26 March 2012

Diving Saba

We had heard so much about diving in Saba and we didn't want to miss our opportunity! Apparently the best stuff is at depth, but half of us were not certified beyond Open Water (~18meters, or 60feet). Overall, we all agreed it wasn't as amazing as people had told us, but the reefs were certainly more colorful than St Maarten. We also saw a lot more fish than on our typical dives. We started our first dive with a large spotted Eagle Ray that swam right in front of us. Those are always beautiful to see, typically we just see regular sting rays. Owen spotted a Nurse Shark sleeping under a rock, so he's seen a shark now too! We also saw several eels and turtles. We were scheduled to do 3 dives, but I was having trouble with allergies and congestion and my ear wouldn't clear on the second dive. So I stayed back from the 3rd dive with CamTu, who was pretty sea-sick. Overall I'm glad we dove at Saba, we definitely saw some cool things, even if it wasn't as amazing as people had built it up to be. Worth the trip, especially when you live on the neighboring island! Check out More Diving Pictures on our Picasa album. Enjoy!


Spotted Eagle Ray
Black Durgon Fish, saw lots of these
Trunk Fish
Spotted Moray Eel
Can you spot the Flounder fish?

Nurse Shark
Cool side view of the shark, kind of scary to get that close
The shark turned just enough to see its head
Saw lots of these on the reefs


Sea Cucumber
Cool line of sea fans
Can anyone help ID this fish? Best guess is the Whitespotted Filefish (thanks James)
Crab
Lion Fish, they're invasive, but very cool looking
Shallower Dive, better colors and clarity
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Owen took this great close up of the turtle

2 comments:

  1. Here's my guess...

    Cantherhines macrocerus [American whitespotted filefish]

    http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Cantherhines-macrocerus.html

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  2. Emilio,
    Jamie recently sent a postcard your way. She made sure the post office used a St. Maarten stamp instead of a U.S. stamp (which they commonly use here). I hope you get it soon. Good luck with your collection.
    Cheers,
    Owen

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