Saba

At the Boat and Site

• All Saba recreational shore scuba is prohibited by the tourism authority. Dive with the island's licensed operators and obey the Marine Park's mooring system.
• The operator chooses reefs and pinnacles based on forecast, recent dives, certification, logged experience, current and sea state. Diamond Rock currents and exposed deep Pinnacles are known hazards.
• The published advanced Sea Saba program requires AOW plus 20 dives or OW plus 50 dives, with nitrox on the deeper first dive; those criteria do not guarantee any particular site.
• Confirm computer, breathing-gas training, buddy procedures, surface marker rules, oxygen and emergency-response briefings. No solo guided recreational dive and no unqualified cave, technical or overhead penetration.
• Maintain appropriate no-decompression margins and safe surface intervals. DAN publishes minimum flying-after-diving intervals, but those are not guarantees and can be inadequate after complex or decompression dives.
• Mount Scenery and substantial altitude gains after diving pose separate risk. Do the summit on a non-diving day or with dive-medicine-informed planning.

At the Surface

• Sea Saba's afternoon snorkeling is advertised as unguided and for confident swimmers, pending a same-day assessment. Ask about floatation, ladders, current and emergency boat support.
• Do not snorkel Wells Bay or Cove Bay in swell and do not arrange independent freediving on dive moorings without explicit park/operator authorization.
• Whales, sharks and other sightings are never grounds to chase, touch or enter the water unsafely.

Saba Cares maintains an emergency department available 24/7 and lists 911 for emergencies. The clinic is at 12 Paris Hill Road, The Bottom, with ambulance contact +599 416 3288 or +599 416 6133. On-island medical services are limited, and the US State Department describes possible medical evacuation for serious cases. Dive operators describe an on-island hyperbaric chamber, but visitors must not assume the chamber or qualified specialist staff can accept a particular case immediately. Confirm the dive operator's current evacuation and oxygen protocols before departure. DAN emergency assistance is a supplement to, not a replacement for, local emergency services. Carry proof of insurance that explicitly covers your dive level, decompression treatment and offshore evacuation.

Saba National Marine Park is managed by Saba Conservation Foundation. The coastline-to-depth protected area includes reefs, sponges, shark and turtle habitats, and designated dive-boat moorings. Divers should maintain excellent buoyancy and avoid touching or collecting coral, marine life and historical artifacts. Sea Saba summarizes local policy as no reef-contact gloves, no feeding wildlife and no scuba spearfishing; it does not allow unqualified penetration of natural formations. Do not anchor on reefs or use dedicated moorings without permission. Never feed, follow or approach turtles or sharks for photographs. The separately protected offshore Saba Bank National Park is not automatically included in local day-boat arrangements. Check SCF notices for current zoned closures, construction impacts and site restrictions rather than assuming old maps reflect present access.