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The Caribbean, the beaches, the sea, the weather, the diving, stress free life amongst friendly people....This is the dream bandied about in the glossy magazines to get us to part with our money, every destination seems to hold the magic combination that we all expect if we are to believe the hype.
There is however a reality that is not advertised that I would say is quite easy to find and if you want the former ideal some things should be avoided at all costs.
I can outline some of these from my travels as:
- Exorbitantly expensive tourist traps, where the only time they smile at you is when they present you with their bill, (Mustique/Barbados).
- Fifteen novice divers all paying around the hundred dollar mark to thrash about in an underwater sandstorm, (Barbados/Aruba).
- One hundred and twenty dollars for the excitement of having a mask strap snap, a fin split and an inflator valve blow off at 35 meters, above numerous circling sharks and then getting blamed for it ! (Hired gear, Rangiroa/Tahiti).
- A 45 meter dive in an open channel at the end of low tide, followed by finning against a running tide, at the surface, at ten meters, deeper, until exhausted, then drifting on surface until colliding with a rival scuba tour boat, (Malta).
- And my favourite, "Be careful when you hand me the camera, the dome port is, no sorry, was delicate." Accompanied a day later with "Hey! I ran out of air on the deco. stop and the guage still says 450 psi !" "Yes, well we do not calibrate our gauges, in fact no one does do they?" (Both From Tobago).
Of course I could go on and I could also quote positive examples about other experiences as well from these areas but the point is that there is a world of difference between the cool art of marketing and the even cooler light of reality.
Unfortunately, in the diving world, it is easy to think all places are paradise (which they are not) and it is very difficult even on the net to reliably find a good destination. One such reliable source that can be found on the net is the site of "Undercurrent". It is mainly a members access site but the reports are true to life, warts and all.
Allow me to list what I like to encounter when I go diving to turn film into images. They are all equally important for me and all contribute to a greater percentage of keepers. They are:
- clear warm water
- lots of subjects in good condition
- healthy coral reef
- manageable currents
- friendly professional dive operators
- a reasonable maximum number of divers on the boat
- and change left over for good nightlife and vacation fun.
Is it too much to expect?
In some places the answer would have to be yes. In others, some of these factors are on offer. In San Andres, an unspoilt island located a few hundred miles South West of Jamaica I have enjoyed all of my requirements for the year I have been living there.
I have prepared this brief guide to promote the island to underwater photographers and kindred interested and responsible divers, that these early stages of the environmental plans being implemented at present have the best chance of success.
The ideal solution, based on the commendable success of Bonaire, would be for this area to become known as an ideal destination for our pastime, the first step is to introduce it to you, then our tourist dollars could contribute to achieving this. All of the photographs on this page are from San Andres.
When divers talk of the Caribbean the same places keep cropping up in their recommendations, places like Cozumel, Cayman islands, Bahamas, Bonaire and Roatan to name a few and I know that the visibility part of my requirements were met at Cozumel and Bonaire, the two places of these that I have visited, even if not all of my general ones were, but how well known is the Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia? I would think hardly known at all is the answer because this region is not marketed in the same way for reasons I shall touch on later.
Locally, the saying goes, "Los Siete Colores De Azul De San Andres", which in English, also spoken in the islands translates as, "The Seven Colours Of Blue Of San Andres". Flying in during the day, when the sky is clear and blue, these seven colours are seen as opalline expanses of underwater photography country which stretch below.
The Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia consists of the islands of San Andres, Providencia, Santa Catalina , islets of Bolivar and Albuquerque, cays of Johnny, Cotton, Haynes, Serrana, Serranilla, Quitasueno, Rocky, Crab and Roncador which I think is jointly owned by the U.S. and finally, the sand banks of Alicia and Bajo Nuevo.
The region was declared a World Heritage Area some years ago and in December 2000, UNESCO, the scientific body of the United Nations, declared the zone part of the World Biosphere Reserve under the auspice of Coralina, the island environmental body.
This zone is termed Seaflower and these rulings should guarantee the area remains as unspoilt as it has done in the absence of excess commercialisation and marketing.
It is owned by Colombia, almost 500 miles to the South East. Pirates used San Andres and Providencia, notably the Pirate Morgan, as a base for their operations away from prying eyes and while many islands also make this claim, the history of San Andres and Providencia confirms this, famously the fabled buried treasure of Morgan himself is of course rumoured to be still hidden somewhere in the region. It is a large area however and would take extreme luck or much investment to pin down it's location, probably less odds than winning a National Lottery though...
As a Caribbean destination, many of the well known attractions which are common to the more famous destinations are present. For many years it was the duty free port of Colombia and attracted the usual goods such as jewellery and perfume, designer goods and the like.
The prices for electrical goods are now not so favourable compared to the mainland as over the years changes in the Colombian economy have made the home market more competitive. However, for example I recently priced some underwater camera gear and the prices were comparable with the New York dealers, (albeit not with underwaterphotography.com.)
E6 processing is available overnight although the only slide film available is Agfa and Kodak, 100 ISO being the slowest.
Restaurants range from fast food, (though Mc Donalds et al are not present), to fine cuisine and seafood is always a speciality, especially lobster, conch, crab and of course red snapper and can be enjoyed right by the sea in romantic tranquillity at a reasonable price. A three course evening meal with wine and G&T's costs around 45 dollars, for two. Visit the site www.rincondelalangosta.com to view one of the premier restaurants fare and location.
One other restaurant, Coral View, while not being luxurious but intimate, is locally famous and is owned by the most friendly, semi retired, (don't call him that or say I told you !) Mr. Carrington. He was a Head Chef for many years cruising with the liners and his sauces are delicious.
The walls of the restaurant sport graffiti of satisfied customers which includes the current President Of Colombia, Andres Pastrana, who took his aids and advisors there on his last visit. Typically, his dishes for two come out at 25 dollars plus wine.
The island's beaches are safe for bathing for children and are cleaned each morning by the island's task force, a company called Trashbusters. The sand is composed of broken coral and is therefore white, the island itself is mainly limestone and acts as a sink for rain which keeps the water clean.
It has to be said lamentably that in some areas, around the mangrove section for example that the trash is unsightly. This is because it is a section of road on which people do not walk, not for reasons of security, just because it is away from any areas of development, so it gets less attention than the beaches.
The main beach in the town is impressive and has a view of Johnny Cay, an offshore desert island where during the day sunbathing, dancing, food and refreshments are on offer. The fresh fruit cocktails are especially good as are the fish lunches.
Sound Bay Beach, Bar Boat, Magic Lane At Cove
My negative observations are that the roads in the main town are potted in places and that there are too many small motor cycles present. A rush hour exists around the business hours that in some areas in the town is overwhelming, for noise and two stroke Castrol R fumes.
Probably the first thing a visitor would notice is the state of some of the taxis in operation, which in the main seems to be confined to those old Chevrolets Caprice Classics of the 70's.
Like most island destinations, the water is of variable quality, the hotels have their own regulated supplies and present no problem but for accommodations in apartment buildings or beach complexes it can be saline or even sour, as storage tanks are relied on for the supply.
On the subject of safety, isolated petty theft can exist at night around the hotels, where the tourists congregate usually at the beach reggae bars but really, it is very isolated. Nothing unpleasant has happened to me in the time I have been there.
Nightlife is a blend of Latin Salsa, Merengue and West Indian Reggae and many places mix and match their music depending on what gets the people going. The discos get busy around mid night and go until 4 am and drinking rum, (of course), in Cuba Libre form costs 15 dollars a litre, beers are a dollar a go and there is a choice of local or imported, the latter costing a bit more.
The Islanders are of English and Jamaican descent and the immigrant population is mainly from Colombia. The tourist population is mainly Colombian these days as the trend to combat dwindling international tourist numbers has been to offer all inclusive plans from the mainland. These are of five days duration typically and are available from any Colombian city for 200 dollars or so and while at times, like Easter or Christmas the island buzzes with visitors, the all inclusive nature of the break keeps the people in their hotels. Hence, prices have fallen generally in the island leading to the reasonable costs I am able to quote here.
Recently, the island is proving popular with Italians and Canadians and there has always been a scattering of Germans who come for the diving and who are regulars every year. More rarely, English people turn up occasionally through some obscure contact in the holiday business and upon grilling them I have found that they pay less for a week all inclusive from London than I pay for my ticket alone, i.e. less than 500 pounds.
Generally, U.S. citizens do not venture here, probably for the bad press that Colombia receives due to it's problems with drug trafficking and guerrilla activity, which can result in the kidnapping of foreigners but the point to remember is that San Andres is not like Colombia at all in these respects. It is a good guess that for this reputation, when billed as San Andres, Colombia, it would make for quite a marketing challenge and probably, one that is not commercially viable for such a small island. In fact however, many Colombians visit purely because the island is a known haven of peace and then go on to relocate and live away from the troubles back home.
It is worth noting that it is not even necessary to enter mainland Colombia to arrive at San Andres, there being a direct connection with Lacsa daily from San Jose Costa Rica, a fifty minute flight away.
I would say it is perfectly safe to travel from Europe and the U.S. flying direct to Bogota and then connecting to San Andres with a flight of one hour and fifty minutes. With flights leaving up until 11:30 pm the connection can be accomplished in one day, without leaving the airport.
Connections booked before arrival cost twice those booked locally so it is best to tackle travel arrangements independently and save the folding stuff.
As with any travelling in South America some patience is the best thing to take with you as things are frequently amiss for one reason or another. The Colombian people however are supremely efficient in their attitude and I can say that because your custom is highly prized and gratefully received, they do tend to look after you with genuine concern for your comfort.
It is worth mentioning however that one weekend in every four, Colombia has scheduled holidays or long weekends termed "Puente". At these times flights and accommodation can become scarce and so it is worth planning your trip to take in a "Puente" mid way during a two week stay for example.
This avoids the rush and related delays yet provides the colour of a Latin/Reggae long weekend at the beach and in the discos, at other times however, the island is not thronged and can be enjoyed in a relaxing manner.
Diving on the island is well catered for, there being several operators and therefore competition between them is fierce. The cheapest I know of costs fifteen dollars for a double boat dive, all equipment included, which is ridiculous. Your dive buddies are likely to be students from the Colombian cities, and lots of them.
My own personal favourite is Werner Koster a German who owns Karibik Divers situated in the main town. After sampling the main companies present I would recommend Karibik Divers as all equipment is provided including wet suits and computers and like clockwork, his boat leaves at 09:20 every morning for a double tank dive with lunch in between, usually at one of the offshore small cays or harbour restaurants.
This service costs a reasonable forty nine dollars. A package of 8 double dives costs 300 dollars and of course, beginners are offered PADI OW and advanced OW courses. For more detailed information on San Andres, hotels, dive operators and links, the web site most informative is: www.sanandres.com. Werner can be contacted at wernito@sol.net.co.
Macro photography is most productive as often there are no suspended particles between you and your subject. The ambient light level is such that blue water backgrounds can often be captured on ISO 50 film easily and the corals and sponges are in very good condition, making subject selection very easy indeed.
Wide angle photography is a bit restricted for a 16mm lens but reasonable photos can be obtained with 20-35mm lenses. The light in the sea shows the most exquisite gradation of blues and due to the visibility, great depth in the photos is evident.
The abundance of sponges keeps the water filtered which also accounts for the visibility. Large fish life however is scarce around San Andres although turtles, rays and dolphins are sometimes encountered.
Nurse sharks, reef and hammerhead sharks are rarer still but not impossible to bump into, especially at some of the deeper dives, which are around 40 meters.
The best dives are on the outer reef, only 25 minutes away by boat where the cantille drops vertically to 60 meters or more. There are small caves and swim throughs and with the right conditions the water column can be almost still allowing for an effortless dive in 28 degrees of comfort, this also allows you to hover motionless without excessive finning as you vary composition and lighting.
There are some wrecks available for exploration but they are recent additions and do not have significant colonisation as yet. In other areas there are sand flats and small coral outcrops where stingrays, flounders and nurse sharks can be seen and there are expanses of very healthy coral gardens which are excellent for macro photography, with many subjects presenting themselves during your dive such as morays, angel fishes, lobsters, grunts, porcupine fish, trumpet fish, trigger fish, parrot fish, chromis, basslets, octopus, various nudibranchs, turtle, barracuda, the usual assortment of Caribbean species. Away from San Andres the populations increase in numbers and size due to less fishing activity.
Providencia, a short hop by plane is the sister island of San Andres and really is a rare experience in today's Caribbean. The lights go off at 9:30 pm to give you an idea of it's level of commercialisation and it is possible here to have the whole beach to yourself.
Diving is available at more or less the same rates as San Andres and if you are looking for a real bolthole "away from it all", this is the place. Freshwater Bay is the location convenient for the dive school and the chap's name is Sunny. When I last visited I was the only diver and therefore I was indulged embarrassingly in my strange pastime.
Trips to a pristine uninhabited islet, Cayo Bolivar, are offered from San Andres most weekends weather permitting. Some of these trips include beach camping and BBQ and if taken during the full moon can be very special indeed. A two night two dive trip is offered for around seventy five dollars and includes steak, fish and beers, hammocks and tents. Werner has his boat return to the island for fresh croissants for breakfast, tanks and more beer for the next day and it is these touches that make the difference, Dario of Aquamarine Dive, also in the town is the resident underwater videographer and is most helpful and knowledgeable in the subject.
For an idea of accommodation on San Andres, it is readily available from thirty dollars a night for two sharing self catering up to sixty dollars for a good hotel room.
Of course, it is also possible to pay more but the most expensive hotel, the very well appointed Sunrise is around 100 dollars. Note that underwater cameras are not available for hire so it is necessary to come equipped.
For independence, scooters are available at twelve to fifteen dollars a day, the latter even come with brakes! The island can be circumnavigated in 30 to 40 minutes by scooter and all the way around the view of the sea constantly begs you to gear up and get out there, in the seven colours of blue of San Andres.
In conclusion, a little known area that offers most of what we expect even if it is sometimes, "Maņana!"
I am currently commuting alternate months between San Andres and Venezuela depending on work assignments but may be contacted at nick@nickdevoys.com my future website which is presently awaiting completion as I am currently expanding my portfolio. The site should be running mid 2001, but I said mid 2000 last year! Safe and happy diving, burn that Velvia and if you can highly recommend anywhere to me, I would be happy to hear from you!
For more scuba diving and dive travel related information about the Caribbean visit Caribbean dive sites
