Golden Rock Resort, a luxury eco-retreat on the picturesque island of St. Eustatius, has announced the opening of its new PADI Dive Center, Statia Divers. Perched cliffside with panoramic views of the coastline, the cutting-edge facility offers a range of PADI courses, valet guided dives and top-tier ScubaPro rental gear.

Statia Divers by Golden Rock Resort provides valet services from their dedicated on-boat dive crew, including gear assembly, transfer to dive boats, refreshments and personalized dive experiences tailored to individual preferences. With two specialized boats, Patricia and Stormy, the crew can accommodate up to 16 and 22 divers respectively. Conveniently located just a short 15-minute drive from the Sint Eustatius harbor, complimentary shuttle services are also offered to and from the dive center.

Catering to divers of all skill levels, the experienced instructors teach a variety of PADI courses ranging from Discover Scuba Diving to advanced specialties like Deep Diving and Divemaster certification. Water training and ‘bubblemaster’ classes are also offered in the resort’s ocean-fed lagoon, the largest in the Caribbean, featuring a sunken American school bus at 9m/27ft deep to simulate realistic diving conditions.

The dive center boasts modern amenities and high-quality Scubapro rental gear like BCD, regulators, fins, masks, air and nitrox compressors, and wetsuits to accommodate diverse diving needs. Additional equipment such as compasses, dive lights and SMBs are included with each rental. For those passionate about underwater photography and videography, a dedicated camera room is equipped with ample workspace and power plugs. An on-site equipment repair room ensures routine service of all dive gear.

St. Eustatius is one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean, with National Geographic naming the pristine waters the “best diving in the Caribbean.” The protected National Marine Park has 36 dive sites, including several 18^th-century shipwrecks and archaeological sites that serve as reefs teeming with colorful marine life. Underwater species range from sea turtles and Caribbean reef sharks to enormous lobsters, Pederson cleaning shrimp and stingrays.

Guests at Golden Rock Resort can also enjoy luxury amenities including two restaurants, two swimming pools, a full-service spa, recreational courts, outdoor yoga sessions, and brand-new paddle and pickleball courts equipped with lighting for both day and night-time play.  

ABOUT GOLDEN ROCK RESORT

Golden Rock Resort is an upscale eco-retreat offering approachable luxury and adventure experiences on the idyllic Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius. Perched on a cliff with panoramic ocean views over the Atlantic, the 40-acre nature resort showcases 75 rooms, suites and standalone cottages dotted throughout the immaculate gardens. The destination’s premiere Breeze Restaurant offers exquisite dishes while Bobbie’s Beach Club showcases a unique fusion cuisine from sushi, hand crafted pizzas and an open grill. Facilities include two pools, a spa, an oceanfront gym, outdoor yoga platform, seventeen-hole mini golf course, multi-purpose tennis court, pickleball and paddle courts and two conference rooms. In 2024, the resort debuted a state-of-the-art PADI Dive Center, which also offers certifications in its man-made, ocean-fed lagoon.

Looking for something unforgettable?

The Dive Worldwide team pride themselves on delivering unique diving holidays in the most exciting and remote destinations around the globe. The expert-led group tours featured below are anything but ordinary – you could take part in vital whale shark research in the Galápagos, go muck diving in the Coral Triangle with an award-winning photojournalist, or experience the full moon manta feeding frenzy at Hanifaru Bay.

Guided by Danny Copeland, Saeed Rashid or Sofía Green Iturralde, marine specialists who are pioneers in their respective fields, these exclusive small group holidays are the ultimate diving experiences.

Maldives Manta Ray Extravaganza with Danny Copeland

Exclusive departure! Sailing 12 Sep 2024
Vessel: Seascape

Join marine conservationist and cameraman Danny Copeland on an exclusive Maldivian liveaboard adventure. Timed to align with the full moon and the peak aggregation of reef manta rays, you can expect to witness a frenzy of feeding activity on your snorkelling excursions in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Hanifaru Bay. While diving the exceptional and rarely visited diving sites in the Baa, Raa and Lhaviyani atolls, the megafauna action may also include green and hawksbill turtles, Napolean wrasse and whale shark.

Danny’s expert knowledge of marine life will be invaluable in helping you to capture these precious moments on camera. In the evenings, he will entertain the group with engaging presentations about marine ecology, conservation and manta ray behaviour. Guests can even contribute to manta ray research by uploading photographs and sightings to the IDtheManta database.

13 days from £3,650pp (flights inc)

Find out more or send an enquiry

Galápagos Whale Shark Expedition with Sofía Green Iturralde

Exclusive departure! 23 Sep 2024
Vessel: Aqua Galapagos

Experience the staggering biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands on this once-in-a-lifetime cruise led by Sofía Green Iturralde, a prominent marine biologist working on the Galápagos Whale Shark Project. You visit during prime whale shark season, which maximises your chances of close encounters with these gentle giants. Throughout the trip, Sofía will impart her wealth of expertise about whale shark behaviour and conservation measures.

The Galápagos islands are world-renowned for diving, and you will have opportunities to explore some of the best sites, including the iconic Wolf & Darwin. While whale sharks are the main focus of this tour, other marine highlights could include Galápagos penguin, hammerhead shark, marine iguana, sea lion, manta ray, Galápagos shark, dolphin and green turtle.

10 days from £6,995pp (flights inc)

Find out more or send an enquiry

Dive and Discover St Helena with Danny Copeland

Exclusive tour! 6 Feb 2025
Dive Resort: Mantis St Helena, Jamestown

Whale shark enthusiasts, this is the tour for you! This exclusive tour to St Helena explores remote waters in the South Atlantic which are home to whale shark, along with Chilean devil ray, dolphin, wahoo, tuna, and dorado. The action-packed itinerary includes a 10-dive package and at least two days of snorkelling with enormous adult whale sharks.

Sharing the experience with a maximum of 11 other guests and marine expert Danny Copeland, you will uncover the mysteries of the St Helena whale shark aggregation – a phenomenon which is fascinating marine scientists globally. You stay at the Mantis St Helena resort in Jamestown, from where you have opportunities to explore the island, visit Plantation House and perhaps meet a 186-year-old giant tortoise. After busy days exploring an inspiring underwater world of sea mounts, caverns, wrecks and thriving marine life, you can listen to Danny’s insightful ocean-themed presentations.

12 days from £4,645pp (flights inc)

Find out more or send an enquiry

Muck and Magic in North Sulawesi with Saeed Rashid

Exclusive tour! 17 Jun 2025
Dive Resorts: Dive into Lembeh & Coral Eye Resort

Join award-winning underwater photojournalist Saeed Rashid to explore two of North Sulawesi’s diving hotspots – the Lembeh Strait and the Bangka archipelago This spectacular adventure includes up to 36 dives and, with expert guidance from Saeed, is perfect for muck diving enthusiasts and budding photographers alike.

Discover weird and wonderful species hiding in Lembeh’s black lava sand and pristine corals. Dubbed the ‘Critter Capital’, Lembeh is the perfect place to practice macro photography on seahorses, octopuses, nudibranchs, frogfish, pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, crustaceans and more. Your next stop is the former marine research centre Coral Eye Resort – now a vibrant hub for ocean lovers and divers. Here the fringing reefs, volcanic walls and coral-encrusted pinnacles are teeming with marine life, from pygmy seahorses to reef sharks and even dugongs!

17 days from £4,995pp (flights inc)

Find out more or send an enquiry

Azores with Danny Copeland

Exclusive departure! 12 July 2025
Vessel: Water & Wind

Join an intimate group liveaboard adventure comprising up to 15 outstanding dives, all guided by Danny Copeland. Arriving at the height of the Azores’ short diving season, you can expect excellent diving conditions and wonderful encounters with friendly dusky groupers, devil rays and other large pelagic species. Explore famous dive sites, such as Formigas and Dollabarat Marine Park, while discovering a captivating underwater world of pinnacles, candy floss corals and fascinating rock formations.

‘I’m especially excited to return to these islands with a rare offering onboard the Water & Wind liveaboard.  The combination of a small, close-knit dive group, greater flexibility to adapt to the weather, and the opportunity to visit the coasts of more than one island and the big pelagics that visit them, will make this a truly special diving adventure.’ – Danny Copeland

8 days from £3,365pp (flights inc)

Find out more or send an enquiry

Plunge into Dive Worldwide’s Holiday Brochure

Inside you’ll discover a wide range of highly recommended dive resorts and liveaboards operating in the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia and other top diving destinations around the world. To help you choose where to go on your next diving adventure, the brochure is also packed with expert articles written by Dive Worldwide’s highly experienced professional dive team. Request your copy.

Booking your Holiday with Dive Worldwide

Dive Worldwide hand-picks the world’s best diving holidays – from small groups to liveaboard adventures, snorkelling tours and resort-based diving trips.  Combining 20+ years’ travel experience with a dynamic team of seasoned SCUBA diving professionals, Dive Worldwide can draw from a unique depth of knowledge to give you the best possible diving experience.

They are a fully independent organisation offering 100% financial protection and can offer superb tailor-made holidays catering to your specific diving interests, such as underwater photography, wreck, shark, luxury or technical diving. Check out the latest special offers on diving holidays here.

They also have a strong focus on protecting the oceans, supporting a range of marine conservation charities and promoting responsible, sustainable diving practices wherever possible.

Their dive experts are ready to help. Call 01962 302 087 or send an enquiry to reservations@diveworldwide.com

Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.