Why St Eustatius Is One of the Caribbean's Best-Kept Diving Secrets

It is well-worth taking the scenic hop on a charter flight from St Kitts to St Eustatius — it's quick (approx. 20 minutes) and private, and I skipped the long airport lines to board the small airplane. As I flew over the Caribbean Sea, I was impressed by the beautiful blue water and island views from the window. Soon, the giant volcano of Statia appeared ahead, followed by the colourful houses of Oranjestad.

Upon landing, the warm wind welcomed me to this peaceful island. The Dutch immigration officer checked my passport at the arrival hall, and the staff from Golden Rock Resort welcomed me with a big smile. My arrival journey was fast, comfortable, and highly enjoyable. 

Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort is a luxury eco-resort that sits beautifully by the Quill Volcano. This resort offers a peaceful, green atmosphere that is absolutely perfect for nature lovers and brave adventurers, with modern ocean view rooms and villas, and delicious food ranging from Italian to Asian cuisine. I loved exploring the lush gardens and swimming in the large pools.

The staff were very friendly, especially Gio, who escorted me on a resort tour. I learnt how the resort grows its own food sustainably as he showed me beautiful local plants, colourful flowers, fresh vegetables, and their chickens that live inside a large greenhouse on-site.

The resort also runs clean energy from 2,240 solar panels, and turns salty ocean water into fresh drinking water so guests do not need plastic bottles. It also uses special wetland plants to clean wastewater naturally. 

My diving experience with Statia Divers was absolutely wonderful. I received a welcome letter when I checked in, and the dive bag was prepared once I stepped into my room. Sender and Andre, the instructors, were very friendly, professional, and always made me feel safe.

There are around 36 dive sites in St Eustatius' protected national marine park, and the waters are famous for being uncrowded and undisturbed; we were the only boat at the dive site every time I jumped into the blue. Most dive sites are just a five to 20-minute boat ride from the local docks, and located in the Caribbean Sea (not the Atlantic Ocean).

“Aquarium is my favourite dive site,” said Sender, the Manager at Statia Divers. At Aquarium, it truly felt like swimming inside a glass fish tank. The shallow reef was packed with bright tropical fish, beautiful sea fans, and peaceful sea turtles. If you like wreck diving, you must not miss Charles Brown and Chien Tong Wreck. I was lucky to dive at both beautiful wrecks on my trip.

The Charles Brown Wreck is a massive 100-metre sunken ship. Here I saw a huge metal structure covered in colourful corals, and large schools of fish swimming through the old rooms.

Chien Tong Wreck is a Taiwanese sunken fishing boat (52 metres), now resting on a sandy bottom at 24 meters and functioning as a large artificial reef. During the dive, a massive southern stingray and reef sharks swam gracefully in the deep blue water.

The staff knew exactly where to find sleeping sea turtles resting on the deck. 

During the 18th Century, Statia was known as the “Golden Rock” and operated as one of the busiest, wealthiest free ports in the entire New World. My diving experience at Double Wreck was like stepping straight into this maritime history. Andre, the Italian dive instructor briefed me about the dive site, and told me not pick up any treasure. He guided me down 18 metres to the remains of two 18th-century trading ships.

The absolute highlight was finding an ancient anchor heavily embedded in the seabed, and seeing old clay bottles from the 1700s scattered in the sand. Swimming over the old ballast stones while surrounded by schools of goatfish and large stingrays felt like discovering a secret underwater museum. It was an incredibly peaceful and a unique archaeological dive. 

If scuba diving into Statia’s colonial past feels like a time machine, hiking its dormant volcano, The Quill, feels like stepping directly into Jurassic Park. This is a big, sleeping volcano stands high above the island, and walking up it felt like entering a hidden jungle world.

I started my hike early in the morning to avoid the hot sun. The climb up the main Quill Trail takes about 1-hour and goes up through a nice forest. Along the way, the jungle felt alive. I saw small hermit crabs walking on the rocks, red-bellied racer snake, bridled quail-dove and beautiful gumbolimbo trees. My guide Anthony said the locals often call the tree the “Tourist Tree”, a playful nickname for its peeling red bark which resembles the sunburnt skin of visitors not accustomed to the Caribbean sun. The newly-opened historical trail provides a detour from the path to the lookout point of the crater rim, and provides lots of information about the history and diversity of plants on the island. I eventually reached the main crater rim lookout point at 400 metres, and I could see the blue ocean and little town below. 

Statia is a hidden Caribbean gem full of history and peaceful nature. It is truly the ultimate escape for anyone looking for a real paradise. From diving deep to see ancient shipwrecks to climbing high up a volcano, every day brought a new adventure. The island has no big crowds, just beautiful views, and friendly people. It is truly the ultimate escape for anyone looking for a real paradise.

If you feel inspired to explore the topside and underwater delights of St Eustatius, discover our collection of dive trips in this fantastic Caribbean destination today.