St. Eustatius: Mar. 16-23, 2024

The moment you arrive in St. Eustatius, locally known as ‘Statia,’ you immediately get that typically Statia feeling. There are no big crowds at the airport. Actually you don’t find big crowds anywhere on Statia. Statia was once part of the Dutch Antilles but is recently together with Bonaire and Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands. This tiny island is blessed with a generally pleasant dry and sunny climate. Light northeast trade winds bring the island a constant cool breeze. St. Eustatius is untouched by the big development companies. You don’t find casinos, shopping malls or world wide fast food restaurants. What you do find is a safe and friendly island where time stood still.

Combining luxury, adventure, relaxation and fun, Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort offers an authentic island experience. The Golden Rock dream is to be the most colourful, green and luscious resort in the Caribbean. After planting over 100,000 plants, flowers and trees they have created an eco-system attracting colourful species of birds, including the graceful hummingbird and butterflies that now have become welcomed guests.

The majestic dormant volcano called the Quill decorates the resorts backdrop, illuminating with vibrancy and shades of green makes this location so special, among St Eustatius Hotels. Enjoy walking around the resorts 40 acres of radiant gardens featuring marble paths and sweeping ocean views feeling the island breeze. The contemporary designed rooms are all completed with high end finishes and featuring spacious balconies and gardens with colourful views of the gardens, pool and ocean.

Scubaqua Dive Center is probably one of the most unique dive centers in the Caribbean. Half of their shop is housed in a beautiful historical building once occupied by the Dutch West India Trading Company. They took over the Dive Statia property in order to welcome you to a larger dive center offering more space and comfort. Before the moved to this beautiful beachside setting, they completed a total renovation to meet the modern divers' needs without detracting from the historic appeal or 17th century charm of this landmark building.

As a dive shop “by divers, for divers”. Scubaqua Dive Center understands that you’re on holiday and will do everything they can to make it an unforgettable experience. They dive in small groups and before every dive their staff gives you a detailed briefing about the dive site and plan. All the dives are guided dives (marine park rule), but we try not to restrict your feeling of freedom. Custom diving Scubaqua style means giving the experienced diver the dives they want but also give the novice diver any extra attention they may require.

St. Eustatius National Marine Park was established in 1996. It encompasses the entire coastline of St. Eustatius from the high water mark to the 30 meter depth contour, covering an area of 25,500 hectares. Within the park are two reserves, one in which strictly no fishing and anchoring is allowed. The marine park is managed by the non-profit organization Stenapa (St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation) which was set up by Statians who wanted to protect and preserve the flora and fauna of the island for future generations.

In addition to this Marine park the government of Statia signed the Yarari marine mammal and shark sanctuary. The populations of sharks worldwide are in sharp decline and therefore need extra protection against illegal fishing and bycatch in regulated fisheries. With this eleventh shark sanctuary in the world the Statia will actively protect sharks in the Caribbean Sea including but not limited to the marine park. The name of the Sanctuary Yarari is an Taíno Indian word, meaning ‘a fine place’.

The Yarari Sanctuary, which encompasses all the waters around the island including the Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, will not only protect sharks, but will also provide a haven—a ‘fine place’— for marine mammal, whales and dolphins. Humpback whales spend the winter months in the warm Caribbean waters where they calve and suckle the baby whales during their first few months until they are strong enough to begin the trek to their feeding grounds in the cold Northern Atlantic waters.

• 7 nights accommodation at Golden Rock resort

• Daily breakfast

• 10 boat dives (add-on: Night dive $79, Day dive $59)

• Tanks and weights

• Free Nitrox if certified

• Roundtrip airport transfers

• Shuttle transport to and from Scubaqua Dive Center

• Group Welcome Pre-dinner house drinks

• Round trip air from Minneapolis

• $30 Marine Park fee to be paid in cash on site

• Diving equipment, Nitrox, dive courses

• Incidental charges: Individual group members will be responsible for their own charges including but not limited to beverages and bar bill, telephone, internet usage, sightseeing, equipment rental of any sort, gratuities and any other items of a personal nature.

• Scuba certification card required for each diver.

• We recommend all divers purchase DAN membership.

• A passport is required for travel.

*All rates quoted by Scuba Center include a 2% discount for cash/check payments.

Reservations / Deposit Information:

• $500 deposit is required at registration

DAN Membership & Diving Insurance

Sample packing checklist