Jade Mountain, St Lucia

Situated between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, St Lucia is a varied dive destination offering underwater experiences that will entice all levels of divers. The island has around 25 individual sites, the vast majority of which are concentrated on the sheltered western coast where marine protected areas have helped the local reefs to flourish – particularly around Soufriere, Canaries, and Anse La Raye. As a result, St Lucia has become well-known for its picturesque underwater scenery, boasting around 50 coral species and an abundance of tropical reef fish vying for attention.

St Lucia’s shore dives and shallow sites

Those in search of more laid-back dive sites will appreciate the shore entries in St Lucia, with the likes of Anse Cochon and Anse Chastanet offering sought after experiences at surprisingly shallow depths. These sites are also popular among photographers, with a wealth of critters hiding in the coral, including frogfish, seahorses, pipefish, and more. Plus, Anse Chastanet is also one of the top sites to spot St Lucia’s fabled sea monster, the “Thing” – a segmented underwater worm which can grow surprisingly large. Though requiring a boat ride to reach, sites such as Rosemond’s Trench and Coral Garden are also shallow enough to be enjoyed by divers of all experience levels.

Advanced dives in St Lucia

While they often start shallow, many of St Lucia’s reefs drop away sharply into deeper waters, offering plenty of excitement for more advanced divers. Anse La Raye Wall is one of the most beautiful drop-offs in the Caribbean but is relatively shallow when compared to sites such as Piton Wall which falls beyond recreational depths. Like the reefs, St Lucia’s walls are adorned with multi-coloured sea fans and bulbous barrel sponges. 

Advanced divers can even find a few drift dives around the island. Superman’s Flight is aptly named, as the towering cliffs above featured in the film Superman II, and divers can now ‘fly’ along the wall below alongside schools of jacks and barracuda. Not far away, the underwater plateau known as Fairyland features almost magical coral formations that flourish in the strong currents, making it another popular drift.

Perhaps one of the more unique sites around St Lucia, Keyhole Pinnacles consist of four coral-encrusted seamounts that rise up from depths of around 100-metres to within touching distance of the surface. Currents funnelling between the peaks have given rise to forests of black and orange gorgonians where seahorses, trumpet fish and filefish hide, while schools of snapper and jacks circle high in the water column.

Wreck diving in St Lucia

St Lucia is home to two worthwhile wrecks situated within easy reach of recreational divers.  Found in Anse Cochon bay, Lesleen M is a 50-metre freighter that was deliberately scuttled in 1986. Today, the vessel rests on its keel at a maximum depth of 20-metres and is densely decorated with hard and soft corals, sponges, and hydroids. The Daini Koyomaru is a Japanese dredger which was scuttled towards the south end of Anse Cochon in 1996. Now lying on its side at a maximum depth of around 33-metres, this 75-metres long vessel allows for extensive exploration by more advanced divers.