Diving Without Local Dive Shop

[siroismi]

Hi

I just found on Noonsite that Scuba diving around Statia, St Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica is not allowed without the company of local Dive Shop.
Is this info correct??

We are both divers and have our compressor on board and have a RIB with a 20 hp OB, so do not need to deal with dive shops. Would be a bummer if this hold to be true.

Michel

[Matt sachs]

I have been diving St. Kitts for 5 years (every fall) Although I always use kenneths dive shop, I know of no rules that say you have to use a shop. And to be honest I think they lack the infra structure to police the reef. Its not protected and very much over fished. If you go ashore contact Kenneth Samuels. He is a great guy and might point you to the "hut tub". Its a volcanic vent the size of a large hut tub. The water temp inside is 102F. Its about 85 feet deep.
Hud, here on CF lives in Nevis and can probable offer better insite to the rules on Nevis and St. Kitts

[Matt sachs]

The Talata is a cool wreck to check out. Its shallow (45 feet to the sand) There is nothing else to see around the wreck except a baracuda named George. Hes 4 feet long and very friendly. Between Nevis and kitts on the carribean side about a half mile off shore is a site called the donut. Its the only place I know of to see a seahorse in that area.
And the there is the .......aw heck , just take me with you and I will show you the rest of the sites....

[siroismi]

Thanks Matts, good info!

Hopefully Hud will have something to add.

Michel

[KDH]

Needing to have a local shop is listed on the official websites of several countries, and was mentioned by our yacht helper in Dominica. Three reasons for this as I understand it are conservation (anti-poaching), job creation and preservation of the countries tourism rep as you don't like to see reports of divers lost in the news. I've also heard that in some areas of the med diving is not allowed to preserve antiquities on the sea bed but I've not had time to run that down yet. Maybe the easiest way to find out for sure is to go through PADI or some other dive associations site. Interested to know what you find out. Also, be aware the just because you don't see the officials doesn't mean they aren't there and in Dominica there were a lot of people taking a interest in what the cruisers were doing in their country.