Added by Steven Backerman from his trip to Saba & St. Kitts in November 2018.
I did a live aboard dive trip to Saba and St. Kitts in the Caribbean aboard the Caribbean Explorer II in November 2018. The Caribbean Explorer II is one of a fleet of live aboard dive boats operated by Explorer Adventures.
Caribbean Explorer II has two itineraries…you can either fly to St. Maarten, board the boat, then dive a few days at Saba and then a few more at St. Kitts and then fly home from St. Kitts or you can fly into and embark from St. Kitts, dive St. Kitts first, then Saba, then fly home from St. Maarten.
I chose the first option as I was hoping to spend 3 days diving Saba, a place I’ve wanted to dive since first learning about it from my Advanced Open Water instructor in Utila, Honduras in 2008.
Unfortunately, we only spent 2 days at Saba and did not dive the pinnacles. I was initially told it was due to problems with the moorings, but later found out that was untrue….the problem was due to some divers on the trip (the pinnacles typically boast of strong currents) who did not have sufficient experience to tackle those dives.
Though disappointing, otherwise the trip was amazing. The crew on Caribbean Explorer II are fantastic. First rate service, first rate dive masters, excellent food. The boat is well piloted by an experienced Captain who is also a diver. I have nothing but good things to say about the crew.
You can get in up to 5 dives a day…2 morning dives, 2 afternoon dives and a night dive….every day, but the last, when there are but 2 morning dives, giving everyone sufficient off-gassing time before flying home.
Prior to the trip, I thought Saba would be the jewel of the trip (and, had we gone to the pinnacles, maybe it would have been) and while it was pretty great, I was blown away with the variety of seascapes and creatures in St. Kitts. We dove a couple of wrecks, both fully overgrown with life, as well as sandy bottoms, sea grass, trenches and reefs that wind and turn and create incredible mazes where sensory overload is well assured.
If your goal is to dive, eat, sleep and repeat, I highly recommend Explorer Adventures and this itinerary is a great way to go.
It is my intention to go to Turks & Caicos with Explorer Adventures in 2019 or 2020. Anyone want to join?