News
Lovin’ Saint Lucia: Diving in the Shadow of the Iconic Pitons (Part 1)
Whilst we have been lucky enough to dive in much of the Caribbean, Saint Lucia was still on our wish list. Until November, when we got a chance to visit this beautiful island on a 6-night diving trip that would see us enjoy incredible scenery both above and below the waves. We were able to sample three different hotels, dined at a host of local eateries, spoke to local school kids about the ocean and even took a tour into the rainforest canopy. Find out all about this trip over this series of three blogs on Scubaverse.
The Pitons are the most recognisable volcanic peaks in the Caribbean and are the symbol of Saint Lucia. Our first couple of days of diving would be in their shadow and what a backdrop they make. They are in the south of the island, and as we were based in the north, we had a 30-40 minute boat ride to take in the stunning coastline. We watched as pelicans and brown boobies hunted in the shallow water just off the coast, as we put our dive gear together.
Alas extremely heavy rain the day before we arrived had caused havoc with the visibility. The more northern dive sites were to remain un-divable all week. Even the southern dive sites we were heading to now had suffered. We were not holding out much hope for our images. But as we dropped below the surface at our fist site – Superman Drift, we were stunned at the healthy and colourful reef that greeted us. This must be a very special dive in good conditions, as we were delighted with it even though the vis was down to just around 10 meters.
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- Beautiful corals are a feature of diving in the south of Saint Lucia
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- A moray eel followed throughout the dive
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- Our guide surfaces in front of the Pitons
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- Colour and marine life feature heavily
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- Schools of fish swim over the reef
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- Glassfish in cavern
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- Our dive boat with Pitons in background
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- Diver and elkhorn coral
At Keyhole Pinnacles, a moray eel took a shine to us and accompanied us for the majority of the dive. Just when we thought it had settled and found a crevice in the reef that suited, he or she would see us move away and come out free swimming alongside us.
Fairyland and Anste Chastanet also delighted us with sponges, coral and marine life covering every inch of our dives. It was wonderful to see large, healthy elkhorn and staghorn corals. The swim through at the end of the dive, filled with glassfish, was a real treat to finish off this part of our diving.
Saint Lucia is very well known for its beauty. It has to be the most stunning of Caribbean islands with its lush rainforest covering the hills and mountains and tumbling down to the white beaches and sparkling blue water. But for us it was the warmth of the people that put Saint Lucia firmly in our hearts. Our crew at Eastern Caribbean Diving could not have been more helpful and the greeting we got from every member of staff at the Bay Gardens Marina Haven made us feel so welcome.
Nick and Caroline were hosted by:
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Beautiful corals are a feature of diving in the south of Saint Lucia
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Our guide surfaces in front of the Pitons
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Colour and marine life feature heavily
-
Schools of fish swim over the reef
-
A moray eel followed throughout the dive
-
Diver and elkhorn coral
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Glassfish in cavern
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Our dive boat with Pitons in background
Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s relentless campaigns to make Britain shark fin-free reached a new milestone last week when a private member’s bill to ban the import and export of shark fins was voted through parliament with unanimous cross-party support.
The bill is now scheduled for three readings in the House of Lords and, if successful, it will then go to King Charles for Royal Ascent and become law.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said:
“Our goal of ending Britain’s ties with the global shark fin trade is within our reach. This country has a dark history of exporting around 20 tonnes of shark fins every year and it remains legal to bring up to 20kg of dried shark fins through Customs without needing to declare it. This bill could represent a significant blow to the multi-million-pound shark fin industry. It’s now down to the House of Lords to smooth its path to the palace.”
Since July 2022 the charity has been consulting the Labour MP Christina Rees who put forward the private member’s bill after the government failed to bring its Animal Welfare Bill, that promised to ban the import and export of shark fins, into law last year.
To help improve support for the bill, Bite-Back also created a briefing document on the issues for all MPs to reference. During the bill’s final reading in the House of Commons MPs from different parties wholeheartedly endorsed the ban on the import and export of shark fins.
In her closing statement Christina Rees MP said that she hoped this bill would ‘drive up the standards of global shark conservation’.
Bite-Back will now turn its attention to educating and inspiring members of the House of Lords to vote in favour of a ban.
Follow the bill’s progress at www.bite-back.com and learn how you can get involved in supporting shark conservation initiatives in the UK.
Header image: Finned sharks underwater- Copyright – Scubazoo.
Join us on some of the most spectacular and exciting Dive Travel Adventures worldwide!
The latest issue of Scubaverse’s printed premium quality, quarterly publication, Dive Travel Adventures, is available now. After an extended hiatus due to world events, we’re delighted to be back bigger and better than ever before as we share with you the Winter 2023 edition.
Packed full of incredible photography and first person travel experiences, Dive Travel Adventures will inspire you to put on your scuba gear and explore more of the underwater world. From amazing marine encounters to edge of your seat expeditions across the planet, Dive Travel Adventures offers you an insight into the hottest and coolest dive travel destinations the world has to offer. Get ready to tick some incredible Dive Travel Adventures off your wish list!
In the new Winter 2023 edition of Dive Travel Adventures:
BAHAMAS
Nick and Caroline’s long-held dreams of epic Tiger Shark encounters come to fruition on their return trip to Grand Bahama.
MEXICO
Black Manta Photography take a trip to Mexico’s Caribbean coast for a twin centre holiday that showcases the incredible underwater diversity of Cozumel and Playacar.
TRAVEL GUIDE: AZORES
Into the Blue: Hovering around the dramatically beautiful mid-Atlantic archipelago with Daniel Brinckmann.
FUERTEVENTURA
Yo-Han Cha takes a short flight to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura for a week of relaxed diving and some winter sun.
LUNDY ISLAND
Lundy Island offers an off the beaten track experience along with fantastic scenery above and below the waterline. Jane Morgan explores.
SNORKELING SCOTLAND
Nick and Caroline take advantage of the international travel hiatus to seek out some underwater highlights a little closer to home.
PALAU
Jay Clue heads to Palau to discover what makes this spectacular Pacific archipelago one of the most diverse dive destinations on our planet.
JORDAN
Sean Chinn returns to Aqaba for the scuttling of a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar Plane.
EGYPT
After many a difficult time with suspended flights and then the COVID pandemic, Sharm el Sheikh is firmly back on the map for UK divers. Nick and Caroline head out to see what’s new.
View or download a digital copy of the WINTER 2023 edition of Dive Travel Adventures HERE.
Want a printed copy? The printed edition of Dive Travel Adventures is available to pick up FREE from dive centres throughout the UK and Ireland now, so make sure you pick up your copy today. See a complete list of stockists HERE.
New outlets where you can pick up Dive Travel Adventures are being added to the list all the time. In addition to being available from dive centres, copies will also be delivered to your door with selected orders from leading manufacturers and retailers. You can also pick up your FREE copy of Dive Travel Adventures at various dive shows and events.
We hope you enjoy reading the latest edition of Dive Travel Adventures! Let us know your thoughts on our new publication in the comments below!
Keep up to date with all things #DTA on our Dive Travel Adventures Facebook page and on Instagram.
Look out for the Spring 2023 edition of Dive Travel Adventures coming soon!
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