Dive Review of Scuba St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet in
St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet

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Scuba St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet: "Excellent resort and dive operation that focuses on customer service", Oct, 2022, by Kimberly Sass, MI, US ( 1 report with 3 Helpful votes). Report 12190 has 3 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Ground Transportation: Arrival: Anse Chastanet resort has a separate ‘booth’ located close to the exit doors of the airport. After we checked-in with the person at the booth, bottles of water were handed out and we were advised to use the bathroom if necessary since the transfer time is over one hour. The van is modern and has air conditioning. The driver described sites along the way. The road is good except for the last mile. I don’t think it’s ever been improved in the 25 years we’ve been going to the resort. Returning home: Transfer times were given to each guest on the night before departure. This information was included in the letter with the hotel bill for incidentals. For international flights, the resort schedules transfer time to leave 3 hours prior to the flight time. Anse Chastanet handled out a lovely lunch box as we left the resort. Agriculture frowns upon that. Hotel Accommodations: Check-in process was efficient. Upon arrival, we were taken to the Emerald restaurant area (which was never open for dining during the week). Here we received the following information: Welcome letter detailing the orientation meeting time for the following day, marine park cost, tipping policy, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Managers Cocktail party and describing the electronic tablet found in your room. You need to sign a form that describes the meal plan to avoid any confusion on what is and is not included in the trip package. . Dive Schedule: A daily schedule which I relied on heavily. Cell Phone: Used to call for a ride within the resort. Many people used this option verse conquering the hillside stairs. Rooms: We stayed in the Superior category which was a good experience since previously, we’ve only stayed in the Hillside Deluxe and Premium. It is acceptable but certainly not as spectacular as the upgraded units. Refreshments: All rooms have a small refrigerator, stocked daily with a big bottle of water. There is a ‘pour-over’ coffee kit and plenty of locally grown ground coffee. Additional filters, sugar, cream and tea bags are in the refrigerator. There is also a K-cup espresso machine in the room. A welcome banana muffin and a welcome drink (miniature bottle of local rum and a lime/local honey mix ) were also in our room. Closet: The Superior room had a walk-in closet with plenty of shelving and clothes hangers. A safe is located in the closet. Balcony: The best view of the Caribbean is from the balcony. We overlooked the Pitons and the ocean, simply beautiful. There is a table, 2 chairs and a rocker on the balcony. Fall is a very hot time of year and per usual, it was too hot in the afternoon to use the balcony. It did make a lovely spot for morning coffee and evening star gazing. Balconies in Superior rooms are not as private as they are in the upgraded rooms. Fans: Since A/C is only in the Beach Deluxe rooms, fans are essential for all other categories. In the Superior category, there is one fan directly above the bed, 2 other ceiling units and one free-standing fan. Yes, I needed all of them during the heat of the day. Desk: Our room had one desk which was the necessary workspace for people with big underwater camera systems. An electronic tablet is located on the desk and this was a nice improvement for booking tours, learning about the resort, schedule spa treatments, etc. Electricity: Both 240V w/ 3-prong G-style plug and 110V USA A and B style plugs are located in the room. There are many locations for charging equipment. Bathroom Amenities: A blow dryer, shampoo/body wash, conditioner, lotion, etc. are located in the bathroom. The vanity has 2 sinks and a large walk-in shower. Water pressure is not impressive but there was plenty of hot water. Bed: Turndown service occurs sometime while we were eating dinner. Mosquito netting is closed around the bed. A mosquito coil burner is lite nightly. The pillows and mattress are comfortable. A spare lightweight blanket is found in the closet. A fan enclosed in the netting above the bed was appreciated. Dive Operation Facility: There are separate rinse tanks for cameras, neoprene items, regulators, etc. There are private lockers and you are given a very tiny lock and key to use for the week. They have a board, behind the counter where keys are stored so you don’t have to keep track of them. Thank God because again, it is really small. There are multiple bathrooms within walking distant and 3 freshwater showers, which only had cold water so you did quick work in rinsing off. There is small boutique to purchase dive t-shirts and hats. There is also a camera room that I did not explore. They may use it for classes? Tanks & Nitrox: Their Nitrox compressor was not working for the week so the resort applied a $50/person credit. The operation uses aluminum 80cuft tanks but larger and smaller tanks are available upon request at no extra cost. Towels: There is no need to pack towels. Beach towels are provided on the boat. You can either leave them on the boat or at the dive facility. Dive Guides: The boat captains were Felix, who I’ve had on multiple trips and John, who is finishing his captain license training. John is quiet but Felix is fun and very comfortable handling anything dive/boat related. Divemasters were Dave and Felix. They are fun, comedic and have the patience of a saint. We had some very new divers and both divemasters help with remedial issues like proper weighting, poor buoyancy and air hogs. They handle customers professionally but also with good humor so that everyone had fun. My pet peeve is Dive Nazis and they were not that. They know the dive sites and where all the critters live. They actively looked for cool stuff to show the group. Dive Sites: There is a marine park and everyone pays a $15 fee on the first day. Actually, you sign for the fee on the first day then it is added to your bill. It was very rainy at the beginning of the trip. This affected u/w visibility but it was still good diving. We had some currents and only swam against it when there was a good reason i.e. to see a frogfish or seahorse. The reefs look healthy with minimum coral bleaching. There are lots of orange, red and purple sponges which makes a more colorful reef than say the Cayman and Honduras islands. We saw a handful of turtles, no rays or sharks. There are plenty of spotted eels, tons of lobsters, huge arrow crabs and banded coral shrimp, an occasional crab, and one flying gurnard. On the last day, we dove the two shipwrecks which was a nice change though once was enough for me. I think the dive site schedule is pretty much the same each week and only deviates when dive conditions are poor i.e. strong currents. Dive profile is pretty standard too, max time is 45 minutes, ‘try to stay’ around 60ft and come up with 700psi. There is a sign in/sign out sheet that you fill out. The reef contour makes it ideal for people who want to dive shallower or deeper. It was ideal for me, with a PFO. I spent half the dive in 35ft” or shallower range and still was able to stay with the group. Restaurant/Bars Treehouse Restaurant: Breakfast is served here daily and also open for dinners. Breakfast consist of both a fruit/cereal/juice bar and made-to-order menu items. The buffet items are served for you, probably because of Covid. Choices: assorted fruit (pineapple, mango, soursop, coconut shavings, grapefruit, oranges,) assorted meats and cheeses, juices and smoothies, assorted cereals and wonderful breads. I really tried to pass on the chocolate croissants but sadly failed…….everyday. Birds continue to be a nuisance at breakfast and I laughed to see that the squirt guns are still in play. They now feed the birds bread crumbs toward the back of the restaurant to keep them content. Dinners: We rarely had to make reservations but I wouldn’t recommend just showing up when traveling during high season. Dinner selections included daily specials, plus regular dinner menu, and small plate and large plate options. The short ribs and pork were a group favorite. I enjoyed the fish options very much. Everything is beautifully plated. Desserts are worthy of a picture. The FAP plan allowed you to chose a starter, entree and dessert. You could chose a 4th item (?) but it’s a lot of food. Beach Restaurant: Lunches: Casual and fun. For those of us staying hillside, we brought bathing suit coverups or dry clothes to change into after the dives to wear at lunch. The dive lockers worked well for this. Selections ranged from salads, quesadillas, roti, wraps, fish & chips, etc. Non-alcoholic beverages were included in our package so lots of diet cokes and ice teas were shared over dive stories. Dinner: Twice, we had group dinners at Aspara, and enjoyed the Indian cuisine. There is a whole page of the menu with international cuisine or those who do not like Indian food. Bars: The Piton Bar had quick service, the beach bar was a little slower. Recommendation: Although 10% gratuities is already built into the trip price, I would recommend that people bring a bunch of $1 to tip the waitstaff throughout the week. They really deserved separate recognition, and coming off of Covid, I personally feel it would be appreciated and needed. Jade Mountain: Multiple people had dinner at Jade Mountain, some did lunch You need to make reservations early in the week if you want the earlier seating for dinner. Cost is $45/person for dinner plus any up-charges for special items. Excursions: Jazzy Cruise: Ten from our group did the evening cruise and throughly enjoyed it. Indian Cooking Class: 6 people participated in an afternoon cooking class at the beach restaurant. I participated in this class. We started by making Lassi, a yogurt based welcome drink. Then we made a chocolate, spiced tea that is popular on the island. While that was cooking, the chef discussed many spices and their medicinal benefits. This took a good portion of the class. By then the, the tea had steeped and we drank that. After that, we watched how naan, papadums (thin wafer served with chutney) we made in the tandoori oven then marinated lamb, shrimp and fish we cooked. We ended up eating a complete, large meal. Note: This is not a hands-on class. Some people were disappointed in that but once seeing how hot the tandoori oven was, I understand why. Cost: $55 Chocolate Making Class: 7 people took this class throughout the week and everyone was very happy with this tour. The class takes place at a Jade Mountain kitchen. Customers learned the process of taking cocoa beans to a chocolate creation. The group made bonbons which they got to take home. There was some confusing on where to meet. Some waited for the transfer by the Treehouse restaurant that never came so they hiked up to Jade. They were only 5 minutes late and the rest of the group waited for them to start. Emerald Tour/Volcano/Botanical Tour: Unfortunately there was some confusion with the booking so we didn't get to the botanical garden but the Volcano and Emerald Tour is worth doing. Bottom line: There is so much to do in at this resort that you can be very busy. There is a nice beach with great customer service but I rarely took advantage of it.
Websites	Scuba St. Lucia Anse Chastanet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Galapagos, Fiji, Solomons, Truk, Yap, Palau, Pohnpei, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Philippines, Tanzania, Red Sea, Socorro, Cozumel, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Barbados, Coco Islands, Maldives, Raja Amat, Ambon, Wakatobi, Bali, Belize, Grenada, Great Lakes, Florida, Bahamas, etc
Closest Airport	Hewanorra International Airport,	Getting There	Air Travel: Everyone from our group of 18, made it to St. Lucia without significant flight delays or cancellations. Travel to St. Lucia is expensive and current flight connections are very short, not ideal. For us midwestern travelers, whose departure airport of choice is Detroit or Chicago, there are no direct flights. Connecting cities (Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dallas, Washington DC (DCA), Orlando and New York (JFK) currently have very short connection times, 35-45minutes. Either
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive time is 45 minutes.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There is a 1 yr old very large boat with another one being built. There isn't a camera table but the boat has tons of room to find a safe spot for your camera. The rinse tank is small and sufficient for Sealife and GoPro sized camera. Larger camera systems will need to be rinsed on shore where there is a designated large rinse sink. The staff is very good at handling cameras and also schooling people not to rinse their masks in the camera tank.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Scuba St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet

Scuba St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet: "Excellent resort and dive operation that focuses on customer service", Oct, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Scuba St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet in
St. Lucia/Anse Chastanet