St. Eustatius Diving
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OVERVIEW St. Eustatius, more commonly called Statia, is a quiet Dutch enclave that remains one of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean. "The Golden Rock" has plenty of black-sand beaches, but they're fairly ordinary by Caribbean standards, and there's little to no nightlife on Statia. So why is this place a valuable secret? Because you can trek through rain forest on The Quill, extinct volcano on Statia's southern tip, without encountering other hikers; because you can dive shipwrecks or snorkel a sunken city with bumping into other swimmers; because to can be transported through time to the Old Caribbean at the Old Gin House. Statia is the ultimate escape for everything that it is not: not busy, not commercialized, not glamorous.
TOPGRAPHY
Mt. Mazinga, a.k.a. 'the Quill," rises 1,970 feet above the southern half of the island and dominates the island's landscape. The few low mountains on the northern side that bookend the island's central plains where the capital, Oranjestad and the airport are located. Most of Statia is dry and covered in scrubby vegetation punctuated by the occasional splash of color. That all changes as you gain elevation on the slopes of the volcano. The central crater hosts ferns, elephant ears, bromeliads, bananas and a variety of large trees. Orchids -- 18 varieties - grow on the island, all but three on the Quill. In January the average daily high temperature is 29ºC (85ºF); it averages a few degrees warmer in July and rarely dips below 22ºC (72ºF). Moderate rainfall is fairly evenly dispersed throughout the year.
CLIMATE
Generally dry and sunny. Light constant Northeast trade winds bring constant cool breezes and sufficient moisture to keep average daytime temperatures down to about 85º F. Rainfall occurs in showers of medium duration during the months of April, June and September.
HISTORY
In 1776, the little-heard-from island was the first foreign government to officially recognize the United States as an independent nation. When the U.S.S. Andrew Doria entered Statia's harbor, the Dutch island hailed it with an 11-gun salute. In angry response, the British seized the island. It was to echange allegiances a total of 22 times before a permanent tie with the Netherlands was established.
