Best time to go - December through to May is the dry season. We went in December and had a great time with only a few rain showers that mainly came down first thing in the morning or last thing at night. The island is covered in lush rainforest so you can't complain about a bit of rain
Where to dive - Anywhere in the south of the island is the best. There are dive sites up north but my first experience was diving Pigeon Island (or Pigeon s£*t as my log book noted) - a drift with five metres viz and one dead fish.
The next day we couldn't find a site clear enough or calm enough to warrant getting wet. Looking out to the horizon from the Rendezvous hotel near Castries you could see a line separating dirty water and poor viz with the clearer stuff.
However, anywhere south from Anse Cochon and Anse Le Raye to Superman's Flight at the base of the Pitons in the south was fine, with fantastic viz and abundant marine life.
The north maybe better in the summer months.
Best dive sites - Superman's Flight at the base of the majestic Petit Piton and Lesleen M wreck were the two that stuck in my mind.
The pitons are the signature landmark of the island. Having flown around them and gazed up at them, it was great to dive beneath them as you followed the pinnacles plunging down into the deep ocean. The reef was covered in plenty of colourful soft coral and there was a lot of profusion of small fish and it was worth looking up from +20m deep to see the mountain tower above you and break the surface. One of my favourite all time dives.
There is often a current on this site (but not when we were there) and the guides talk of whale shark and humpback whale being observed passing by. No such luck for us!
The165-foot freighter Lesleen M, near Anse Cochon area, was sunk in October 1986 as an artificial reef. It is covered with hard and soft corals and provides an ideal habitat for many juvenile fish such as Queen and French angel fish.
The wreck sits on an even keel on the sand meaning orientation is easy. It is about 12 metres to the top deck, and 20 metres at the deepest point so you should have plenty of time to explore the wreck from top to bottom.
What's to see - The reefs were teeming with life but it was lots of little stuff. There was nothing very big in the way of marine life here, only the only solitary turtle all week (over the Lesleen M wreck), one barracuda and a school of batfish.
Some reefs were packed with so many juvenile fish it looked like an aquatic nursery, and more trumpetfish than I have ever seen in one go (still couldn't get a decent pic though). Plenty of crabs, lobsters and shrimp and the black and white fish endemic to the region (which I forgot to the name of). Also octopus out hunting in the day and the below flamingo tongue. There was also plenty of vibrant coral.
Viz - on the southern dives 10-15metres. Up north, I've had better in Dosthill (if you've dived the quarry in the summer, you'll know what I mean. If not drop me a line and I'll post a pic).
Biggest gripe - dive centre insisted dives only lasted 40 minutes no matter how much air you had. As nothing was very deep you could easily squeeze another 20 minutes out of the tank.
What suit to take - Water temperature was 27-28C so 3mm was fine.
Where to stay - As south as possible if you want cheap and easy access to the best sites. We stayed near Castries and paid $75 dollars for two dives in the south but it meant a 30-45 minute boat ride each way. The resort did free local dives but from what we saw, it wasn't worth it. Maybe later in the season it is. That said, the centre staff from Rendezvous resort were fantastic fun and a good laugh to be around. The boat was fast, some days there were five or six on board, other days it was a little cramped, but it all made for fun trips. I would happily recommend them.
Miscellaneous diving info - We boarded from the beach so be prepared to get a little wet and have any valuables protected from the water. A couple of times, because of the surf, we we picked up from the harbour so wet suit boots were needed to protect feet.
Guidebook - Couldn't find a decent one.
Worth going - Yes, the diving is good but the island itself is an absolutely beautiful paradise to be. There is plenty to do on land as well, including mountain biking and hiking the rainforest.
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