Page 577 - The Dutch Caribbean Isles

DROP OFF: In the south of the island the
ocean floor drops down almost vertically.
The volcano kind of continuous under
water here. The dive starts on top of some
amazing deep lava flows fully covered
with deep water sea fans. After a while we
ascend next to a vertical wall till we end
up on the upper reef. Pelagic fish are fre-
quently observed in the deep blue and the
landscape here is just phenomenal. Depth
40 + meters.
GILBRALTAR: This giant rock (14 meters high
by 16 meters wide) in the far north of the
island is a really unique dive site. Normally a depth of between 14 and a maximum of
you only found deepwater sea fans in deep
water but this shallow rock is covered with
it. Schooling barracuda’s are guarding the
rock and there is a big change to find the
beautiful jackknife fish. On our way to the
rock and back to the boat we find enor-
mous boulders , the favorite place for nurse
shark to take a nap. Depth 20 meters.
GRAND CANYON: You dive between pinna-
cles fully covered with black corals. Pinna-
cles are submerged steep islands, and div-
ing between them gives you the real ‘grand
canyon’ feeling. If you only pay attention to
the vertical walls of the pinnacles you may
miss the pelagics such as eagle rays and
sharks who often visit this dive site. Depth
40 + meters.
HANGOVER: The perfect mix of coral
gardens, sandy areas, and fascinating
overhangs which will give you so much to
look at, you might get a “hangover”! With
20 meters, you can hang around for almost
hours and that gives you the chance of see-
ing a lot of different fish species, either in anchors, but the number of anchors rises
one big school or individuals. The “balcony”
at the end of the reef is the spot to stay
and wait for the fish to come. Relax, look
into the blue and they will come closer and
closer and “dance” around you. A little grey
reef-shark is often swimming around check-
ing his territory. Depth 17 meters.
HUMPS: The Humps are huge coral-covered
lava bombs and lava ‘fingers’. Due to the
shallow depth it’s a perfect dive site for
beginners but experienced divers love this
dive site as well. You find loads of ( juvenile)
reef fish, corals and sponges. A true heaven
for marco-lovers. Depth 16 meters.
LEDGES 1 and LEDGES 2: Spur and Grove
coral formations with five lava fingers. The
southernmost lava finger is where these
two sites are located. Depth: 20 meters.
LOST ANCHOR: This reef recently discovered
by ‘our’ guide (and island archeologist)
Ruud is worth investigating. Ruud was all
exiting the first time he found two huge
almost every time we dive this reef. It’s
located a few miles off shore and the lack
of a mooring makes this a more advanced
dive. Hundreds of barracuda’s and rabbit-
fish escort you during this dive and queen
angelfish love this reef. Depth 25 meters.