Ryan's Blog
A local divers accounts
Last updated: March 2007

It has been a while since I have been in the water due to an injury to my wrist. Subjecting the ailing wrist to the pressures of the deep would not be wise but I’m back now and looking forward to some good diving.

The day starts off at 8:20 a.m. when Kerwin (fellow instructor), 12 other divers and I board “Dowad”; a sturdy Newton 46 which will take us down to the south of the island.

We all get comfortable on board and begin cruising along the picturesque western coast of St. Lucia. Mansions can be seen on the hills of Cap Estate and Bois D’ Orange. Hotels with their white sand beaches soften up the harsh rocky coastline. As we move beyond the huge tanks of the Hess Oil Storage Facility the lush greenery of the island greets you, interrupted at intervals only by a few cliffs and a couple of tiny fishing villages. Villages with names like Canaries and Anse La Raye.

As we approach Anse Chastanet divers begin questioning the captain about the “funny” smell in the air. They were a bit curious as to what he had for breakfast. He might have added to the scent in the air because he bashfully explains to them that it is the smell of the sulphur and other minerals from the volcano. We are not even in view of Soufriere (the word meaning sulphur in the air) but Soufriere has come out onto the water to greet us.

Probably the area with the best diving on the island; Soufriere is blessed with natural treasures and attractions. It is the home of several waterfalls, the Diamond Mineral Baths and the world famous Pitons. Famous twin peaks rising from the depths of the ocean. Actually, one peak sits in Soufriere while the other sits in a village called Choiseul (the craft capital of the island). The beauty and awesomeness of the Pitons recently gained the prestigious designation of World Natural Heritage Site. Now this wonder of nature and the area surrounding it has been added to a list which includes the Pyramids and Niagara Falls. Such is the mystery and the majesty of the Pitons.

“ Dowad” is in the bay of Soufriere and we can make out the town. Buildings seem to be crammed all along the waterfront and not to far beyond the hills rise quickly and once again the lush vegetation takes over. There are several dive sites in Soufriere. Making a choice can be difficult. Sites such as The Keyhole Pinnacles, Grande Caille, Coral Garden and Superman’s Flight are listed. Portions of the movie “Superman” were filmed here and the “man of steel” did have to fly between the Pitons to pick this rare flower for “Lois Lane”. This particular site was christened with this name for another reason also – the strong current you will experience on almost every dive. It does feel like you are flying like Superman. You just get in, go down and the current will blast you along the reef at frightening speeds sometimes.

Our team decides on Piton Wall. A site located at the bottom of the smaller Piton (Petit Piton). We are less than 300 yards off a sandy beach and just about 40 yards off the craggy shore at the very base of the Piton.

A briefing prepares everybody for what they may see underwater and also reviews rules and safety procedures for the dive. The area is a marine reserve and even if it were not, divers cannot dive with gloves or knives in St.Lucia. The marine rangers who patrol the area carry out frequent checks on all dive boats to ensure that all the rules are being adhered to. Disregarding the law can land you with a $5000.00 fine or a few months in jail to think about how your actions could damage the fragile ecosystem.

The dive team splits up into 2 groups. Half of the divers will go with me and the other 6 will be guided by Kerwin.

At 9:29 my team steps off the boat and we quickly drop down to 60 feet which is the planned maximum depth on this dive. We are very close to shore or the actual side of the Piton so we are able to just drop for the first 40 feet. Underwater vegetation is sparse and rocks and gravel are plentiful in this area but as we work our way down from 40 ft. to 60 ft. the terrain changes. Plants and animals are all around; the wall (side of the Piton) is becoming alive.

Basket sponges of all sizes litter the wall and a few of them contain tiny surprises. Crabs or a couple of banded shrimp (cleaner shrimp) can be seen in some of these “bowls”. The beautiful oranges and pinks and violets of the giant tube and vase sponges draw some divers nearer but not too close. As they approach a moray leaves it’s nearly discovered hiding place behind the rocks at the base of some sponges for a better one.

No. You did not just see a spider underwater. These little spidery looking or alien looking creatures are “arrowhead crabs”. The female divers stay clear; most women don’t like spiders.

Eyes begin to widen behind masks as the divers take in the breathtaking view of the creatures, coral, colors and underwater scenes. Present are yellow tail snappers, trunk fish, barracudas and several other fish. They all hide and play among the sea whips and the deepwater gorgonias. Yes, all but the barracudas which leave the shelter of the shadows and the vegetation. They hover in open water, seemingly motionless, mouths slightly open with ugly lower lips protruding beyond the top. The ugly barracudas do get attention especially as their jaws are lined with razor sharp teeth that the divers can see as they swim by.

We are about 19 minutes into the dive and our group has an added member. Just below (at about 80 ft) a Hawksbill turtle swims along. I frantically shake my rattle and point to get everyone’s attention. The turtle continues swimming along and we do not break our profile to get closer since the creature is deeper than we are. After accompanying us for 5 minutes the turtle swims away. We move along and a bit faster also. Usually there are no currents on this site but we have encountered a gentle one.

The current moves us along steadily and soon the topography changes. Below us is a wide expanse of sand which disappears into the deep to our left and to our right lie some big, brown and bare rocks. This area covered by the rockslide supports no vegetation or aquatic life so we are anxious to move on. With the aid of a few vigorous kicks and the current we come upon another colorful section of the wall. Even before we see the coral we can see a school “creole wrasse”. Half blue, half black with a tiny hint of yellow in some areas, these tiny fish are not bothered by our presence – they surround us. The school of wrasse does not capture the divers’ attention for too long, not with another turtle present. This one is well camouflaged just underneath a tiny rock overhang. The group moves in for a closer look and since all paths of escape are blocked of by divers the turtle sits and stares at us. This gives the photographer the opportunity to get quite a few good shots and the divers get the chance to see a turtle up close in its natural habitat. Some of them have never seen one before. The current is still present so our little interlude with the turtle lasts about 2 minutes and we are swept on. We glide over beds of yellow pencil coral. If you get close enough, really close you can notice the polyps on the coral closing up. From a fuzzy bright yellow the coral becomes a dull yellow, just a little less attractive.

The group begins a slow and steady climb into the shallows. We plan on doing a safety stop but we will not be hovering for this one. We will hug the wall in the shallows just below the surface. It is as we steadily move on in 15 feet of water we notice the final attraction of our dive. A few feet away is a moon jellyfish. Its diameter is about the size of a dinner plate. We gather around to take a closer look and to squeeze off a few more shots. Most of the jellyfish we would see are very small and almost transparent. This one was an underwater photographer’s delight. Barely moving, it seems that it knew it had our attention and it was actually posing for the camera. All this is happening in 15 feet of water. 3 minutes go by as we hover near the jellyfish and it is now time to head to the surface. We have spent a total of 43 minutes below the surface.

The divers can hardly contain themselves as they break the surface. Even before getting onto the boat they are already letting the captain know about all that he missed.

After our surface interval the second dive takes us to Coral Garden. This site sits at the bottom of the other piton (Gros Piton). The site slopes a little more gently and the life underwater is similar to that of Piton Wall except for the presence of turtles and our jellyfish. We stay under for 41 minutes at a maximum depth of 35 feet on the second dive.

We prepare to head back up north but before we do the captain picks up some traffic on the radio. There are dolphins in the area. We set out to the west and before heading out for a mile and a half we can see “fins” breaking the surface. Dolphins surround the boat (maybe about 30 of them) and they begin their performance. The captain keeps the boat moving in a tight circle and we can see the dolphins gliding below the surface. They are racing “Dowad”. They entertain us with their jumps and flips; we see some gliding along the tops of waves and others race along just inches before the bow of the boat. Everyone is shouting or chattering and pointing (not just fingers but cameras too). The dolphins were amazing. Their energy seems endless but our fuel is not and we can’t stay to play forever so we begin the journey back to the north of the island.

A wonderful day filled with good company, turtles and dolphins. It’s good to be diving again. Maybe next time you will join me.