Safety Tips

Remember, it is your responsibility prior to snorkeling or diving to check the weather and sea conditions - do not snorkel or dive in conditions beyond your ability.

Watch Out For These

The waters around St Maarten/ St Martin boast lots of different types of marine life. All creatures are harmless, even our nurse and Caribbean reef sharks, as long as you don’t bother them. As you have been taught during your diving courses you are not supposed to touch or harm any creature under water, not only to protect them, but also yourself since some corals and fishes are venomous or have nasty stings with poison in them.
Be sure you don’t touch the following: 

Spiny Sea Urchin – the hard spines of this urchin even go through watershoes and dive boots, so try not to step on them. You’ll find them between rocks off our shores. Treatment: Get the spines out of your skin and soak your affected body part in vinegar. Keeping the area under hot running water breaks down the toxin.
Fire Coral – just a soft brush against these corals can cause a nasty burning feeling. Treatment: Relieve the burn by washing it with some vinegar. Heat packs also work to break down the toxin.
Lion Fish – the Lion Fish has long spines with venom in them, these fish won’t come chasing after you, they usually just hover around and seem to be very slow moving. Just make sure you don’t corner it so it gets defense, because when you do get stung by a Lion Fish it is very painful. Treatment: Best thing to do is to keep the stung area under hot running water, as hot as you can handle for as long as you can handle, to break down the toxin.  This beautiful fish is unfortunately an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea. Marine Parks and Dive Centers are doing everything they can to prevent this fish from overpopulating our reefs. Since this species have been around here only since 2009, our local predators don’t recognize it yet as prey which allows the Lion Fish to nourish unhindered on the juvenile indigenous fish which is bad news for our local fish life.

[top]

What to Wear In St Maarten Waters

Wearing the right "clothing" while in the water will prevent sunburn and keep you from getting cold and losing the energy needed to return to the boat. Wearing something also prevents stings from jellies (which are far and few between, but we do get some).

What to wear when snorkeling
While warmth is not a great issue, we advise you to wear Sun Protection clothing like a rash guard. This will also protect you from any little stinging jellies in the water. If you do get cold in the winter months you could wear a neoprene rash guard or a shorty wetsuit.

What to wear when diving
Although the water is relatively warm, it is advisable to wear at least a 3mm shorty wetsuit. For our visitors, the ideal comfort would be provided by a thin neoprene full suit which also gives full body protection against stings. If you tend to get cooler than the rest, especially during the winter months on a double tank dive, a 3mm full suit will keep you nice and snug. You will find our divemasters and instructors, once acclimatized, most often wear a 5mm full suit during the winter months, some of them even layering this with a hooded vest – but then they are often times diving 3 or more times a day.
[top]

Emergency Numbers and Information

Divers Alert Network
	Diving Emergencies (Remember: Call local EMS first, then DAN!) 1-919-684-8111 1-919-684-4326 (collect) 1-800-446-2671 (toll-free) +1-919-684-9111 (Latin America Hotline) Travel Assistance for Non-Diving Emergencies 1-800-DAN-EVAC (1-800-326-3822) If outside the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, British or U.S. Virgin Islands, call +1-919-684-3483 (collect).

 

Hyperbaric Chambers Information
Saba Hyperbaric Facility Medical Director Tel: +1 599 416 3647 / 417 3604 Dr. Jack Buchanan or David Merritt Tel: +1 599 416 3288	Guadaloupe Hyperbaric Facility University Hospital, Dr. Perrier or Ducher Tel: +590 590 91 39 39 Emergency Ambulance Service Tel: +590 590 89 11 00
Arrange for transportation to chamber in an un-pressurised aircraft flying no higher than 900 feet or an aircraft pressurised to sea level. If the victim's buddy has dived the same profile, he / she should accompany the victim to the chamber.

 

Regional Medical Centers
Facility Name	Phone	Facility Size	Language
St. Maarten Hospital	+1 721 543 1111	Medium	English
St. Martin Hospital	+590 590 29 57 57	Minimum	French (a little English)
St. Barths Hospital	+590 590 27 60 35	Minimum	French (a little English)
Saba Hospital	+1 599 416 3288/9	Minimum	English

[top]