Statia is one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean. In fact, National Geographic stated Statia's pristine waters have the “best diving in the Caribbean.” And in 2023, the island topped the list of Scuba Diving Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards, which celebrates the best diving in the world. Statia was ranked #1 for Best Wreck Diving, Best Macro Life and Best Marine Environment. Statia also ranked Top 10 in several other categories including Advanced Diving, Best Value and Best Overall Destination.
In 1988, St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA) was established to manage all conservation efforts both above and below water. The St. Eustatius National Marine Park, the Quill/Boven National Park and the Botanical Garden, collectively 33 km² of land and ocean, are all protected and managed by STENAPA. The Quill is our 601m dormant volcano providing breathtaking hiking trails up and inside the crater, and Boven National Park was a former volcano that erupted, and divers now experience ancient lava flows that provide the foundation for our beautiful coral gardens.
As stewards of this beautiful island and underwater world, we adhere to all STENAPA marine park policies and promote responsible diving practices to protect the fragile marine environment and maintain safety for our divers. STENAPA maintains the permanent moorings at the 36 dive sites in the marine reserve, which we hook up our boats to, allowing divers to descend and ascend utilizing the mooring lines. This practice assures the group will remain together, regardless of any weather or water conditions. It also assures that we always bring you quickly and efficiently to our intended dive sites.
All entrants to the marine park receive an annual park tag, which supports the conservation efforts to continue for generations to come.
At Statia Divers, we have incredible diversity of dive sites. Wall dives, wreck dives, archaeological dives, lava flow dives, drift dives, night dives are all in our repertoire. Statia is a wonderful place to pursue any specialty certifications, like Deep, Wreck, or Enriched Air Nitrox Diver.
The dive sites are primarily located on the protected leeward side of the island and are a short, 5-20 minute boat ride from the harbor. Our dive sites range from 11 meters/35 feet to 31 meters/102 feet.
The weather on Statia year round is pleasant - air temperature is typically between 27-30 Celsius/80-86 Fahrenheit and water temperature is typically between 26-29 Celsius/78.8-84.2 Fahrenheit.
Divers are treated to an incredible range of underwater species in our protected marine reserve. Four species of sea turtles are regularly spotted both on the surface and underwater. Pods of dolphins and whales traverse through the region, following their migration paths. Enormous Caribbean lobsters and queen conchs abound. Macro species like lettuce sea slugs, flamingo tongue snails, arrow crabs, Pederson cleaning shrimp, and nudibranch can be spotted by eagle-eye divers. Caribbean reef sharks, black tip reef sharks, and nurse sharks patrol our coral reefs. Stingrays, spotted eagle rays, and the occasional manta ray majestically glide through the water. Solitary fish, schools and shoals of Caribbean fish too numerous to name delight divers at all of our dive sites.