This side pertains St. Maarten / St. Martin diving and snorkeling excursions. For nautical tours, see our Activities on the Water, Sailing and Activities on land pages.
See our St Maarten Excursions And Things To Do Overview and St Maarten Cruise Excursions Page for more information and inspiration for things to do.
St. Maarten Scuba Diving tours allow for great day trips beyond the island’s lagoons. Amongst a great variety of other underwater nature, corals, tropical fish, eels and many other species of underwater life can be found around St Maarten. In the deeper waters, sharks can be found; during the mating season the area in between of St Barths and St Maarten / St Martin’s Atlantic coasts is a nursery for whales.
Whereas St Maarten has plenty of beautiful Snorkeling locations nearby the coastline and , scuba diving trips often allow you to take a bit of a distance and see the great panorama of the island from sea.
Whether you are after a Single dive or refresher dive, a Double tank dive, PADI course, helmet diving only or just want to only explore if Scuba diving is something for you, St Maarten offers it all! See our offer below. Scuba diving trips are organized by Aquamania and Dive St Maarten. If not yet in your possession, they can also help you obtain the worldwide recognized PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) license to dive on your own. As our organization supports responsible diving, please see our map below for Nature Foundation permitted locations for scuba diving tourism that least harm our fauna under water.
Fun fact: Not every sea turtle is the same! Did you know that St Maarten / St Martin is home to four sea turtle species: Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback and Loggerhead. The two most common are the Green and Hawksbill Turtles. Please treat them with respect, and avoid nestings all time! If you run into one, please let the St Maarten Nature Foundation know!
Let’s take a look at some of the top snorkeling spots to visit. Starting on the south end of the island, off beautiful Little Bay Peninsula, is an unusual collection of artificial reefs formed by sinking a helicopter and a large airplane. Corals have formed and reef fish gather to populate the new site for snorkelers to enjoy. Spot lionfish, barracuda and the ever-inquisitive yellowtail snapper. Moving up to Simpson Bay, the rocky reef break is home to many colorful reef fish, eels and barracuda. Just off the beach of Simpson Bay Resort, the calm, protected bay waters make for enjoyable snorkeling.
Next stop: Baie Rouge. The famous “hole in the wall” is a swim-through, and the soft corals have re-grown beautifully in this area. As you enter the water from Baie Rouge Beach, head right around the rocky outcrop and enjoy the snorkeling and an exhilarating swim through the gap. While not a reef area to snorkel, La Samanna Bay at Long Bay Beach has a white-sand bottom that high-lights the gorgeous turquoise water for which the Caribbean is so famous. Here we often see stingrays nestled in the sand and inquisitive Bermuda chubs. The occasional barracuda slowly swims by and hangs out in the shade of the boat.
Creole Rock on the north side of St. Maarten is your first entry to the Reserve Naturelle. The patient dedication of the Reserve Team has seen the restoration of corals and sea life around Creole Rock, Pinel Island, Tintamarre Island and Green Cay. Creole Rock serves as a nursery, so many varieties of reef shaped like the head of an Indian Chief and is quite a large area to snorkel and scuba dive. This site and Tintamarre require a boat trip to access them. If you are fortunate enough to charter a boat, the snorkel sites around Tintamarre and Pinel are great for exploring. The corals are well formed, and turtles are plentiful. Ensure your boat trip abides by the Reserve rules to protect the sea life by picking up moorings instead of anchoring.
For a fun and safe snorkel experience, bring along reef safe sunblock and swim shirts. Keep your fins off the bottom and don’t take or touch sea life. Mask and snorkel rentals are common at many beaches. You also may rent gear from your hotel or perhaps buy a set. Take a few minutes to make sure your gear is working and fits properly and ask your guide where to go and what you will see. Then you can relax and enjoy floating in turquoise-blue waters. There are such great things to see under the water. Place your face in the water and see what is hanging around.
Check out the St. Maarten auction site to see if there are any snorkeling/diving excursion deals available!
See our St. Maarten buses page how your excursions can be reached via the St. Maarten minivan bus system. See for an overview of St. Maarten taxis and taxi rates to the various activities should you want to take a cab to your excursion.
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