Scuba Diving in St. Eustatius

If You Love Exploring Coral Reefs
St. Eustatius is blessed with a beautiful variety of coral reefs. Gray reef sharks, eagle rays, and nurse sharks make appearances at the deeper walls and pinnacles. There’s a nice mix of soft and hard coral in the shallow reefs.

The lava flows and boulder slides create amazing coral labyrinths that are fun to explore. Photographers can snap portraits of rare animals, like flying gurnards, high hats, spotted drum fish, and jack-knife fish, and there’s also enormous lobsters that are well-deserving of your spotlight.

A few dive sites have stronger currents and vertical drop-offs, but for the most part the water is calm with good visibility.

If You Love History
St. Eustatius is littered with historic wrecks, many of which are still being surveyed or discovered, and the island is home to numerous archaeological sites. As a scuba diver, you’ll get to explore a couple dive sites with sunken artifacts, like a 1700s shipwreck that’s mostly eroded, but offers a photo-op with its coral-encrusted anchor.

Triple Wreck is both a great dive site and also a significant archaeological site. You can find centuries-old grappling hooks (used in the golden age of naval warfare) and also a human bone — a chilling reminder that some wrecks are also tombs. Divemasters ensure that no artifacts are taken from the dive sites.

In some places, you’re allowed to bring up “blue beads” if you’re lucky enough to find one. The beads were a form of currency for enslaved people. How they ended up in the water is unclear; legend has it that the slaves hurled the beads into the ocean upon discovering that slavery had been abolished, but the beads might have also been cast off in shipwrecks.

If You’re Looking for a Hidden Gem
Looking for a quiet getaway? St. Eustatius is one of the most overlooked islands in the Caribbean. You can explore the national parks and colonial ruins without the annoyance of dense tourist crowds. Overcrowded dive sites are rare, if nonexistent.