The volcanic origins of Saba may sound fearful, but the fiery history of the island has actually been a blessing to its waters. Spectacular formation and amazing structural diversity make Saba one of the most unique countries to scuba dive today. From shallow patch reefs to deep water seamounts, Saba offers memorable diving experiences at a nice range of depths and accessible to beginner, advanced, and expert scuba divers. The Saba Marine Park, or SMP, was established in 1987 and continues to be one of the few self-sustaining marine parks worldwide. The park was not established to repair a damaged ecosystem like many in the region, but was actually created to safeguard and ensure the continued quality of an extraordinary resource–providing a home to an abundant variety of marine life and enhancing the experience for divers.
The Saba Marine Park offers approximately 29 permanently moored dive sites that are all reachable within five to twenty minutes of Fort Bay. The sites can be accessed year round, with “winter” temperatures between 77-80F (25 - 27C) and summer water temperatures that average a toasty 80-85F (27 - 30C) range. Therefore, Saba proves to be an excellent dive environment to sample the great diversity of creatures and corals that fill the waters surrounding the island. Recently, the known count of resident species of fish was up from 50 to more than 200, including two new species of gobi that were discovered in the waters off Saba.
So, if it’s the small and medium shoals of Saba’s you’re hoping to see, check out the Saba Marine Park. Or, if you’re longing to discover some of the rarer species of fish, explore the Atlantic, off the Windward side of Saba. Man O’ War Shoals and Diamond Rock are situated where currents yield plankton-rich waters for its inhabitants such as schools of juvenile barracuda. The dark volcanic sand around these sites is home to many interesting critters including flying gurnards, batfish, industrious sand tile fish and yellowhead jawfish. Blue tang and goatfish are also commonly spotted, especially in the waters of Wells Bay. At Tent Bay Reef, marine life include schools of fish such as sergeant majors, queen angelfish, french angelfish, and frogfish.
But divers in search of much bigger fish will be excited to learn that Saba is a great destination for encountering sharks as well as many species of fish. Not far offshore lie Saba’s famous pinnacles and seamounts: Third Encounter, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and Shark Shoals. The seemingly “bottomless;” 85-120 feet (25-40 m) depths have protected the reefs from any natural storm damage and, so the size and abundance of large sea fans and sponges put the pinnacles at world class status even without the added bonus of encountering predators. Here is where divers have a good chance of encountering Saba’s robust shark population. White tips, black tips, reef and bull sharks are regularly observed cruising these waters. Lucky divers may get to swim with a humpback whale, manta ray, hammerhead or whale shark as well.
Saba’s waters aren’t only home to fish and shark, though. Some of its shallow dive sites such as Wells Bay andTorrens Point are the most protected waters of Saba during normal weather conditions, causing a series of patch reefs leading away from the shoreline to host many juvenile sea creatures and a variety of eels. Morays eels, sharptail eels, goldspotted eels and the rare spotted snake eel that conceals the majority of its long body in the sand are all to be found here.
Of course, some of Saba’s most beloved sea creatures aren’t fish at all. For example, the marine turtles steal the show at some dive sites at Ladder Bay. Specifically, the warm-water shore dives of Custom House, Porites Point, Babylon, Ladder Labyrinth andHot Springs are places to check out if watching marine turtles is on your itinerary. Volcanic lava flow has created a natural labyrinth of spur and groove formations and divers here can place their hands into the sulfur-stained sand to feel the warmth of the now dormant island. The sea grass on the outskirts of the reef provides sustenance for Saba’s healthy sea turtle population, and divers may even see a rare spotted eagle ray or seahorse, especially on a night dive.
In search of hard corals? Check out the Windward side of Saba to discover amazing seascapes. Although accessibility is tied closely weather conditions for the dive sites of the Windward side of Saba, they’re worth keeping on your list if the marine life you seek includes amazing hard coral for macro photography. Dive sites on Saba’s Windward side include Greer Gut, Giles Quarter, Big Rock Market, Hole in the Corner, David’s Dropoff, Core Gut, and Green Island, with Greer Gut and Giles Quarter Deep Reef being true coral reefs. Serious fish watchers will note different species of reef fish and creatures as compared to those seen in other areas of the Saba Marine Park. These sites’ exposure to the Atlantic is what causes them to house less soft corals but yield greater hard coral structures. These include elkhorn forests, large plate and mushroom-shaped star corals, and brain corals which set the background for nudibranch and frogfish.
Of the most “charming” of Saba’s sea creatures, though, is one that’s earned himself a name and a reputation. A visit to the island without meeting “Buddha” would be incomplete. Described locally as the resident barracuda who likes to hang out with divers and appears “naturally curious,” his usual hangout is at the Tent Bay Reef. And, while you visit him on a day trip, you’ll probably catch glimpses of his neighbors–hundreds of garden eels, mollusks, razor fish and southern stingrays.
But even after the sun goes down, the sea creatures in Saba don’t disappear. In fact, the swim through at Tent Reef is enjoyable day or night as divers enjoy views of yellow cup corals, black coral, a family of black margates, and spiny lobsters. The resident dog snappers there have learned to follow night divers, and they actually attempt to hunt prey with the assistance of divers’ lights. Tent Reef is a favorite night dive spot and divers report frequent octopus sightings and an occasional blue manytooth conger as well. In all, Saba truly is a destination to consider if playing with sea creatures is on your to-do list, as the marine life promises round-the-clock entertainment opportunities.