Saba · Caribbean Netherlands · Pinnacle
Shark Shoals
A pinnacle at 27 m with outcrops at 37 m, dived for the sharks
Area photo: Patrick Hawks · CC BY 2.0
Shark Shoals is one of the offshore Pinnacles group southwest of Saba: a single pinnacle rising to 27 m with outcrops around it at about 37 m. It is one of the deeper dives on the island, run tightly in open water, and it is dived for what works the rock and passes off it.
Also known as Shark Shoal.
Where it is and how deep
17.6210° N, 63.2830° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is one of the leading sites on the island and one of the deeper ones, so it is run to a plan. The main pinnacle tops out at 27 m and the outcrops scattered around it sit at roughly 37 m, which means a drop down the line to the summit, a limited stretch on the deeper structure if gas and group allow, and the rest of the dive spent working shallower over the rock and back to the line.
The draw here is the animals rather than the terrain. Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and whitetips are the regulars, with the promise of a passing hammerhead worth watching the blue for. Triggerfish and turtles are common sightings over the rock, and mahi-mahi and trevally hunt in open water off it. Tuck in behind the structure, resist the pull of the deep outcrops, and the dive becomes a stop-and-watch.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Saba: December–April offers the calmest seas for pinnacle access; September–October bring the highest hurricane risk.
Questions divers ask
What sharks are seen at Shark Shoals?+
Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and whitetips are the common sightings, with hammerheads passing occasionally. Mahi-mahi, trevally, triggerfish and turtles are seen on the same dive.
Sources
- Diving in Saba - Dutch Caribbean — Dive The World
- Dive Saba, read Alert Diver Q3 — Divers Alert Network
- Dive Sites & Dive Operators — Saba Conservation Foundation
More dive sites in Saba
Reef
A cave under the overhangs, and reef sharks out in the blue
Reef
A loaf-shaped reef with a roughtail stingray cleaning station
Pinnacle
A full circuit of the rock, then up the canyon on its northeast side
Pinnacle
A needle-thin pillar rising to 27 m, dived with Third Encounter
Boulders down to sand at 23 m, elkhorn coral in the shallows
A shallow shoal off Torrens Point, capped at 25 m
Muck & macro
Open sand off the harbour, searched for batfish and blennies
Pinnacle
A narrow sponge ridge topping out at 33.5 m in open water
Similar dives elsewhere
Open-water pinnacles reached only in the September-October calm window
Four sunlit tunnels bored through a coral mountain
A swim-through at 11 m and a crater wall past 37 m
Tidal pinnacle off Bastimentos with sand channels and schooling fish