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St Lucia / Special Interests / Diving

St Lucia has some good diving, in two main areas, both on the calmer Caribbean side of the island. The Soufriere Marine Reserve is one of the most spectacular places to dive in the Caribbean in the shadow of the Pitons. Just 15 yards beyond the waters edge, the Soufriere reef’s remarkable ecosystem offers an amazing profusion of unusual tropical marine life in 20 to 140 feet of calm clear water. In the shallow areas, expect to see peacock flounders, octopus, needle fish and turtles. Or drop down a little deeper over dense coral growth to see puffers, moray eels, parrot fish, lobsters and sea horses.

The other main dive area is Anse Cochon, where there is plenty of snorkelling around the beach that slowly descends in to the depths and a greater diversity of coral and fish. There are two wrecks in Anse Cochon, the Lesleen M, a 165ft freighter deliberately sunk in 1985, and of a dredger that was sunk in 1996.

For guests wishing to dive in late summer, some will be lucky enough to witness one of nature's most spectacular performances, coral spawning. Coral spawning occurs once a year and is often described as an upside down snow storm, with millions of packets of egg and sperm cells released appearing underwater as huge clouds of pink and white that slowly drift to the surface where fertilization occurs. Within a few weeks the larvae will settle on the bottom and begin the process of reef building.

Jade Mountain now offers guests the chance to experience their first taste of scuba diving within the privacy of their own sanctuary suite with private infinity pools.

There is good and accessible snorkelling in St Lucia. Because the island is volcanic in nature there are trenches, caverns and steep walls furred with coral reefs around which teem a colourful array of Caribbean fish. Sites can be found off many of the beaches along the sheltered west coast, particularly south of Castries. Another option is to snorkel within the marine reserve areas around Soufriere. All of the day sails include a snorkelling stop on their itineraries. 

Browse Diving on other islands

Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | Barbados | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada & Carriacou | Jamaica | Nevis | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad

Or read our other island guides

Anguilla | Antigua | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Curacao | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada and Carriacou | Guadeloupe | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Nevis | Puerto Rico | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad | Turks & Caicos Islands | US Virgin Islands

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Looking for inspiration?

  1. Visit the world's only drive through volcano
  2. Play a round of golf at the Cap Estate
  3. Try dramatic wall diving off the base of the Petit Piton
  4. Eat local food and dance all night at Fish Friday, Anse La Raye
  5. Get married at a choice of romantic spots from private beaches and gardens to cliff tops and brigs

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