WHERE TO DIVE The water surrounding the entire island of Statia is a protected marine park that was established in 1998 to ensure the pristine nature of the fragile reefs and ecosystem. In fact, if you want to dive in Statia and you are a visitor, you'll only be allowed to dive with a local guide. This is to ensure that historical artifacts and the reefs are left intact for future generations. Diving is allowed in certain areas within the marine park area.

Lucky for divers, the reefs and sealife are abundant and the reefs are in incredible shape, making diving here an unforgettable experience for all levels of divers. Natural reefs, walls, mini-walls, wrecks, ledges, drop-offs, volcanic fissures, pinnacles and more await you just offshore.

STATIA DIVE SITES TO TRY Double Wreck Here you'll get two wrecks in one dive, in about 60 feet of water. See the talked-about flying gurnards, grunts, snappers, barracuda, morays and southern stingrays. The Cliffs At the southern tip of the island, this dive starts in a coral garden at 65 feet and drops off to 250 feet. The wall is covered with corals and sponges and marine life abounds with turtles and blacktip sharks frequently observed. Hangover Reef A shallow 45-60 foot dive, here you'll see interesting fishlife like permits, horse-eye jack, and more. There are many cracks and crevices here when you might get a chance to see the elusive long lure frogfish and longsnout seahorse. Grand Canyon Offerings here include volcanic fissures, which are still active and deposit mounds of sand on the bottom at about 125 feet. Great diving can be had higher up where the wall starts at about 70 feet. Barracuda A mini-wall starting at about 50 feet offers a good chance to see the predatory barracuda. Check out the ledge that's home to many critters like lobsters, porcupine fish and more. Charlie Brown The Charlie Brown is an AT&T cable repair ship that sunk in 2003 at about 100 feet. It's a popular dive for all levels. Chien Tong This 17-foot Taiwanese fishing ship was sunk by Statia in 2004 to provide a new artificial reef habitat. At a depth of 77 feet, this is an excellent dive for divers of all levels. Mushroom Garden A stunning wall dive where sharks are frequently sighted. Blue Bead Hole Keep that magnifying glass handy: This is the best spot on the island for finding treasured trinkets as well as flying gurnards, peacock flounders and a potpourri of macro critters, including seahorses and sailfin blennies.

FIND A PADI SHOP For a more extensive list of PADI dive shops in Statia, go to padi.com and search for Statia dive operators. For more on Sport Diver partner dive operators, scroll to the bottom of this article for the details.

Sport Diver Dive Shop Partner Golden Rock Dive Center PO Box 61 Lowertown, Oranjestad Telephone/Fax: (599) 318-2964 Toll-free US only: 1-800-311-6658 e-mail: [email protected]

Other PADI Shops Dive Statia PO Box 58 Lowertown, Oranjestad Telephone: (599) 318-2435 Toll-free: 866-614-3491 USA telephone: 1-405-843-7846 e-mail: [email protected]

Scubaqua C/o Blue Bead Bar & Restaurant Gallows Bay Lowertown, Oranjestad Telephone: 599-318-5450 e-mail: [email protected]