Saba is a five square mile island in the northeastern Caribbean, 28 miles south of St. Maarten. Together with Statia, these three islands form the Windward Islands of the Dutch Caribbean which is part of the Dutch kingdom. Known as the "Unspoiled Queen," Saba earns this reputation from her rich, tropical, natural, beauty. At 2,864 feet above sea level, a dense rain forest often peeks out from a light, cool cloud of moisture. Basically, Saba is a dormant volcano which rises straight out of the sea and it is home to truly superb diving in waters which have been completely protected for the last fifteen years.
Saba is very mountainous and has the famous "Mount Scenery" (approx. 880m with 1064 steps) which is also known as "Holland's highest mountain". There are 4 villages on Saba: The Bottom, Windwardside, St John's and Hell's Gate. Saba's airport is famous for being the world's smallest commercial airstrip (approx. 400m in length).
There is only one main road on Saba, which was actually built by hand between 1933 and 1947. The island first had television in 1965, and a 24hr. electrical system was established in 1970.
Although Saba does not have any beaches, it is renowned for the fascinating rainforest full of amazing flora and fauna (humming birds and iguanas, for example). The Saba Conservation Foundation established many hiking trails for all levels of ability. There are many wonderful dive sites around the island of Saba.
The whole coast and surrounding waters belong to the Saba Marine Park. The underwater world is totally unspoiled and extremely well preserved. There are approx. 30 diving buoys especially designated for your enjoyment.

Diving
Saba's beauty extends below the waterline into an exciting marine environment rich in corals and active with fish life. A busy population of colourful tropical fish as well as large groupers and jacks live around Saba. Lava tunnels and hot springs remind divers of the dramatic volcanic beginnings of the island. The small leeward side hosts gentle, medium depth, spur and groove formations. Along the edge of Saba's sheer wall dives, divers can sight turtles and rays of all shapes and sizes. Since the island is so small, dive boats can reach all sites within minutes

In 1987, a marine park was established with permanent moorings, regulations of use and maintenance and a strong conservation attitude. At that time there were still few divers visiting Saba. The result is controlled diver impact and undamaged reef life.
To recognise this tremendous effort, the Dutch navy donated a four person recompression chamber, now backed up by volunteers from all the dive shops. All dive operations abide by the rules of the park and benefit from their ongoing research and education. Weekly slide shows are given to entertain and inform divers of Saba's special marine life.
Saba's Marine Park has received several honours and remains the only park of its kind in the world to be completely self-sufficient in its operation.
The park is situated around the entire island and includes the waters and seabed from the highwater mark down to a depth of 200 feet, as well as offshore seamounts. A zoning system is applied to get the best possible compromise between different uses of the marine environment.
Park Features
Saba is a dormant volcano that rises steeply from the ocean. Depths of a 1000 feet and over are found within half a mile from shore. The nearshore environs offer some very interesting and extremely varied diving, while the offshore dives will leave you absolutely speechless. Here are just a few examples.

Third Encounter maximum depth: 110 feet/33m
Third Encounter and "Eye of the needle" are one of three dive sites on the underwater plateau in front of the island, about half a mile west of Ladder Bay. Usually dived from the plateau towards the pinnacle (a must on Saba) which rises from about 200 feet / 60 m to within 90 feet / 27 m of the surface. You will be overwhelmed by this untouched rock, which is full of giant sponges and all kinds of colourful corals. While diving towards the "needle" it appears slowly out of the "big blue". Most dives you can expect to see nurse sharks sleeping under the rocks and black tip sharks patrolling the area.
Twilight Zone maximum depth: 110 feet/33m
Twilight Zone is one of the great dives sites on Saba. Going down the mooring line you reach the pinnacle at about 95ft / 28 m. From there you circle it passing big groupers and jacks. Upon reaching the other side we will find a wall dropping off to the bottom of the ocean. The chance of seeing nurse and black tip sharks here is quite high. There is also excellent macro life on the wall and plateau.
Outer Limits maximum depth: 110 feet/33m
Starting from the mooring line you have several options. A dramatic drop off on one side of the pinnacle and a wall to the left. To continue the dive you can follow the plateau and see many of Saba's fantastic aquatic marine life. In cracks and little holes you can find black or goldspotted moray eels, shrimps and many other little inhabitants of the reef. Passing sharks are common at this fine dive site.
Shark Shoal maximum depth: 120 feet/37m
This is actually one of the best dive sites! Going down the mooring line there is a good chance to see sharks patrolling or even hunting. The top of the pinnacle is covered with a few huge giant sponges. Under one of them is a hole where you often find some big crabs or lobsters. The current side of the pinnacle provides large schools of fish and sometimes turtles and huge groupers at their cleaning station. The Drop off on almost each side offers you a view down to the bottom of the ocean at about 300 ft / 90 m. Beautiful overhangs and inlets where you can look for many of Saba's aquatic marine life. Behind the main pinnacle there is a second, with a valley in between. As you follow the dive towards the second pinnacle, which has a peak at 120 feet/37 m, you have the full panorama of the main pinnacle and it is always a good idea to look towards the surface because sharks are often seen cruising above.
Diamond Rock maximum depth: 80 feet/24m
Coming out of the sea it is a beautiful scenic spot and a great place to take pictures. Covered with guano it looks like a diamond in the bright sunlight. Around the rock is sandy bottom. From the mooring line you dive toward the rock and it appears out of the blue in its full majestic sight. On the sandy ground you can find stingrays and the rock offers hundreds of interesting views and spots to look at. Whether it's the rocky ground around it or the walls. The rock is full of surprises and many divers want to dive this incredible spot more than once. On the backside there is a huge boulder behind the main rock which rises from the bottom, at 80 feet/24 m to within 30 feet/10 m, to the surface. This boulder creates a nice valley where you can dive through. Most dives you will see nurse sharks, big baracudas, turtles, and large schools of fish, like the yellowfin tuna and Horseeye Jacks.
Man-of-War maximum depth: 70 feet/21m
Close to Diamond Rock this dive site is easy to dive. Another jewel of Saba's Marine Park. Easy diving with lots of fun. You can dive around the two big rocks that sit on the sandy ground. In between is a little canyon with some crevices where reef fish and nurse sharks can hide.
Torrens Point maximum depth: 40 feet/12m
From the boat you can see the sandy patches and rocks at this easy and beautiful site. This is a good snorkel and dive area. Many turtles are around Torrens Point and while you dive slowly around the area you may see seahorses and many juvenile fishes beneath the rocks. From 15 ft / 5 m to about 50 ft / 15 m it offers many various tours throughout a labyrinth of big boulders and small caves.
Babylon maximum depth: 80 feet/24m
Right under the mooring at about 50 ft / 15 m there is a large overhang with small caves underneath. You may encounter lobster and large fish cruising around. Diving towards the open sea the tour will bring you down to approx. 80 ft / 25 m. The lava is overgrown with all kind of corals. Schools of blue tang come to eat at the reef and many other reef inhabitants can be seen in holes and on top of the reef. Towards the island the reef becomes even rockier and with luck you will see turtles and nurse sharks as well as black durgons and arrow crabs.
Ladder Labyrinth maximum depth: 80 feet/26m
A large sandy area around the mooring offers a spectacular start to your dive. Look out for seahorses. On the sand you will see some yellow patches. Sticking your hand into these will gives you a warm sensation due to the volcanic history of the island. Lava fingers heading down to the open water are interrupted by sand channels.
Hot Springs maximum depth: 40 feet/12m
A huge green moray eel lives here and a yellow spotted seahorse. Some sand patches will offer you the chance to feel the warm sand underneath and a slow trip through this area will surprise you with tremendous macrolife. Small shrimps, cleaning stations and many coral encrusted boulders can be discovered.
Tedran Reef maximum depth: 100 feet/30m
At the edge of the reef are many encrusted boulders and old anchors overgrown with marine life. A great wall dive. The wall drops deeper than 130 ft / 40 m. Lots of varied marine life inhabit this site and if you bring a light you can see the bright colours of the different types of corals.
Big Rock Market maximum depth: 70 feet/21m
Softcorals are all over this beautiful site. Nurse Sharks underneath the rocks and Turtles cruising by, are common here. Going a bit deeper you have the chance to see lots of really BIG lobsters, sometimes up to 5 or 6 crowded under one small overhang.
Core Gut maximum depth: 90 feet/27m
Dramatic high walls around Core Gut Bay will awe you. Completely different from all other dive sites on Saba it offers a variety of options. Shallow dives around the big rocks close to the mooring line or deeper, following the channels in between the rocks. At 30 m there is a beautiful wall filled with fireworms and nudibranches. A good spot for macro photographers. This is the spot where divers have seen five manta rays at one time!

Getting There:

Ah! There's a little bit of pain here. There are no direct flights from Europe to Saba. The easiest way to get there is to take a flight to St Maarten, the main island of the Netherland Antilles. Air France, KLM and ALM all operate flights to St Maarten from Paris and Amsterdam. From St Maarten you can pick up a Winair flight or ALM flight to Saba. You can also get a boat across from St. Maarten to Saba.

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Fabulous island with fabulous diving for the more experienced diver. There are all sorts of accommodation options some of them extremely luxurious although none of them large glitzy resorts. Note that there are no beaches and you have to swim off the rocks or use a swimming pool. A rather sophisticated island that is often voted one of the top ten best secret diving destinations. The clifftop airstrip has the shortest runway anywhere and is worth the trip just for the experience of the landing!

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