Saba · Caribbean Netherlands · Reef
Torrens Point
Saba's Nursery: boulders and small caves in under 8 m
Area photo: Patrick Hawks · CC BY 2.0
Torrens Point is the calm, protected site at the island's northwest corner, and the whole dive can be done in less than 8 m of water. It is a field of huge boulders with small caves cut between them, used for training and snorkelling as much as for diving. A tunnel roughly 18 m long gives experienced divers something more to do.
Where it is and how deep
17.6435° N, 63.2530° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Saba has no shore diving, so this is a boat dive like every other site on the island, dropped off the northwest corner of the island. The ground just north of the point is a jumble of huge boulders with small caves cut between them, and because you can do the entire dive in less than 8 m of water, the time goes on poking about that structure rather than on covering distance. It is calm and protected here, which is why the site is on the list when the exposed offshore pinnacles are not.
The shallow depth is why the operators call it Saba's Nursery and why it doubles as the island's snorkelling site. Experienced divers get a second option: a tunnel about 18 m long that the guide leads a group through. Bait balls are a common sight over the boulders. On the rock, look for spotted and Caribbean lobsters and the various flatworms, and expect curious great barracuda to hang above the group for most of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Macro critters
| 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
Is Torrens Point good for beginners?+
Yes. The site is calm and protected and the whole dive can be done in less than 8 m of water, which is why it is used as a training and snorkelling site. The 18 m tunnel is the one part reserved for experienced divers.
Sources
- Torrens Point dive site — PADI
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
A light drift over a reef shaped like a figure eight
Reef
Blacks Point
Antigua · Antigua and Barbuda
A resident great barracuda patrolling coral-covered boulders
Reef
El Acuario
María la Gorda · Cuba
Shoaling reef fish in 3 to 5 m of water
Seahorses in the seagrass at the end of the dive