St. Lucia Diving

Forget the exports of bananas, coconuts and cacao, the cruise ship arrivals at Castries and tourism dollars that flow in to St. Lucia. The island's greatest resource is her geography-cool and damp rain forests, rich, diverse waters and a dramatic volcanic landscape punctuated by cone-shaped Petit and Gros Pitons.

With its massive sea fans, Anse Chastanet Reef, a marine park near Soufriere, is a favorite shore diving spot and a snorkeler's playground. The shallow reefs around the town of Soufriere are ideal for drift diving. Sunk for divers in 1986, the 165-foot Lesleen can be found in 65 feet of water at the Anse Cochon site.