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1 SABA/ST. KITTS 38

2 Caribbean Explorer II The liveaboard experience is luxurious and focused on one thing maximum diving pleasure. Hard-core divers who don t mind interacting with a small group out at sea for a week, would love this excursion. By SOLOMON BAKSH Luxury LIVEABOARD Tent Reef is probably the most striking reef in Saba with vibrant sponges, enormous gorgonians and teeming with fish life 39

3 The Boat Eat. Dive. Sleep well, sleeping is optional. It s a liveaboard lifestyle getting up from your bed every day for a week with a view of a breathtaking sunrise from your window, the ocean always in sight, a hot breakfast and another day of great diving. It s the nature of these trips that make them so attractive. Plying the open ocean to different dive sites every day and over the course of the week giving the diver a variety of diving experiences rather than being stuck in the heart of civilization. Imagine: never having to worry about lugging your dive gear around; three full, fine gourmet meals a day, with lots of great snacks in between and unlimited alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks to wind down your day. The first-class crew makes it all happen! I experienced all of this and more aboard the Caribbean Explorer II. A week s journey that started at the marina in St. Maarten. Then it was over to Saba for three days of diving on some of the most spectacular reefs in the region, ending in St. Kitts with another three days of diving. Welcome aboard the Caribbean Explorer, Captain Tim beamed, extending his hand to assist me off the docks in St. Maarten. Please remove your shoes. You will not need those while onboard. We want you to be comfortable and relaxed, he said before I had time to put down my bags. He handed me a small crate that I threw my shoes into. That was the last I saw of them until seven days later. I was the first guest to arrive on board the boat and was given the best location to set up my gear right next to the exit. Amenities The Caribbean Explorer II was well laid out. The upper deck housed the galley, airconditioned dining area and sun deck. The diving area was on the main deck. The first thing that I noticed was the oversized camera table large enough for about ten full-sized SLR housings with strobes. Nearby was a covered charging station with ample outlets. The hot showers were ideally located for divers as they exited the water, so too were the toilet facilities. There were a couple of bins filled with fresh water at the back of the boat for smaller cameras. The scuba tanks were filled in place so there was no need to take apart the gear between dives. 32% Nitrox was also available. The main and lower decks were the sleeping accommodations for eighteen guests, crew quarters and a boatique that sold Caribbean Explorer II branded clothing. The was also an endless supply of water, iced tea, coffee, sodas, fresh fruits, snacks and alcoholic beverages in the dining room. The crew There were seven highly experienced crew members on board: Tim Heaton, Captain, USA; Chris Johnson, Engineer, USA; Nichol Schilling, Purser, Germany; Instructors Claire Keany, Scotland; Brett Lockhoff, USA; Joe Lamontage, Canada. The person responsible for keeping all of us well fed was chef, Sarah Dauphinee, USA. Every day was an epicurean delight with Sarah serving up Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, Caribbean and BBQ dishes. Besides the diving, the one thing that I looked forward to every day was the buffet-style meals. The Itinerary The vessel departs Saturday s from either St. Maarten or St. Kitts. Itineraries include 5 1 /2 days of diving; two to three days within the Saba Marine Park and two to three days at St. Kitts. Five dives daily are normally offered, including night dives. The schedule also provides for up to three island tours during the week and there is ample time for guests to explore forts, rainforests, duty-free shops and museums. Liveaboard diving is a different kind of experience from typical land-based vacations. If you don t get seasick and prefer a more quiet dive getaway, among a small group, then this is something every diver should strive for, at some point in life. This particular trip offers a chance to touch three different islands but dive in the waters of two, so there some change in scenery when you get on land or move between the countries. 40

4 Chef Sarah grilling burgers and hot dogs for lunch Hungry divers enjoying lunch after a morning of fun dives Claire giving a dive briefing about Diamond Rock on the main deck Spacious rooms and comfortable beds are exactly what divers need at the end of the day Divers listening attentively for their name as Nichol does the roll call during the simulated fire drill Between dives guests can relax on the upper deck either in the air-conditioned salon or on the sun deck 41

5 DAY 1 Ladder Labyrinth Stick your hand in the sand and you will feel how hot it is, Claire suggested during her briefing. She was referring to the geothermal activity under the sand at Ladder Labyrinth, the site of our first dive. Brett, who was also leading the dive, explained that the sites at Ladder Bay has the most geothermal activity than any other sites around Saba. The spur-and-groove reef was covered with a wide variety of sponges and gorgonians. A large school of tarpon hovered just above a massive barrel sponge. As I laid patiently on the sand waiting on a yellowhead jawfish to pop out of its hole, a massive hawksbill turtle gently glided overhead. Though I did not manage to photograph the yellowhead jawfish on this dive I was more successful when we returned to Ladder Labyrinth for the third dive. Tent Wall Descending to a depth of 100 feet, Tent Wall is the only true wall dive in Saba. It is heavily covered with massive barrel and elephant ear sponges with towering yellow and stove-pipe sponges sticking out of the sheer wall. I was too engrossed in photographing the streaming school of Creole wrasse descending from the top of the reef that I missed the two hawksbill turtles that Claire spotted feeding on a leathery sponge. Swimming away from the wall, we explored a twin pinnacle nearby but because it was much deeper we only spent a few minutes there. Bright, colorful sponges on Tent Wall Torrens Point This is one of the most protected sites in Saba and also one of the shallowest dive sites. The highlight of this dive is a swimthrough into a small cave located near the sheer cliff. I followed Claire through the maze of massive boulders that form the reef. Huge schools of bigeyes and blackbar soldierfish were hidden in the recesses of the large overhangs and narrow swim-throughs. This site was a haven for macros. There was everything from sea slugs to tiny squat anemone shrimp. A series of small patch reefs leading away from the shoreline was home to numerous blennies, eels, crabs and an assortment of juvenile fish. Because of its shallow depth and diverse marine life it was the site for the night dive. 42

6 Yellowhead jawfish Tent Wall is almost vertical and heavily encrusted with sponges Squat anemone shrimp Creole wrasse and brown chromis on Tent Wall 43

7 DAY 2 The large overhangs on Big Rock Market are covered with orange cup corals, encrusting sponges and brilliant fairy basslets Measuring only quarter of an inch, wire coral shrimp can be quite difficult to spot Divers enjoying a gentle drift dive along Tent Wall 44

8 Customs House Reef Located under the old customs house on Ladder Bay, this inshore reef is a massive coral head surrounded by sand. The northern side of the reef extends to a depth of 130 feet while the southern end is only 30 feet deep. Joe led us around this easy-to-navigate reef pointing out hawksbill turtles, massive green eels, sea slugs and sizeable snappers. Numerous large spiny lobsters lined the edge of the reef. The lengthy devil s sea whips hosted several species of wire coral shrimp. On my way back to the mooring, I spotted a small Caribbean reef shark swimming around a small patch reef but it quickly swam off as I approached. Once all of the divers were back on board, Captain Tim motored the CE II to Diamond Rock for the next dive but due to increased wind, it was unsafe to moor the boat so the decision was made to return to Tent Wall for our second dive. The visibility was much better than the previous day and following Brett, we explored the southern end of the wall. The barrel and elephant ear sponges were noticeably smaller but the tube sponges were much taller. There certainly was more variety of fish on today s dive blue and brown chromis, angelfish, groupers and snappers. Big Rock Market Captain Tim moved the CE II to Big Rock Market on the south of the island for the next two dives. This was a wise decision as there was less wind here. Big Rock Market is one of three biogenic reefs in Saba. These biogenic reefs are coralline in nature, unlike the rest of the island, where the reefs are made up of encrusted andesites and rocks. Claire and Joe lead us through some spectacular reef formations. Massive overhangs were covered with orange cup corals, encrusting sponges and hundreds of fairy basslets. The countless crevices were home to banded coral shrimp, crabs and small eels. I slowly approached a small patch of garden eels on the sand, between two coral heads but they were wary of my presence and retreated into their burrows. We returned to Ladder Labyrinth for the night dive. Intensely vivid sponges and a wide variety of marine life are common among Saba s reefs 45

9 DAY 3 Diamond Rock Another perfect day in paradise! The wind had completely died down, there was not a cloud in the sky and the sea was perfectly flat. During breakfast, Captain Tim announced that since conditions were ideal, we would be heading over to Diamond Rock for our first dive. This is definitely one of my favorite dives in Saba. Easy to navigate and full of marine life. Lots to see. I especially like looking for nudibranchs, Claire beamed. This was our last day on Saba and diving Diamond Rock was at top of my list followed by Man O War Shoals. The top of the pinnacle extends about 150 feet out of the water while the base is at 85 feet completely surrounded by sand. The walls were adorned with bright and colorful sponges, gorgonians, sea fans and a variety of encrusting sponges. A large school of bar jacks patrolled around the pinnacle, feeding on the thousands of baitfish. Man O War Shoal This twin pinnacle was my favorite dive in Saba. There was everything to see here: massive hawksbill turtles, blacktip sharks, nurse sharks, barracudas, octopus and a mix of schooling fish. The best way to explore Man O War Shoal is to swim around the two pinnacles in a figure-8 pattern, Joe suggested. That way you will be able to cover the entire site. The top of the pinnacles rises to about 15 feet of the surface and is completely covered with large yellow cup corals, yellow tube sponges and a large school of sergeant major and Creole fish. Tent Reef has a good mix of a diverse variety of sponges Tent Reef This was the site for the next three dives. Starting at the base of the mooring at 15 feet atop a plateau, we slipped over the edge and onto some enormous rocks that formed most of reef. These rocks were heavily covered with massive gorgonians, barrel sponges and sea fans. Tent Reef must be done in at least two dives especially if you are a photographer since there are some stunning wide-angle reefscapes and scores of macro subjects. Nichol found the first frogfish atop a small orange sponge. No sooner had she pointed it out, divers with cameras descended upon the little frogfish and strobes began firing off. I felt like a paparazzo. Later on that dive, we found two more frogfishes hanging out together. The night dive was just awesome! Lots of anemones, countless shrimps, flying gurnards, squids and of course, frogfishes. 46

10 Man O War Shoal Full of fish life, Diamond Rock is an easy dive to navigate These two frogfishes are a regular sight on Tent Reef Clean water and brilliant sponges at Man O War Shoal Diamond Rock is adorned with brightly colored sponges and gorgonians An abundance of marine life is everywhere on Saba s reefs 47

11 DAY 4 Paradise Reef Located on the northwest of St. Kitts, Paradise Reef is where we do our first two dives. There are numerous anchors, some centuries old, scattered throughout this site. Most are easy to spot but some are heavily encrusted with coral and sponges making them difficult to recognize, Brett explained. On this dive I found four sizeable anchors. One was completely covered with sponges and anemones. Brett found a few smaller ones. I followed a labyrinth of swim-throughs filled with blackbar soldierfish, chromis and grunts and passing towering, brightly colored sponge encrusted walls We returned here for the night dive to find giant anemones, peacock flounders, lengthy green moray eels and numerous crabs. Old anchors, like this one, can easily be seen on Paradise Reef Anchors Aweigh Just north of Paradise Reef was our next dive site. Home to some enormous 18th century anchors, Anchors Aweigh offers a spectacular vista of multicolored sponge encrusted reefs as well as a plenitude of macro subjects. There was an abundance of overhangs and swim-throughs packed with juvenile pea-sized trunkfish, channel cling crabs and cryptic teardrop crabs. Large southern stingrays, garden eels and queen conch were on the large, sandy patches between the coral heads. Roughhead blenny Large and multicolored coral heads like this one are scattered throughout Paradise Point 48

12 There are countless cleaning stations like this one with Pederson cleaning shrimp An old porthole on Anchors Aweigh No larger than the size of a pea, the juvenile trunkfish can be quite difficult to photograph Night dives are a good time to see this nocturnal red night shrimp Anchors Aweigh is a good site for finding 18th-century anchors 49

13 DAY 5 The wreck of the River Taw is now home to many species of fish and it is heavily covered with sponges and corals 50

14 Old Road Bay This is another great site to find some old anchors. The one that lies near the mooring is an excellent photo subject because there is a resident school of blackbar soldierfish that constantly swim around the flukes of the anchor. Occasionally a small school of brown chromis and Creole wrasse would pass by. The reef slopes steeply to a depth of 120 feet and is worth exploring, as there is a lot of fish activity here: horse-eye jacks, Bermuda chubs, Creole fish and rainbow runners. The angelfishes on this reef are some of the largest that I have seen anywhere else on St. Kitts. River Taw One of the most popular sites in St. Kitts is the wreck of the River Taw located just off Frigate Bay. The 144-foot inter-island cargo ship was in operation for several decades until it sank in 50 feet of water It sat perfectly upright on a sandy bottom until 1989 when hurricane Hugo split the ship into two pieces. The bow and the stern lie perpendicular to each other about 50 feet apart. The River Taw is covered with a proliferation of yellow tube sponges, blackball sponges, slit-pore sea rods, large sea fans and other encrusting sponges. Yellowtail snappers, sergeant majors, barjack and bluehead wrasse are the dominant fishes here. I was greeted by an enormous black barracuda that was lying motionless in the centre of the stern section, as I made my way to the bow. The wreck was heavily covered with sponges and encrusting corals. There were numerous smaller fish hiding in the nooks and crannies and the torn edges of the hull offer dramatic views and many opportunities for exploration. Penetrating the bow is easy as there are no entanglements and it is most dramatic either early morning or late evening as the light streaming through the portholes, illuminate the interior. Near the wreck, lies a sunken bulldozer and the remains of a cargo van, offering good photo opportunities. With a maximum depth of 50 feet, we were able to take our time and explore the River Taw without much concern for decompression limits. It s easy to understand why it has been rated in the past, as one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean. At night, the wreck comes alive with lobsters, moray eels, octopus and numerous basket stars. Old Road Bay is another good site to find old anchors The remains of this old cargo van near the River Taw makes a great photo subject A large school of Creole wrasse swimming over a multicolored coral head on Old Road Bay 51

15 DAY 6 Monkey Shoal is an expanse of multicolored reefs situated between St. Kitts and Nevis A Caribbean spiny lobster hanging out under a coral head on Monkey Shoal 52

16 Monkey Shoals It is the last day of diving on the Caribbean Explorer II and Captain Tim anchored the boat in the shallows between St. Kitts and Nevis, in an area called Monkey Shoals. At first, it did not appear to be a particularly interesting dive site but that all changed when Joe found two nurse sharks laying at the base of an enormous barrel sponge. During the two dives that I made on this reef, I found flying gurnards rummaging through the coral rubble looking for a morsel of food and scores of lobsters under ledges. Judging from the size of the barrel sponges and towering yellow tube sponges, it was obvious that the currents passing through here brought with it, copious amount of nutrients. I spent the entire hour of the second dive on the sand just off the mooring block, shooting macros. An endless supply of subjects included: sailfin blennies, yellowhead jawfish and several varieties of coral shrimps, dragonets and sea slugs. Monkey Shoals did not disappoint me after all. It was in fact the healthiest reef system in St. Kitts. Sailfin blenny KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Saba ST. KITTS NEVIS What to bring: Packing for a live-aboard trip is much easier than packing for a land-based vacation. The climate doesn t require much more than shorts, T-shirts, and swimsuits (you may consider slacks, dress shorts or sundresses for dinner ashore in St. Maarten or St. Kitts). Sunblock lotion, sunglasses, a visor or hat is recommended. In case of rough weather or if you have a tendency towards seasickness, bring motion sickness medication. Certification Card (required to avoid a $100 checkout fee for certified divers) is necessary and a log book (strongly encourage). Equipment: The vessel provides tanks, weights, and weight belts for your use. If you prefer to rent the rest of your equipment from us, we have all of the equipment that you will need. If bringing your own gear, pack your regulator, dive computer, mask, a swimsuit, change of clothes and toiletries in your carryon bag, in the event of a luggage delay. On-board charges: Though all meals (except Friday s dinner), beverages, transportation between islands, and much more has been taken care of with your trip payment, there are additional items which you may charge to your on-board bill. These include retail items (shirts, scuba accessories, etc.), incoming and outgoing telephone calls, photographic and/ or scuba instruction, rentals, crew gratuities, a temporary fuel surcharge, departure tax and Marine Park fees. The bill may be paid at the end of the trip using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or cash. Currency: $US cash or credit card for St. Maarten or have some $EC for St. Kitts and Nevis Getting there: Boarding from St. Maarten (SXM): Air France, Alitalia, Air Caraibes from Paris, KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) from Amsterdam, AA, US Airways, United or Delta from U.S. cities and LIAT or Caribbean Airlines from within the Caribbean. Boarding form St. Kitts (SKB): LIAT from St. Maarten and AA, US Airways, United or Delta from U.S. cities The daily dive log for the week of diving on the Caribbean Explorer II for Saba and St. Kitts 53