St. Lucia Water Sports
You can appreciate the warm, inviting waters surrounding St. Lucia in any number of ways, from snorkeling and scuba diving to kayaking, sailing, and windsurfing. Spend a day or two soaking up the sun at St. Lucia's lovely beaches - be sure to wear sunscreen!
Explore the beautiful underwater world by snorkeling or scuba diving. Because St. Lucia is volcanic in nature, there are awesome coral reefs, trenches, caverns, and walls with a variety of Caribbean reef fish. Many of these underwater sites are literally a stone's throw away from beaches along the west coast, making them popular with snorkelers as well as divers. The most popular sites are within the Anse Chastanet Marine Reserve, where you can see giant sponges, huge sea fans, coral, octopus, squid, and starfish. Scuba diving is offered by several reputable dive operators, and certification courses are available. There are a number of sites for seasoned divers to explore, including the two marine reserves at Soufriére and Canaries, and night dives may be available. Contact Buddies Scuba (758-450-8406, www.buddiesscuba.com), Scuba St. Lucia (758-459-7755, www.scubastlucia.com), or Dive Fair Helen (758-451-7716, www.divefairhelen.com) for more information on diving or snorkeling in St. Lucia.
Vieux Fort's Anse de Sable beach is the place for more adventurous water fun. Windsurfing and kite surfing lessons are available, and equipment is available for rent. Jet skis are available for hire in the high season.
Kayaking over the reefs along the shore is an experience nature lovers won't want to miss. Jungle Reef Adventures (758-459-7755, www.JungleReefAdventures.com) does an excellent tour. Island ATV Tours (758-454-3777, www.IslandATVTours.com) also does kayak tours in the Savannes Bay Nature Reserve.
St. Lucia has been described as "an angler's dream come true," as it is home to several species of big game fish such as mackerel, king mackerel, barracuda, kingfish, and sailfish. You may even catch a legendary white marlin! Fishing charter operators include Hackshaw's (758-453-0553), Captain Mike's (758-452-7044) and Mako Water Sports (758-452-0412).
Yachts can also be chartered (bare-boat or skippered) for day sails through a number of operators at marinas in Rodney Bay and Marigot Bay.