, ensuring they do not become overgrown.


Male Parrotfish (courtesy of snorkelingonline.com)

Other common species included the Wrasse and Angelfish, both of which presented further colouful and shimmering delights underwater. They are easy to spot and enchanting to watch, as with many fish their colours deepen and lighten as the amount of light filtering through the depths changes.


Blueheaded Wrasse and Spotted Eel (courtesy of coreyfischer.com)


Queen Angelfish (courtesy of condocaribbean.com)

Spotted Trunkfish are funky looking creatures, I always (mentally) smiled when seeing them. Shy in nature and poor swimmers because of their portly shape, the toxic secretion they emit from their glands in defensive situations is potent enough to kill sharks!


Spotted Trunkfish (courtesy of miss-scuba.com)

Every underwater experience we had was captivating and enchanting; the sincere feelings stirred deep passions within me. There are several highlights which I will always draw fond memories from; my first encounter with a Green Turtle while on a drift dive along the Petit Piton, spotting the locally-rare Spotted Drum (at Anse de Piton) - on three separate occassions!...


Spotted Drum (courtesy of jimleffardphotographer.com)


Green Turtle (courtesy of biology-blog.com)

... The first immersion at Anse Chastanet beach, where a Triggerfish tried to nibble on my toes (painted a teal colour from my wedding a few days before), swimming through the engine room door on the underwater wreck, Lesleen M; and snorkeling along the Coral Gardens, beneath the mighty Gros Piton, while it rained heavily on my head, back and legs - four hours before we were due to fly home!

Days Out in St Lucia: Onboard Calipso; Courtesy of Barefoot Holidays

Before reaching St Lucia I had been liasing with a lovely lady called Shiryln, from Barefoot Holidays. I had briefed her on what my objectives were while on the island and we met up once I had settled in. Barefoot Holidays specialise in excursions; they help tourists uncover the island's gems, be it by jeep, helicopter or boat.

I had an array of questions for Shirlyn (and her colleague Allison), and they were happy to answer them, plus give me additional suggestions on activities I could do during my trip. They suggested places to visit; specific estates, reserves and beaches, all of which were welcomely received.



They also arranged for us to take a catamaran trip along the west side of the island onboard 'Calipso', a lively party boat. On the day in question we were picked up by a courteous driver and taken the short distance to Castries Port. After a small shower of 'liquid sunshine', we set sail, out of the Port and in to the Caribbean Sea.



The 'baby-maker' rum punch was soon flowing, even if it was only 10.30, we were on holiday :) From the sea the land could be seen in all its seductive glory. Lolling, fertile peaks, with the odd beach-side town or dwelling making an appearance as we motored south to Soufrière. Just sitting back watching the island unfold was an adventure all on its own.



It didn't take long to reach Soufrière; from here we boarded comfortable minibuses and were shuttled inland to the only 'Drive in Volcanoe' in the Carribean. A small site which smoulders foul-smelling hydrogen sulphide gases, it is no longer active. There are also accessible springs here and even though we wanted to revisit and lather ourselves with the grey-brown mud, we didn't get the chance.





Next stop - Diamond Botanical Gardens! Just a short drive away, this was one of my favourite parts during the whole time on the island. The gardens offer a mesmerizing encounter with flora; along the snaking trail a kaleidoscope of colours and textures pop out of the greenery.





The trail peaks at the Diamond Waterfall, a small opening among the towering trees. Streaky brown and yellow sides produce a stark contrast to the forest, and reminded me of Willy Wonkers chocolate factory!



The circular route led us back to the minubuses through more awesome vegetation, along the way signs pointed out various plants such as Orchids, Heliconia and Hibiscus. The last land stop was to the Val de Pitons restuarant, to munch on some traditional Caribbean fare and recharge the batteries.

I'll admit, by the time we got back onboard Calipso, I was fairly sozzled! The planned snorkelling stop was highly anticipated as the humidity was making many lethargic - but we had a great time bobbing along to the reggae being played and making new acquaintances. We stopped halfway between Soufrière and Marigot Bay, a location I would revisit later in the trip whilst scuba diving.



The snorkelling was ok, it was our first time doing it on the island so I was just happy (but a little dissapointed at the lack of variety) to see some fish! We were the last ones back onboard Calipso and after a quick peek at Marigot Bay (where Dr. Doolittle was filmed), we returned to Castries Port - slightly wobbly, but very fulfilled after an exciting day on and around the island.



(Captain of Calipso with the Captain of Serenity - my husband!)

For more information on Barefoot Holidays go to: http://www.barefootholidays.com/index.htmlro

Resorts in St Lucia - Crystals

Located a mere 10 miles away from Rendevous, it took us over an hour to drive to Crystals! The road snakes through rainforest and hills, and in some places is in awful condition. However, in my mind this adds to the adventure and the views along the way were stunning.

The sun set around 18.30 and it was quick to get very dark (no lighting along the roads), we found the track that led us to Crystals, and were extremely surprised by its awful condition. It is not a good introduction.

Crystals has a bohemian-chic feel to it; a small number of quirky cottages make up the development, all of which have fantastic views of the Pitons. Artistically decorated inside and out, it is a colourful, interesting and stimulating, yet a relaxing place to rest your head. The owner Monica is a mine of information and so very helpful, an eccentric lady who makes a mean rum punch!



There is no activity programme at Crystals, however, we hired a 4x4 (essential for getting about in St Lucia) from Benny at Red Tiger and explored! The town of Soufrière lies at the bottom of the valley between Crystals and the glorious Pitons, and visiting it was our first excursion out.





Soufrière is a small coastal town; as with many other urban centres on the island, it is poor and most of the people live a simple life. As with many other urban centres across the globe, they have their fair share of problems with drugs. Upon my first visit in to town, it was visible straight away, we came across quite a few hustlers and were frequently approached in the car. I'm not going to lie, it was scary to begin with. But as we needed to get supplies (breakfast only at Crystals,but every cottage has full kitchen facilities), we had to go in nearly every day. By the end of our stay on the island the apprehension had gone and we were fine about going in to town.

The first breakfast we had a Crystals was devine! A mix of sweet breads with cinnamon and coconut, locally grown, fresh papaya, banana, banana bread and omelette. Pity there was no coffee to wash it down with because although we had a machine in our cottage, it had small bugs in it - so we never used it. Unfortunatley after the first breakfast, standards slipped, as did the time it was served, so each day there was a little disappointment.

One thing that never disapointed was Monica's artistic flair, I loved the way she had adorned the property with aesthetic delights. No corner left untouched and I was especially keen on the tree house bar....



Crystals was a great platform from which to reach Anse Chastanet beach, well-known for it's amazing snorkelling and scuba diving opportunities. More on that later.

I enjoyed Crystals, and chatting away in the tree house with Monica; the location is amazing and it's decoration appealed to the hippy in me.

For more information on Crystals check out: http://www.stluciacrystals.com/

To hire a car through Red Tiger check out: http://www.stluciajeeprentals.com/

Resorts in St Lucia - Rendevous

As previously mentioned, I stayed at three places while in St Lucia. The main reason behind this was because my husband is easily bored, and I thought this would be a good way to keep him occupied so I could rest a bit more - how wrong could I have been!

Upon landing on the island we jumped in a taxi arranged by the ladies at Barefoot Holidays and a lovely gent called Sammy drove us to our first resort - Renedevous. This couples-only, five-star, boutique resort is located in the north of the island. It took us about an hour to get there, along the way I extracted as much information from Sammy as possible. Happy to oblige, smiley and polite, Sammy was a great introduction to St Lucia. He even stopped half way to show us a fishing town called Dennery, which faces on to the Atlantic Ocean.



From our arrival, to departure, throughout the duration of our stay in St Lucia and even when we got home, we were so happy with our choice in Rendevous. It is a small and perfectly formed resort with courteous and friendly staff, in a quiet location. A short beach walk from Castries, Rendevous sits between two long stretches of golden coloured sand, palm trees hanging lazily over the beach at points, helping to create a picture perfect view.



We had a homely room with wooden four-poster bed, large double-shower and private balcony with views over sculpted gardens to the Caribbean Sea. The pristine and spacious beach-side restuarant was a pleasure to dine in, the adjoining open bar, a pleasure to drink in.



The resort had everything we needed and more, we couldn't have done all of the complimentary activities even if we'd dosed up on Red Bull every day. During our stay we frequently used the Hobie Cat dinghy's to whizz over to Rat Island and back, although the area we were permitted to sail in was quite small.



Other sports we participated in were archery, yoga, scuba diving (more about this later) and tubing, the latter of which saw us wedged into two inflatable, hollow rings and dragged around the bay by a speeding power boat. A couple were getting married on the beach at the time, I wonder if they could hear me screaming before I was unwillingly ejected from my tube?! I had been caught off guard after being catapulted off a wave and into my husband's tube, laughing hysterically I had loosened my vice-like grip for a nano-second.

The yoga was good, at the time, because for three days after the session I couldn't walk properly. Pauline the instructor is fond of Sun Salutations and practices Ashtanga yoga. I had a great session with her, but was surprised by her preaching to me about self-control at the end, she seemed to assume that she knew me. However, I really enjoyed the experience apart from that one issue.



My husband was so enthralled by Rendevous that we tried to book extra nights; but they were fully booked! We packed and left begrudgingly, on to our next resort - Crystals in Soufrière.

To see my overall comparisons with the other places we stayed, check out the 'Resort Comparisons' Blog coming shortly.

For more information about Rendevous, go to: http://www.theromanticholiday.com/16/home.htm

Taking a look at what St Lucia has on offer - overview

I recently spent two weeks in St Lucia (in October)and for the first time, I could truly understand what the term 'tropical paradise' really meant. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; but what I plan to do is to share an objective, but constructive look at what St Lucia had on offer.

Located in the south of the Antilles chain in the Caribben, St Lucia is a small, volcanic island, just 27 miles long and 14 miles wide. It is primarily made up of golden, sandy beaches and lush green rainforest. To the north there is Castries, the capital and to the south, the two Pitons, an iconic and famous UNESCO World Heritage site.



Temperatures range from 26c - 32c and the seasons on this tropical island shift between wet and dry. When I was there in October the weather was mainly sunny, with blue skies; sometimes a little humid and it rained on the odd occassion for a couple of hours. It was moving in to the dry season which will run from December to April.

Looking at the 2010 statistics released from the Tourist Board, I can see that primarily, tourists are honeymooners, the majority of which come from the US and UK. The amount of people getting married on the island are decreasing, but honeymoon numbers are looking healthy; up 31% from 2008 to 2009. Every month of 2010 has seen higher number than the same period in 2009.

Hewanorra International Airport is located in the south of the island; from here there is one main road which circles the island - but I'll come back to roads later! Accommodation in St Lucia ranges from apartments and small guest houses to all inclusive, five-star, fantasy-like resorts. During my time there I stayed in two resorts (Rendevous and The Jalousie Plantation) and one private estate with villas (Crystals). They varied widely and I'll be giving you the low-down on all of them in a separate post.

(Rendevous)

So, 'what about adventure sports?' I hear you cry! There was more than enough to stimulate my senses, every day. Infact, it took some time to get my energy levels back to normal upon my return home! St Lucia has loads on offer; scuba diving, brilliant snorkelling, rainforest hikes, dinghy sailing, kayaking, nature tours plus comprehensive activity programmes at the resorts. I'll be posting another blog about the sporting adventures I had on the island shortly.