St Helena, sitting out in the Southern Atlantic between Africa and South America, is one of the most remote diving destinations in the world. Its location in this vast ocean means that the coastline has been carved out by the forces of nature. Above water, forests give way to plunging cliffs and underwater giant steps, caves and caverns have been carved out of the stone over millennia.
For divers, this means that there are great places to explore, with overhead swim-throughs and dramatic seascape providing the backdrop to most of the dives here.
The thing that strikes you when you slip into the water in St Helena is the sheer abundance of marine life. The waters are protected from over-fishing and it shows. It has been a long time since we have dived a destination so full of life. Octopus, eels and crustaceans take shelter in every crevice. Schools of fish seek shelter under the overhangs and in the caverns. Between January and March, large numbers of Whale Sharks aggregate in these waters. Dolphins surf the waves in their hundreds, while mobula rays cruise below and humpback whales come here to calf. All this, and you will be in the water with only a handful of others on any dive you do!
The sheltered caverns that have been carved out of the rocks provide shelter where more delicate species can thrive and divers are warned to be careful not to disturb this precious ecosystem.
Flights into St Helena are via South Africa on Airlink and in peak season (Jan-Mar) you can now fly from either Johannesburg or Cape Town, making this a perfect opportunity to plan a longer dual destination trip. St Helena offers divers the chance to get off the beaten track and try somewhere very few divers have ever explored. Whale Sharks, wrecks, a diver’s playground created by Poseidon himself – there is lots to love on this island.
To read more about our trip you can pick up the latest copy of Dive Travel Adventures or read it online by clicking here.
For more information visit:
St Helena Tourism: www.sthelenatourism.com
Dive Saint Helena: www.divesainthelena.com
All images and text by Nick and Caroline of Frogfish Photography.
Equipment used:
- Olympus OMD EM-1 MKII
- Nikon D800
- Nauticam Housings
- INON Strobes
