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Discover the world below the waves -- new and experienced divers all welcome
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Learn to dive, or put your existing certification to use, at one of the world's premier diving spots: The tiny Caribbean island of Saba. When not diving, relax by the pool at our gay-friendly guest house, or hike up the island's extinct volcano.
This FAQ page is intended to accompany other pages about this trip and about our company (see links at left). Some of the answers below may include links to other other sites; please use the BACK key of your browser to return to this page.
Saba has no big resorts and is largely unknown except to the 1,400 people who live there, some scuba divers, and a few vacationers who have discovered it and return year after year.
Saba is near St. Martin in the Caribbean; you’ll typically fly into St. Martin (SXM), then take a smaller plane for the fifteen minute flight to Saba. The last St. Martin to Saba flight departs about 5:00 pm, so you need to either take an early flight to St. Martin or fly into St. Martin the night before. Cost for that second leg will be about $200 roundtrip via Windward Island Air Service, 599-5-454237 or -452568 (this is an international number, so from North America, dial 011 first to start an international call.) Or check them on the web at www.fly-winair.com. You can arrange your air with our Alyson Adventures travel agent, on the internet, by calling airlines, or through your local travel agent.
The main U.S. carrier to St. Martin is American Airlines, but most other major carriers also have flights to St. Martin and to other nearby Caribbean destinations such as San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you want to get to St. Martin with frequent flyer points, we suggest you see about using them for this trip, and reserve as early as possible.
As any scuba diver can tell you, there are no guarantees about what you'll see at any given site, on any given day. But from past experience, we expect that you'll encounter:
- Serenely beautiful Angelfish, long tapered fins gliding behind them, in a rich assortment of colors;
- Nurse Sharks, commonly resting on the sandy bottom;
- Blacktip Sharks, most often seen a bit in the distance, patrolling over deeper waters;
- Schools of colorful Blue Tangs;
- Hawksbill Turtles, an endangered species that is relatively common in the Saba Marine Park;
- Southern Sting Rays, often buried in sand except for their protruding eyes; occasionally gliding along below you or draped over the coral;
- Spotted Moray Eels, their heads and upper bodies protruding from their homes;
- Barracuda;
- Iridescent Parrotfish, pecking at the coral that supplies their food;
- Groupers, of all sizes and colors;
- Spiny Lobsters (which may re-appear on your dinner plate), which lack the big pincer claws of their Maine cousins;
- A field of Garden Eels, their bottom halves never leaving their burrow, while their tops sway in unison as you pass overhead;
- The unmistakable Trumpet fish, which looks like someone drew a fish in Photoshop, then distorted it into a long, thin rectangle.
And that's just the obvious animal life. The coral and sponges, alone, would qualify this underwater garden as one of the world's most fantastic sights. Our favorites are the Purple Tube Sponges. If these brilliant sculptures grew in only one spot on earth, people would travel from around the world to see them. Instead, they're ubiquitous; you'll see them more days than not. Mixed with them are enormous bulbs of Brain Coral, and delicate lacey Sea Fans.
A few other animals are endemic here, but not common. There are no guarantees, but on most trips we've seen seahorses and octopus, for example.
Finally, you never know what you might see that's just passing through. Giant Manta Rays, with wingspans of 15 to 20 feet, have been spotted around Saba, as have porpoises and Hammerhead Sharks. Our day-by-day description of this trip includes underwater photos from past trips.
Until the early 1980s, Saba was not known as a scuba diving destination. When the first divers discovered the beautiful sites here, they resolved to protect the fragile region for future divers. In 1987, the Marine Park was formed; it encircles the entire island to a depth of 200 feet. The park includes 29 dive sites, most within a 15-minute boat ride of the dock. It was the first marine park in the world to have its own hyperbaric facility, for treatment of decompression sickness.
The eastern Caribbean enjoys remarkably consistent weather year-round. The temperatures range from the 70's or higher in the winter months to the 80's during the summer, with refreshing sea breezes. Water temperatures range from about 77 degrees in winter to a high of about 84 in summer, with visibility generally between 60 and 150 feet.
The vast majority of your expenses are covered, including transfers to and from the airport and dive sites, as well as breakfast every day and lunch every day but one.
You'll even get a complimentary drink during happy hour, and a drink with dinner. Since heavy drinking and diving don't mix, you shouldn't have many other costs in this department.
Five dinners are included, so apart from gifts and souvenirs, which vary greatly from one individual to another, your only expenses are likely to be as shown below.
If you need to get cash you can access your bank account from one of the ATM machines found on the island to obtain local currency. Credit cards are widely accepted at many shops, but we recommend that you bring more cash than you expect to need. It's easy to take it back home with you; but it will be hard to get more if you run short.
- Saba Marine Park fee. The park charges a modest fee ($4 per dive, as of 2009) for each dive, and requests that scuba divers pay this fee individually, rather than having it included in a package price, to increase awareness of the important work being done by this unique Park. For an 11-dive week, that comes to $44.
- Equipment. If you have your own equipment, you'll want to bring it: BCD, regulator and octopus, mask and fins, and wetsuit. (There's no need to bring a weight belt; that and air tanks are supplied at no charge.) If you have no equipment, the dive shop will supply it for just $75 a week (as of 2009). If you have some equipment but not everything, bring what you have, and they'll reduce their fee accordingly.
- Divemaster gratuities. Our divemasters on Saba have always been superb, and we've been happy to tip them for making our week special. Tips are at your discretion, but we expect you'll feel the same way.
- Dinners. Two dinners are not included. You can have a good meal for as little as $15-$20, or pay up to $50 for a gourmet dinner with wine.
It's highly recommended, at least in the winter months. Most people could do a single dive or two in these waters without needing a wetsuit. But over the course of a week, you'll be happier if you have some sort of extra thermal protection. Anything from a 3-mil "shorty" suit to a full 5-mil suit should be fine. Bring one if you have it; otherwise the dive shop has an assortment available for rental.
No, but the benefits of using a dive computer are so great that nearly all divers now use them. If you rent equipment, you can use the depth gauge that comes with the package. But if you have a dive computer, you'll certainly want to bring it; if you don't, you may want to rent one.
Yes, nitrox is available on An Octopus's Garden, and for a lower extra charge than from most dive operators. (In 2009, the charge is just $65 for unlimited nitrox use the entire week, if you reserve in advance.)
Normally, scuba divers' tanks are filled with the same air you breathe on land. Nitrox (from the words nitrogen and oxygen) is a special mix that reduces the risk of getting the bends, allowing you to dive for a longer period. Nitrox also reduces fatigue. Its usage requires special training, but this is easy to get from PADI or NAUI dive outfitters, after you have your standard scuba certification.
A refresher course is available, at a nominal price, if you need it. If you don't dive much, or if it's been over a year since your last dive, we recommend this. And then when we're diving, we're accompanied by an experienced divemaster, who keeps an eye on everyone.
We strongly recommend that you complete your online study through the PADI E-Learning program, listing Sea Saba as your local dive shop. As of 2009, this course costs $120, paid to PADI when you register online. If you complete the course prior to the trip, you will start in the pool on Saba, then get into the water with our certified divers earlier in the week.
If you have not completed your E-Learning, your first two days include classroom work and study, interspersed with time in the hotel pool to practice your skills. The next two days, you'll do open water diving. If all goes well and you're certified, you can then pay for additional dives if you wish.
Saba has several good snorkeling sites, but overall, it's much better for scuba diving than for snorkeling. If you're looking for a relaxing getaway, on which you enjoy a few afternoons of snorkeling, but it's not your major activity, you'll love Saba. If you want extensive snorkeling, this is not the best destination for you.
The highest point on Saba -- and, for that matter, in the entire kingdom of the Netherlands -- Mt. Scenery is 2864 feet high. The altitude itself is less of an issue than the exertion of hiking to the top.
Diving medicine is an inexact science. There is still quite a bit to be learned about how the human body responds to, and recovers from, deep sea diving. In addition, there's a tremendous individual variation, based on a diver's physical fitness, smoking and drinking, and other factors.
To be on the safe side, diving authorities recommend against hiking up Mt. Scenery on a day when you've been diving. Our last full day of the trip is open -- no diving is scheduled. You can use this day to relax by the pool, hike up Mt. Scenery or on other less strenuous trails that criss-cross the island, arrange diving independently (several others in our group will probably join you), or see parts of the island that you've missed.
Our trip officially begins at 6:00 p.m., with a reception and orientation, followed by dinner. We officially end after breakfast on the last day, although you can leave as early as you like. Or stay around all day, for sightseeing with your new friends.
Our "7-day" trip thus consists of 6 full days and two partial days. Some companies promote a trip of this length as being 8 days since it includes pieces of 8 different days. We feel it's more accurate to refer to this as 7 days.
Most of our trips draw more single travelers than couples. When couples do join us, it's usually because they're looking forward to interacting with a gay group; if they wanted a holiday by themselves, they wouldn't have signed up to travel with us. Furthermore, the activities included with our trips serve as natural ice-breakers. Within a day, you'll be traveling with friends.
You don't need to pay the single supplement if you're traveling alone. We'll be happy to match you with a roommate. Pay the single supplement only if you want a bedroom to yourself.
We encourage you to do so. Outside Magazine says that talking to people who have taken a trip previously is one of the best ways to evaluate whether it will be right for you, and we agree.
Our website includes a full page of comments from past travelers. Most of them have volunteered to talk about their experiences with future potential travelers. Please call for the names and phone numbers of references in your area.
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