St. Lucia Watersports and Ocean Adventures
Scuba, Snorkeling, and Sailing are Top St. Lucia Water Activities
Sep 30, 2009
Like every Caribbean island, St. Lucia has the full complement of water adventure activities, with kayaking, sailing, diving, and snorkeling leading the list. But two aspects of St. Lucia water sports stand out: Snorkelers and divers will appreciate the especially crystal-clear water, which provides great visibility along with interesting dive sites situated in calm waters only a short boat ride from shore. And above the surface, sailors will enjoy the island's many wonderful views, particularly on the western side of the island, where the twin Pitons dominate the skyline. Most large St. Lucia hotels can book water adventure packages for guests,
SCUBA and Snorkeling in St. Lucia
Hop on a dive boat out of Marigot Bay, a tiny picturesque village at the bottom of a cove on the west side of the island. From the dive shop, a short boat ride leads to the dive and snorkel sites.
Advanced divers should try to sign on for a wreck dive of the Lesleen, one of Lucia's best-known dive sites. The Lesleen is sunk at about 60 feet, making its outside accessible to novice divers with Open Water certification. Qualified divers can go inside the wreck, and do a swim-through of the hallways, which are decorated with the magical colors of brilliant coral that have colonized the ship. The swim-through requires good buoyancy control to keep from banging a tank against the low ceilings of the corridor, and dive masters will typically check out the group’s skill level and water conditions before committing to the dive.
After the swim-through, be sure to look back at the interior rooms: Bubbles from divers inside in the level below expand as they rise, and the bubbles become momentarily trapped against the ceilings. As hundreds of bubbles stick to hundreds of other bubbles, they form a silvery shimmering cloud that looks like something that might be conjured in a potions classroom in a Harry Potter movie.
Don't have a dive certification card? No problem. Dive boats out of Marigot Bay are luxurious by dive boat standards. They have plenty of room for groups of snorkelers, and snorkeling sites near the dive sites have calm waters, shallow reefs, and good visibility of up to 100 feet. There's plenty of room for everyone, and families that include both snorkelers and divers can be accommodated on the same boat.
Sailing Out of Soufriere Near St. Lucia's Pitons
Adventure travelers who have spent the day hiking, climbing zip lining, diving, or taking part in St. Lucia’s other adventure and rainforest activities can hardly find a more relaxing way to end the day than by signing on for a sunset cruise on a sailboat or catamaran. Evening champagne cruises leave from the harbor at Soufriere. Single-hulled sailboats and catamarans are both available; the stability of the double-hulled catamarans makes for a particularly relaxing voyage. Reservations are recommended; they are available directly, or through major St. Lucia hotels.
The cruises provide a relaxing couple of hours of sailing, and offer up-close views of the precipitous Pitons. These two triangular, pointy-peaked mountains (the Gros and Petit Pitons) are St.. Lucia's signature vistas, and seeing them from the water is by far the best view of the mountains.
Whether the St. Lucia visitor prefers active water adventure such as SCUBA diving a wreck, or a more relaxing outing on a gently bobbing sailboat, this Caribbean island offers plenty of both.
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