Explore Sint Maarten

A tiny in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico, is split into the Dutch and French side. St Maarten, which is the Dutch portion of the island, is the focus of this article. It’s the perfect island getaway, and offers pristine, warm diving all year round thanks to its tropical climate. 

There are around 17 dive sites around the south and southeast sides of the island. Sites usually don’t exceed 18 meters (60 feet), meaning diving is easy and perfect for beginners. Tourism isn’t bustling, so it’s great for those that enjoy uncrowded dive sites, even in the high season. Sites include beautiful reefs, lots of wrecks and encrusted rocky spots explore. With around shipwrecks to discover, wreck lovers will be kept very busy. 

Many of the exceptional reefs around St Maarten are rocky structures covered in coral and sponges. Volcanic activity created a lot of the rock formations underwater, which are now teeming with colorful life. Some older reefs suffered hurricane damage, however, they’ve shown great recovery in recent years with new coral taking over the old. 

With sufficient dive centers and dive resorts to choose from in this small island, there’s plenty of availability. Furthermore, some operators travel by boat to nearby islands, like Anguilla, St Barts and Saba. A few liveaboards visit the island, though not many actually depart from it. 

Furthermore, it’s a great place to take an open water certification, or for more advanced dive courses, a wreck specialty would be suitable thanks to abundant shipwrecks here.

Dive Activity

Diving in Sint Maarten

The majority of dive sites here are colorful reefs and wrecks with some breathtaking topography thrown into the mix. Boat diving is the most common practice, though there are a few shore diving opportunities at shallow reef sites. 

The beautiful reefs all around the island are normally shallow and very easy with mild to zero current, promising a relaxing dive for divers of all levels of experience. 

For shipwreck enthusiasts, there are around ten wrecks to explore, and are all taken over by nature, encrusted by corals and sponges and home to an array of tropical fish species. The most famous wreck is the HMS Proselyte, which sank in 1801 and is now located in the Proselyte Reef.

Dive Sites

BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Teigland/ Cable Reef (★4.5)

The Teigland is an old ship deliberately sunk here. First she sat on a ledge but then she rolled over and now is lying next to a beautiful reef at about 70 feet deep
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Shark Hotel (★4.4)

There is a good chance to spot reef sharks here! At 60 feet there’s a beautiful reef with lots of ledges and ridges to explore. Located right next to Fishbowl.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Fish Bowl (★4.4)

Jump on in and explore this circular-shaped reef. As the name implies, this site boasts an abundance of wildlife from Honeycomb Trunk Fish, Scrawled File Fish, and huge schools of Bi-coloured Damsel Fish.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

HMS Proselyte (★4.4)

Proselyte Reef, just outside Philipsburg, is the signature dive site within the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. Site is named after the H.M.S. Proselyte that struck the shallow area in September 1801.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Coralita (★4.5)

Located opposite Philispburg, in the golden triangle of the Dutch reserve. This dive site starts at 12 meters (40 feet) and ends around 18 meters (60 feet).
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Lucy's Barge (Wreck) (★4.5)

A barge lying at about 55 – 60 feet deep. She sank in 1991 and is badly broken up by storm damage, but you can still recognize the engine block and the propeller.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Carib Cargo (Wreck) (★4.6)

Wreck of the Carib Cargo / RoRo / Carib Ghost. Damaged by Hurricane Luis in 1995 the boat has been moored in front of Philipsburg for one year until Hurricane Bertha took it off it's mooring line in 1996. Found some time later, today, it is on of the best wreck dives on St Maarten.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

One step beyond (★4.5)

One Step Beyond` is one of the best reef dives around the island. Two `pinnacles` with colorful corals and great aquatic life in 90 feet of clear blue water!
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Moon hole (★3.6)

Located to the east and further from shore than the other sites, Moon Hole is less frequently visited and therefore a pristine reef in full color.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Little Bay (★4.2)

With a maximum depth of 20ft (6m), this site is perfect for beginners . This spot is just on the front at the beach and he have a sea museum with the statues.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Pelican rock (★4.4)

Pelican Rock is on the Eastern Shore of the island on the Atlantic Coast. When weather permits this is one of the more pristine dive sites on St. Maarten.
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

The Bridge (★4.5)

The Bridge is a site near the Dutch entrance to the Simpson Bay lagoon that hosts several yacht wrecks as well as the remains of an old bridge. The remains of the bridge have been completely taken over by sea life and this is what makes the dive worthwhile!
BUBBLE SHOP, 97150 Saint-Martin

Porpoise (★4.7)

The Porpoise is a sunken tugboat that sits upright in approximately seventy feet. It is located opposite Maho Beach, directly opposite the airstrip. Wreck Depth: 80-90ft.
Mares

Mike's Maze (★4.5)

Mike’s Maze is one of the prettiest and shallowest sites within the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. It starts at approximately 40 feet (12 m) and boasts healthy coral formations and numerous maze-like swim throughs.
Aqualung

Hens and chiks (★0.0)

Hens and Chicks is an Atlantic dive site between Sint Maarten and Saint Barth , that has a reputation as being very sharkey. It lies in 60 feet of water.

Top Wildlife Sightings in Sint Maarten

A wealth of vibrant marine life and underwater habitats can be discovered all around St Maarten, from diverse hard and soft coral species, sea fans, gorgonians, hydroids, sponges and lava rocks, to critters both big and small, from frogfish, seahorses and hundreds of reef fish, to moray eels, blue tangs, lobsters, schooling fish, trumpetfish, barracuda, tarpon, stingrays and even eagle rays, reef and nurse sharks, to only name a few.

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

iStock-Global_Pics

Barracuda
429 Sightings
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39
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27
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29
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22
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40
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography

Green Turtle
241 Sightings
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18
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21
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29
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12
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16
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20
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17
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6
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35
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23
Alamy-WaterFrame

Moray Eel
144 Sightings
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5
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23
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9
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6
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10
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12
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10
iStock/Juliosanjuan

Eagle Ray
133 Sightings
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21
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18
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13
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4
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26
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8
Shutterstock-Ed Jenkins

Hawksbill Turtle
84 Sightings
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7
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11
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11
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2
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0
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Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl

Octopus
60 Sightings
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7
iStock/ultramarinfoto

Wrasse
36 Sightings
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iStock-ShaneGross

Loggerhead Turtle
27 Sightings
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iStock/Extreme-Photographer

Stingrays
446 Sightings
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29
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49
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27
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38
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57
AdobeStock-Marc Henauer

Grey Reef Shark
430 Sightings
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33
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58
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51
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Show More
Shutterstock-Rich Carey

Angelfish
262 Sightings
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14
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19
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7
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21
iStock-burnsboxco

Parrotfish
220 Sightings
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8
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11
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29
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28
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11
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21
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14
iStock/cinoby

Lionfish
213 Sightings
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15
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13
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16
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11
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15
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21
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17
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11
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27
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34
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18
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR

Pufferfish
143 Sightings
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14
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6
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7
iStock-Global_Pics

Spiny Lobster
140 Sightings
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14
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28
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14
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8
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11
Shutterstock_Leo Lorenzo

Trumpetfish
139 Sightings
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19
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4
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14
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4
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13
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11
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13
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20
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12
AdobeStock-Nikolai Sorokin

Blacktip Reef Shark
131 Sightings
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7
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13
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11
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18
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12
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13
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19
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10
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4
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8
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11
AdobeStock-hakbak

Nurse Shark
124 Sightings
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10
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19
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3
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13
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12
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17
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14
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8
Shutterstock_Krzysztof Odziomek

Butterfly Fish
124 Sightings
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20
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12
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19
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9
Shutterstock-Henry_and_Laura_Whittaker

Grouper/Basslets
121 Sightings
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16
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3
iStock-mirecca

Surgeonfish
110 Sightings
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iStock-Rainer von Brandis

Snapper
98 Sightings
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11
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12
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9
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AdobeStock_Vladimir Wrangel

Boxfish
91 Sightings
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iStock-Hoatzinexp

Jackfish
85 Sightings
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1
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21
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7
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Shutterstock-Levent Konuk

Goatfish
74 Sightings
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9
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Alamy-Andre Seal

Damselfish
70 Sightings
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Shutterstock-aquapix

Sweetlips and Grunts
68 Sightings
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iStock-wrangel

Triggerfish
68 Sightings
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iStock-Global_Pics

Soldierfish
64 Sightings
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iStock-Global_Pics

Squirrelfish
60 Sightings
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Shutterstock-Shane Gross

Shrimp
57 Sightings
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iStock-Michael Zeigler

Crab
53 Sightings
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Udo Kefrig

Clownfish
39 Sightings
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iStock-stephankerkhofs

Porcupinefish
36 Sightings
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AdobeStock-Composer.

Flounder
24 Sightings
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The best Months to Dive in Sint Maarten

Like its French counterpart Saint Martin, St Maarten experiences amazing diving all year, and has similar seasons. The low seasons are around May to July, and September to November. The higher seasons are July to August, and December to April. 

The air temperature is stable all year, with an average of 27°C/80.6°F, which can climb to 32°C/89.6°F. The two seasons are the dry and winter periods. The dry season lasts from December to April, and the winter, from May to November. There isn’t much of a definite rainy reason. 

The water temperature is stable all year, fluctuating between 26°C-29°C/79°F-84°F in the warmer months, which are around January and February, down to 22°C-24°C/72°F-75°F in colder August. Visibility is usually excellent year round, reaching 30 meters/98 feet or more depending on the site. 

The hurricane season runs from June to November, though the island isn’t inside the worst of the hurricane area.

Dive Centers

Friendly Island Divers

26 Juancho Yrausquin Blvd, 0000 Pointe Blanche, SXM