tumblr hit counter

Archive for February 10th, 2010

St. Maarten Scuba Diving

St. Maarten Scuba Diving offers boundless underwater activities you won’t cover in a day.

If there’s a perfect beach for a scuba adventure that would almost certainly be on the Caribbean. Why not? Here you can find natural marine formations so elegantly formed and colorful like the reefs and even man made elements like sunken ships and ancient warships that litter the underwater earth of the Caribbean Sea. A few other places can afford a marine view as luxurious as the Caribbean.

St. Maarten is a tropical island sitting approximately 240 kilometers or 150 miles from the shores of Puerto Rico and is on the Northeast side of the Caribbean. Though not as recognized as its neighboring islands of Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba and the Virgin Islands in scuba diving, no doubt St. Maarten is as equally if not more stunning.

St. Maarten Scuba Diving Sites to Uncover

St. Maarten Scuba Diving offers boundless underwater sites. And it offers every kind, from ancient shipwrecks to natural formations to living structures; St. Maarten undersea habitat houses everything. Here are those underwater sites you just have to uncover.

H.M.S. Proselyte at depths of 46ft
If there’s going to be the best underwater wreck contest, the Proselyte is a sure winner. If by her lifetime she was a harbinger of doom, her grave shows none of that. Instead, this 200 year old British Frigate had blended so well with nature that only the cannons stand proud as a reminder of those days past. Eerie place? Absolutely none of that. H.M.S. is bustling with life, colorful life.

Fishbowl at depths of 60ft
Though relatively small, it is bursting to the rim with fishes. Mainly a number of barracuda will greet you, and a handful of parrotfish. Be sure to take an extra careful look at those fishes. Have you ever heard of cleaner fishes?

The Maze at depths of 50ft
Imagine how a garden maze would feature in an undersea environment. If you guess corals, then you got it right. The Maze is actually a scattering of haphazardly formed corals that it would take some maneuvering to waggle through them. Don’t hold over though, here you will catch a glimpse of elusive sea turtles and scores of jauntily colored tropical fish.

The Pinnacle at depths of 70 ft
Sometimes a sense of adventure will really strike you. Why not take it to a test further. Head further out into the “One Step Beyond”. An apt name; One Step Beyond is a double pinnacle jutting out alone among the reefs that surround the area. Here you will be rewarded with large schools of fish, some quite large. Sharks anyone?

Comments No Comments »

St. Maarten Phillipsburg

St. Maarten Phillipsburg is one of the few duty free ports in the world that is the best place to buy international fashion and luxury items as well as hand-crafted souvenirs.

St. Maarten is a place of hundred activities. To name a few would be hiking, horse riding, scuba diving and snorkeling, sunbathing, parasailing… there are a lots of activities that are typical to any Caribbean destination: activities in the sun. And like any other places too, St. Maarten is a place to shop for exotic goods.

St. Maarten is blessed as a commercial center. Being one of the few duty free ports in the world, it is the best place to buy luxury items even from your country. It of no cause of surprise really if cruise ships almost regularly dock in St. Maarten, often just to allow its passengers a chance to shop for exotic goods and imported items or just mingle with hundreds of nationalities that also do likewise.

Most serious shopping is over the island’s Dutch capital at St. Maarten Phillipsburg. Especially at the Four Street in St. Maarten Phillipsburg where designer boutiques and world renowned labels lined the streets, shopping becomes more or less serious with choicest catalogs of items, apparels, equipment and even electronics coming from all around the world with prices that would rival anywhere. Designer boutiques of all sorts such as Calvin Klein, D&G, Tommy Hilfiger, Levis, and DKNY line the Four Street of St. Maarten Phillipsburg.

One favorite shopping item prevalent in St. Maarten Phillipsburg is jewelry. In fact, several shops of different nationalities compete with each other selling jewelries of any kind. These Front Street shops offer everything, from silver to loose diamonds to emeralds to rubies and sapphires, St. Maarten Phillipsburg is the best place for items such as authentic and pricey jewelry since other regulated places (even the most lax regulations) still requires a good percentage of duty taxes. Many jewelers do sell authentic and pricey watches, like those Swiss watches and chromium originals and several Rolex.

While most shoppers do tend to concentrate more on international fashion and top-of-the-line French cosmetics, there are other shops that sell native items that are handcrafted and designed by St. Maarten inhabitants. Like summer t shirts, caps, native hats, and even a bottle of the popular Guava berry Liquor. Some quaint art galleries offer native crafts and arts that would be perfect souvenirs for anyone’s stay in St. Maarten Phillipsburg.

In keeping close tradition, most stores in St. Maarten Phillipsburg and some around the corner do tend to remain open 24 hours to facilitate those needing to buy something even at wee hours of the morning as well as departing guests that sometimes leave at dawn.

Comments No Comments »