Guide to Scuba Diving from Your Yacht
| ST. MAARTEN - DIVE SITES # 5 & 6 |
DIVE SITE #5 - St. Maarten (Dutch side)
SIMPSON BAY Small Tugboat Wreck
Depth:
2Oft - 23ft / 6m - 7m - Warm-up site only.
Yacht Anchorage:
In very calm conditions you can anchor your
yacht east of the dive site in 17- 23ft ( 5-
7m), but please be very careful to anchor well
away from the wreck itself in order to avoid
damaging the delicate corals on the tugboat.
Don't under any circumstances, moor your yacht
to the white buoy which marks the wreck. Use as
a day time anchorage only.
Dive Site:
A white buoy marks the resting place of this
small tugboat which is sitting upright. It is an
underwater photographer's paradise, teeming with
reef fish and lots of micro life. Watch out for
the moray eels which inhabit an old tire. (Note:
August '97 White Buoy is missing)
Sea Conditions:
This site is not suitable for anchoring your
yacht in moderate to strong trade wind
conditions or swells. Also in such conditions it
would not be safe to dinghy the 1 mile from the
usual yacht anchorage shown on the east side of
the bay, so try Dive Site #6 instead.
DIVE SITE #6 - St. Maarten (Dutch
side) Little Bay off Fort Amsterdam
Depth:
17ft -30 ft / 5m - 9m (This reef was heavily
damaged by hurricane Luis September '95)
Yacht Anchorage:
This is on the west side of Fort Amsterdam in
Little Bay. Use as a daytime anchorage only.
Dive Site:
The two wrecks on this site disappeared during
hurricane Luis and the reef is very slowly
recovering. Not recommended as a dive site until
further notice unless you just want a shallow
water warm-up dive.
Sea Conditions: Not suitable in (rare) southerly
winds.
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A guide to
SCUBA DIVING FROM YOUR YACHT
In the waters of St. Maarten / St. Martin
and the surrounding islands |
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Dive Where You Want When You Want!
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