St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Offices
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Head Office
Fishing
St. Vincent and the Grenadines offers excellent waters for deep sea fishing – marlin, tuna, barracuda, dolphin, king fish, bonita, sail fish. Spear fishing is not permitted in coastal waters.
Dive Operators
Kay Wilson – Indigo Watersports Ltd. Tél. : (784) 493 9494 or (784) 456-7210 E-mail : info@indigodive.com www.indigodive.com Dave Stone – Bequia Dive Adventure Tel : (784) 458 3826 Fax : (784) 458 3964 E-mail: adventures@caribsurf.com www.BequiaDiveAdventure.com Bill Tewes – Dive St. Vincent Tel : (784) 457 4714 Fax : (784) 457 4948 E-mail : bill2s@DiveStVincent.com www.DiveStVincent.com Mr. Glenroy Adams – Grenadines Dive Tel : (784) 458 8138 Fax : (784) 458 8122 E-mail : gdive@grenadinesdive.com www.grenadinesdive.com Brian Richards – Mustique Water-sports Tel : (784) 488 8485 Fax : (784) 488 9000 E-mail : watersportmustique-island.com Bob Sachs – Dive Bequia Tel : (784) 458 3504 Fax : (748) 458 3504 E-mail : cathy@bequiadive.com www.bequiadive.com Oliver Nadar – Glossy Dive Club Tel : (784) 458 8888 Fax : (784) 458 8875 Kim & Earl Halbich – Dive Fantasea Tel : (784) 457 4477 Fax : (784) 457 5577 E-mail: divefantasea@vincysurf.com www.divefantasea.com
Upper Bay Street, P.O. Box 834, Kingstown St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tel: (784) 457-1502 Fax: (784) 451-2425 Email:tourism@vincysurf.com website:www.svgtourism.com
Canada
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Office 333 Wilson Avenue, Suite 601, Toronto M3H 1T2, Canada Tel: (416) 630 9292 Fax: (416) 630 9291 Email:svgtourismtoronto@rogers.com
United Kingdom
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Office 10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, England Tel:0207 937 6570 Fax:0207 937 3611 Email:svgtourismeurope@aol.com
New York, USA
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Office 801 2nd Avenue, 21st Floor, New York N.Y 10017, USA Tel: (212) 687 4981 or 1(800) 729 1726 Fax: (212) 949 5946 Email:svgtony@aol.com
Diving
Scuba enthusiasts have a choice of dive sites. Here’s a brief description of some of the main ones near St. Vincent.
Diving The tropical seas that surround St. Vincent and the Grenadines offer a world of marine adventure. Whether you’re skimming the surface on a windsurfer or sunfish or gliding below through shoals of fish and coloured corals, this is one of the most beautiful spots in the Caribbean. Swimming, diving and snorkeling in these islands are some of the favourite pastimes of both visitors and locals. Most of the resort hotels provide snorkeling equipment free to guests and to visitors for a modest hire charge. If needed, tuition can be arranged through your resort and the larger islands are well served by friendly dive shops that know all the best spots for snorkelling and scuba diving. Whilst the waters are usually completely safe, normal precautions still apply: don’t touch the coral (you may damage it, and cut yourself); never put your hands into the rock or coral hole (hungry eels give a nasty bite); and look before you step (sea urchins can be a pain in the foot).
•Bottle Reef – a wall dive with a beautiful coral garden at its base dotted with pillar coral and deep sea fans. •The Forest – a fantastic forest of huge gorgonians rising 6 to 10 feet from the sandy bottom. •The Garden – a gradual slope ranging from 40 to 80 feet covered in a carpet of pillar coral and ideal for novice divers. •New Guinea Reef – a spectacular wall dive rich in black coral and a vast variety of fish. A favourite dive amongst locals. •The Wall – a coral encrusted cliff plunging from 20 to 100 feet offering an unlimited array of underwater treasures.
Bequia
•Bequia Wall – combining the best aspects of a wall dive with a drift dive, this area teems with underwater life. •The Boulders – A shallow dive of huge underwater boulders at a depth of just 25feet. •Devils Table – a shallow drift dive often used for beginners where filtered sunlight creates a dazzling display of rainbow colours on a beautiful reef. •M/S Lirero – a 110foot freighter sunk for divers is covered with sponges and corals.
Mustique & Canouan
Both islands offer sites which are frequently beset by currents. Close to shore however, there is excellent snorkelling.
Tobago Cays
•Horseshoe Reef – 40 to 60 foot wall dive with fabulous colours and visibility of up to 120 feet. •Sail Rock – another splendid wall dive at a depth of 60 to 80 feet. Miro Gardens – between the Cays and Mayreau this 60 foot drift dive is home to spotted eels, stingrays and manta rays. Perfect for the novice.
Mayreau
•Purina – a 1918 British gunship which sank in just 40 feet of water. •Catholic rock – 40 to 50 foot anchor dive just off Mayreau.
Union Island
Chatham Bay – a 40 foot wall coated with coral and home to lobster and shrimp. Roundabout – an anchor dive in 15 to 60 feet of water alive with fish. Grand De Coi – located between Union Island and Palm Island an enormous reef with an abundance of colourful small fish and moray eels.
Petit St. Vincent
Mopion – 40 to 50 foot drift dive over exquisite coral and home to sharks, barracudas and rays. There are also some interesting wreck dives that provide a fascinating reminder of the past. Most of the Grenadine Islands also provide excellent diving opportunities. Dive shops are located in Bequia, Mustique, Canuoan and Union Island. From Bequia you can pick your spot along 7 miles of undivided reefs. Here, amongst the abundance of soft corals you see rays, barracuda and sharks and array of other marine life. The amazing Tobago Cays, with its large
coral reef, is a haven for marine life in all its astonishing variety. For the experienced diver, Horseshoe reef at Tobago Cays provides a ‘drop off’ dive with great colour down to 120 feet. St. Vincent and the Grenadines can justifiably claim to have some of the best diving in the Caribbean as well as some of the best teachers.
Watersports
Not surprisingly, windsurfing has met with the same enthusiasm in St. Vincent and the Grenadines as it has throughout the rest of the world. Whether you are a first time ‘boarder’ or an old hand, you’ll find the conditions perfect to enjoy this exhilarating sport. Equipment (from learner boards to pro-style) can be hired at very reasonable rates from most main areas in the islands, and many hotels provide them free of charge to their guests. You will also find schools that cater for every level in St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, Canuoan, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm Island and Petit St.Vincent (PSV).