Reef condition after Hurricane Omar

After Hurricane Omar whistled through the Caribbean a few weeks ago many people have wondered what the condition of the reefs are around St.Martin.

The team at Octopus Diving have been out and about around St.Martin since the hurricane and here are the findings so far:


Creole Rock:

The classic spot for snorkeling and Discover Scuba Diving has survived remarkably well considering it was battered by 18 foot seas at the height of the storm. Alot of sand has been removed along with the eel grass, but generally its in good shape and still very diveable. We were there on 30th October 2008 and saw two large Octopus, stingrays and the usual numbers of reef fish. The visibility is eventually clearing to around 20 feet.

Sec De Grand Case / Turtle Reef:

The turtles are still there which is a huge relief, the North West side if the reef has a light dusting of sand, however the south East is in good condition.
Gorgogna sea fans and soft corals are still there and have survived.
Dived on 31st October 2008 saw two large turtles, two huge stingrays and the most fish we have ever seen on this dive site. Vis wasn't so great but still a nice dive.

Tintamarre:

Japanese Garden and Chico haven't been touched and the Nurse Sharks are still there.

Diving the Tug Boat today so will update soon on the condition of it.

Fusheng:

The moorings were missing so the Octopus Diving Commercial diving squad went into action and made a temporary mooring. The condition was a surprise, at 34 metres deep (100+ feet) it had taken a beating from the storm surge, with more debris than usual lying around it.
Its still in good shape and a fantastic dive for Advanced Open Water students - a great reason to do your AOW course !!

Gregory:

Some say the wreck has been moved a few feet from its original position?? Alot of the coral has been damaged but generally we werr surprised how little it had changed. Still a great dive site.

Porpoise:

Haven't dived it yet, but allegadly it has been knocked over?? Hard to imagine that a 100 foot long Tug boat can be knocked over by a wave. We will dive it again soon and let you know how is.

So thats it for todays update. The team at Octopus Diving are out again this afternoon at Tintamarre and are ready for the busy season.

Come down to the newly refurbished shop and check out our excellent deals on all dive equipment.

Happy Bubbles...

Team Octopus.