Best Diving in St. Lucia
An itinerary for a sailing charter vacation in the tropical Caribbean island of St. Lucia would be incomplete without some great scuba diving options. St. Lucia has a wealth of incredible diving sites, offering completely unique experiences for beginners and advanced divers alike.
This volcanic island has something for everyone, from wall to wreck to reef dives. In this blog, we’ll delve into just five of our choices for the best diving in St. Lucia, including:
- Daini Koyomaru
- Fairyland
- Devil’s Hole
- Superman’s Flight
- Keyhole Pinnacles
When to Dive in St. Lucia
The best time to dive in St. Lucia is December-May. While the visibility is best in the summer peak of July and August, the temperatures above water can be difficult for some to cope with – December-May is perfect to get the best of the dry season, and improve your chances of seeing whales and sharks during your dives. Read our blog on the Best Time to Sail in the Caribbean for more information.
1. Daini Koyomaru Wreck
The Daini Koyomaru is a Japanese minesweeper dredger that was purposely sunk in 1996 to create an artificial reef. 244ft (almost 75m) long, and still in one piece, she is an impressive monument to explore.
This wreck sits 10m-33m underwater, offering some of the best scuba diving in St. Lucia for intermediate and advanced divers. If you are experienced enough, you may be able to penetrate the wreck and discover the diverse marine species who have made their homes inside. Common sightings here include pufferfish, angelfish, barracuda, moray eels and turtles.
The Daini Koyomaru Wreck is close in proximity to Anse Cochon, where you can find the Lesleen M Wreck. This is more accessible for beginners, and you could do both in a day if you wanted.
2. Fairyland
Just off Anse Chastanet, below the cliff faces of West Pointe, is Fairyland. This dive site was named by a local diving instructor, and aptly so – it’s a lush, magical garden that continues to enchant snorkelers and divers in St. Lucia.
As you descend down, you will be greeted with kaleidoscopic color throughout the rocky landscape. Majestic, towering hard coral formations juxtapose round brain corals and fluttering sea fans. This site is very nutrient-dense, so the schools of fish here are larger and denser than in other sites across St. Lucia.
Other species you might see include lobsters, stingrays, flounders and sea turtles. Fairyland is also a breeding ground for octopuses, so you might see them tucked into fissures and crevices. This is a great place to practice your underwater photography, so bring your camera along and prepare to be dazzled.
3. Devil’s Hole
“Trou Diable”, or Devil’s Hole, offers some of the best scuba diving in St. Lucia for advanced divers. This site features a steep slope that descends 40ft down to a flat coral reef, but you can descend up to 100ft down if you’re feeling adventurous.
Explore boulders encrusted with a variety of corals and large barrel sponge, and the titular Devil’s Hole, a hole formed in the rocks that you can swim through. Schools of grunts and chromis, as well as hawksbill turtles, are common sightings here. You may also see gold spotted eels and spotted drums, as well as sunfish if you’re lucky.
Devil’s Hole is near Fairyland, off the coast of Soufriere. After your dive, you can moor in Soufriere Bay and go for a hike through Gros Piton, or sit down in Orlando’s Restaurant and Bay for an unforgettable meal. Visit our St. Lucia Sailing Itineraries for more inspiration on things to do in St. Lucia.
4. Superman’s Flight
Another of the best dive sites in St. Lucia, named for the scene in Superman II that was filmed on location here. This is a wall dive – start from the base of Petit Point on the west coast of the island and descend. The maximum depth here is 1500ft and the currents can be strong, so Superman’s Flight is best suited for intermediate and advanced divers.
This site is an explosion of color – you can dive into a varied topography of boulders and canyons, all carpeted with fluorescent sponges, gorgonian fans and bright soft corals. There is a great profusion of fish life, so expect to be surrounded by schools of reef fish. You may also see squids, frogfish, and even whale sharks and humpback whales under the right conditions.
After you’ve explored Superman’s Flight to your heart’s content, why not travel around the other side of the Petit Piton (here are our Top Tips for Climbing the Pitons) to the Piton Falls, a fantastic tourist attraction where you can relax in one of the three pools built underneath, surrounded on all sides by lush green vegetation.
5. Keyhole Pinnacles
Keyhole Pinnacles is a wholly unique place to dive in St. Lucia. Here, towering underwater volcanic peaks rise up from the seabed to just a few feet below the surface, resembling the two pitons that St. Lucia is renowned for. The four pinnacles are completely covered in barrel sponges and tube corals, as well as enormous black and orange gorgonian fans.
Weaving in between the Keyhole Pinnacles will unveil a diverse selection of fishes. You may spot trumpetfish, groupers, snappers, filefish, seahorses and even pufferfish. This site has a reputation for allowing divers to see marine species they often cannot – people have reported seeing whale sharks and sunfish here, for instance.
This dive site is our last choice for the best diving in St. Lucia because the topography and sights to behold are like nothing else in the Caribbean, or even the world.
Sail your cares away with The Moorings
Did any of these dive sites in St. Lucia take your fancy? If you have your heart set on a vacation in St. Lucia, full of shopping, exploring and diving, then why not plan a sailing charter with The Moorings?
We offer sailing, skippered and crewed charters to St. Lucia that help you get back in touch with your mind and body – whether you prefer to charter the yacht yourself or sit back or be pampered by your very own crew, there is an option for you.
To start your journey to St. Lucia with The Moorings, start building your quote now.
Contributor
isabelcoltham
You may also like
Step Aboard Here
Start your experience with The Moorings on land and sign up to receive e-mails from us about yachts, offers and destinations.
By clicking 'Sign up' you confirm that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy and consent to our use of your information.