Why Saba?
Why Sea Saba?    
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All you need to know...
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Meet The Sea Saba Crew
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other good stuff...
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Nature News 
Annual Sea & Learn
Romantic Saba 
A Taste of Saba 
Some Saba History 
Add an Island 
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School of Medicine
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You've earned your vacation!  Let's make the most of it by preventing any glitches and giving you 'the inside scoop' of traveling to and from our special island.

Before
Packing Suggestions...Saba is a natural paradise and therefore attracts nature enthusiasts.  Our variety of restaurants offer a great variety from local barbeques to gourmet--but dining is casual.  If you want to sport that sweet summer dress, you won't feel out of place but you'll also be equally comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt.  If you're planning to hike, we recommend sneakers rather than hiking boots for many of the trails--knobby hiking boot bottoms can actually be slippery on the steps of Mt. Scenery, The Ladder, etc.  If you plan serious hiking, then yes, boots are in order.  But, sneakers take up much less packing space!  No worries about special medications; Saba neither has a mosquito problem nor 'no see ums' AND the water is great to drink.  Saba is 110 voltage--like the U.S. so no special adapters required.  With new security measures in place, you should pack all film in your carry-on luggage, knowing that you will need to request 'hand check visual inspection' of the film at each security check point to avoid exposure to radiation by the x-ray machine.  As x-ray exposure has an accumulative effect on your film, one pass through may not effect the film's integrity but after 3 or 4 passes, it will probably result in damaged film and unacceptable results.  Another option is to purchase a lead bag from a specialized camera store to protect the film.  Your film will be destroyed from the high level x-rays if you leave it in your checked baggage.  Alternatively, Sea Saba carries a wide range of film (and batteries) however, no processing available on Saba.  So, perhaps it's just another reason to consider digital options!

July 2005 Water temperature:  83F or 28C, a little early to be this warm...

What will we see?...Well, that's not an easy question...Check out our Nature News page for the latest unusual sightings.  We regularly update this page for recent sightings.  But you can also check your time frame of travel in past seasons to get an idea of 'usual suspects'.

Dive Equipment...Before you RENT equipment from your local dive shop, check out Sea Saba's quality equipment and great prices.  
Most divers are comfortable with skins, Polartecs or 2-3mm wetsuits in the summer months, depending upon your propensity to getting cold, body fat, etc.  In the winter months, divers wear from a minimum of 2-3 mm wetsuits to 5-6mm for those with little body fat or acclimatized to the tropics. 

Don't Forget...C-Cards or proof of certification are a must.  If you have lost your certification card, contact us BEFORE you get to Saba.  Many agencies make it easy to verify; some require time and patience but for certain Sea Saba, or any reputable dive center, requires proof of your diving status.  Any medical concerns that might effect your ability to dive safely should be addressed before you travel.  With your safety as our #1 concern, we have the right to refuse you to dive with us should we be made aware of any medical concern at any point during your stay.  If you are not a D.A.N. member, use this easy link to sign up and be insured before your trip. 

Immigration Requirements...In our 'new post 9/11 world', regulations are constantly changing so Sea Saba strongly urges all travelers to travel with a valid passport for ease of travel.  At minimum, all airlines require that you have government issued photo i.d (i.e. driver's license, passport) to travel.  If you do not have a passport, St. Maarten (your first point of entry in the Netherlands Antilles) will allow U.S. citizens entry with a certified copy of your birth certificate (with a proper seal) and government issued photo i.d.  Only a few nationalities (i.e. former Soviet countries and some Middle Eastern countries) require the issuances of a visa; contact Lynn or your local embassy in advance for any concerns.  

Travel Insurance or Travel Protection...Before you finalize your travel plans, you may want to research travel insurance.  For about 5% of the cost of your trip you can have some piece of mind and perhaps cash in hand if your plans go awry.  But make sure you 'read the fine print' to know what is or is not covered.

Weight Restrictions... Windward Island Airways " Winair" has an official weight restriction of 20kg per person (44 lbs.); however, there is an additional 10kg (22 lbs) allowance for diving equipment.  The Winair counter will not offer the information regarding the extra 10kg allowance--read more about this below.  If you are ticketed through to Saba on USAir, Delta, Air France or KLM, the luggage restrictions of those airlines apply.  American Airline passengers must re-check bags in St. Maarten.  Some suggestions:

Often times, Winair does not check the weight of your bags.  If they do and determine your bags are over the allowance, you may need to nicely remind the St. Maarten Winair representative of the 10kg allowance for dive equipment.  If your luggage is still determined to be overweight, you will need to pay for the extra poundage in another line and then re-check in.  The official rate is $1.20/kg.  Traveling from Saba to St. Maarten does not impose overweight charges as long as you have a normal amount of luggage (2 bags per person).  

Provisioning...  We did say concierge-level service.  If you will be staying at a cottage or a hotel with a refrigerator, consider taking us up on our offer to have a few essentials in place upon arrival.  We don't charge for the service, just another Sea Saba difference.  The island's food/freight boat arrives on Wednesdays, so if you intend to cook or just like to have things in place for arrival, best to send us a list ahead of time--things like fresh fruit, veggies and milk go fast!  In the spring of '05, a new grocery store has opened so the consumer if reaping the benefits of extended hours (now 7-8 p.m.) as well as being open throughout the day (no longer closed for noon-2 p.m. siestas), and competitive pricing.  However, all grocery stores remain closed on Sundays and holidays--Saba holidays, that is.  Even if you don't intend to cook, it's nice to have some basics in place for your arrival like breakfast stuff, coffee, beer, wine, etc....simply email us and we'll have it in place. You'll be surprised at the variety of wines at great prices.

During
Currencies...Saba is part of the Netherlands Antilles, far from the third world, but it's not America and it's not Europe.  Visa, Mastercard and  Discover are accepted almost everywhere, only a few establishments accept American Express. In the spring of 2005, an ATM at the RBTT bank opened...a big change for Saba!  Saba's  two banks continue to provide cash advances from a credit card, although not American Express.   Hotels, restaurants and our dive center will also accept traveler's checks and, of course, cash.  Antillean Florens, or more commonly called 'guilders' is the official currency; but there's no need to convert U.S. dollars, as they are accepted by all establishments.  Euros accepted only in a few places and normally at 1:1 rate; they can be changed at the local bank but charges are high.  With recent world events, the Euro has fluctuated again so no assurance Euros will be accepted at local shops or restaurants.  Banks are open Monday through Friday but old-fashion banking hours:  8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.; Friday's a bit later. 
 

Phones, Cellphones and Internet Access...Only a few hotels have telephones in the room.  There are 3 payphones in Windwardside: Sea Saba, Juliana's and Scout's Place are the spots.  The payphones accept only locally sold phone cards or guilder coins.  Additional new international payphones are now found in many areas of the island.  These phones can only be used with credit cards and or to make collect phone calls; however, rates are very high.   

You will see many locals carrying cellphones, but of course, your question is will your cellphone work on Saba?  With some pre-planning, yes.  There are three cell phone providers in St. Maarten; two of the three claim to be able to provide you cell service on your phone for incoming international calls as well as coverage in the five neighboring islands.  Pre-registration can be arranged.  Both East Caribbean Cellular and CellularOne have directions on their websites.  CellularOne also rents cell phones on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  Another option is to rent a local cell phone for just $5/day plus prepaid phone cards.  These seem to work just fine for local and international calls.  Contacting us in advance to arrange through Junior is advised.  If you need to be certain you can be reached any where and call out any where in the world, there is also the option of utilizing a company like All Cell Rentals for internation cell phone coverage and satellite phones.  John and Lynn actually utilized the services of this company in May while in the jungles of Peru.

If considering carrying a laptop or other means of accessing the Internet, check ahead to make certain your hotel or private cottage has in-room phone access or what their policy is on using a phone line.  With the introduction of ADSL to Saba in late 2004, a few hotels can even provide wireless access so that you can connect to the world wide web while poolside with a pina colada in hand.  At this writing, access is consistent at both El Momo Cottages and Juliana's Hotel.  Assured high speed access (well, high speed by Saba standards) is possible Mondays through Saturday at the island's only internet cafe located near the Windwardside Post Office:  Island Communications Services.  ICS also has low cost international phone access and a decent inventory of DVD's to rent.  Juliana's Hotel has a computer station for use by guests or travelers: $5/per 30 minutes.   Concerned you cannot be easily contacted in case of emergency?  Feel free to give Sea Saba's contact information to your family, business or friends.  If you have a family concern at home, contact Lynn and we will even provide our home number.      

Interline Baggage Agreements...At this writing, USAir, Continental, KLM, Air France have interline baggage agreements with Winair.  If traveling on these airlines, you may check your luggage through to Saba at your gateway city.  The airport code for Saba is "SAB".  These agreements regularly change but it never hurts to ask when you're checking your bags to same time and inconvenience when you land in St. Maarten.  In order to take advantage of this check-in process, you must have a ticket for same-day travel to Saba.  The reverse is true when departing Saba.  Note:  Air France has extremely high overweight charges of 35 Euros per excess kilo and the weight limit is only 23 kg.  Be sure to check individual air carriers policies on weight restrictions before you pack--or even before you ticket.  It may be find it more economical to ticket with one carrier over another once you investigate these policies

St. Maarten ("SXM") airport...When you arrive in St. Maarten (almost there!) have your entry permit filled out ahead of time so you do not have to go to the back of the line.  There is no real customs at the Princess Juliana Airport.  Occasionally officials will spot check luggage and request it is x-rayed; but long lines and delays are NOT the norm.  If you are traveling with a companion and you have a close Winair connection, have one person wait for the luggage while the other gets in line at Winair (exit the arrivals terminal and travel to the departures area where the Winair counter is clearly marked, furthest counter to your right).  Especially in high season, there are often numerous "last flights" for several islands and this line can be tedious.  It is well worth paying a porter $1/bag to help one person with luggage while the other "ques up".  Once you are checked in to Winair, you will need to obtain an "in transit" voucher at the Departure Tax window.  If you are in St. Maarten less than 24 hours, you do NOT pay to depart this airport but must have a voucher to enter the departure area.  Now proceed to the security checkpoint toward Gates 8 and 9.  New heightened security measures at this airport have made longer lines awaiting the x-ray station for carry-on luggage.  Especially in the late afternoon, this could take an hour, so allow enough time for this.  Often the flight to Saba is not announced on the loud speaker AND can leave up to 30 minutes early (or late; it's the islands, mon!).  Grab a cold drink and enjoy the local scenery but don't stray far from the gate.  

The real fun begins...

Saba airport...Get a window seat on the right so you can see this fascinating approach to the Caribbean's most unique island.  When you arrive on Saba with a Sea Saba reservation, Garvis should be at the airport looking for you.  If not, either ask Immigration to make a quick call to Sea Saba or take any taxi to your hotel and advise them you are on a pre-paid dive package.  The driver will collect payment from the hotel---tipping is at your discretion.  

Once you've settled in to your hotel, give Sea Saba a call.  We will stay open until we have made contact with you, preferably an in-person check in so that we can  give you a bit of orientation to the island, explain the dive plan and make dinner reservations for you.  Depending upon where you are staying, you may just want to give us a call with a proper check in arranged for the next day.  Enjoy your first evening!!

Can't wait?  Fill the time by learning more about Sea Saba's Crew or check out our diving diversity on our newly formatted Diving the Saba Marine Park page--there's loads of information here from the how the Saba Marine Park started to dive site descriptions as well as regular updates of what we are seeing.  Our Nature News page has interesting news items including weekly reports on strange and unusual creatures spotted.

OK, you forgot...No Worries, few things are truly unobtainable...You will probably be surprised how many things are available on our small island...Sea Saba offers excellent quality resort wear from infants to XXL--an array of shorts, shirts, sandals, long-sleeves,,,not just t-shirts!  We also have 35mm film and slide film  as well as Avantix film and a variety of batteries.  Video tape is only sometimes available.  There is no commercial film processing on the island.  Sea Saba used to be able to process a roll or two for you but in the digital age, we are no longer able to obtain fresh chemicals for E-6 processing.  Our local groceries store may not have the volume and variety you are used to but you will find it more than adequate.  A grand selection of wines and spirits are available at much lower than U.S. prices.  The Sea Saba office is open from 7:30 a.m. and most often well after 5 p.m.  Just ask for our help and we'll do everything within our power to accommodate your needs.  The A.M. Edwards Medical Center is staffed with two respected doctors and nursing staff and can handle basic health care and some pharmacy needs.  

After
Leaving Saba...Time to Go...As the end of your trip becomes a reality, our concierge-level service continues.  We will re-confirm your Winair flight as well as setting up your taxi transfer to the airport.  We normally suggest you pay your international departure tax of $20 at the Saba airport.  As of August 2002, American Airlines, Air France and Delta Airlines now include the departure tax in the cost of your ticket.  Perhaps other airlines will do the same soon?  Check at time of purchase to be certain.

Instead of sitting at the St. Maarten airport...If you have an afternoon connection, let us make suggestions for the best use of your time.  Get your white-sand-beach-fix at award winning Mary's Boon.  A $6 taxi ride whisks you to St. Maarten's landmark beach hotel.  Let us make a lunch reservation at their famous beach bar and they will let you use their pool, the beach, shower facilities and even arrange for your return airport transfer.  Other options are a taste of France in Marigot, the capitol of the French side or a taxi tour, or hustle in to "town" for jewelry and electronics shopping (recommended only if you have 4 hours or more). Why sit in the airport for hours when you can finish off the trip with another great experience?

Back home...Keep your Saba memories alive by sending an on-line postcard from Sea Saba, drop us an email or sign our on-line guest book.  Forgot to bring your logbook to Saba?  Click here for our downloadable, easy to print map as a souvenir.  Go to Sea Saba's exclusive map with dive sites and reminisce, or print it for your scrapbook or your log book.  Our annual newsletter will keep you posted with all the news that's fit to print about this special place that's now a part of you.  

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