Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Sea Saba/Juliana's Hotel in
Saba

Sea Saba/Juliana's Hotel, Mar, 2011,

by Jonathan Lavan, IL, US ( 1 report). Report 5996.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments I flew US Air through Philly to St. Maarten. You then take a puddle jumper on WinAir (which Us Air has a relationship with) to Saba. My travel agent managed to get me a 1st class ticket for the US Air portion. The round trip ticket was a little under $1000 but it was well worth it. Not only do you get all the usual amenities: 1st class cabin, no charge and unlimited weight for luggage, fast line through security but my luggage was checked all the way through to Saba. Once in St. Maarten all I had to do was get my WinAir ticket reprinted as an actual hard paper ticket and go through security again. Other travelers had to claim their checked luggage and recheck it and jump through a bunch of other hoops while trying to make their connections under a time restraint.
We stayed at Juliana's Hotel which has a relationship with Sea Saba. In fact pretty much every businnes on Saba has a relationship with every other business. The island is approximately 5 square miles and largely uninhabited so it really is a small town. Everyone is very friendly especially at Sea Saba and Julianna's. Lynn who runs Sea Saba is the back bone of the organization and the reason that everyone and everything stays interconnected. Someone from the shop will check in with you everyday on your way down to the dock (an intense 15 minute ride down the twisting and turning roads that are etched into the volcano)to make sure that you have set your dinner plans or to make you a reservation as restaurants fill up quickly. The diving is great. The boat is your standard well-equipt day boat. Once your gear is on board you never touch it again. The crew is great, fun, friendly, interested in what you are doing and courteous. The dive sites around the island have been a marine park since 1987 so there is no shortage of sharks and large groupers which are mostly fish out on other Caribbean islands. We saw turtles and lobsters on almost every dive. The pinnacle and wall diving is some of the best in the Caribbean. We were counting fish for REEF and catalogued a total of 153 different species. Don't miss Diamond Rock, Tent Wall, Ladder Labyrinth and Big Rock (don't miss the Punk Blennies). Once your cleared to fly don't miss the hike up to the top of the volcano (Mt. Scenery). Go at midday when the clouds burn off for a spectacular view of the entire island. A place a true eco-adventurer needs to see- add it to your bucket list now!
Websites Sea Saba   Juliana's Hotel

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Bahamas, Hawaii, Red Sea, Martinique, Mediterranean (France), Utila, Turks & Caicos, Mexico (Caribbean & West Coast), Dominica, Florida, California, Maine & Massachusetts
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 70-90 Ft/ 21-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions depth limits, air usage, protected area
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Saba, in general, is a bit "rough and tumble" which is exactly what makes it so appealing. I would rather be responsible for myself and my own camera gear then having to put up with loud, sunburned tourists.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 122 dive reviews of Saba and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Saba reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.06 seconds