Scuba dive and snorkel in St. Martin / Sint Maarten with Octopus Diving, the world's first V.I.P. scuba and snorkel operation.  

Overview

Octopus Diving

Scuba dive and snorkel in St. Martin / Sint Maarten with Octopus Diving, the world's first V.I.P. scuba and snorkel operation.

Welcome to Octopus Diving!
Scuba dive and snorkel in the beautiful waters of St. Martin / Sint Maarten with Octopus Diving, the world's first V.I.P. scuba and snorkel operation. Check out our highlights

* Renowned Octopus V.I.P. service
* 6 divers max on the boat
* Exclusive dive spots
* Over 30 of the best French and Dutch sites
* 2-tank trips only $99, all equipment included

Experience our famous V.I.P. service
Hi there. Feel like a V.I.P.? At Octopus, you already are. That’s why we never take more than 6 divers on a boat, always cater trips to your experience level, and make sure you spend more time underwater and less en route with fast, comfortable dive boats. And we take you to all the best dive and snorkel sites on both sides of the island – over 30 sites including our top-secret spots! We teach you like a V.I.P. too: a full range of PADI courses and certifications, with a max instructor-to-student ratio of 1:2 for the best training possible. We’re also proud to offer the latest high-quality, impeccably-maintained rental gear. Hey, only the best will do. That goes for the whole super-pro Octopus team, too – every one of us is here to make sure you have a great time in and out of the water.

Explore your sea side
Whether you're an experienced diver ready to take your diving to the next level with advanced courses or specialties, a certified diver looking to explore St. Martin's amazing reefs and wrecks, a first-timer interested in discovering the world of diving, an avid snorkeler, or even if you've never been in the water before - we've got something for you, and we'll make your underwater experience one to remember. Book you St Martin / Sint Maarten diving and snorkeling with us today!


Two Tank Dive Trips

The Diving in Saint Martin is fantastic, we have wrecks, canyons, lava tubes, healthy reefs and tons of marine life. In late winter we get dolphins and we have even had some close encounters with Humpback whales. Turtles are regular visitors to our dive sites, as well as sharks and eagle rays. However, for those of you that love the small stuff, Saint Martin has sea horses, nudibranchs and all sorts of other little creatures as well.
The underwater world in Saint Martin is fabulous and never ceases to amaze us, check out the description and photos of the variety of dive sites that we have in Saint Martin on our Top Dive Sites page.
Currently Octopus Diving is the only diving center that offers 2 tank trips twice a day, one in the morning and the afternoon.
The first dive trip leaves at 8 AM in the morning and the second at 1 PM in the afternoon. Each trip lasts around 3 and a half hours and we dive twice on each trip.
On our dive boat “Octopussy” (the best, custom designed dive boat on St.Martin / St.Marteen… some say the Caribbean) we take out only 6 divers per trip, offering a true breath of fresh air in the diving industry with regards to customer service. Our boat is so fast and comfortable at speed, that we are able to dive on both the French and the Dutch side of the Island, choosing only the best sites every day, conditions permitting.

For the true VIP service we take your equipment to the boat for you and set it up. If you would like to set up your own equipment, then please just let us know. Then, after a fast ride we give you a full dive briefing, help you in and out of your equipment, offer a pre dive safety check and make sure that you are on your way to an awesome experience with one of our seasoned instructors .
After the dive we help you out of your equipment and up our large, custom built dive ladder and back onto the boat, where we always have a member of our Octopus Diving staff waiting for you. During the surface interval (normally 30 – 45 minutes) our divers relax in the bow eating the complimentary oranges and drinking the complimentary water while we change the tanks around, all the while listening to your favorite tunes on our Sony Marine radio with i Pod hook up.
After the surface interval we are off to a different amazing site where we make our second dive. Upon our return to the dive shop in Grand Case we ask our guests to kindly go back to the diving center while we get all the equipment off the boat and then rinse and hang it up for you.
The fact that we leave at 8 AM allows us to have the first pick of dive sites, and also in the afternoon, our schedule lets us get to our preferred dive sites first. Remember that if you don’t like an early rise on vacation, join us for the afternoon two tank dive where we also dive all over St.Martin / St. Maarten.
We have really great equipment here, all serviced regularly and in good working order. With the increased cost of luggage on flights these days, why not leave your BCD’s and Regulators at home and use our equipment? If you like, just bring your own mouth piece and we will change it for you.
We look forward to sharing the underwater world with you here in Saint Martin

Private Boat Charters
Octopus Diving provides V.I.P. private diving and snorkeling charters in Saint Martin. Our private charters are available by full and half day and include a boat captain and either a snorkeling guide or diving instructor, depending on your needs. All equipment is included in the pricing for private charters.


Private Dive Guides
Octopus Diving offers Private Dive Guides if so requested.
For those divers that are nervous about diving in a group, haven’t been diving in a while, or really want to have a dive guide all to themselves, we offer the service of private guides. Although we only take out six divers at one time, there is also something special about having just one dive guide all for yourself. Perhaps you want to take photos and not have to worry about staying with the dive group, or maybe you are concerned about your air consumption affecting every one else’s dive, or maybe you just like looking at the really little stuff… why not have the ultimate VIP experience?
Just email or call us to ask about hiring a private guide for your dive. Please click on the link below to look at what one of our recent divers had to say about his experience. “A Week With Octopus Diving”


Discover Scuba Diver
Have you ever wanted to experience breathing underwater? If you would like to find out but aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into a certification course, PADI Discover Scuba Diving is the way to go.
The Discover Scuba Diving program provides you with an experience of the underwater world under the supervision of professional Diving Instructors. Our instructors will be with you at all times, guiding you through every step of the SCUBA diving experience whilst showing you amazing marine life. With no classroom work or pool work, it’s instant gratification.
Being underwater for the first time is something that you will never forget and could be a life changing moment. Many of our discover scuba divers decide to continue and get their full certification.
The Discover Scuba Dive takes place in our nature reserve at Creole Rock. Starting off extremely shallow, allowing you to become accustomed to the water, the dive then progresses to a maximum depth of 30 feet. At Creole Rock you will be able to see Eagle Rays, Turtles, Barracudas, Sting Rays, tons of reef fish, and lots of fun little critters that your diving instructor will be sure to point out to you.
Then, after the first dive you have the opportunity to do a second dive at Turtle Reef. So named because of the high population of Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles, this site never ceases to amaze us.

PADI Courses
We offer the full range of PADI courses. As seasoned, professional, competent instructors we understand the needs of new students. On our travels around the world, we have witnessed poor Dive education first hand and realise the need for excellent tuition standards.
What can you expect?
At Octopus we offer realistic training, a Padi certification needs to be earned and not just handed out. Therefore we will work with you to ensure you understand the course material and master all skills neccesary for your safety and a lifetime of fun in the water.
Where will you study?
All classroom work is done at the dive shop. With a relaxed and quiet ambience it is the perfect atmosphere for learning this amazing and life changing sport.
The Confined Open Water dives take place just a one minute walk from the dive shop, in the crystal clear water of Grand Case Bay. In the unlikely event that the bay is too rough, we have access to a beautiful pool in Terres Basse.
Your Open Water dives all take place at our two house reefs – Creole Rock (part of the national marine reserve) and Sec de Grand Case. The water is always calm, visibilty 50 – 100 feet and minimal current ensures you will have a relaxed and enjoyable experience. Just take a look at our gallery to see what you will experience on your four open water dives. We get turtles, Eagle Rays, Southern Rays and of course all the reef fish one would expect in a National Marine Reserve.


Snorkeling Trips

The snorkel sites that we visit are Creole Rock and Turtle Reef.
Creole Rock is part of the nature reserve on the French Side and here you can see Eagle Rays, Turtles, Barracudas, huge Sting Rays, as well as an abundance of marine life.
At Turtle Reef, so named because we get Hawksbill and Green Turtles there, we also see Rays, Morays, large Porcupine Fish and lots of other great wildlife.
Both sites are just a 3 minute boat ride away, making for a fast and comfortable journey and more time in the water. We stay at each site for about one hour to one hour and a half, and our guests can get in and out of the water as they like. Our shaded boats always stay at the snorkel site the whole time you are there and we provide complimentary fruit and water on each trip.
We have two trips a day, one leaves at 8 AM and the other at 1 PM. Each trip is about three to three and a half hours.
If you would like more information on our snorkel trips, please don’t hesitate to ask us.

Octopus Diving is the premiere dive operation in St. Martin. Our dedication to VIP service means small groups, top notch equipment and personal service. We never take more than six guests diving at a time and much of the PADI coursework we do is one-on-one instruction.
In addition to our commitment to service, we are dedicated to safety. Our dive boats carry comprehensive first aid kits that are inspected regularly and include emergency oxygen. All gear is professionally maintained, from our rental gear to our boat to our compressor. Our trained staff is dedicated to make your diving experience as enjoyable and safe as possible.


What You Need to Know
Congratulations on choosing Octopus Diving! We look forward to having a fantastic dive or snorkel with you. Below are a few key pieces of information that you should know.
* Our dive and snorkel trips leave at 8:00am and 1:00pm each day. We ask that you arrive 15 minutes before the boat leaves so we have time to fit your gear and complete any paperwork if necessary.
* Saint Martin is in the Atlantic Time Zone, which is one hour ahead of Eastern Time and “cruise ship time.” We operate on local time, so please plan accordingly or you will miss the boat.
* If you are driving in from another city on the island, please allow sufficient time for traffic, particularly during high season.
* If you are diving, please bring your certification card, or we cannot take you diving. If you are PADI-certified we can look up your certification online.
* If possible, please book in advance. In order to offer V.I.P. service, we take a maximum of six divers on the boat at a time and we do get fully-booked, particularly during high season.
* Our rental equipment is extremely well-maintained. You may find it easier and more economical to use our equipment even if you have your own gear.

Thanks for taking the time to review this information, and we look forward to seeing you soon!